Motivation for Missions

You say well, there’s this background man. His background was persecuted in the church What is it that he knew what is it that he held inside of him? Well, Paul knew first of all that he was appointed to that ministry by God These missionaries come through here and God called them To do the work But they’re trying to get to these countries to do This is not something you think up on your lunch break because you’re tired of working in the factory These are God called me. These are educated men. They always more educated than I am what makes a man that has a college degree and and and and is very knowledgeable and very well spoken Turn his back on that and go to a place where if you took a vote Do you want this guy in your country or not? Probably 80 80 percent of us say no, we don’t want him here What causes that?

This family’s giving up everything What we think is as young parents with a man if I take my kids over there they all gonna die What we think as grandparents is if you take our grandchildren over there we’ll never see him again We heard that we’ll have one one son and I’m telling you we were we were we were I’m trying to think of the English word We were really put upon by the family of you’re gonna take our kids and you’re gonna take our grandkids And one of them said you’re gonna bring him back in a coffin If you go And aren’t there lost people in America? Don’t you think you ought to stay here?

So what is it that motivates us to do that and it’s simply the fact that God has called us when God puts a Calling on your life There’s nothing else in this world that you can do to have that same Satisfaction as you can in serving God You say well that’s that feel tonight boy That looks rough and you got to walk and you got to do all those things and it looks like that to us But once you’ve been there a while that becomes home if your hearts in it and and all of a sudden it didn’t doesn’t Look so hard anymore and those people that we we look at and and and we see them we think man They are they’re different than us and and and they look mean and they look Like they don’t want us there you’d be surprised on how the gospel will mellow that heart and Their faces those hard faces change New Guinea we see a lot of women and women were were bashed and beaten and sold for wives and all that kind of stuff and And they live a hard life and the lost ones you can look at them just about and tell that they’re lost Because that they have that hard face on them But man they receive Christ and That old heart melts They get a little training in the gospel and what a biblical family is supposed to be like and that Face will soften up. I’m telling you they get a glow about them and they’ll stand up and give their testimony I had one old lady stand up in our church and she said we live like pigs and dogs in in the jungle before you came And she said thank God we got the gospel Thank God our lives changed Thank God our families changed that old woman Listen, she couldn’t read a word but she’d get up every day before daylight and go out to her coffee garden and Pray and she’d pray for all of her family all of her children all of the village and all the church people And she’d have to do that before all of her kids got up and she had to build the fire and cook the sweet potatoes and And then go out and work a garden all day But man she had the love of God in her heart it changed her and it changed her because the man of God went over there and preached the gospel because God called him to Go to a place and listen the the most Honored thing that ever happened to me was the fact that God called me into the ministry I’m telling you I Probably give this testimony the other night. I’m so old. I can’t remember what I said yesterday But I’m telling you When God called me I told him I said God you just made your first mistake man. I Was so shy I wouldn’t shake hands honest truth. I wouldn’t shake hands with the preacher at the back door. I Surely wouldn’t get up here and Preached anybody or talked anybody about the Lord And I said God you’ve made a mistake And I said God my family man. My wife’s got a back problem. My son’s got an eye problem I said God I can’t take care of their needs in New Guinea, but I said, you know, the Bible says Well, of course, he knows he wrote it. I Said, you know the Bible says God the man’s Worse than an infidel if he doesn’t take care of his family. I said I can’t do that in Papua New Guinea, he said no you can’t but I can I Can if we do things in the power of God and we do things in the will of God, you’d be amazed what we’ve Individually can accomplish for God. I’m not talking about going to Africa. I’m talking about going to downtown Greenville tomorrow morning Well, I got three amens out of that anyway Let me ask you a question I don’t mean to embarrass it how many of you plan to go to outreach tomorrow Amen and the rest of you are busy Y’all busy on the same day at the same time Isn’t that strange?

