R11643 A Heart of a Missionary

God has an encouraging word for you and me today.

The Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton about the heart of a missionary. Today we open God's Encouraging Word the Bible itself together to acts chapter 13 with Dr. Don Wilton well-known author evangelist seminary professor and pastor as he gives us insight on an ongoing missionary that we think about when we consider overseas missionaries and pray for and financially support the call in each of us have to be on for God while were studying know that we pray with you and for you. Our phone number is 866899 word 866-899-9673 or me this online on our website. DEW online.org DEW online.org now. Today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton father, you all the great I URL God and you all for ever with you all the land, the Lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world you are Jesus Christ, the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lord's father.

Today we live in our world. We have so much for which we thank you.

We are surrounded by blessings, Lord. Each one of us today who worship you weaken. Talk about blessings your family, loved ones, marriages, births, we can celebrate your goodness.

We can give you thanks and we want to today. Lord we also come to you today in you know you know how turbulent will be this world in which we live, there are people today worshiping you whose lives are on the right on the precipice is some Lord do so to speak, or just hanging on a cliff told the people hurting today. We think of those many families in that terrible terrible catastrophe in South Florida and everybody has been thinking about and we pray for that we thank you for first responders for police officers from medical personnel, firefighters, Lord, we are surrounded by people like that all about communities.

We thank you for them.

We thank you for members of the Armed Forces who serve. We just thank you for servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. People who just serve who go.

We thank you Lord for ministers of the gospel for pastors and teachers, for leaders, we thank you from missionaries who are deployed frontline northern Iraq here in our own city but all around the world throughout Jerusalem. That's our world in Judea and Samaria. The uttermost parts of the world right now.

Lord you going to speak to us about that you going to write a fresh word upon our hearts. We are quiet in your presence, and we are listening to you and you are calling us your speaking to us your engaging us and we are anxious to hear from you. In Jesus name, amen. I want to speak to you for a few moments about the heart of a missionary turn with me in your Bibles to acts chapter 13 acts chapter 13 there all countless numbers of illustrations that God gives to us about. He's called upon our lives. The Bible sees in the church in the church at Spartanburg. A big part in the church at Antioch. There were prophets and teachers general. Some of them.

Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene Monday and had been brought up with Herod the tape rock and soul. And while they were worshiping the Lord and fostering the Holy Spirit saying, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work for which I have called them so often they had fostered and prayed. They place their hands on them and sink them all from the two of them sent on their way by the Holy Spirit went down to Sanusi and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at salaam as they proclaim the word of God in the Jewish synagogues and John accompanied and was with them as their fellow servant, the helper may the Lord write that word upon our hearts, the North American Mission Board defines a missionary like this and I'm just quoting them a missionary is a person who, in response to God's call and gifting leaves his or her comfort zone and crosses cultural, geographical or other barriers to proclaim the gospel and to live out Christian witness in obedience to the great commission. This is been going on every day as long as people have replenished this earth going all the way back in the Old Testament God came to Abram said to him I want you to get up and go and you'll notice that he never told him anything about way he would go when he got up and went. He said I'll tell you all I want you to do is get up and say yes some of you, God is speaking to you right now he's calling you know what he wants from you is your yes God just once you to say to him, I'll do it now. Human nature is usually accompanied by well just as long as I don't have to I will go and do this we do that sometimes, without giving we do it without serving I'll give this but I want you to know if I give this money to help this. I want to make sure that you do this.

Otherwise, I'm not going to do it. God says give. I've always been convinced you take the strings out of the giving of God's people. You will multiply the ability of God's people to take the gospel around the whole if you see some of those little children, giving their hearts to Jesus in Kentucky. Some of them.

Nothing is never been a greater time for church like this to rise up, you and I need to stand up. We need to Boone we need to strengthen. We need to invest. We need to write up our sons and with a mission right America is at stake.

So this nation is at stake in our politics and our politicians are not going to do it for us… Look at these missionary Shelley couple of things I'd like to tell you. First of all, they were properly embedded but were properly embedded this one. My Bible tells us God wants us to know they were in the church in Antioch. They were properly embedded water word about the local New Testament church as I speak. Today there are thousands of you worshiping with us. I see you my friend I meet you. I was walking with my wife went to the drugstore to get some things in Kentucky in the little town just on Thursday, minding my own business I was in disguise. I had a T-shirt on and a Backwards and all I did was get a few things over the counter and the lady said to me, I know you possible I don't know you know I didn't say that no in every nook and every cranny in this beautiful nation you find the church like us. God's plan will done. People church is serious business.

