I just want to say it's an honor and privilege to be able to preach unto y'all tonight and
before I get started I just want to say I want to confirm all the words that brother
Kirschway had preached unto you last week.
It was just an amazing experience going to Jamaica and he kind of gave like a timeline
of the whole event.
My sermon is probably going to be a little bit more like the end of 2 Samuel where we
just get like little bits here and there.
But if we get to Acts chapter number 1 it's right after the climax of the entire Bible.
I mean the climax of the entire Bible, of the entire universe is the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I mean the most central point of all humanity, of all time.
And then in Luke chapter 24 where Pastor Anderson was preaching it leads us right into Acts
chapter number 1 right after Jesus Christ has risen again from the dead and we kind
of pick up from that story.
Look at verse number 10 again, it says, And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven
as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men
of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner
as you have seen him go into heaven.
So we had the climax, now we're given the resolution.
The climax is Jesus Christ coming, the first coming and then the resolution of the entire
Bible is what?
The second coming of Jesus Christ, that's the end of the world.
So the question is, what takes place in between?
We get all of the action of the Bible.
We get the book of Acts where we see what is the purpose of us being on this earth?
What is the purpose of the time between Jesus Christ's first coming and second coming?
Look at verse number 8, Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you,
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and all Judea and in Samaria and
unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The whole purpose of us being in this time is to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem
and Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth.
And the title of the sermon tonight is, There is a Prepared Mission for a Prepared Missionary.
And you say, well, I don't know if I'm cut out to be a missionary.
Well the Bible makes it clear that we're all missionaries, and I'm going to prove that
from the Bible.
Go to John chapter 17.
Jesus Christ said in Mark chapter 16, and he said to them, Go ye into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature.
Now if you just look up missionary in the dictionary, it says someone sent on a religious
mission.
Someone sent on a religious mission.
Look at John chapter 17 verse 16.
This is Jesus Christ praying, They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them through thy truth.
Thy word is truth.
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the
truth.
And neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which shall believe on me through
their word.
You say, oh, this is just about the apostles.
This is just about the disciples.
No, Jesus Christ is saying he's not just praying for them.
He's praying for every single person that would believe on him.
If you believed on Jesus Christ, if you're saved, Jesus Christ prayed for you and sent
you into the world to preach the gospel to every creature.
You're a missionary today.
Maybe you're like, I don't want to be a missionary.
Well, whether you like it or not, if you're saved, you're a missionary.
And there's a prepared mission for a prepared missionary.
Just because you're a missionary doesn't mean you're prepared.
I'm going to prove it another way.
Go to 1 Timothy, chapter number 4.
Now in 2 Timothy 4, I'll read for you.
The Bible says, but watch thou in all things endure afflictions.
Do the work of an evangelist.
Make full proof of thy ministry.
In 2 Timothy, Paul is admonishing Timothy saying, hey, pastors need to do the work of
an evangelist.
And you say, well, I'm not a pastor.
I'm not a deacon.
I'm not an evangelist.
That's just for those guys.
It's for people in full time Christian service.
They're the ones that are supposed to be doing the evangelism, doing the missionary work.
That's not true because look at 1 Timothy 4, verse 11.
These things command and teach.
Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in word and conversation
and charity and spirit and faith and purity till I come give attendance to readings, exhortation
to doctrine.
Neglect not the gift that is in thee which is given thee by prophecy with the laying
on of the hands of the presbytery.
Meditate upon these things.
Give thyself holy to them that thy profiting may appear to all.
Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine continuing them for in doing this, thou shalt
both save thyself and them that hear thee.
The Bible says that the pastor is to be an example of the believers.
Now how foolish would it be to have the pastor doing all this work that nobody else is supposed
to do if he's their example?
No.
The pastor is the example to everybody in the church.
Just as the pastor is subject unto Christ, it's an example for women to be subject unto
their husbands, to obey their husbands.
Just as the pastor leads and oversees the church, it's an example unto the husbands
how to lead their families.
Just as the pastor raises a godly family, it's an example to the husbands to what?
Raise a godly family.
How can the pastor be that example if he doesn't even have a family?
He doesn't even have a wife?
That's why I have qualifications of a bishop.
As the pastor goes out soul winning, he's an example to us how to go soul winning.
We see him as he goes out and preaches a sermon.
He's an example to the men of how to preach a sermon.
But not only that, as he does the work of an evangelist, he's an example unto us how
we're supposed to go out and do evangelism.
We see everything that he's doing is an example for us, showing us the way, leading the way.
It's not just the work for him.
It's not just for him to do it.
No, we're also missionaries.
We're supposed to go out and do the work of an evangelist, just like our pastor.
And he's going to be a good example unto us.
So there's two stages that someone could be in.
Someone who's preparing themselves as a missionary, and someone who's a prepared missionary.
Go to 1 Chronicles chapter 2.
So we need to understand the importance that everyone in this room is a missionary.
So you say, well how do I prepare myself?
Well it says in, I'll read for you in 2 Chronicles 19 about Jehoshaphat.
Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, and that thou hast taken away the groves
out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.
2 Chronicles 27 verse 6, so Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways, but therefore
the Lord is God.
Ezra chapter 7 verse 10, for Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and
to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
The first step in preparing yourself to be a missionary is preparing your heart.
Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9, but as it is written, I have not seen nor ear
heard, neither have entered in the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him.
God has prepared a mission for you.
He has a purpose for your life to go out and see many people saved.
And if you'll prepare your heart, God has something prepared for you.
That's the first step.
We need to prepare our hearts to become a prepared missionary.
Go to 2 Timothy chapter 2, in Ephesians 6 the Bible says, Stand therefore, having your
loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
If you want to be a prepared missionary, you've got to go out and do the soul winning.
You've got to go out and get your feet shod.
You've got to go out and learn how to go soul winning.
Nobody is going to be a great missionary unless they know how to get somebody saved.
So the first step is you've got to prepare your heart, but not only that, you've got
to get your feet shod by going out and preaching the gospel.
Here's the third way that you can prepare yourself, 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 19, Nevertheless,
the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are
his, and let every one in the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and
of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified,
and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
If you want God to have that prepared mission for you, you've got to prepare yourself by
doing what?
Getting your heart right.
By going out and doing the soul winning, but even more importantly, departing from iniquity.
And when you do these things, you will be prepared unto every good work.
You say, well, why are you preaching this?