Say preacher, I don’t like that you’re not supposed to like it I’m supposed to encourage you to get up off your backside and get downtown and pass out a few gospel tracks Listen to me now. You can’t save anybody It’s not your job to save anybody. It’s it’s it’s our job to tell them. It’s God’s job to save them We don’t believe in this I won five at a traffic light. We don’t believe in that stuff We don’t believe in that stuff You got to get the Holy Ghost of God in there And if we will present the gospel at least give them your testimony This is what God has done for me and then let the Holy Ghost of God take that and convict that heart That’s how people come to Christ You say well, how can they do that?

Because this is what God said to do go you there from all the world preach the gospel Greenville South Carolina is part of the world You probably got more churches in this place and well, you don’t have more in Chattanooga, but you got a lot But you won’t find many people downtown tomorrow Passing out gospel tracks. So why not? It’s a very religious place But it’s not necessarily a godly place People are nice people are sweet people smile at you people Hold the door for you when you go into the restaurant That’s another thing altogether when you’re concerned about their soul And it’s not so nice anymore that religiosity takes control Paul gave 30 years of his life because He was chosen by God to go Acts chapter 9 verse 15 said the Lord said to him go Thy way for the chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel verse 16 that I will show how great things he must suffer for my sake Suffering is part of the ministry It’s part of the ministry you get saved everything is wonderful, but that doesn’t mean all your problems are gone That doesn’t mean you won’t have ups and downs and hiccups and Malaria and your visa run out while you’re Off getting some medical attention in another country and all kinds of little problems that you have But God’s not dead listen. We got to suffer some things. We got a we got to suffer some rejection We got a Suffer some things as far as finance Suffer some things as far as finances are concerned You know And I’m not preaching on money pastor said he took care of that and I’m glad he did But whatever money we put in that offering plate for missions Listen That’s the best investment that you could ever make in your life You’re not going to get interest in your bank account But man, you’re gonna get some interest in heaven There’s gonna be people in heaven that’ll come up to you and said thank you for giving that money that missionary came and and and witnessed to me or witnessed to my family or started a church or I heard him preach at a market and And and the Holy Ghost of God convicted me and I got saved because you gave and he came Amen Listen 25 after 8 already y’all get nervous about 830 I’m listen. I’m just on point one here But missions isn’t money Missions isn’t even churches on the mission field missions of souls Missions of life changed I was preaching in a little place or start a little church up in the bush and I Had a schedule that I did every Sunday and it was I was the only preacher and So I would go to four different churches and I take the youth with me the from our main church Because I wanted them to grow and they enjoyed traveling around with me. They got a big name. I’m going with a white man And I don’t really care why they went as long as they went a man But I went to the first church and we we had to walk a few miles across the mountain and I did that and we would Walk a mile and run a mile walk a mile run a mile because I had to get back and do Sunday school at our main church and then do the main service there and then we’d have to go back up the mountain to another place Where we were starting this new work and it was rough starting that thing And that was the next one then I have to come back and preach again in the afternoon in our Regular church. Well, I’d had malaria and I don’t know how many of you had malaria, but I’m telling you it’s not a pleasant experience And you feel really bad the first time I got her. I honestly I said God just go ahead and kill me I hurt everywhere I’m hungry and every time I look at food or smell food. I want to puke I said, oh god, everything hurts my skin hurts I’m freezing but I put a sheet on me and it hurts my skin. I said god just go ahead and take me Well that lasts about three days you take the chloroquine medicine that tastes I can’t tell you but anyway And then after that you got two weeks Where you feel y’all ever had the flu where it feels like your brain is loose in your head I mean every time you turn your head you’re dizzy Well, you got a couple of weeks of that you don’t hurt so bad But you get that temperature about four o’clock every afternoon. It’s not quite so high at that point but boy that head is just throbbing and My wife said who’s gonna preach Sunday?