This is worth investing. Amen. All screwed up you giving, asking our church get back on track. Up at if you give 10 give 20 I'm going all summer. You got the capability to give some major special gifts we need to Boone we need to say we need to establish.

We need to invest the church you giving you money and everything you will not pay for everything bowl games, holidays, vacations, motor because we knew it. Then we go to do that. Don't neglect what God says they were properly embedded number two they were seriously seeking.

I want you to notice this young people. I want you know is those of you those incredible young people you notice this, they were seriously seeking the Bible sees while they were worshiping the Lord not going to tell you that those eight young people who responded on Friday not came to that decision on Friday night, but it happened while we were worshiping and seeking God's face. I'm going to tell you my friend. They may be just one person listening to me right now, you might be watching. By way of television you may be on Facebook you might be online you may be in your living room, you may be one of our faithful nurses you might be on duty right now. Maybe you've just stopped you in between somebody's life is hanging in the balance right now and you maybe you are one of our firefighters. You run Judy.

You sitting there at that station. You haven't gotten a little kid, but it could go over any minute and you run Judy and you just happen to be listening want you to notice something the heart of a missionary took place when they were properly embedded and when they were seriously seeking people. We need to seriously seek God in worship when we seriously seek God, not any speak to us and bless us: so you raise as we watch God call us out and raise us up know that you're not alone in this God has called us to community the body of Christ. We would love to pray with you and for you about what God speaking to you in your heart today. Give us a call find his 866-899-WORD 866-899-WORD 9673 is in effect on that number down 24 hours a day. Would love to pray with you and for you.

I connect with great resources like this The Encouraging Word sale prices will start at $6.06 dollars online tewonline.org large store located at the top of the page. We appreciate your support Encouraging Word in February Street thank you for listening today.

Those are tremendous resources. I hope to discover more on our website@dewonline.org is an effort while you're there, be sure and sign up for the daily Encouraging Word email devotional from Dr. Wilton that's online at tewonline.org large, he now back today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton want you to notice something the heart of the mission took place when they were properly embedded and when they were seriously seeking people. We need to seriously seek God in worship when we seriously seek God. God will not any speak to us and bless us.

But you call us out. You raise up I will properly embedded they were seriously seeking. They were decidedly set apart. I love dating in the second part of this to you so they set them apart. That's a beautiful statement that was spiritually guided this for the Bible sees the Holy Spirit accompanied them. Don't you feel like you know that's what God does to us. He guides us the responses that was singularly focused. These this is the heart of a missionary that was singularly focused.

Verse five says when they arrived they proclaim the word of the Lord every bit of it focuses on Jesus.

This is because of Jesus. It's in his name. They were wonderfully helped is another mark of these missionaries here.

They were wonderfully hope the Bible tells us about those that accompanied them. You going to read that right. Throughout Scripture, every time you read about people who are engaged in full-time Christian ministry, you will see hundreds of people surrounding them, supporting, praying, giving, serving that you want an illustration of that would you like an illustration of that this morning of what that looks like when you will please stand this.

You illustration this is the church I happen to be privilege to be your pasta. I'm just your shepherd but God shows us how it works. The whole is greater than the one, but the whole is the one. Would you be seated.

So the heart of a missionary. Let me tell you a couple of things as I bring it to give just imagine this this boy, this girl, this college student.

This young man this young lady. This adult this man, this woman us, you, me, all of us. We take your couple things.

Here's just a few thoughts that I had number one missionary a minister of the gospel, the servant of the Lord is loved by fellow believers, people listen to me you ever find yourself starting to want to criticize stop get on board and your criticism will go away. This is something we need to do together. Number two a missionary is tolerated by governments. I want my sign be in the Far East, the Middle East and Africa and India. You could be here in the United States of America, God's people are tolerated by governments on tolerated by the pagan world in which I live. You are tolerated Christian, you will never get to the point at which this pagan will will just accept you, though tolerated. Don't look for acceptance. The more you look for acceptance. The more you will want to down the message you have in order to be accepted, you will change the message of God's truth in order to gain acceptance. Stop trying to be accepted by the government or the nation. You don't need to be number three heart of a missionary is missed by loved ones that's relative you know people who serve in Spartanburg. All who serve in Atlanta were serving Chicago wherever it is your home. Remember God is said just say yes. Which means you willing to forsake your comfort zone.