Because today's mission programs, they're not focused on preparing the missionary.
They're all focused on the mission.
What do they do?
I mean, they heed to the call, I'm going to be a missionary.
What's the decision they make that's so important?
Where they're going to go?
Oh, I'm going to be a missionary unto Morocco.
I mean, that's where God's called me.
I'm just going to put all my time and effort on going to Morocco.
They're not preparing themselves, they're just thinking about the mission.
That's the only thing they're focused on.
They're not preparing their heart to seek the Lord.
They're not going out soul winning and learning how to do soul winning.
They're not departing from iniquity.
What are they doing?
They're going on hibernation.
I mean, deputation, I'm sorry, where they go out and do nothing.
We see the prepared missionary, he puts his heart on God.
What does most mission programs do today?
They put their heart on money.
They go around begging for money and asking for all this money.
How is that preparing you to do a big work for God?
Getting the love of money?
What do they do?
Instead of going soul winning, they go road tripping.
I mean, sometimes they've got to be spending hundreds of dollars to travel across the country
for a church to just give them $25 a month for six months?
They didn't even break even.
What are they doing?
They're not preparing their heart.
It's not working.
I mean, there's thousands of missionaries across this planet.
Where's all the souls being saved?
You think a thousand missionaries from this church that have prepared their heart have
the same results?
No way.
One man that would just get his heart on fire for God if he went to Jamaica could turn that
whole country upside down.
What instead of departing from iniquity, what do they do?
They compromise.
They have to get all these churches to support them, so they compromise on their doctrine.
They compromise on their preaching.
They're not preparing their heart.
They're not departing from iniquity.
They're compromising, money grumming, begging.
That's not what missions is in the Bible.
You know what?
Jamaica was an example of 37 people who had prepared themselves, and God prepared a mission
for them to do.
God had a work for them to do.
Go to Acts chapter 1.
So I want to go through the book of Acts, and I'm going to preach until Eutychus falls
out of the building, and then I'm going to keep on preaching.
You know what?
I want to look at the book of Acts and see what the Bible really has to say and use that
to show some examples of a lot of the things that we saw in Jamaica.
Says in Acts chapter 1 verse 15,
And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and said,
The number of the names together were about a hundred and twenty.
Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost
by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
You know how we start out the book of Acts with someone preaching the reprobate sermon?
Someone preaching against Judas Iscariot being a reprobate?
Oh, did that really hinder the apostles from doing great works in the book of Acts?
No!
That's how they got warmed up!
That's how they got started!
They got on fire for God!
Hey, is the reprobate sermon slowing you all down?
There's so many people that say,
Oh, if you just stop doing that, you do bigger works for God.
Did it stop the apostles?
Nope!
Peter just keeps on preaching it.
Look at verse 20,
For it is written in the book of Psalms,
Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein, and his bishopric let another
take.
You know what I like about Peter?
He's a hard preacher.
He preaches harder than I could ever wish to imagine.
I mean, this guy's so bold.
He's getting the faces of the Jews.
He's calling them out.
I mean, he has no fear of death.
He's just preaching the word of God with power.
Look at verse number 14 of chapter 2.
We're going to continue with some of Peter's preaching.
It says,
But Peter standing up with the eleven lifted up his voice and said unto them,
Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken
to my words.
Now in this sermon, did Peter know that he was going to preach unto all these people
the day of Pentecost?
He was like, oh, I just know I have this mission sent from God.
I just know what's going to happen.
No, he had prepared himself.
He was ready to preach that sermon.
And when the opportunity came, he preaches a bold sermon.
Why?
Because there's a prepared mission for a prepared missionary.
Go look at some of his hard preaching.
Look at verse 23.
And being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and
by wicked hands have crucified and slain.
This guy's not holding back.
Go down to verse 36.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus
whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ.
This makes me think of the fact that Peter preached this amazing sermon that he didn't
plan, but he had prepared himself.
Makes me think of Peter James coming on our trip.
Why?
Because he had prepared in his heart to preach a sermon.
He was ready to preach a sermon.
But he didn't know where.
He didn't know what the opportunity was.
And we had this great opportunity in a hospital to preach like an hour and a half sermon.
This guy got up and he preached like Jesus Christ came.
He preached a powerful sermon.
He touched on all kinds of doctrines.
He preached a powerful sermon on how to get saved.
Why?
Because he had prepared himself.
He didn't know he had that opportunity coming up.
He didn't know when he was going to preach, but he had prepared himself and God had prepared
a mission for him to preach boldly, to preach the word of God, to change people's lives.
You may not always know what opportunities you're going to have in the future.
In fact, most of the time you probably have no idea.
But if you prepare yourself, if you prepare your heart, God will open the opportunity.
God will have a door for you to walk through if you'll be obedient unto him.
I want to look at one more thing in chapter 2.
Go back to verse number 18.
It says, And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my spirit
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire
and vapor of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and
notable day of the Lord come.
You know what else they got the act started out with?
The post-trib pre-wrath rapture, didn't they?
I mean, these guys are preaching the same kind of doctrines we are.
They're getting up.
You know, we brought the After the Tribulation DVD with us and we're handing out to all kinds
of people.
Hey, did that stop you from getting anybody saved?
No.
It only helped.
You know what, if you preach the Bible, it's never going to stop you from getting somebody
saved.
That's so stupid.
That's so foolish.
Let's preach the whole counsel of God.
Go to Acts chapter 3.
Look at verse number 11.
And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together
unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.
Now Peter, he just preached this great sermon, the apostle Peter, and guess what happens?
He gets another opportunity to preach to all these people.
He didn't know what was going to happen.
He heals this guy and then all of a sudden all the people want to come and hear why that
guy got healed.
And he has another opportunity to preach.
So you know what my admonition is to brother Peter James?
Hey, be ready to preach again.
When you go out and you follow God's will and you preach a hard sermon and you do the
mission that he has, he called for, guess what?
Be ready to do it again and again and again.
We see Peter just keeps getting opportunity, opportunity.
Did he know?
No.
He was prepared.
He was prepared to preach and to preach and to preach.
That's what we need to do.
We need to prepare ourselves.
Go to Acts chapter 4, look at verse number 17.
It says, But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them,
that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
And they called him and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of
God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
Now we see that the apostles, they're already meeting with persecution.
They're bred with these people.
