In Japan, and the message that he has laid on his heart to children can be dismissed for Children's Church at this time. Ayla reminded me. She was out there and ready to go. Alright. Amen.

You take your Bibles and turn to second Corinthians chapter eight. We'll be there in just a minute. Second Corinthians chapter eight. We'll be reading from second Corinthians eight and nine, this morning. But also, if you would, you might wanna get this, insert out, because I'm gonna use it like an outline this morning, for the message.

I I think it is is very important that in order to get us all working together in this great calling to get the gospel to uttermost part of the earth that we understand how we do worldwide missions here at Missouri Avenue Baptist Church. And so that pamphlet is there to help you do that. And I thought, well, we'll just go through the pamphlet this morning and use it as an outline for the message. So but we'll be at second Corinthians eight in just a moment as we begin that and take a look at what the Lord has called us to do and how that can be done in a way that is quite biblical and honoring and effective in reaching the world for Jesus Christ. We start with this up verse up here on the screen.

Matthew twenty eight eighteen through 20. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. That word power is exousia. There's two words in power in the Greek. This one's exousia and it stresses authority.

Jesus saying, I am the authority. I, the risen savior. I, your risen Lord. All authority and power is given unto me in heaven and 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 always even unto the end of the world. Amen. This is often called the great commission. And we, as a local church, a local body of believers, are called to play our part in this great mission to reproduce ourselves in this world by the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only in Clearwater and Largo, though we do need to be doing that here through personal evangelism and through the evangelism of the local church, but also all around the world.

It is our calling by our savior. It is our responsibility to play a part in this very important mission. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, but they need to hear the gospel. And Jesus went back and as he before he did, he commissioned his disciples, the first members of the first church, to expand that church in Christ's kingdom through preaching the gospel to all the world. And that responsibility, that mission has been passed down to us today.

So the question is, how best do we fulfill that mission to reach all the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ? And that brings us to the question on your sheet there. What is faith promise missions? If you look in second Corinthians chapter eight verse one, we're gonna read a few verses from chapter eight, and then we're going to move over to chapter nine and read verses six through eight. Paul writes to the church at Corinth, a local church like ours, but in the city of Corinth, Greece, he says, moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia.

Those were churches North of Corinth in Greece. How that in great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves. Praying us, with much entreaty that we would receive a gift and to take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

If you look over in second Corinthians nine and verse six, we read there, but this I say, he whose which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly. He which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. In other words, if you sow a lot of seed, there's a lot of plants going to grow and it's going to produce a lot of fruit. But if you only throw a few seeds in the ground, not so much plants, not not so much fruit. Okay?

Simple math. Verse seven, of course, he's applying this specifically to giving and to missions. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give. Not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. We're not under law.

We're under what? So Paul says, as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give. Not grudgingly or of necessity, not of law, but of the grace of God that has been placed in our hearts. For God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able, verse eight, to make all grace abound toward you.

That ye always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work. In first Corinthians chapter 16, at the end of his first letter to Corinth, he he writes this, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so to you, do you. 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. Now let me explain what Paul is doing. Paul, as was requested of him by some churches in Macedonia, that would probably be Philippi and Thessalonica and maybe Berea and some other places up there, requested that he receive an offering to take back to the churches that were in Jerusalem and Judea.

You see, the gospel came from largely the church in Jerusalem and Judea up through the church at Antioch, through Paul and Barnabas and Silas, to the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica and Corinth and all over the Western portion of what today is Turkey and and then into Greece and and on from there. And the saints back in the churches in Jerusalem were suffering. They were suffering need because of a famine, and they were suffering need because of persecution. And they wanted to send some money back to the church in Jerusalem. They're fellow believers.

They wanted to be to show a, their gratitude, and they also wanted to be partners with these churches. Yes. They were largely Gentile churches in Greece and in Western Turkey and they were largely Hebrew churches, congregations in Judea. But we are all one in Christ who has broken down that wall between Jew and Gentile bringing us all into the church by his grace. And they wanted to minister and so they they asked Paul if he would receive an offering and Paul was glad to do so.

And so he instructed them, the church at Corinth, which was in Southern Greece, that they also he encouraged them as well to be part of this this this free will offering to minister to these other churches. And so he did that in chapter eight, and he did that in chapter nine. In first Corinthians 16, he said, don't wait till I come to collect the offering. Be be collecting it on the first day of the week when you gather together. There's some that say, well, the early church met on Saturday.

