HOW TO SUPPORT THE GOSPEL MISSION

#1 · October 6, 2008, 11:14 am

Quote from Forum Archives on October 6, 2008, 11:14 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
HOW TO SUPPORT THE GOSPEL MISSION

October 5, 2008

TEXT: Romans 13:8-14

These are turbulent times. One can hardly escape from the headlines trumpeting the various disasters threatening us today. One disaster is the financial meltdown. At least, thats how it is presented in the headlines.

I do not make light of the gravity of this real concern. Ups and downs of the economy impact our lives on a very personal level. Just as in every era before us, our livelihoods are tied to the health of the economy. When businesses have to make cutbacks because of decreased sales, then jobs are hard to come by. Sometimes, jobs are lost entirely. Hardships increase. We know the scenarios; we have been taught them in history, and we hear about them today.

As significant as the events swirling around us are, though, there are also other realities to inject into the midst of this. First, most here today have been through similar situations before. Again, I am not attempting to downplay the critical nature of what is being faced, but neither do I recommend giving in to the excessive alarmism and pessimism that we receive from our media sources. I have lived through a few of these turbulent economic cycles before the S&L crisis, the banking crisis, the oil embargo crisis, and others and have heard pretty much the same gloom and doom forecasts. In fact, I have found news reports from previous times that, with a few minor changes, could be inserted into the front pages today. I think all journalists have to do is dust off some of those stories from the past, and they have their report for the day. Our economy was in a collapse; it will never recover; were heading for the soup lines. You name it, and it has been predicted. Guess what? Given the chance to recover, we have always pulled out.

As comforting as past history can be, the most important reality to keep in mind as Christians is that nothing that happens in our nation or world catches God off guard or defeats Him. Regardless of how bad our economy is or might become, God is still in control. In fact, Revelation tells us that there are still much tougher times that will have to be faced. God makes it clear throughout that book that our salvation is still intact. What is more important than that?

I encourage you today, then, to keep these realities clearly in mind as you hear and read the headlines that are being dumped on us. And I encourage you to always remember that Gods promises are not dependent upon economies, political systems, weather, or anything else that we face in this life. They are dependent only upon His nature and His promises. Take heart from Gods servant Paul, who wrote with fervor and excitement in Romans 8:38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Here is the real promise of hope.

At the same time, we do well to learn valuable lessons from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. Romans 13:11 tells us, And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. So lets wake up from our slumber. Many mistakes have been made along the way that has landed us in this present economic crisis. It does not do us any good to go over the lessons that investment banks, mortgage firms, and any number of other financial institutions should learn, so lets bring it as close to home as we can. Without doubt, the primary contributing factor to this crisis is debt. We have too much of it. A cartoon in Fridays paper depicted a husband and wife in a checkout line. The wife is reading one of the checkout stand papers with the headline, Bailout. Meanwhile, in panel after panel, her husband hands the cashier a credit card that is returned with the cashier saying, Its maxed out. The cartoon ends with the wife asking, How did America get so deep in debt? Her husband answers, Dont ask me.

We do know, of course. When people, families, communities, businesses, and governments spend more than they have, bad things happen. And Americans have been overspending for a long time. A chart published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows the personal saving rate of Americans from 2000 through the present. At no point has the saving rate exceeded four percent, and in one quarter in 2005, it actually went negative! Now thats a lot of debt. Some analysts believe that these numbers are too optimistic. So it stands to reason that at some point along the way, this lack of saving and excessive debt is going to come back and bite us. That time seems to be now.