The high priests and the Pharisees, they're commanding them, hey, you can't preach in
Jesus Christ's name.
You can't do this.
You can't do these works.
And they're like, hey, you know, whether or not you think it's better for me to obey God
or you, you can judge.
But guess what?
We're never going to stop preaching Jesus Christ.
You know, it reminds me of on Monday, our group was able to go to the university, Mona
University.
And we went there and it was very receptive.
I mean, it was not like, I haven't been to very many college campuses preaching, but
here everybody wanted to hear the gospel.
Everybody, you know, wanted to hear what the Bible had to say.
And I was seeing a lot of people saved.
And then we went into the heat of the battle, we entered the middle part of the university
where there's just tons of people just everywhere.
And the only sign you can see anywhere is this sign says like, no peeing over here.
It's like, no peeing right here.
I was like, okay, so I just start preaching the people on the bench.
And as I'm preaching, I've been preaching to a lot of people already, but as I'm preaching,
a faculty member comes by and they kind of halt me, they kind of stop me while I'm talking
to this girl.
And they say, hey, what are you doing here?
Who authorized you to be here?
I say, hey, when we came in, we got a visitor's badge.
You know, I have it in the car.
I'm just here advertising the movie because we'd had a movie set up for Friday that evening
at this university.
So we had some flyers that we printed out, we were handing out to people saying, hey,
come to this movie on Friday, and then we give them the gospel.
So I was giving this girl the gospel, but this faculty member is like, hey, you're not
supposed to be here.
And I said, oh, it's okay, we're supposed to be here, and I just kind of blew him off.
So then he just walks away.
Well, just a few minutes later, I was about in the middle of my gospel, a few minutes
later, he brings a security guard with him now.
And the security guard is like, hey, you, come here.
And I'm kind of preaching.
So I kind of take, I stop for a minute, I talk to this guy, and he says, you're not
allowed to preach here.
You're not allowed to preach in this space.
You need to leave.
And I said, hey, I'm not doing anything wrong, we're just advertising our movie, I'm just
talking to these people, inviting them to a movie that's on your campus.
He's like, who authorized you to be here?
I said, well, the Bible says Jesus Christ authorized me to preach the gospel to every
creature.
And I said, hey, I don't want them to go to hell.
But more importantly, if you were to die today, are you for sure you'd go to heaven?
The guy got really, he's like, oh, I don't want to talk about that, I don't want to talk
about that.
So you can't preach here.
And he's kind of like walking away from me.
And I said, hey, what's your name?
I'm going to ask your supervisor if you can preach the Bible on your campus.
If you let Jesus Christ come to your campus, what's your name?
Let me ask your supervisor.
And all of a sudden, he's just like, oh, no, no, no, I'm not going to tell you my name.
He just starts backing away, and then he just walks off.
Then I was able to get that lady saved.
You know what?
And she got really interested in the gospel whenever that started happening.
She was kind of half in, half out.
And after that started happening, she was like, hey, they're not doing anything wrong.
She stood up, she came over to me, and I was able to preach her the gospel and get her
saved.
You know, when someone intimidates you, you don't just back down.
You don't just walk, oh, he said, I can't preach here.
He's got a vest on.
I mean, Jesus Christ has given all power in heaven and earth to preach the gospel to every
preacher.
I'm going to obey God rather than man.
So my partner, he was just kind of standing there.
It was about time to go.
So he was just kind of waiting.
And while he was just waiting, some guy basically just walks up and is just like, can you please
show me what you all are showing other people?
I want to hear what you have to say.
So he starts preaching him the gospel, and since I got done, I'm just kind of waiting
for him now.
Well, now they brought their supervisor.
They kind of called my bluff.
So the supervisor comes, and they kind of argue amongst themselves for a few minutes.
And then he comes on to my partner, and he starts harassing.
He's starting to take him away.
He's like, you got to go.
You can't preach here.
You can't do this.
So at this point, I'm like, OK, I've got a group.
I don't want to ruin the whole day, so we'll just go ahead and leave now.
It's lunchtime anyways.
And the students get really mad at the supervisor.
He's like, what are you doing?
This guy's just, I asked him to show me what the Bible says.
Why don't you let him show me?
He says, you're making this university like America.
I agreed with him.
Our country is restricting freedom of speech, and it's wicked.
We need to preach the gospel with boldness.
So we went ahead, and we left at that time.
You know what?
Just because someone comes, and tries to persecute you, or tries to say, hey, you can't preach
here.
You know, Jesus Christ has given all power in heaven and in earth.
We ought to preach the gospel and obey God rather than man.
I hope you would to Acts, chapter 5, look at verse 42.
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they cease not to teach and preach Jesus
Christ.
I'll give you a little bit of timeline for us.
On Monday morning, we were able to preach in a school called Mona High School.
We were able to preach to, I think about 700 students, because we brought 900 DVDs, and
we got back in the car, there was only like 200 of them.
So I mean, best I can figure, there was almost 700 students there that we were able to preach
to.
Then we went to the university.
We preached and got many people saved there.
Then we went and joined up with Brother Garrett at Papine School, where we were able to preach
to many students.
Then after that, we went to the park, and we were able to preach to many people in the
park.
That was Monday.
Then in Tuesday, we went to the Kingston Technical High School, where John and Jesse were able
to preach to all the students there.
Then we went to a park.
Then later in the afternoon, we went to a place called Jonestown, where we went door
to door knocking.
I didn't even knock one door, because there were so many people just out, and just every
single person wanted to hear the gospel.
I mean, I only went like 10 feet.
I just like walk into the neighborhood, and you're just getting persons saved, and they're
saved, and saved.
Just keep going.
We were preaching everywhere in Jamaica.
Why?
It was so receptive.
When we ceased not to preach on Wednesday, we got to preach in a homeless shelter.
Then we went to the park.
Then we went to the hospital.
We went back to the park.
Then near the restaurant, there were some houses, so we went out and preached in the
gospel there to those houses.
On Thursday, we took a day off, and we had some fun.
But even in our group, every time we met somebody, somebody opened their Bible and was showing
the gospel, getting people saved.
On Friday, again, my group was able to preach at the noon technical high school, and then
we were able to preach to the students afterwards.
Not only that, me and NAR, we just didn't stop.
We went in the airport, and we're just preaching to the security guards, preaching to the travelers,
just preaching to all kinds of people.
There's a few people that I don't really get excited to preach to.