No. According to this chapter, the early church met on Sunday, by the way, first day, not seventh day of the week. And he said, when you gather together, just, you know, over the weeks and over the months, just collect a little each week, a little each month. And then when I come, I can just pick up the offering and I can take it to these other ministries that are in need. And that and that Paul did.

These churches collected quite an offering. He collected it with others and representatives from these churches also went with him back to Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary journey to take it to those ministries there for their personal needs and for the growth of their churches and the proclamation of the gospel throughout the world. I want us to note a few things about this. If you look on your outline there, what is Faith Promise Missions? It is a scriptural method of supporting worldwide missions.

It is a scriptural method of supporting other ministries and ministers that God has called to minister in other parts of the world that we can be a part of and and we should. It is first of all a free will offering. There's no amount that you are called to give, just that which God lays on your heart that you purpose to give. It is given for a specific purpose and this particular offering was given to help the ministries back in Judea. We have the opportunity through this same manner of giving to give to missionaries and missions projects and local congregations in Japan and in The Philippines and in Mexico and other parts of the world.

The particular missionaries we support are represented on the board back there, and it points out where they minister and where they are planting local churches, and we can partner with them. We can come alongside them. We can be part of that ministry on the other side of the world to reach people for Jesus Christ through faith promise missions. It is given on the first day of the week. In other words, it's given on a weekly or monthly basis.

It isn't just a a one time lump sum that you take up and you give. It is throughout the year collected, in as part of our weekly offering, to give to these missionaries who need monthly support themselves, whose ministries need monthly support as well. We have been so greatly blessed in The United States financially and monetarily. And even though, things may not be as great in some ways as it has been or could be. The vast majority of people in The US, who are below the poverty line are far richer than the middle class in every other part of the world.

We are so blessed and we don't know it. The Lord has blessed us in such a way that we have the opportunity to help through our prayers, our going, and, yes, our giving to support others and other ministries in other part of the world. Did you notice in in some of the the slides in Sunday school, in some of the videos last night, people's homes don't look like ours? The the the Roldens who live in Peru, they have no air conditioning in a part of the world that is regularly during the summer months between 90 and a 100 degrees. K?

These people don't they don't have the financial wherewithal that we do. And God has given us the opportunity to whatever degree we can and whatever degree he has put on our hearts to help those people and those ministries and to support those missionaries. You see, when you give, you're not just giving to a missionary. You're giving to a ministry. You're giving to what will be or already is another another local assembly of believers who God has put there to be a light in their part of the world.

And we, as their fellow family members in the body of Christ, can join with them from the other side of the world in this great ministry by giving. Number four, it is given in faith of the Lord's provision. In verse eight of chapter nine, Paul once again said, and God is able to make grace abound towards you that ye always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work. In Philippians four nineteen, after the church at Philippi had sent an offering to the apostle Paul to help in his ministry, he wrote the letter of Philippians largely to thank them for that. And as a reminder, near the end of the book, he says he he thanked them for their love and interest in his ministry, and he said, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

We call it faith promise because it's given in what? In faith. It's not given in faith. It's it's also promised in faith. God will provide the funds to give.

God will provide the abundance also for our personal needs. God knows that we have needs, housing, food. And God will provide for those. He said, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things, what, shall be added unto you. No one is asking for you to give every last cent you have to the church or to missions because you have a responsibility to take care of your families as well.

And God considers that also a great responsibility. But let's not forget about the other responsibility as well and to trust the Lord as we consider what God would lay on our hearts to give this year to Faith Promise Missions. Number two in blue there, it is a method of supporting worldwide wide missions through the local church. Everyone in the church has an opportunity to participate. The widow lady who only had one what?

Might to give. And the wealthy man who might have thousands to give. Both equally have an opportunity to give what they have and what God has laid on their heart to give to missions. You don't have to be a millionaire. You don't have to give thousands.

You may only have a couple nickels to rub together. And as we put it all together and as we support these missionaries, it's all important. And everyone can have a part. The funds are collected and then distributed by the local church, which means this also. If you are a member of this local church, you also get to not only have a part to give and to support these missionaries, but you also have ostensibly a say.

We have business meetings once a month. We have a missions committee that makes recommendations and we take votes on what missionaries we will support. We don't send our money off to some big collective group who decides for us. We get, as a local church, to decide who we support. And we get to know them and pray for them.

We receive letters from them. And when they're here on furlough, we get to hear from them. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Because we're all in it what? We're all in it together.

