THE MESSENGER | WINTER 2019
EXCEPT THEY BE SENT
FINANCING MISSIONS THROUGH THE LOCAL CHURCH
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he challenge of Romans 10:13-15 is the necessity for the communication of the Gospel. Without the Gospel, people will not be saved; in fact, they cannot be saved. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). There is, of course, the call of God to go and preach. There is also the enabling of God to do so. From a practical standpoint, the sending also includes the sending of the local church. Missionaries are called by God and sent by local churches. The call is actuated by the recognition and support of churches. In these days of declining church attendance and declining revenues, the burning question becomes, how can missionary endeavor be sustained financially? The question becomes broader and references all of God’s work. God’s work has always been sustained by the giving of God’s people. Proportional giving (the New Testament principle) is certainly the foundation for church and missions supply. Reality dictates that there is another dynamic behind the giving demonstrated in the past. That reality is sacrificial giving. It is the spirit of the Macedonian churches that testifies to sacrificial giving. “How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear
record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves” (2 Corinthians 8:2, 3). What begs the question is how to galvanize believers today to engage in sacrificial giving on a sustained basis. The answer is not a new capital campaign or pressured missions conference. It is not an emotional appeal, for the simple reason that the giving will diminish as soon as the pressure or appeal diminishes. The key to sacrificial giving is sacrificial living! Modern believers must, as a matter of choice, renounce the burgeoning materialism that characterizes our age. The fallacious reasoning that increased material means will translate into increased giving simply is not true. The more we have, the more we want. Increased means whets the appetite for bigger and better things. Material things become a way of life, a very carnal way of life.
resources from which they give are less, but like the widow’s mite, the heart to give is ever present and does not need constant pressure. Whether rich or poor, all believers need to stop living for things! We all need to become living sacrifices with our interests sublimated to God’s interests. We must stop living for self and start living for the Savior. Those who do experience the enabling given to the Macedonians, so that they are enabled to give “beyond their power,” understand the dynamic of giving. It is significant that the promise of the abundant blessing of God appears in the same context as the sacrificial giving of the Macedonians.
The key to sacrificial giving is sacrificial living!
Forty-four years of church experience has proven that the better-endowed church members actually give the least money. They are the least likely to house a missionary, even though they enjoy better housing. They are quite willing to chip in for the emotional appeals, because they can. Generally, they are not even tithers, much less sacrificial givers. On the other hand, less-endowed people are far more likely to be conscientious about their giving. The
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Our financial problems are actually spiritual problems. We cannot successfully address the financial issues until we see a true revival that changes our perspective of life and ministry. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Milton Jones recently resigned the pastorate of Heritage Baptist Church in Frankfort, Illinois, after 26 years in that position. He continues to serve on the board of Baptist World Mission and on staff at Maranatha Baptist University. He has authored 36 books. He and his wife Pam have two children and have served together in the gospel ministry for 44 years.
HIGHLIGHTS
SPOTLIGHT ON ROMANIA Dr. Kevin Brosnan, field administrator for Europe and Central Asia, just returned from Romania, where he visited BWM’s three missionary families in that country.
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or those who remember the euphoria surrounding the fall of the Iron Curtain and the newlyopened door to the formerly communist bloc countries of Eastern Europe, Romania has largely been a disappointment. The first missionaries wondered whether they had anything to offer these spiritual giants, who had been refined by decades of persecution under the strong arm of the atheistic state. While there is no denying the severe persecution of Romanian Christians under communism and the spirit of revival that produced spiritual leaders such as Peter Beltechi and Viorel Balaciu, the missionaries’ presumptions painted far too rosy a picture of the real challenges to church planting in Romania, not the least of which are its pervasive Armenian theology and the legacy of compromise from the government’s intrusion into every recognized religious Gypsy body. Yet, for those who are willing to keep their hands to the plow, Romania
Bob and Marianne Capehart
is in desperate need of church-planting missionaries. Our three BWM families demonstrate that faith and perseverance will ultimately bring forth eternal fruit. My journey began with Bob and Marianne Capehart in the southeastern region near the Black Sea port city of Constanta. They are planting a church among the numerous rural villages and largely lowerclass population of Topraisar. In contrast to disappointing results from varied and repeated efforts to disciple adults, they are experiencing a good measure of fruitful work among young people. They hope to see some of these young people become trailblazers for Christ as they progress into adulthood.
Church
Romania is home to many gypsies. My second stop was with Nathan and Amy Freel, who work with gypsies in Timisoara in the
southwestern corner of Romania. Gypsies are the despised outcasts of society. Someone summed up their debauched lifestyle with this statement, “The men don’t work. The women beg and the children steal.” Only the hopeless look in a gypsy child’s eye would naturally evoke pity for these societal pariahs. But, as missionary Freel said, ‘These are the forgotten lost sheep for whom Christ died.’ Planting churches among gypsies is
incredibly challenging and requires large doses of self denial. My last stop was with Dan, Lyn and Briana Sehested in Hunedoara. The rare gem of their ministry is their coworker, Mihai Czentye, a tried-and-true national pastor. Their church is currently seeking a property to purchase. Dan and Lyn are celebrating 25 years in Romania and their solid church planting ministry reflects the fruit of principled plodding.
NEW MISSIONARIES Matt and Rebekah Cook were appointed with BWM during the recent annual meeting. The Cooks come to us from Westgate Baptist Church, Tigard, Oregon, where Ben Jaquith is the pastor. Their burden is for the people in Australia. We are happy to have them on board with BWM.