That would be like TSA.
That's one time where I try to use some discretion.
People in Jamaica, hey, the security guard wants to hear the gospel, so why don't you
preach to them and get them saved?
They ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
That was what this trip was like.
You know why?
Because 37 people had prepared their heart to preach the gospel.
There was a flood of opportunity in Jamaica.
Look at Acts chapter 6, verse 3, wherefore, brethren, look ye out among ye seven men of
honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
And the saying pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith
and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Achanar, and Timon, and Parmenas, and
Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch, whom they set before the apostles.
And when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
And the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly.
And a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
The Bible is always true that everything rises and falls on leadership.
And we saw a point in the book of Acts where they needed more leaders.
They needed more people to step up.
Why?
So the word of God could increase.
And if we hadn't had people like Brother Rich, and Brother Garrett, and Brother Sam leading
the charge, men to step up and take leadership roles on this trip, it would have never been
as successful as it was.
We need strong leaders.
And we need people to prepare their hearts to say, hey, I'm willing to step up and be
in a leadership role.
Why?
So the word of God can increase.
Not to lift themselves up, but so the word of God can increase.
We need more leaders.
We need more people to prepare their hearts.
Why?
Because God has a prepared mission for a prepared missionary.
And if you prepare your heart, God can use you greatly.
But we need more leaders.
We need more men to step up and say, hey, I could do that.
I could lead a group.
I could go down and do great things for God.
And to start preparing himself now.
Go to Acts chapter number seven.
We see Stephen does these great wonders and miracles.
You know, he preaches a really great sermon.
And one of the things I like about his sermon as you get into the book of chapter seven
is that everybody likes the beginning of his sermon.
Everybody thinks it's great.
But then it takes a turn.
Look at verse 51.
Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Ghost
as your fathers did.
So do ye.
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?
And they have slain them and showed before the coming of the just one, of whom you have
been now the betrayers and murderers.
You know what this made me think of?
It made me think of when John and Jesse McPhail got to preach in those schools.
You know why?
John, I got to hear him preach with all the ladies.
And he starts off his sermon about Sarah.
How she's a woman of faith, how she's obedient to her husband, how she's pleasing unto God
because of her faith.
And everybody's liking the sermon.
I mean, everybody's, you know, this is great.
But then he changes gears and says, but you know what?
It didn't matter how she lived her life.
That's not what saved her.
It wasn't her good works.
It wasn't the fact that she was obedient.
It was the fact that she had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And only by believing on Jesus Christ are you saved.
And then afterwards, these three head teachers, their heads almost spun off.
They were like, you never said you had to repent of your sins.
What are you talking about, this believe only?
And they were just complete heretics.
I mean, John just keeps showing them the Bible.
And they're like, no, I heard what you said.
But the Bible says you got to repent of your sins, repent likewise or you'll perish.
I mean, they just keep arguing with them.
And it made it clear, look, they didn't want to hear the gospel.
We see Stephen, he preaches this sermon.
Why?
Because it's important.
And when John preaches this sermon, you know what was clear?
They got the message.
You know what?
He was a bold preacher to walk in there and preach by its faith only, even when these
people don't even agree, even when these people don't even know.
And we need to contend with those that are heretics.
Why?
So all those kids aren't damned and go to hell.
So they get the truth at least one time.
So they can hear someone boldly say, hey, this is what the Bible says.
It says it's by believing on Jesus Christ that you're saved.
Go to Acts chapter number 8, look at verse number 4, therefore, they that were scattered
abroad went everywhere preaching the word.
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them.
And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and
seeing the miracles which he did.
The Bible says, hey, when they got persecuted, they finally went spread abroad.
They went to Samaria and it was very receptive.
You know what I can say about Jamaica?
It was very receptive.
They all with one heed gave accord unto them.
They just wanted to hear the gospel.
You couldn't find somebody they didn't want to hear.
You'd ask anybody.
They're like, sure, yes.
I kept bracing myself waiting for them to say, no, I'm busy, no, I can't.
I made a bunch of people late to work, but they still want to hear the gospel.
I said, hey, I'm really running late to work.
I said, well, the Bible says you can know for sure you have eternal life.
Can I show you one verse?
Sure.
So I just show them 1 John 5 verse 13.
These things have I written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God that
ye may know that ye have eternal life.
Well, I'm really late to work, but will you please show me how I can know I have eternal
life?
That's what one of the guys said to me.
He stood there for another 10 minutes while I preached the whole gospel and got him saved.
He was excited to be late to work that day.
He was excited because he knew he had eternal life.
You know what?
There's a lot of places in this world where they're just begging for you to get him saved.
You know what?
Just like the Ethiopian eunuch, they need some man to guide them.
And I preached a sermon about the word of God.
Look, everybody's heard John 3 16.
That doesn't mean that's going to get him saved.
They need a man to guide them.
They need a man to teach them it.
I didn't meet one person in Jamaica that couldn't quote John 3 16 period.
I mean, they all knew that by heart.
They knew Romans 6 23.
I preached this one lady.
She quoted every verse I showed her.
I couldn't show her any verse that she didn't already know.
You know what?
They weren't saved.
They would give you John 3 16 and say, what did that say you had to do to have everlasting
life?
Go to church.
Be a good person.
Repent of your sins.
I mean, I said, look, just because you can quote it doesn't mean you believe it.
That's the sad thing.
But you know what?
They were low hanging fruit.
I mean, once you just made it clear, hey, it says believe a whole bunch of other places
too.
Let me show you those.
Let me show you what it's clearly saying.
Did that say go to church there?
You just quoted it for me.
But it's sad how many people are just ready to get saved and no one's preaching the gospel.
I only met like two people that were saved there and it was a vast minority.
I mean, there's hardly no one that's saved there.
No one preaching the gospel.
No one getting him saved.
It makes me think of Romans chapter 10, though, it says that the word is naive, even in my
mouth and my heart.
The word of faith, which we preach, look, it was in their mouth.
It was coming out, but they needed some man to guide them.
They need somebody to preach them the gospel.
God has a prepared mission for a prepared missionary.
God had to work for us to do there.
Go to Acts chapter 9.
They had a familiarity of the Bible and a respect, but you know what?
They needed somebody to get them saved.
Look at Acts chapter 9 verse 20.
We're reintroduced to Saul here and he gets saved.