And that's the way it ought to be. Number three there in blue, it encourages individual responsibility and partition participation in worldwide missions in giving, in praying, and in going, and they're all very important. It isn't just about the giving. It's also very much about the praying. That's why those prayer letters are back there.

That's why we took time to listen to the videos that some of these missionaries took their time out to quickly make for us that we heard last night. That we might get to know their needs so that we might be able to pray for them. I mentioned on the back table, there were a few of these. I don't know if there's any left. The seven c's of prayer for missionaries that as you pray for the missionary of the week each month, you might put this in your Bible or on a table or somewhere where you can be reminded seven things you can pray for them about.

You can pray for their care, for their contacts, for courage, for clarity, and and proclaiming the gospel, for conversions of souls to the savior, for their own personal growth in Christ likeness, and for coworkers to join them. The Lord to send forth more labors into his harvest. So, just a reminder, there were few of those back there. If they're gone, I'll I'll print some more for you. In the coming weeks, you can take one.

But by having a missions conference, by asking people to consider what you would give each month, we encourage personal responsibility and participation because this is not just the responsibility of the missionaries. It's not just the responsibility of the pastor. It is our responsibility together. To whatever degree. We can pray, we can give, we can go to reach the world for Jesus Christ.

And then finally there at the bottom, it can be a very effective means of supporting worldwide evangelism. If done properly, it will provide for both the church's local needs and missions outreach. Why? Because number one, money is take is money is not taken out of the general budget for missions. Only on maybe a couple of occasions early when I came since I have been here, for the last eighteen or nineteen years at least, our entire missions budget comes from free will offerings given specifically for worldwide missions.

We take no money from the general fund to support missions. We can do that because people give generously. We, as a small church, support currently 11 missionaries, giving them between a 100 and $200 each a month, and I'd like to raise that some, that they might minister in other parts of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that is we can do that because of your faithful giving specifically to missions while we can use the other funds to support the ministry here. And as we have done that, you know what's happened?

The general fund has continued to grow. And also, guess what? The missions giving has continued to grow. Even at times when our attendance via people moving out of the state or whatever it may be has shrunk some, missions has continued to stay stable or even grow. Thanks to the giving of God's people specifically to reach other parts of the world for Christ.

So number one, money is not taken out of the general budget. People give more. Number two, under the sub point there and they give more consistently when they have a goal. Christians enjoy giving for the specific purpose of worldwide missions, don't you? Don't you enjoy giving?

To help these missionaries to reach people for Jesus on that that is a wonderful thing. I mean, you know, the light bill needs to be paid. Can you get excited about that light bill? Maybe kinda hard to get excited about the light bill, but you can get excited about reaching people in Japan and The Philippines and Mexico and other parts of the world for Jesus Christ. If you'll turn over to the next side page, just a few things here to say quickly in closing.

How does faith promise missions work? Say, well, that's a good thing. We need to do that. But you need to know how that works here. How do we do this?

K? Number one, there attend as many of the conference services as possible to became better acquainted with Faith Promise Missions, to become better acquainted with our current and visiting missionaries to grow in your burden for missions and our missionaries. Because, again, this is a personal decision we make as God lays on our heart, and it's not gonna happen if we don't have a personal burden for missions and for missionaries. Two there, commit yourself to pray for our missionaries. It's not just about what?

It's not just about money. It's about prayer. Prayer is important. By hearing from missionaries about their specific field, by reading the prayer letters for our missionaries, by praying for missions, your burden will what? It will grow.

It will grow. Pray for these missionaries. I think the missions conference helps to remind us of that. Number three, pray for God's guidance in making your long commitments to give to Faith Promise Missions. God answers the sincere and fervent prayers of his children.

Does he? You believe that? Yes, he does. So pray for your missionaries and pray for God's guidance and what he would have you to give. God answers sincere and fervent prayers.

And and and pray sincerely. Ask God, what would you have me to do? Where would you have me to go? What would you have me to give and mean it? You know, so many times we pray, Lord, guide me and show me.

But really, in our mind, we go, I already know where I'm going. But I, you know, I just want God's stamp of what? Approval. Okay? Don't start out with God.

This is what I'm gonna do. So, I'm gonna pray so you can give me your stamp of approval. Sincerely talk to the Lord. Is he a person? Can you talk to him?

Does he care? Will he guide you? The answer is yes. So talk to him. Give him a chance.

He answers sincere prayer. We ought always to seek God's direction in making decisions, and we are merely stewards of all that God has given us. The money is not ours. It's God's. He gives it to us.