So, pastor, what does all this have to do with a Sunday morning worship service, a sermon, the World Mission Offering promotion, and the Scripture read from Romans 13? Glad you asked. One of the instructions that God makes clear to us is that Christians are supposed to support the Gospel mission. We have many tools at our disposal to accomplish this: prayer, personal involvement, and financial commitment, just to name a few. Two men and their families, commissioned by the Congregationalists, left America for the mission field of India. On the way, Adoniram Judson and Luther Rice became convinced of the accuracy of Biblical believers baptism, so they became Baptists on their trip. When they arrived, they were without support. It was therefore decided that Luther Rice would return to America, share this news with Baptists, and raise support for the mission ministry of Adoniram and Ann Judson. As a result of this undertaking, support was raised for the Judsons and what was to become one of the most successful foreign mission ministries in history began in Burma. In A History of the Baptists, Robert G. Torbet writes of the beginnings of this undertaking, In spite of the economically depressed condition of the country following the War of 1812 and the hazards of travel on the high seas, the Baptists did not hesitate in the great undertaking. (Robert G. Torbet, A History of the Baptists, 3^rd edition, Judson Press, 1980, p. 249) Did you catch that part about an economically depressed condition of the country? See? I told you that economic crises have happened before. In spite of the crisis of their day, what was the Baptists response? They supported the Gospel mission.

One of my senior Navy Chaplains was fond of telling us, You cannot give what you do not have. This simple truth with its variety of applications ties together our present economic troubles and our obligation to support the Gospel mission. I have noted many times in Bible studies that living in accordance to Gods instructions to our lives leads naturally to blessings both spiritual and material in nature. Romans 13:8 tells us, Let no debt remain outstanding, except for the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The number one reason why the personal saving rate of Americans is so low and the debt rate is so high is because we want to look out for ourselves. We want to acquire as many things as we can as quickly as possible and not worry about the other guy, or even God, in the process. There was a radio program on WIOU in which the commentators frequently bemoaned todays low wages. Many times they declared that the wages of their fathers and grandfathers used to be able to provide adequate shelter, food, clothing, and transportation for their families. I have reflected on their complaints many times and have come to recognize a few details they happen to leave out. Their fathers and grandfathers werent buying cars and cell phones for every family member. They werent paying for cable TV with premium channels or going out to eat every day. They werent buying video game systems and the tons of games to go along with them or, for that matter, video movies. In fact, going to the movies at all was a special treat, but today people make trips to the movies at least a weekly event. My point here is that if we take away all of these modern expenses that are not necessities, families typically do make enough to enjoy a rather good life. But since we have turned most of these optional expenses into necessities that we believe that we are entitled to, then we discover that there is not enough money to cover everything. As a result, saving goes down and debt goes up. Supporting the Gospel mission also goes down.

When our spending is primarily for our personal wants and pleasures, then we fail to think through the consequences. And one of the consequences is that we fail to do the very thing that God has required of us. Let no debt remain outstanding, except for the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8) Our missionaries, who make significant sacrifices themselves in order to take the Gospel into much less fortunate places, deserve to be supported by their brothers and sisters remaining at home. That can only be done when we put our priorities in order. You cannot give what you do not have.

This morning, we have already shared the Lord s Supper that act of remembrance for what God has done for us through the sacrifice of His very Son. It is a somber act, for we recognize in it our constant inability to live in accordance with Gods will. It is also a joyful act, for we recognize in it Gods merciful salvation. We recognize in it Gods divine ability and desire to lift us up out of the depths of our sin and to place us in His righteous presence. Our grateful response, then, is to support the Gospel mission. How do we do that? By turning to God first for putting our households in order. By looking to God for our instructions on how to live. By committing everything, including our finances, to God. By taking these actions, we keep ourselves as much as we are able from being unable to respond to the legitimate needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ and the Gospel mission they are taking to others around the world.

On this Sunday, and throughout October, we will collect the World Mission Offering. The purpose of this offering is straightforward: to support our missionaries serving overseas. One hundred percent of the donations received for the World Mission Offering goes toward our missionaries and their ministries. Prayerfully consider your level of support and then follow through with your commitment. And what if you just cant afford to support it this year? I still encourage you to prayerfully consider your position. Take the matter up with the Lord. Realign your priorities in life with the priorities, and the subsequent blessings, God has ordained for you. Covenant with God and make plans in your heart now to be able to support this Gospel mission next year. Trust God to see us through these turbulent times. Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Romans 13:14)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
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Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

October 5, 2008

TEXT: Romans 13:8-14

These are turbulent times. One can hardly escape from the headlines trumpeting the various disasters threatening us today. One disaster is the financial meltdown. At least, thats how it is presented in the headlines.