And I said I am I don’t have anybody to go So we made it to the first church and man I’m about halfway over there There’s there’s a there was a hill and I was off Deputation and a fat missionary and I get about halfway up that hill and I told this national fellows with me I said brother. I said your mama’s with us and I said she’s pretty old. Don’t you think we ought to slow down and I’m going Now we’re at 5,000 feet in altitude And he said you waiting on my mom I said, yeah, she said she’s up on top of that hill waiting on you We go over there and we preach we come back and I preached again and did Sunday school and my wife brought me a sandwich and a glass of water and Got that down and and that service was over and I’m starting up another hill to go to that new work And I sat down man. My head was just just going And I sat down there on that hill And that’s brother John. I said John last two times. We’ve been up here hadn’t been hardly anybody here. I Said you reckon it’ll do any good thinking about is gonna be there today. I Said man, I feel bad And he said well brother Ted you told me Yeah, that’s always good isn’t it that if we put God’s Word out That it won’t come back nothing Y’all would know that as it wouldn’t come back void Well that that convicted me so I thought alright, let’s go so we went up there and I had Sunday school and there was some people came and there’s a young lady and and her mother first-time visitors and they said on the back row and and I Did a little thing on salvation and between the Sunday school service and the main service brother John got To witness into him and they both got saved Well, I don’t know about you but man somebody walks out of my church and gets saved all that sickness is gone. I’m ready Hey, let’s go. Let’s you know, let’s let’s preach. I’m ready So I get up there it’s time to preach and this little fellow walked in he’s probably that tall and Built like a professional football linebacker He had huge legs on him from walking the mountains all the time And I don’t know who he was. I said come on in brother. Get you a seat. I said you can get saved, too It’s a good day to get saved And I looked at John and I said who’s that? He said well, that’s Called this girl’s name and said that’s her father and That’s his second wife. Who’s her mother I Said well praise the Lord and he came in and those ladies were sitting on the back row and he said something to that woman and he smacked her and Then he turned around said something that teenage girl and he kicked her and it’s like you’re kicking a football kicked her right in the head Now I don’t know about where you guys went to school. They didn’t teach me to handle that and problems in the ministry But man my flesh got up. I’m ready to fight But you can’t come to my church and do that And I started back there and a couple my guys grabbed me said preacher you are not a citizen here. Leave him alone Said he’s the law here Well, we had to fight and they finally left and We’re walking back down the mountain and if you’re in work in a third-world country, you don’t need to email There’s the Bush Telegraph man. They know before you ever get home what happened during that service And that word got back to our village and about halfway back as we were going here comes some of my guys man They had bows and arrows. They was ready to fight because word went back that they had killed me and brother John I Know anyway That girl was mother never did come back that girl was faithful every service Just like clockwork and then one day I went up there and she wasn’t there anymore And asked brother John I said what happened her name was Minnie. I said what happened to many?

So I’d see her come to church sometimes she’d come late sometimes her clothes would be torn And He said but he said every time she comes to service her father beats her But she comes anyway And I said, we’ll find out what happened to her. She wasn’t there Sunday and and so John came back He said brother Ted. He said her father put her in jail And I said you can’t do that. This this is not a little girl that can’t make her own decision She’s old enough to be married. You have freedom of religion. She can do that And she well he’s taken to her to Pangaea to the district jail And I said man, let’s go over there and see what’s going on And we’ve got over there and they had her head shaved like a prisoner and had her in prison clothes And I went in to see that district manager and I said you’ve got one of my girls in jail And I said you can’t do that. You got religious freedom here And he said Preacher he said her father is the magistrate and He said he keeps the peace back there and as long as they don’t fight. I don’t care what he does. I Said well, you can’t do that. We’ll take it to court. He said you want to get her out of jail I said yes, he said $50 fine Now this Sometimes a missionary uses your support to buy gospel tracts or Bibles or maybe even some food But man once in a while We’ll build a girl out of jail Amen You never know what God’s gonna do with that support you’re given We got her in the car and I was driving her back to her village. It was under no hour or so And I said many I said I’ve heard a rumor that your father said he would kill you The next time you came to our church And he said she said but said I’m not afraid of my father Would you please?