He loans it. He makes us stewards of it for a time so we can use it wisely. How can you use it wisely? Pay your own light bill. Pay your own rent.

Provide food for your family. Help the neighbor next door. Give to your local church and give to missions around the world. You can do all those things by God's grace and guidance. You don't have to choose between one and the one or the other.

It is rare that you can't do those things, especially as a child of God. So trust him. Pray. Seek his guidance. Dedicate a portion of God's annual provision for missions and fill out the phrase faith promise commitment pledge on the back page.

So if you'll turn to the back page. Back page. It says at the bottom of the back page are the names of missionaries. It says, my fame faith promise personal pledge. Second Corinthians nine seven, every man according to his purpose in his heart, so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Independence upon God, I will pray for and give to world evangelism through Missouri Avenue Baptist Church so much each week or month. Now, you notice there, that is not a card. It it's those little lines above are not meant for you to cut it out. Okay? This isn't something you turn in.

This isn't something we come to you and ask about. You're not making this promise to me or to the church or to the missionaries. This is simply something to help you to have a burden and to pray and to ask God what he would have you to give. Because I think it's important. If you, you know, you have to pay so much rent a month.

Right? You you have pay such a light bill and your water bill and you have your monthly mortgage to pay and maybe you have your your car loan and and you have your most of the time when you go to buy something today, they don't want you to know how much the actual item is. They just wanna know how much do I have to pay a what month because you have your monthly budget. All we're asking you to do is consider as part of your monthly budget, what you could give to help these missionaries and these churches around the world. And maybe it's $10 a month.

Maybe it's a thousand bucks a month. I don't know what God would lay on your heart. Most of us don't have thousands of dollars to get. You just don't have it. God knows that.

But maybe you have 10 or 20 to give a week or a month or a 100. I don't know. But you know something? God blesses giving. He blesses it in the salvation of lost souls.

He blesses it in the growth of ministry, and he blesses those who give, who give of themselves to help others, who give of themselves to the local church, who give of themselves to missions, whether it's praying, giving, going, one or all three of those together. God blesses those who, what, give. And it and God doesn't owe us nothing. We owe him, what, everything. He already gave us his son and eternal life, and we could never pay it back.

But we can allow God to use our minds, our hearts, our hands, our feet, our mouths, and our wallets to help other souls to hear the gospel, to help other ministries around the world, to help missionaries whom God has called to places like Japan to go. Because in many cases, they would not be able to go. They can't you can't just waltz into a country and say, okay. I'm here. Give me money.

I'm here. I need a job. No. You gotta go through all kinds of hoops to do that. And if you're going in as a missionary, they don't allow that.

For the most part, the support has to come from here for them to go. And we have the opportunity to consider, Lord, what would you what would you have me to give and to make a commitment with the Lord to purpose in our heart as he leads. And then give this amount monthly or weekly as the Lord provides. You will need to use church offering envelopes. They're on the back table back there or otherwise indicate the amount which is specifically for mission.

So, if you write a check, you can write on the check, okay? If you have cash, you're going to have to put it in an envelope. There's some in the pews but there's boxes back there that on the table for you as well And you can put the money in the offering, say so much goes to general fund, so much goes to missions, or or whatever the Lord lays on your heart there. And then when you turn it in, we know how much to put in the general fund and we know how much to put in the the missions fund. Okay?

In order for you to give to missions through our church, you have to designate this month, this needs to go to to missions. Okay? What faith promise missions is not? If you're following along there, it's not a contract to the church or anyone else for a pledged amount. It's just between you and the Lord.

Top of the next page is not meant to be an end all of your own personal in all in your own personal evangelism. Well, I gave money so I don't have to hand out tracks or tell anybody about Jesus. Yeah. You'd be missing the point. You'd be missing the point.

The people here in Clearwater need to hear it from who? From us. We're giving to disseminate the gospel in Japan, But people here need to hear the gospel too. Next, it is not meant to be about money but about missions. Faith promises about participation.

Faith promises about the heart of God's people. Faith promises about obeying the Lord's great commission. Go into all the world and what? Preach the gospel. Be witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and unto the what?

The uttermost part of the world. And it is not the only right way to fund or conduct worldwide missions. Not every church does it the way we do it. You know something? That's okay.

God uses different means to help support worldwide missions, sometimes just a single donor. This isn't the only way, but it is the way we do it here so that everybody has the opportunity to participate. So we finish with this. Why should I get involved? Because you can have a part in God's plan for world evangelism.