I do not make light of the gravity of this real concern. Ups and downs of the economy impact our lives on a very personal level. Just as in every era before us, our livelihoods are tied to the health of the economy. When businesses have to make cutbacks because of decreased sales, then jobs are hard to come by. Sometimes, jobs are lost entirely. Hardships increase. We know the scenarios; we have been taught them in history, and we hear about them today.

As significant as the events swirling around us are, though, there are also other realities to inject into the midst of this. First, most here today have been through similar situations before. Again, I am not attempting to downplay the critical nature of what is being faced, but neither do I recommend giving in to the excessive alarmism and pessimism that we receive from our media sources. I have lived through a few of these turbulent economic cycles before the S&L crisis, the banking crisis, the oil embargo crisis, and others and have heard pretty much the same gloom and doom forecasts. In fact, I have found news reports from previous times that, with a few minor changes, could be inserted into the front pages today. I think all journalists have to do is dust off some of those stories from the past, and they have their report for the day. Our economy was in a collapse; it will never recover; were heading for the soup lines. You name it, and it has been predicted. Guess what? Given the chance to recover, we have always pulled out.

As comforting as past history can be, the most important reality to keep in mind as Christians is that nothing that happens in our nation or world catches God off guard or defeats Him. Regardless of how bad our economy is or might become, God is still in control. In fact, Revelation tells us that there are still much tougher times that will have to be faced. God makes it clear throughout that book that our salvation is still intact. What is more important than that?

I encourage you today, then, to keep these realities clearly in mind as you hear and read the headlines that are being dumped on us. And I encourage you to always remember that Gods promises are not dependent upon economies, political systems, weather, or anything else that we face in this life. They are dependent only upon His nature and His promises. Take heart from Gods servant Paul, who wrote with fervor and excitement in Romans 8:38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Here is the real promise of hope.

At the same time, we do well to learn valuable lessons from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. Romans 13:11 tells us, And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. So lets wake up from our slumber. Many mistakes have been made along the way that has landed us in this present economic crisis. It does not do us any good to go over the lessons that investment banks, mortgage firms, and any number of other financial institutions should learn, so lets bring it as close to home as we can. Without doubt, the primary contributing factor to this crisis is debt. We have too much of it. A cartoon in Fridays paper depicted a husband and wife in a checkout line. The wife is reading one of the checkout stand papers with the headline, Bailout. Meanwhile, in panel after panel, her husband hands the cashier a credit card that is returned with the cashier saying, Its maxed out. The cartoon ends with the wife asking, How did America get so deep in debt? Her husband answers, Dont ask me.

We do know, of course. When people, families, communities, businesses, and governments spend more than they have, bad things happen. And Americans have been overspending for a long time. A chart published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows the personal saving rate of Americans from 2000 through the present. At no point has the saving rate exceeded four percent, and in one quarter in 2005, it actually went negative! Now thats a lot of debt. Some analysts believe that these numbers are too optimistic. So it stands to reason that at some point along the way, this lack of saving and excessive debt is going to come back and bite us. That time seems to be now.