Michael Germi was born and reared in Iran as a Shia Muslim. He immigrated to Australia for work and came to Christ under the ministry of Pastor Keith Piper in Sydney. Michael’s American sending church is Falls Baptist Church, where Wayne Van Gelderen is his pastor. He is desirous of planting churches among the Persian people in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. Michael was appointed during the fall annual meeting. Michael is a zealous witness and an authority on presenting the Gospel to Muslims.
Matt and Amanda Smith were also appointed at the annual board meeting this fall. The Smiths have a burden for Spanish-speaking people groups and desire to go to Colombia, South America, and reach those people for Christ. Matt and Amanda’s sending church is Crossroads Baptist Church, Columbus, North Carolina, where Nathan Deatrick is the pastor.
MISSION MATTERS Confused about the Call of God? (Part 4) BY DR. BUD STEADMAN
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he “Mission Matters” articles this year have focused on bringing clarity concerning the call of God. We conclude this brief series with a reminder that the call of God is the result of the choice of our sovereign God - He calls whom He wills to full-time vocational ministry. Because of His sovereignty and the uniqueness of each of our lives, God often uses diverse circumstances in His calling of a servant. That being said, there will always be biblically-common principles involved, as found in Acts 13 and 16, where a vocational mission call is referenced. In the example of Paul and his coworkers, please note several key factors in God’s choosing and calling these men as recorded in these two texts. The time God chose them (Acts 13:2) They were called by God in the midst of serving the Lord and seeking the Lord. The believer should not prioritize seeking a call from God, but rather, prioritize seeking God Himself. A.W. Tozer rightly said, “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.” The tools by which God revealed His choice (Acts 13:2) Two constants are a part of God’s call in both of our texts— the voice of the Word and the voice of the Holy Spirit. In any call of God, in some way, the Word of God is always a key, necessary element. Likewise, the Spirit of God will minister to those whom He calls, and the Holy Spirit never speaks contrary to the Word. Though we do not have recorded in Acts 13 how the Spirit of God spoke to Barnabas and Saul in His call to them, we do have a record of five components in the life of Paul and his ministry team in Acts 16:4-10 that
give us instruction as to when and how the Holy Spirit calls. He calls in the midst of dedicated obedience (verses 4-5). At the time of the Macedonian call, Paul and Silas were already doing what God had given them to do. He uses providential circumstances (verses 6-9). The Holy Spirit brought to this missionary team a series of divine roadblocks. Not understanding what God was doing, Paul and the team stopped at Troas, and the text implies a time of prayer concerning God’s will. The point of these roadblocks is that God uses providential circumstances in our lives to direct us. “Providence” comes from the prefix “pro” (meaning “before”) and the root “video” (meaning “to see”). God sees everything beforehand and directs the details of our lives, including opening and closing doors of opportunity. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan stated in his commentary of this passage that we miss the point in Acts 16 if we fail to see how God uses everyday circumstances to direct the paths of his people. He prioritizes godly counsel (verse 10). Though Paul experienced the Macedonian vision personally, Luke uses the words “we” and “us” in verse 10 to indicate collective, prayerful consideration of counsel. He gives divine assurance (verse 10). “Assuredly gathering” in verse 10 is one word in the Greek language meaning “to knit together,” or to put together in one’s mind. Paul and the ministry team took all the working of the Holy Spirit, the circumstances, the vision, their knowledge of God and His Word, their mutual sense of His leading, and they put it all together. Out of that, they had assurance given to them by the Holy Spirit concerning the call and guidance of God. “Assurance” is a better word to use than “peace” when speaking of confidence of God’s guidance. A fool often has peace as he goes to his folly, because he does not know what he is getting into. Assurance is confident knowledge of God’s direction based on the principles of His Word and the ministry of His Spirit.
ITINERARIES Steve Anderson January 27 First Baptist Church LaSalle, IL
February 10 Faith Baptist Church Warren, MI
Kevin Brosnan
January 27 (AM)
February 18-20
Valley Bible Church South Windham, VT
FBFI Board Meeting Northwest Valley Baptist Church Glendale, AZ
January 27 (PM) Plainville Baptist Church Plainville, MA
March 10 Faith Baptist Church Waukesha, WI
March 17
March 15-16
No Meetings Scheduled
Calvary Baptist Church Huntsville, AL
Pat Delaney
January 20 (AM) Calvary Baptist Church Huntsville, AL
January 27-30 Nolensville Road Baptist Church Nashville, TN
February 15 January 20 Spring Meadow Baptist Church Franklin, TN
Westpointe Baptist Church Goodyear, AZ
Bud Steadman January 13 (PM)
Mike Martin
February 24
March 6-10
Dave Canedy
Administrative Trip Cambodia and West Papua, New Guinea
International Baptist College Chandler, AZ
Keystone Baptist Church Berryville, VA
No Meetings Scheduled
March 20-April 11
February 21-22
Crossroads Baptist Church Buckeye, AZ
February 17
Carleton Community Baptist Church Carleton, MI AIBCI Men’s Retreat, Illinois Bible Baptist Church Bloomington, IL
March 17 Bible Baptist Church Bloomington, IL
March 28-30 Operation Renewed Hope Conference Maranatha Baptist University Watertown, WI
March 31-April 3 Catawba Springs Christian Church Apex, NC
Northwest Valley Baptist Church Glendale, AZ
Schedule an administrator or director at your church! BWM administrators and directors offer a wonderful blend of passionate preaching and current field experiences. Please contact the mission if you would like to schedule any of these men for your next conference. Call (256) 353-2221.
READY TO GO These missionaries have almost reached 100% support and are nearly READY TO GO! They are preparing to go to the field. Joe and Lindsay Risinger (Uganda) 96%
GONE! Neal and Melinda Ludwig (Ghana) are fully supported and are on the field.
jrisinger@baptistworldmission.org
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