What Can We Do?

Faith Promise Missions 2018
What Can We Do?

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye 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 alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Brother Keister started us off this month with a challenge; “What will you do?” I marked that down and have been working it through my head all month. I want to present an answer with another question “What Can We do?”

Regarding ministry in general and missions in particular, we can do three things:
· We can pray
· We can go and
· We can give

I don’t believe there really is an order of importance among the three, but I do believe that it is prayer supports and holds up the other two.

I. PRAY
A. The Priority
1 Timothy 2:1 (KJV)
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

I think we think prayer is the least we can do. I think that is because we do it the least.
· Prayer is the most we can do
· Prayer is the best we can do
· Prayer is therefore the first thing we ought to do

B. The Necessity
2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 (KJV)
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

Paul said he needed them to pray for him:
· So the Word of the Lord would have free course (liberty to preach)
· So that the hearers would “get it” (understand, accept and be saved)
· So that he would be safe from those who did not accept

There will always be those who do not accept.
They are the unreasonable ones.

C. The Camaraderie
Romans 15:30-32 (KJV)
Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;

That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

When we pray, we become the “battle buddy” of the one for which we pray.

Think of that!
· When you give to support a missionary the Bible promises we gain fruit to our account and
· When we pray for that same missionary, we engage in the same work that he is doing.

By the way, this would be true of any ministry:
· Your pastor’s ministry
· Your church’s Sunday school and children’s ministry
· The bus ministry
· The H.O.P.E. ministry
When you pray for them, you become part of that ministry.

II. GO
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

A. Different People:
• Friends
• Family
• Neighbors
• Door to Door
• Church Visitation

B. Different Places:
• Work
• Home
• Parks
• Stores
• If you go there, be a missionary there

C. Different Ministries:
• Tracts
• Bus
• Children’s Ministries
• H.O.P.E.
• You Name It!

III. GIVE
I want to address three forms of giving we see in the Word of God.

A. Tithe
Malachi 3:8-10 (KJV)
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

• Is a duty – we rob God if we don’t give it
• Is proportionate – a tenth of our income
• Is for the local church – it is used for the function of the ministry

B. Faith Promise:
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 (KJV)
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

• Is a gift – not a necessity but given cheerfully
• Weekly – upon the first day of the week
• Everybody – let every one of you

C. Special Needs:
• A matter of severe needs in his church
• A means whereby he believes he is better able to help with this needs

• I have practiced this in our church for years
• Calvary Baptist Church, San Dimas, 1990
• They were able to meet a large missionary need because they had laid in store.