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!

This is the Sunday before we start our Mission’s Convention...

  ...so again we continue the series, “Let’s Lose Some Weight.” Hebrews 12:1-3 (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.” One day while I was biking something happened on the trail that was extremely aggravating, extremely humiliating, and most importantly, extremely motivating. A biker passes me and he is clipping pretty fast as he whizzes by. I had never seen him before or since, but here are his words to me as I am sucking wind. “Are you ever going to pick up the pace?” Let’s look at those words today.

1. Pick up the pace in the area of seeking after God. Wasn’t that what we were trying to encourage all of us to do during the first 21 days of prayer and fasting? Did you take advantage of that time? Did you fast? Did you pray? Did you come out to the week of prayer and earnestly seek God corporately with the rest of us? I can seek Him at home. Okay, did you seek Him at home during that time? Probably not. Paul exhorts us to always pray.1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (NIV) ^“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire;” The Apostle Paul is saying to all of us, “Are you ever going to pick up the pace?”

2. Pick up the pace in the area of missions. Wow, Pastor Rick, what do you mean? Our church is in the top ten in the state in mission’s giving and in the top fifty in the nation out of over 13,000 churches, that pretty good. Are we giving Him our best? The Book of Malachi gives a strong rebuke to God’s people for one reason, they were giving to God but they were not giving their best. Malachi 1:10 (NCV) “I wish one of you would close the Temple doors so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you and will not accept your gifts,” says the LORD All-Powerful.” “Are you ever going to pick up the pace?”

3. Pick up the pace and get the lead out! Years ago when we went to Kentucky to the horse farms they gave us this information about horse racing in light of “Get the lead out”. I never knew they added lead weights to horses saddles to try to make the race even. In the back stretch of the race, some riders were known to dump their lead weights to reduce the load on their horse and hopefully increase its speed at the end of the race. It looks like we are in the final stretch. We must seek God, increase our missions, and get the lead out. “Are you ever going to pick up the pace?” Come on, Life Church, get the lead out!

Today we are back to our series, “Let’s Lose Some Weight”...

  ...and today we will be discussing how we have to die to live. Hebrews 12:1-3 (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 have to die to live. Pastor Rick, we don’t even like the way that sounds. It sounds like we have to be sacrificial and willing to endure pain and suffering. Exactly. Being a Christian or being a disciple of Jesus Christ all comes down to choices doesn’t it? We die to live. If you are going to lose some weight or become a true disciple of Jesus Christ it will happen because you have made the tough choices to die to yourself. Do you really want to be a disciple?

1. What the Apostle Paul said about dying to live. I believe one of the most profound things that Paul said about living a disciplined and sacrificial life can be summed up in this simple verse: 1 Corinthians 15:31 (NIV) “I die every day--I mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Here we find in scripture a truth that can help us be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. What is needed in our lives and what is needed in our church is not event oriented programs but is a lifestyle change!

2. What Jesus said about dying to live. If you think the Apostle Paul was tough about dying daily, there is a really good chance that you will not want to hear what Jesus had to say. Mark 8:34-35 (NKJV) “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.” The words to verse 35 blow my mind when it comes to dying to ourselves…For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. Just living for yourself you become a dead man walking but dying to yourself, denying yourself, and following Jesus, you find what living is all about. 

3. Let’s Lose Some Weight…let’s die to ourselves. We are surrounded by people every day who are witnesses of us living a sacrificial life or watching us take care of number one. Our family is watching and everywhere we go people are watching. To be a true disciple of Jesus you have to die daily, you have to deny yourself, take up your cross, and you have to follow Jesus. Come on, Life Church! Let’s Lose Some Weight!

Every February Life Church Assembly of God sets aside...

 ...the first three Sundays of the month for our annual Missions Convention.  It is a time when we encourage our church body to prayerfully consider helping us to support missionaries all over the world.  Right now we support 206 missionaries on a monthly basis.  Our office receives several calls each week for other missionaries needing to raise their support so that they can get on the fields where God has commissioned them to go. Obviously we are not in a position (yet) where we can help all who call. Wouldn’t that be amazing if we could help all of them?

How can we help, Pastor Rick? What a great question!  On the Sunday of our Mission’s Convention you will be given a “Faith Promise Card” and be asked to fill out the card on how much you can help us on a weekly or monthly basis to support all of our missionaries. You will be asked to pray and to give according to what God lays upon your heart. We do not believe people should be manipulated to give but to pray and give what God speaks to their heart. The key is to pray and truly listen to what Holy Spirit speaks to your heart.  2 Corinthians 9:6‑7 (NKJV) “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Faith promises are between you and the Lord so you will never be sent a bill from the church. You will be encouraged and reminded from time to time from the pulpit to not forget your agreement between you and the Lord. If it is between us and the Lord why do we have fill out the Faith Promise Card? We have to know the funds we have to distribute to our missionaries and if we are able to add new ones. In the 31 years I have been the pastor we have never missed a payment to missions...it is of utmost priority at Life Church and it is obedience to God. As you are faithful with 10% of your income to the Lord...join us in sending the gospel all around the world with your support of missions! Be willing to be sacrificial so someone else can find the Jesus you love and serve.