We see in verse 20, in a straight way, he preached Christ in the synagogues that he's
the son of God, but all that heard him were amazed and said, is not this he that destroyed
them which called on his name in Jerusalem and came hither for that intent, that he might
bring them bound unto the chief priests?
But Saul increased the more in strength and confounded the Jews which dwelt in Damascus,
proving that this is the very Christ.
Now, when I think of Saul, he's a very interesting character in the Bible and it gives me a strong
parallel to Brother Kirschway.
You say, why?
Paul spent a long time of his life with the zeal of God, not according to knowledge.
If you know anything about Brother Kirschway's testimony, he spent a long time of his life
with the zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
But then he came to Faith Lord Baptist Church and he got saved.
You know, instead of being bitter about how he had spent all of the years of his life
already, you know what he did?
He quickly turned it on.
He quickly went out soul winning and he started preparing himself, just like the apostle Paul.
He started preparing himself immediately.
Why?
Because God had a prepared mission for Paul and he started preparing himself.
But it just didn't immediately happen.
It took some time and as he prepared himself, God had some great works for him to do in
the future.
It makes me think of Brother Kirschway.
You know, he may not have just gone to Africa day one after getting saved, but guess what?
He went to Africa and did a great work for God.
He went to Guyana.
He helped out.
He does a great work for God and a man that will prepare himself no matter what his past
looked like, no matter what mistakes he's made, if he'll start preparing himself now,
God can use him greatly.
You know what?
All the apostles, they had a head start on him.
You know who God used the most?
Paul.
Why?
Because he started preparing himself.
He got his heart right.
He started going soul winning and he started departing from iniquity.
So why?
So God could use him greatly, just like Brother Kirschway.
This trip would have never been the success that it was without Brother Kirschway.
We needed that man.
We needed him to go out and lead the charge.
We needed him to be, he's a powerful preacher.
Why?
Because he prepared himself.
He didn't let his past get him, you know, down on himself.
He didn't say, oh, man, I wasted all this time, you know, now I can't do anything for
God.
And he said, no, I'm going to work harder.
I'm going to go, I'm going to go straight into the Word of God.
I'm going to prepare myself and God has a prepared mission for that prepared missionary
over there.
Go to Acts chapter 10, look at verse number 19.
While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said on him, behold, three men seek thee.
Arise, therefore, and get thee down and go with them, doubting nothing.
For I have sent them.
But here's the thing.
If you prepare yourself, opportunity will come.
But are you going to take the heat?
When the opportunity comes, when the door opens, will you walk through it?
Peter is presented with this great opportunity to go and preach to the Gentiles.
But God has to give him these, like, amazing visions just to convince him to go.
I mean, but we need to take heed to God's opportunities that he gives us.
You know, it made me think of brother Norm Diamante.
This guy had his heart prepared to do big work for God.
And there just kept being opportunity after opportunity and he just took it.
He didn't know he was going to preach in a police station.
He didn't know he was going to preach to all these students on Monday in the afternoon.
He didn't know, hey, I'm going to get out of this van and be left here for three hours.
But he preached boldly the gospel.
He was ready for the opportunities that he was given unto him.
Why?
Because he prepared his heart.
He was ready to do big work for God.
Look at Acts chapter number 11, verse 19.
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled
as far as Phinehas and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to none, but unto the Jews
only.
All of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, spake
unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned unto the
Lord.
You see, some of the apostles start making a mistake.
They have a specific mission in mind.
Hey, we're only going to preach to the Jews.
You know what?
They didn't do the greatest works for God.
Why?
Because they were focused on the mission.
They weren't focused on themselves being a great missionary, being a prepared work.
God already told them to preach the gospel to every creature.
Why don't you go back and search the scriptures?
Why don't you make sure you're doing what God told you?
And then God has a prepared mission for those that would what?
Heed unto his word.
Those that preached unto the Grecians, what it says, the hand of the Lord was with them.
They might not even realize.
I think most of the time when we look at all these opportunities, they don't necessarily
know that God's opened this door.
They're just doing what God said.
And guess what?
In hindsight, they see, wow, look at the door that the Lord opened unto us.
We see, don't get so caught up in I have to preach to only the Moroccans.
I have to go to Morocco and preach only the Moroccans.
I have to go to Germany and only preach to the Germans.
I have to only go to this one place and preach to this one specific people, and they're not
even receptive, and I don't even speak the language, and I don't even have any money
to go.
It's not working.
Wake up!
There's people dying and going to hell every day.
Makes me think of the stupid church that I was in where after every service, they had
these two guys stand up with their Bible ready to show the Romans road, and you know what
happened?
Nothing.
Nobody ever came down the aisle.
I never saw anybody get saved.
What if that person had just gone outside and gone and preached to somebody on the street
corner?
They would have got him saved.
What if they had gone to Jamaica?
They would have had people coming and getting the gospel constantly.
See, if it's not working, you need to change.
You need to be flexible.
This is what I told my group on Sunday night.
I said, look, the motto for our group is we're going to be flexible.
We don't know what opportunities we're going to have.
We don't know what's going to happen.
We're just going to let the Spirit lead us, and even some of my team members are kind
of mocked and scoffed at that idea.
Paul said, I am by all means all things to all men that I might by all means save some.
What is that?
It's flexible.
Paul was ready to just go preach the gospel anywhere, to anyone.
Hey, I'm going to be flexible too.
I'm going to prepare myself, and I'm going to be flexible on the mission because the
mission could change.
You don't know what the circumstances are going to be.
Don't get stuck on the Jews.
Look at verse 21.
You know what this is?
This is a warning to all those leaders and all those rulers and all those kings in this
earth that want to attack God's man.
He already slew Peter's brother at the beginning of the chapter.
Then he thinks he's a god, and God just immediately slays him, kills him, gone.
That's in the New Testament.
Hey, we're in the New Testament.
You better beware anybody who's attacking the man of God, trying to stop him from preaching
the gospel.
God could take your life like that.
It made me think of brother Sam.
We had this engagement to go preach into the military.
A pretty great opportunity, but he got a call after Pastor Anderson was banned by one of
the female majors.
She had figured out we were part of his group.
They were like, oh, we can't have you come.
We're going to have to cancel.
It's not going to work out.
You know what Sam did?
He laid it really hard on her.
He said, hey, does Jamaica have the blessings of God?
Because from my perspective, it doesn't.
Hey, you have a man of God coming to preach you the gospel, and your whole country rejected
him.