You, who may not have a lot of money and may not be able to go to any other part of the world, can help win souls to Christ on the other side of the globe. You can have that opportunity through prayer and giving to missions. You can have that opportunity. You can serve God with other Christians in this endeavor. You can enjoy the blessings and rewards that come as a result of sacrificial giving and have seen lost souls come to the savior.

The Bible tells us to lay up treasure where? What greater treasure can you lay up in heaven than the soul of somebody? Brother and missus Kihiwa were able to lead to the Lord in Japan in a few years. Or GDM Missions has had the opportunity to lead to the savior in The Philippines, or in other places that they go. You can reap the blessings of building the kingdom of God in discipling new believers, of in supporting other churches.

God has said he will bless you. It doesn't mean you'll get 10 times the amount back in your in your bank account. That's not what he's saying. But he'll take care of you and he'll bless you in ways that are far greater than dollars and cents. If we will be willing to spend a little bit of our time and provision to reach others for Jesus.

You can be of assistance to missionaries in sharing the burdened with them. People need the Lord. You can make a difference in their lives. In Romans 10 verses 13 through 15, and yes, I'm I'm done with this. It says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You believe that? How then shall they call on him of whom they have not believed? Well, they're not gonna call on him in faith to save them if they haven't what? If they haven't believed. If you don't believe, then you're not gonna ask Jesus to help you if you don't believe he is or what he has done applies to you.

Now, how shall they call of him whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him who have who of whom they have not what? Heard. So how are you going to believe on Jesus if you've never heard about Jesus? And yet there are millions, maybe billions today on this earth who have never heard about Jesus.

Maybe they've heard the name. Maybe they've heard his name used as a curse word, but they don't know who he is and what he has done. And some have never even heard the name. How shall they be saved? How shall they call on him who've whom who who of whom they have not believed?

How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? That word preacher doesn't mean an ordained minister. It means somebody who will just go and what? And tell them the gospel.

That's what that means. How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? Yes. It's God's prerogative to call, but we can have a part in the sending.

Can we not? You can. As is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. On the back of this is a list of our missionaries that you can pray for. You can keep it somewhere.

You can pray for them. We put one of their names in the bulletin each week as the missionary of the week. But I would ask that in the coming month of May that you would consider how much God would have you to give for the month. You don't have to write it down if you don't want to. That's not important.

But just consider and ask, Lord, what would you have me what would you have me to give? And then give that in the month of May, and we will see how much comes in in the month of May. And then we will extrapolate twelve months, and we will set a goal. You see this clock back here? It's not a clock.

It's a meter that gauges how we're doing in meeting our goal for the year. And we also determine what other missionaries we may take on or how much support we may raise their support based on what comes in in the month of May. Okay? So we set the goal. We support the missionaries accordingly based upon what comes in the month of May, and then we start over again.

We were a little bit behind this year. We haven't been behind in a long time. We were a little bit behind up until the last two months, and I mentioned it a couple months ago, and now we're caught up. So we have to finish out the month of April, and I think we'll be back up to the top. And once again, as we have now for many years, we will reach our goal, which continues to increase just a little every year.

And praise the Lord for that, and praise the Lord for you because he is using you to reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Maybe you're here today and you have never come to Christ in faith to call upon him to save you from your sins. That's what we're here for most of all. And as we sing of him of invitation in in in just a moment, that is the most important thing. If you'll come, I'll meet you down here.

We can look into God's word, and you can make sure of your salvation even today as we pray for the salvation of others around the Lord or maybe Lord has laid something else on your heart as we sing our hymn of invitation. Just take a moment to talk to him, either where you are or down here on the front pew. Lord, what will you have me to do? Or maybe Lord is putting on your heart something to do. Don't turn a blind ear, an eye, or a deaf ear.

Talk to him. That's what he asks. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to focus on this very important mission that you have given to us. Lord, I pray that you would lay on our heart what you would have us to give in the coming year, what you would have us to give each week or month, Lord, to this all important endeavor.

Lord, that you would bless those whom you have called and that you would provide for the needs of those like Caleb and Kristen Kahiwat to provide so they can get on the mission field sooner rather than later to begin to bring people to Jesus Christ and to build these ministries that will continue to do so many years into the future. We thank you for calling them, and we thank you for bringing them here and we thank you for calling us to partner with them. Lord, may you be glorified in every aspect of our life and our ministry here at Missouri Avenue Baptist Church. And if there's one here this morning that's yet to receive Christ as savior, I pray they would come as we sing this hymn of invitation. In Jesus' name, we do pray.

Amen.