You forsake your comfort zone in your own geographical boundaries. You cross cultural lines you going to be very missed by your loved ones parents watch me your son or daughter surrender to ministry.

Don't ever try to hold onto them. That's tough is not you try and keep them close to you at some time it wont work which doesn't mean to say they going to go somewhere else. But if God chooses to send them somewhere else. You cannot imagine the joy that you will have number three is number four is protected by the Lord Jesus Christ bobbles monarchy clear that he places his beautiful protection upon all who serve him, to tell you something folks don't fear the church don't fear the Lord's work. We are protected by God. If God before us, who can be against us.

Number five is undergirded by fellow Christians. We support each other. You are the few that provides the few for the trucks that carry the gospel people, let's do this this generation coming up is worth it. I'm devoting the rest of my life to parsing that baton to raising up to placing my hands on to affirming to teaching to getting alongside the younger generations.

And while I do it. I'm soaking up the incredible blessing of my own generation, these are my friends man we talk at law often have fun and fellowship in you and those of us who have grown up together. Now it's our turn. It's my turn. There a lot of people in heaven today who did it for me. Now it's my turn. And as for me and my house we will serve the Lord on the goodbye Christians you knew what what Christians do pray for them. It's pray for one another to give because of them. And of course in the third way to go and serve alongside them. I never sort better expressed than in one small little space in Kentucky where they were adults and parents and students and Boys and Girls Club in the community.

All doing their little bit tell you it is wonderful to be on mission for Jesus. It's the greatest joy these things matter, they loss they so beautiful. I love serving the Lord alongside you. What a joy.

Would you bow your heads with me today) Genesis right there on the TV set right in the century and celebration. Wherever you are today and found that screen just bow your head for a minute, Lord Jesus, you are speaking your calling your calling people out your blessing. People know there is some right now listening who need to give their hearts to Jesus I pray right now that people would trust Christ say Lord Jesus come into my heart.

Engage where a family together and you my friend are welcome in this family, women made up of everyone and everyone has Lord Jesus your calling out from among us like our young people this last Friday night.

There are people right now saying yes, God's people right now hearing from God himself.

This is your will. Lord, we come confessing to you bowing down in your present. You are the right nine. Amen.

What a powerful time of studying God's word, together with Dr. Don here on The Encouraging Word is a great deal more to dive into and you need to know where here for you. Perhaps the Lord is stirs your heart. Their questions about what it is to be fully committed to Jesus Christ have to rededicate your life to Christ. Know that we love to pray with you at 8668 anytime day or night. Just the number down. That's 866-899-9673, but first I pastor stepping into the studio. If you've hurt her, as is preached from the pulpit but now hear from him as he shares from his heart. Well hello again my friends are you ready to give your life to Christ, you know you been listening like us and God has been speaking like this has and he speaking to your heart. I'd love to help you give your life to Christ right now. Why don't you pray this prayer make this your prayer because you know that God nodded and he hears our prayer, but he wants is to pray this prayer with me. Dear God, I know that you love me very much. I believe Jesus came and died on the cross just for me, that he gave his life for me right now. I confess my sin to you and Bob. I receive you into my heart and into my life in Jesus name I pray. Well if you prayed that prayer right now in just a moment, we can send you something nation I want you to listen real carefully because you can take note of that, we've got the means by which we can connect together and I want to connect because you're part of my family are part of the family of God. You are my brother, my sister in Christ, God bless you today. It's been a powerful day of studying God's word and knowing that God calls us out to God is using even this broadcast to let you know that he loves you and has a plan for your life. It's our prayer that you cannot just heard the powerful teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, but moments ago. As Dr. Don was leading and that prayer you prayed along to give your life to Jesus. If that's the case if you gave your life to Jesus for the first time or maybe rededicate your life to Christ. Dr. Don has some wonderful resources. He wants you to have absolutely free. If you'll just write to us or call us you can because at 8668866899673 or me this online. Our website is tewonline.org G that's tewonline.org and Dr. Don's email is simply Don Dio in@ewonline.org would love to hear from you.

We look to pray with you and for you. Just know that we here to minister to you 24 hours a day online at tewonline.org, thank you so much for your prayerful and financial support of this ministry. The Encouraging Word