You think God's pleased with that?
The apostles were beaten for the name of Christ, and when they stand before God, do you think
they're going to be ashamed?
No.
How are you going to feel about your decision, major?
Oh, let me call you back.
And they just said, oh, yeah, y'all can come, y'all can preach the gospel.
You know what?
Brother Major was able to preach to 400 soldiers the word of God.
Look, the word of God has power.
It wasn't Brother Sam.
It was the word of God, and we need to realize that God is the one that has the ultimate
power, the ultimate authority.
These rulers better be fearful.
They better be the ones trembling.
Look at verse 46, then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said, it was necessary that the word
of God should first have been spoken to you, but seeing you put it from you, and judge
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
He preaches this great sermon at Antioch, but guess what?
The Jews aren't listening.
You know what he does?
He's flexible.
Hey, now we're going to go to the Gentiles.
He didn't quite get it yet because he kept making this mistake, but he's starting to
figure it out.
Let's go to the guys that are receptive.
Let's go to the country where they want to hear.
Let's go to the place where we can get people saved.
Look at Acts chapter 14, verse 6.
They were aware of it and fled into Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lyconia and under the
region that lieth round about, and there they preached the gospel.
You know what?
God closed the door to the Jews, but guess what?
He opened a whole bunch of other doors.
What if the apostles had just gotten so stuck on one mission?
Is it really the mission that's mattering?
Are we seeing a pattern here?
They're just going where the Spirit is leading them.
They're going where the door is open.
They're going to those that are receptive, and why is it successful?
It's not the mission.
It's because they prepared their heart.
It's because they're a prepared missionary to go out and do the work of the Lord.
That's what's important.
You know what?
God didn't close the door in South Africa, but he opened a door in Guyana.
He opened a door in Jamaica.
You know what?
In the moment, it might not seem, we might not understand, but in hindsight, it's like,
wow, we may have never even gone to Jamaica if we hadn't closed that door.
And how receptive is that country?
I mean, you could get people saved every second for just years over there.
I mean, there's like two million plus people in Jamaica, and nobody didn't want to hear
the gospel.
How long do you think it takes to preach to two million people?
I think it'd take a while.
We need more labors.
The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labors be few.
But guess what?
We're filled with a room of missionaries tonight, because who in here is saved?
You're a missionary tonight.
Are you preparing yourself?
Are you prepared?
Look at Acts chapter 15, verse 1.
And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said, except ye be
circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they
were determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go up to Jerusalem
unto the apostles and elders about this question.
You know what?
They didn't really do the right thing here.
The Bible says to avoid foolish questions, which Paul got later.
I don't need to go prove to some heretic that it's just by faith alone.
Don't get distracted with stupid questions and getting taken off the field.
This is a good example in soul winning too, right?
If somebody doesn't want to hear the gospel, if they're a heretic after the first and second
admonition, reject.
Look at chapter 16.
We meet Timothy in chapter 16.
You know what?
They're thrown in prison.
You know why?
They're thrown in prison for preaching the gospel.
Look at verse 30.
And they brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Isn't that a great verse?
Don't you read that?
You're like, where are these people?
They're in Jamaica.
There are people that just, they want to get saved.
But you know what?
Nobody expects to get someone saved in prison.
Nobody plans that as their mission.
Hey, I'm going to plan on getting thrown into prison.
Then that's where the receptive people are.
Nobody plans that.
But you know what?
God had a prepared mission for Paul to go into this prison and find one of the most
receptive people ever and get him saved, giving us one of the clearest verses that we all
use when we go soul winning.
What a great work!
It wasn't the mission, it was the missionary.
Makes me think of Raymond and Dan and Nicholas, three guys I've never met before.
They came on this trip and you know, two of them had never gone soul winning at all.
They've never gotten anybody the gospel.
By the end of the trip, they had gotten multiple people saved.
Why don't you go to a receptive place?
I mean, these guys had their heart prepared to seek the Lord, to serve the Lord.
Hey, they were on the fast track to getting people saved down there.
Nicholas, one of the guys in my group, he got 13 people saved on Friday.
That's incredible.
Thirteen people?
I mean, that might take me a few weeks here in Phoenix, at least.
This guy's getting one day.
Look at Acts chapter 17, verse 13.
But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul
of Berea, they came through there also and stirred up the people.
Now, what's happening in this story is as Paul's going to each place, he's got these
detractors that are following him.
They're just trying to stir up trouble wherever he goes.
This makes me think of somebody.
How about Pastor Anderson?
No matter where he tries to go, there's always this group of just morons just trying to afflict
him, trying to persecute him, trying to stop him.
Just all these detractors.
You know what Paul does?
He goes into Athens and he gets people saved.
Makes me think of Pastor Anderson.
He gets banned from Jamaica.
Now I don't think Pastor Anderson had any idea he was going to go to Aruba, but instead
of getting discouraged that he was banned from Jamaica, what does he do?
He shakes off the dust from his feet and he just moves on and God had a prepared mission
for a prepared missionary.
How many missionaries today, they say, oh man, I'm going to go to Morocco three years later
after their hibernation.
They're on their way to Morocco.
Oh, it got canceled.
I can't go there.
Now I don't know what to do because they were so focused on the mission, they didn't prepare
their heart.
They weren't ready and at any kind of trouble, it all halts.
It all ceases.
That's not what God's people do.
Whenever there's persecute and trouble, they just go somewhere else and preach the gospel
and they get other people saved.
What a great example that our pastor, it doesn't matter where he gets banned from, he'll just
move on and go to another country and get people saved.
What a great testimony.
Did he know he was going there?
No.
It's not the mission.
Preparing the missionary.
Look at Acts chapter 18, look at verse 2, and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born
in Pontus, lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because that Claudius had commanded
all the Jews to depart from Rome and came under them.
We see we're introduced to two great people, Aquila and Priscilla.
When you go on these trips, you're going to meet a lot of cool people.
Paul, these people, he said that they laid their lives down for him.
Go to Acts chapter 19 verse 9.
When divers were hardened and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude,
he departed from them and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
One of the most amazing things is not only that we're able to preach in the schools to
the big crowds, we're able to go to classroom to classroom.
It makes me think of brother Valerian and brother Caleb and brother Seth.
They're getting these opportunities to go and preach in front of these whole classrooms.
