Today we will be talking about “What you looking at?”...

...Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)   ^“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

1. Look at the Fields. John 4:34-35 (NLT2) ^“Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. What is our nourishment, what stirs us to action, what is our motivation in the Kingdom of God, what do we perceive to be the will of God? I hope it is the Great Commission. For weeks I have desperately tried to communicate with you the passion of God the Father and Jesus Christ is reaching this lost world with the good news that Jesus saves. 

2. Look out for the Good of Others. Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV) ^“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Stop being self-centered. Your relationship with Jesus was never meant to be a private thing. Every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord…not because they are forced to on judgment day but because we have reached out to them personally and thru missions.

3. Look to Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. You will never get missions or evangelism on your own. Look to Jesus. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross despising its shame…He went thru torture, crucifixion, humiliation, shame, and pain for joy. What Joy? Jesus went thru all that for us so He could do the will of the Father and so that He could win the lost (to finish His work). 1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV) ^“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” What you looking at, Church?

Today we continue the series “Let’s Lose Some Weight”...

  ...Every church should have an engine or something that they can attribute to the life blood of the church and actually what makes them who they are. It’s their DNA. As I meditated on this sermon and on the history of Life Church I began to define what I thought would be the main cylinders for us. I came up with four. Works better for a sermon.

1. Our first cylinder is the Word of God. In our Tenets of Faith we see The Scriptures Inspired – The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. One of the criticisms that I have received over the last 31 years is that I include or read so many scriptures in my sermons and my response to people every time is the same. Thank you! 2 Timothy 4:2 (NLT2) “Preach the word of God.” 

2. Our second cylinder is welcoming Holy Spirit. In our Tenets we see Baptism of Holy Spirit – All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the Promise of the Father, the baptism of Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry.

3. Our third cylinder is home and foreign missions. I hope all of you are aware of how blessed we are here at Life Church and how well God has taken care of us. That has not been by accident. We are blessed because we have taken God at His Word in regard to the Great Commission, it is because we have welcomed Holy Spirit, and it is because we have made missions the heart of our church.

4. Our fourth cylinder is generosity. Obviously, we refer back to cylinders one, two, and three for this. The Word of God, the unction of Holy Spirit, the mandates of the Great Commission, all shout for us to be generous. Generosity has been what has blessed Life Church and sustained us through many difficult times. God is so faithful.

Today we want to talk about what it means...

 ...(in light of missions) for a church to have a biblical worldview and how that church will be blessed because of that philosophy or belief. Pastor Dan Betzer - What is a Biblical Worldview? “It means perceiving the world and all the people in it the same way God perceives them. Note carefully the words, “In the same way God perceives them.” That perception is often at odds with human concepts. The church leadership will have to decide whose perceptions to follow, those of people or of God.” Remember the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day believed they had a correct perception about God, but Jesus said they were deceived because they didn’t know the Scriptures. Could that be us? The Great Commission Jesus gave us has been watered down so much from a worldview to a local view. After He was resurrected from the dead what did Jesus tell His followers? Tell us? Mark 16:15 (NKJV) ^“And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Pastor, how many times are you going to read that verse? Wrong question. How many times do I have to read that verse before some catch the vision of the Great Commission?

1. Churches with a biblical worldview rarely have to deal with issues that don’t matter. Leonard Ravenhill – “Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?” Jesus had such a passion for the lost of the world that He was willing to be crucified for them. What are we willing to do?

2. Churches with a biblical worldview rejoices in giving. Yes, we receive lots of offerings for missions and, yes, we emphasize Faith Promises over and over but people who have Jesus’ worldview don’t mind. They truly appreciate the privilege of giving. 

3. Churches with a biblical worldview draw people with a passion for the lost. I have actually had people tell me the reason they came to our church is because of how we promote missions and we give them the opportunity to invest in good soil. What moves us? Do we care about a lost world?

4. Churches with a biblical worldview have a purpose and have stability. Does that mean we never have issues? Of course not! It means we are so strongly united with this godly worldview to get bogged down with issues that have no eternal value. 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NLT2) “Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.” Let’s make a difference! Join us by filling out your Faith Promise!

Mission’s Convention 2022 and what amazing speakers...

 ...we have had. Greg Mundis and Zach Rix truly challenged us to do more for missions than we have ever done. After doing Mission’s Conventions for over 30 years, what does one say that hasn’t already been said? How do you convince people to understand the Great Commission? To be sacrificial? Simply, to care about the lost? The Word of God is pretty clear…Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" 

A Simple Test.

A. Do we believe the Great Commission is biblical and is to be obeyed?

B. Do we support the Mission of Life Church to send out missionaries to the ends of the earth? 

C. Do we support our missionaries by praying for them (adopting them) and being here when they minister?

D. Do you have a greater desire to be entertained in church than to hear the heart of someone called to a distant land or to lost here in America? We may need to stop thinking church is all about us.

E. Do we actually give to our General Missions of Life Church above our tithes? Do we understand the idea of being sacrificial?

F. Does our mission’s giving resemble more a token than a sacrifice? Example…Is our cable bill (Direct TV, Dish, etc.) more than what we give to missions? Is our entertainment more important than souls?