Let me come back again. I Said many I said he’s not kidding, you know, he’s not And She started to cry she said are you ashamed of me because my head is shaved Or because I got these prison clothes on She said, please let me come back. I said, alright sweetie, you can come back Man I drove home I got along with God And I said God I don’t know what you’ve given that girl, but I want some of it I Want some of it I I I want to love you enough to where I take a beating to come to services What do I give my life?

God for you so I could worship you listen to me now. That’s what missions is all about You go to New Guinea tonight and that girl is she’s still serving God That’s what God can do he can change that life He can change it Because of the gospel Because somebody cared enough to give and God calls somebody to go and that life in In in Nepal is more important than our life That we can give our life and be an honor to give our life to God That the gospel can go out in these places. Oh My I Have seen God do some miraculous things. I have seen him save witch doctors What we call witch doctors? I’ve had a fellow old emmy over and Wimbu My boys and my boys my Bible students went up to the market and they preached and And one of them Kapi a man he preached oh man, he preaches hard and they preached on Jesus is coming back And you’re too late And an old man come up to him and said Can I get you to come to our village Wimbu village Kapi I knew who he was. He was limit the witch doctor Poisoned man they call him And he said well, I’ll ask my missionary and so he come to come back to school and he said a fellow named Lemmy wants us to come over to Wimbu and and and I Told him I’d ask you and I said what man praise God, let’s go. He’s a preacher. It’s lemmy. I Said man, I don’t care who he is. Let’s go He said it’s lemmy that kills people With the spirits he kills people he’s a sangu my man And I said brother I said he’s living and breathing he’s got a soul I said let’s go it’s I Mean, that’s just the way we look at it. It’s an open door to get into a new place I said, let’s go and he said well you go. I’m not going with you So I asked my students had about ten students I said I Need somebody to go with me who wants to go with me and nobody raised their hand and finally I shamed them a little bit and finally Pastor York said I’ll go I got a good sharp bush knife. I Said no. No, we’re not taking weapons. He’s fine going He said preacher that men killed my whole family I’m not going over there And finally brother Dan said brother Ted I’ll go with you and we walked over there and I walked in that village and here come a fella and he had a Cassowary bird dead draped around his neck. He’d gone into the bush and killed it And he had the neck This loss cassowary birds like an ostrich got a big long neck. They don’t fly They just run and they can hurt you with that one They got three toes and the middle one is longer than the other ones and they will rip you apart with that thing. Anyway They said that’s lemmy I said great he patted that bird. He said man, this is supper Well, it was supper And it was breakfast Breakfast time this boy come and he’s carrying the head of this long Cassowary bird it’s got the beak sticking up there And he said brother Ted. He said we’ve saved the best part for you I said, oh, thank you very much Because I had watched him cook that thing Now we’re on top of a hill on High up in the mountains. There’s no water up there. Do you know how much water touched that thing before they cooked it?

Yeah, you’re right. None Dysentery is the png diet system so So we had breakfast and we met in the house And I talked to him I said, you know capoeira preach in the market And I talked to him about why jesus came And about how he gave his life on calvary’s cross for the sins of the world And for your sins And that old man said i’m a sinner He said i’ve I’ve done things and hurt people He had his little hat on and he took it off and see that white hair. He said He said could god save me And that old man bowed his head Repented his sins and received christ as his savior You know when you have miraculous Salvation experiences like that being an american i’m thinking that’s too easy That’s too easy That old lemmy’s dead now But i’m telling you he stood up in his village before we left And he pointed these people out and he said he said some of you have died But that’s not me that’s the old lemmy The new lemmy is a child of god Son, i’m telling you until the end of his life He would witness to the devil if he heard that you were in anywhere in his territory in the jungle He would come find you and say listen. Do you know my jesus?