One of the greatest things I saw on this trip is Valerian teaching this class.
He just tells these kids what to do with so much power, with so much authority.
I was going to obey him, whatever he said.
He's like, you, come sit down right here.
You go stand by the wall.
All right, you ready to hear the gospel?
You're getting saved.
I mean, he just had so much power, so much authority.
I mean, he's doing great works.
That's what happens when you separate the disciples.
Guess what?
The word of God increases.
You see people step up and they're preaching the gospel.
Why?
Because he prepared his heart.
He was ready to preach the gospel and he had the power from God's Holy Spirit.
Go to Acts chapter 20 verse 24.
But none of these things move me, neither count I of my life, dear unto myself, so that
I might finish my course with joy in the ministry, which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Now in Acts chapter 20, where we have Eutychus fall out the window, I told you I'd preach
until he fell out the window.
But guess what?
We're going to keep preaching.
Paul just didn't stop preaching.
It made me think of Brother Joe Major, Pastor Joe Major.
He just would not stop preaching.
I mean, in one day, he preached five sermons.
And you know what?
I only got to hear his fifth sermon.
But man, he was just on fire.
He was preaching to all of us.
He was encouraging us.
He was just ripping.
I mean, this guy just did not stop.
Why?
Because he had prepared his heart.
He was a prepared missionary.
He was ready to preach the gospel and keep going until Eutychus fell out the window.
Then he was just going to revive him.
Look at Acts chapter 21.
This one's real special.
Look at verse 8.
And the next day, we that were at Paul's company departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered
in the house of Philip the Evangelist, which was one of the seven, and abode with him.
The same man had four daughters, virgins which did prophesy.
It's amazing that on these trips, we always have the handmaidens and the virgins coming
with us, preaching the gospel, like Miss Lola, the women from Europe.
We had another man come down with his two daughters.
This guy from Canada, I think his oldest daughter was about 11 years old.
Her name was Leah.
This girl had never done soul winning and never won anybody to Christ.
But man, was she hungry to preach the gospel.
I mean, day one, she's ready to preach the gospel.
And she learned quickly.
I think the total was 36 salvations, this 11-year-old girl preaching the gospel.
What a great father to take his children on this trip, to take them to teach them the
word of God.
You say, what do you think about female preachers?
I think they're great.
What do you think about female pastors?
I think the same thing about a man that's been divorced.
I think the same thing about a man that doesn't have family.
Unqualified.
You say, oh, only women can't be pastors.
No, there's a lot of men that can't be pastors too, according to the Bible.
You know what they both need to do?
Stop pastoring, go to a real church, and become a soul winner, because we're all missionaries.
You don't have to be a pastor to be a great missionary for God.
Look at the apostle Paul.
Was he a pastor?
No.
But he was a great missionary for God, and women can be great prophets for the Lord by
preaching the gospel, by going out and prophesying the word of God, God pouring out His Spirit
on them, and what?
The New Testament.
But Acts chapter 22, we'll speed up a little bit.
Look at verse 18.
And I saw him saying unto me, make haste and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem, for they
will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
And he said unto me, depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
Now was this Paul's desire?
This is Paul recanting what had happened to him.
He'd gotten saved, and he's saying, then the Lord is telling me to depart and go preach
unto the Gentiles.
Was this Paul's vision?
I mean, Paul was one of the strictest, you know, sect of the Pharisees.
These guys probably hated the Gentiles.
And as soon as he gets saved, what's God telling him to do?
You're going to go preach to the Gentiles.
That was not his mission.
You know what?
He prepared his heart, and he did great works and preaching unto the Gentiles, because it's
not your mission.
It's God's mission.
You say, I want God's mission for my life.
What do I do?
Prepare yourself.
Prepare your heart.
Depart from iniquity.
Look at Acts chapter 23 verse 12.
When it was day, certain of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse,
saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
I wonder how that worked out for them.
Look at Acts chapter 24 verse 25.
As he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled and answered,
Go thy way for this time when I have a convenient season, for I will call thee.
Look at a couple of chapters real quick.
Look at verse 25 verse 22.
Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself.
Tomorrow said he, thou shalt hear him.
Look at chapter 26 verse 27.
King Agrippa, believeth thou the prophets?
I know that thou believeth.
We see the apostle Paul is arrested, and then he gets some opportunities to preach to some
really high up people in authority, some people that have a lot of power, a lot of great men.
When you prepare your heart, some big works will happen.
I think of Brother Sam.
When John and Jesse came in, they kind of lost some merchandise.
They lost some of our DVDs.
They wanted in customs for them to pay like $800 for all those DVDs.
That's got to be like triple what we paid for them.
They wanted all this money, so they had to leave them, but Brother Sam had to go back
and get them.
When they retired in the customs, they said, hey, you need to talk to our supervisor.
He goes to the supervisor, and guess what?
He gets her saved.
They preach through the gospel.
Then guess what?
They bring in their commander.
Then they bring in all the high narcotics for all of Jamaica because they're about to
have the U.S. Embassy come in.
You know what he was like?
Are you letting the U.S. Embassy come in here?
They're the biggest drug runners and gun runners in this entire country.
What are you doing letting them come in here?
You won't let Pastor Anderson come in here, but you'll let them come in here?
He's preaching to some powerful people.
You know what?
King Agrippa, I don't know if he got saved.
The commander didn't get saved, but at least the supervisor got saved.
Then she said, hey, I want you to preach to all of my custom agents.
So he got to preach the gospel to all the custom agents.
Then they even gave him a discount.
Look at Acts 27, verse 14.
But not long after, there arose against it a tempestuous wind called Yerclaradon.
When the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.
Running under a certain island, which is called Claudia, we had much work to come
by the boat, which they had taken up.
They used helps, ungirding the ship and fearing, lest they should fall into the quicksand,
struck sail, and so were driven.
He said, man, that doesn't sound like a lot of fun.
This verse really came to my mind a lot whenever I had to drive in Jamaica.
There is no street signs in Jamaica, zero.
And I mean, most of the time you're basically just playing chicken with the other car because
there's just cars parked on both sides, there's people running back and forth, they're coming
at you, you've got to just dive over.
If it's one of the buses, you just pull over.
They're not going to stop.
I mean, it was tempestuous.
It was scary.
But guess what?
Not a hair of our head fell.
Just like Paul said.
You know, it was kind of scary, but I was like, I'm sure the Lord will deliver us.