So, pastor, what does all this have to do with a Sunday morning worship service, a sermon, the World Mission Offering promotion, and the Scripture read from Romans 13? Glad you asked. One of the instructions that God makes clear to us is that Christians are supposed to support the Gospel mission. We have many tools at our disposal to accomplish this: prayer, personal involvement, and financial commitment, just to name a few. Two men and their families, commissioned by the Congregationalists, left America for the mission field of India. On the way, Adoniram Judson and Luther Rice became convinced of the accuracy of Biblical believers baptism, so they became Baptists on their trip. When they arrived, they were without support. It was therefore decided that Luther Rice would return to America, share this news with Baptists, and raise support for the mission ministry of Adoniram and Ann Judson. As a result of this undertaking, support was raised for the Judsons and what was to become one of the most successful foreign mission ministries in history began in Burma. In A History of the Baptists, Robert G. Torbet writes of the beginnings of this undertaking, In spite of the economically depressed condition of the country following the War of 1812 and the hazards of travel on the high seas, the Baptists did not hesitate in the great undertaking. (Robert G. Torbet, A History of the Baptists, 3^rd edition, Judson Press, 1980, p. 249) Did you catch that part about an economically depressed condition of the country? See? I told you that economic crises have happened before. In spite of the crisis of their day, what was the Baptists response? They supported the Gospel mission.

One of my senior Navy Chaplains was fond of telling us, You cannot give what you do not have. This simple truth with its variety of applications ties together our present economic troubles and our obligation to support the Gospel mission. I have noted many times in Bible studies that living in accordance to Gods instructions to our lives leads naturally to blessings both spiritual and material in nature. Romans 13:8 tells us, Let no debt remain outstanding, except for the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The number one reason why the personal saving rate of Americans is so low and the debt rate is so high is because we want to look out for ourselves. We want to acquire as many things as we can as quickly as possible and not worry about the other guy, or even God, in the process. There was a radio program on WIOU in which the commentators frequently bemoaned todays low wages. Many times they declared that the wages of their fathers and grandfathers used to be able to provide adequate shelter, food, clothing, and transportation for their families. I have reflected on their complaints many times and have come to recognize a few details they happen to leave out. Their fathers and grandfathers werent buying cars and cell phones for every family member. They werent paying for cable TV with premium channels or going out to eat every day. They werent buying video game systems and the tons of games to go along with them or, for that matter, video movies. In fact, going to the movies at all was a special treat, but today people make trips to the movies at least a weekly event. My point here is that if we take away all of these modern expenses that are not necessities, families typically do make enough to enjoy a rather good life. But since we have turned most of these optional expenses into necessities that we believe that we are entitled to, then we discover that there is not enough money to cover everything. As a result, saving goes down and debt goes up. Supporting the Gospel mission also goes down.

When our spending is primarily for our personal wants and pleasures, then we fail to think through the consequences. And one of the consequences is that we fail to do the very thing that God has required of us. Let no debt remain outstanding, except for the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8) Our missionaries, who make significant sacrifices themselves in order to take the Gospel into much less fortunate places, deserve to be supported by their brothers and sisters remaining at home. That can only be done when we put our priorities in order. You cannot give what you do not have.

This morning, we have already shared the Lord s Supper that act of remembrance for what God has done for us through the sacrifice of His very Son. It is a somber act, for we recognize in it our constant inability to live in accordance with Gods will. It is also a joyful act, for we recognize in it Gods merciful salvation. We recognize in it Gods divine ability and desire to lift us up out of the depths of our sin and to place us in His righteous presence. Our grateful response, then, is to support the Gospel mission. How do we do that? By turning to God first for putting our households in order. By looking to God for our instructions on how to live. By committing everything, including our finances, to God. By taking these actions, we keep ourselves as much as we are able from being unable to respond to the legitimate needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ and the Gospel mission they are taking to others around the world.

On this Sunday, and throughout October, we will collect the World Mission Offering. The purpose of this offering is straightforward: to support our missionaries serving overseas. One hundred percent of the donations received for the World Mission Offering goes toward our missionaries and their ministries. Prayerfully consider your level of support and then follow through with your commitment. And what if you just cant afford to support it this year? I still encourage you to prayerfully consider your position. Take the matter up with the Lord. Realign your priorities in life with the priorities, and the subsequent blessings, God has ordained for you. Covenant with God and make plans in your heart now to be able to support this Gospel mission next year. Trust God to see us through these turbulent times. Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Romans 13:14)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org