Do you know my jesus? He wasn’t trying to kill you He was trying to help you You say what is that that’s missions brother That’s where your money’s going Uh, that that’s the kind of thing that happens in countries around the world when you give and the missionaries go And we present the gospel the holy ghost of god convicts that heart and people are saved. Amen Because you cared But that’s what keeps us on that mission field God Is the fact that we know That jesus is coming again And it may be tomorrow We know that death is always walking around And like a lorry roaring lion seeking who he may devour and we don’t know brother when it’s our turn to go We just don’t know We’re saved I assume that you’re here and you’re saved tonight, but how many Millions and billions of people around this world don’t have the assurance that you have They have never heard the name of jesus. They’re locked into a religious system That’s a toothless tiger It’s like a balloon with a face painted on it It’s symbolism without substance Religion cannot help you only the gospel of jesus christ can help you What motivated paul?

He knew that god had called him not only that he knew that the end was near he knew that He was going to die one of these days, but jesus was coming back if you read in Uh second thessalonians where he talks about the rapture and he uses the word we He’s talking about himself He thought the rapture was going to happen while he was preaching around Well, we think the same thing do we not?

We which are alive and remain Will be caught up together in the air and we don’t know when that is But that motivates that missionary just to keep preaching and keep going That motivates these wives to stay with them Stay by the stuff and and be the help need and and and give them the wherewithal the strength and the encouragement To go on another day Outside when you first get to a field, it’s a battle every place you turn is a fight But when you get home, it’s not supposed to be that way It’s supposed to be a place of welcome a place of love where you can get away from that battlefield for a few hours Because tomorrow when you go out again, uh, man, the guns are going off and the spiritual guns are going off again That’s the only place we can go besides the closet of prayer To get some relief From the fight going on We’re willing to pay that price Because jesus coming again Listen, i’m not done, but my time’s way up I get to telling stories, you know, it’s kind of like showing a slide presentation every slide has a story and a good story I can give you illustration after illustration after illustration If you want to hear more got some books back there on the table that talk about our ministry for 28 years in different tribes But i’m telling you as a missionary We can’t do it without you We can’t do it We have to have you a missionaries and the necessity if you’re gonna uh, uh Fulfill that great commission of taking the gospel to the world But for the missionary your necessity we can’t get there without you. So we need each other We need your prayers We need your finances We need your encouragement Because sometimes it gets real lonely on that mission field and sometimes it gets hard But i’m telling you When the holy ghost of god gets stirring around And you see people getting saved You see people willing to walk hours and hours and hours in the rain and stand up outside Just so they can stand by the window of the church and listen to the gospel See people get saved that are outside the building See god stirring around and and and not only lives change but whole villages change If the lord tarries the gospel that this man is preaching in napaul It will not only change the village But it can change that whole country You said that’ll never happen happen to england Happened to america It’s happening in new guinea If we will only Get involved Give you one last illustration and I quit We Before we were missionaries and shortly after we were saved we moved up into a place in ohio and uh We were going to build a four-bedroom Two-story log house up there on this piece 10 acres of land And we had trees on that land. We had some walnut trees and Anyway, long story short. I got my family my wife and my son and myself And we were going to pull that log out of there And it had snowed and so you get it on the on the snow or the ice and you can pull it pretty easy But I got all three of us I was in front my wife was second my son was third And we got that law we rolled it just got it shaken a little bit and got it to moving and we started pulling it out And it was going well and all of a sudden It stopped And I thought what in the world have we hit and I looked back and my son is riding on that log He’s not helping to pull anymore And the going gets tough That’s what happens when we don’t get involved in our missions program That’s what happens when you don’t encourage our pastor That’s what happens When we don’t get involved in the outreach of the ministry You’ve got part of the church working And the other half riding And it just won’t hardly move anymore My rest of the day My recommendation tonight is find your place Find your place in the ministry of this church Find your place in the mission program Find your place in praying for these missionaries and and and the different missionaries to come through here I told you the other night. We need your prayers more Than we need your money Find your place. Let’s pray