Because it's not by my mind.
Look at verse 39.
It was day, they knew not the land, but they discovered a certain creek with the shore
into which they were minded if it were possible to thrust in the ship.
You know, we had a fun day on Thursday, too.
We work hard for the Lord, but I said, guess what, Sam, you're making us play even harder.
I mean, we played hard on Thursday.
My group, we got in the cars, we were driving, you know, Valerian was really scared of Brother
Sam's driving.
He was like, you've got to slow down, so Logan took over.
But man, we're going up this mountain, we got some coffee, then we were driving, we
found a certain creek where we're doing cliff jumping and going to this water, it was great.
The temperature was great, the water was great, we had a lot of fun.
Then to cap it off, we just go ahead and have dinner on the beach.
I mean, there was this perfect beach setting, they had this tent set up, it was this fancy
rest, it was great.
You know, when you go on these trips, you can have a little bit of fun, you can enjoy
the experience.
That didn't slow down our trip.
And you know what, every time we were talking to people, I mean, I saw Brother Gnarr, I
saw Brother Kenton, they're preaching the gospel to our waitresses, and God and Bo saved.
And daily in the temple in every house, they cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
Let's wrap up.
Go to Acts chapter 28.
But we need to be flexible to where the Spirit is going to lead us.
The Bible says, for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show
themselves strong on the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward them.
God is just looking for an individual to just say, hey, God, I'm right here, use me.
I'm going to prepare my heart.
And guess what?
He has a prepared mission for you today.
He has a prepared mission for you to see multitudes saved, to do big works for God.
Question is, hey, are you going to be focused on the mission, or are you going to be focused
on being a prepared missionary?
It's not the mission, it's you preparing yourself.
God will take you where He wants you to go.
Look at Acts chapter 28 verse 28.
Be it known therefore unto you that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that
they will hear it.
You know what the conclusion of Acts is?
Stop preaching to the Jews, preach to the Gentiles.
They're the ones that want to hear the gospel.
And guess what this world is filled with?
Gentiles that want to hear the gospel, that want to get saved.
You know what we just did?
Notice the entire timeline of the New Testament.
You say, why are you making such a big emphasis about missions?
The New Testament is all about missions.
I mean, you have the first four books, what is it?
Them preparing for their mission.
Them preparing to be missionaries.
Then you have the book of Acts, what happens when you have a bunch of prepared missionaries?
Big works for God.
Then you have what?
Then you have Romans and 1 and 2 Corinthians and Galatians and Ephesians and Philippians
and Colossians and 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
What are those?
Epistles written to the churches that were set up on their missionary journeys.
It's all about the missions.
Then what do you have?
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.
Two guys that were what?
What was the purpose?
He says in Titus, for this cause left I thee and Crete that thou should have set in order
the things that are wanting and ordained elders in every city as I had appointed thee.
What were they supposed to do?
Set up pastors in all these churches that are going out and planting and their missions.
Then we have what?
Bilemon.
Are we talking about a guy named Onesimus who he begotten his bonds in prison.
Then what would he have?
We have the book of Hebrews.
It's saying he endured a great fight of afflictions.
We have the hall of faith.
Men who didn't know where they were going to go but they had prepared their heart and
God had a great work for them to do.
That's our example today.
A great cloud of witnesses.
Then we have the book of James which says what?
Faith without works is dead.
It's so true today.
We have so many dead missionaries.
Dead men walking.
Why?
Because they're not exercising their faith.
Then we have what?
First Peter.
Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh the reason of the hope that
is in you with meekness and fear.
We have Second Peter.
That you be not unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Then we have First John.
To not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Hey, it's clear that you're a sent missionary.
It's clear you have the gospel.
You're in a great preaching church.
You were to stand before God and you're not doing anything.
You didn't do his mission.
You're going to be ashamed before him?
Second John.
I rejoice greatly that I find thy children walking in the truth.
Third John.
I rejoice greatly that I find no greater joy than that my children walk in truth.
Jude.
What?
That ye earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.
What do you have in Revelation?
The seven churches written on the mission field.
The letters written on the churches which are in Asia.
And then at the very end, what do you have?
People that are beheaded for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Welcome to the New Testament.
It's all about missions.
It's all about going out and preaching the gospel.
Where we started in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, they'd be witnesses of where?
Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth.
It's all about us going out and preaching the gospel and getting people saved until
what?
Christ returns.
So we wouldn't be ashamed before him at his coming.
It's all about missions.
It's all about Matthew chapter 28.
When Jesus came unto them and said, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
I owe you therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you.
And lo, I am with you even unto the end of the world.
Amen.
You know, the last part of that makes it clear that it wasn't just for the apostles.
It's that even unto the end of the world.
How many apostles are tearing today?
None.
He's talking about you going out and teaching all nations.
That's your purpose today.
That's your mission.
I want to close on this one last thought.
So it was about the third day that I was there preaching the gospel and I already lost my
voice.
I mean, I preached, you know, a couple of times.
I was still able to give the gospel very well but I wasn't able to preach at all.
And I'm talking to this lady and it's hot, I'm tired, and all of a sudden somebody kind
of gets my attention.
I didn't really know how or why is this older lady and she kind of gets my attention while
I'm preaching the gospel.
She doesn't really look at me directly but she heard me preaching and so that's why she
kind of turns her attention to me and she just kind of looks at my direction.
And all of a sudden she just says, never stop preaching the gospel.
Never stop preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The next time I looked she was gone.
You know what I say to you when you get discouraged, when you're tired, when you're frustrated,
when you're faint, when the world beats up on you, when you say, does it really matter
that I'm going out and preaching the gospel to these Indian reservations, when I'm going
out and preaching the gospel to this person at this apartment, when I'm going to this
country, this country where these people don't have a civilization like we do.
Here's my admonishment to you.
Never stop preaching the gospel.
Never stop preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What's the title of the sermon?
There's a prepared mission for a prepared missionary.
Let's close in prayer.
Thank you, Father, so much for your Word.
Thank you so much for the mission that you prepared for us, that we could go out and
preach your everlasting gospel, preach your unspeakable gift.
I pray that all these people in this room, that we would prepare ourselves, prepare ourselves
to be missionaries under this world, to teach all nations that we fill with your Holy Spirit.
And I pray as we go out that you would be with us and we could do mighty works for your
name that you would get all the glory.
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.