Missionary statesman Doctor J. Oswald Smith, of whom there is no equal spoke at Dan Betzer’s church in the 60s and was the push he needed to become one of the Greats for missions in the Assemblies of God. Dr. Smith dropped the bomb on Betzer’s little church with these words…Dr. Smith – “What did you want from me? How many times have you heard the gospel? How many church services have you attended? Were you expecting something new from me? What right do you have to hear the gospel over and over when so many have never heard it for the first time? What makes you so special?” Enough said!

Today we are still in the series of “Let’s Lose Some Weight”...

 ...but our emphasis is obviously missions. After doing Mission’s Conventions for over 30 years, what does one say that hasn’t already been said? How do you convince people to understand the Great Commission? To be sacrificial? Simply, to care about the lost. The Word of God is pretty clear…Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Romans 10:13-15 (NKJV) “For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" 

1. A Simple Test. Do we believe the Great Commission is biblical and is to be obeyed? Do we support the Mission of Life Church to send out missionaries to the ends of the earth? Do we support our missionaries by praying for them (adopting them) and being here when they minister to us? Do you have a greater desire to be entertained in church than to hear the heart of someone called to a distant land or to lost here in America? We may need to stop thinking church is all about us. Do we actually give to our General Missions of Life Church above our tithes? Does our mission’s giving resemble more a token than a sacrifice? Example…Is our cable bill (Direct TV, Dish, etc.) more than what we give to missions? Our entertainment more important than souls? What are some practical ways you can increase your mission’s giving? What could that look like? Let’s say in 2021 you gave the Lord $50/$75/$100/ $200 a month to missions and it appears God has blessed you, then double your giving and watch God bless you.

2. Pastor Dan Betzer and Doctor Oswald J. Smith. Pastor Betzer was pastoring a struggling church in Sandusky, Ohio in the 60s. He asked God why were they struggling? God spoke to him to do three things that would change his ministry and life forever. 1. Have a Mission’s Convention yearly. 2. Invite Dr. Oswald J. Smith 3. Faith promise Goal of $20,000. Okay with a Mission’s Convention even though I have no clue. Okay with inviting Dr. Smith because he probably will not come. Faith promise for $20,000 when our annual budget is $16,000…impossible. After singing some beautiful mission’s songs, Betzer introduced Dr. Smith to the excited congregation and he approached the pulpit and then, just stood there without saying a word for a few minutes. He drops the bomb: Dr. Smith, “What did you want from me? How many times have you heard the gospel? How many church services have you attended? Were you expecting something new from me? What right do you have to hear the gospel over and over when so many have never heard it for the first time? What makes you so special?” Wow! Let’s lose the weight of disobedience to the Great Commission.

Missions 2022…can you believe it?

 Through our text I want to show you three things…The Great Commission, Holy Spirit, and Faith Promises. Matthew 28:19 (NKJV) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 

^“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 2 Corinthians 9:5 (NLT) “So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.” Obviously these three things Life Church is very passionate about.

A Faith Promise is what you prayerfully decide God wants you to do for the Missions of Life Church on a monthly basis or for a one time offering in 2020. This is between you and God. Your FP card is in your bulletin. Pastor Rick, if this is between us and God why do we have to do a Faith Promise at all? Great question. The Faith Promise totals help us to figure out how many missionaries we can support and how many raises we can give. Let me definitely throw in here that even if you did a Faith Promise last year or for the last 30 years, you still need to do one for this year. The FP cards are our indicators on how we can bless our missionaries. I don’t want any of you to give reluctantly or because of pressure because God loves a cheerful giver. Notice it says that they were to decide how much to give not whether to give or not. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NKJV) “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Through our Life Church Mission’s Program in 2021 we were able to do amazing things! Our Life Church Mission’s program is led by Dan and Peggy Duvall and Joel and Carrie Rosario and a wonderful mission’s board. As I sit at my desk today looking at the year-end report from the Assemblies of God total giving report, I can’t help but to give thanks to God. Without boring you with all the statistics, let me just give you the bottom line. In 2021 Life Church gave a grand total of $451,398. Keep in mind that this does not include our non-AG missions that we support which is almost $40,000. So little Life Church AOG in Fruitland Park, Florida, gave approximately $491,000 to spread the gospel around the world. As great as this is, I only have one question…Is this the best we can do? I truly believe we can do better…let’s do it together!

Missions 2022! Mission’s Faith Promises! Missionaries speaking...

 ...in so many services! Challenges to give to Missions…challenges to give more every year! Challenges to pray for our missionaries and to support the General Missions of Life Church! Pastor Rick, all we hear is Missions Missions Missions! Why? Why is this such an emphasis at our church and why does there seem to be an obsession with Missions at Life Church? What a great question and I could give you all the reasons I believe Missions should be a priority but let me defer to the One Who has greater authority and wisdom about reaching the world with the Gospel…Jesus!

Jesus said in John 3:16-17 (NKJV) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” The reason Jesus wants to reach the world and the reason we should want to reach them is because God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus! Let’s learn to love those He loved!

Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.” How much more do we need to be motivated to emphasize Missions than what Jesus has said here? He said “Go!” We can’t all go. True. In Romans 10:14-15 (NKJV) “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" We can’t all go but we can send missionaries all over the world!

Finally, Jesus said in Luke 19:10 (NKJV) “…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." If that was what Jesus was doing, shouldn’t that be what we are doing? Enough said! Fill out a Mission’s Faith Promise card and help us reach the world!