[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word. Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15.
[0:10] And Paul is in love with this church. He has led them to Christ. He has had a great deal of influence on them. Let me say it that way. Paul has been used of God in their lives and he loves them.
[0:22] He's been telling them that he's on his way to see them. He hasn't made it to see them yet. I think maybe you need, if you could live in a foreign country where the gospel isn't preached, you might kind of understand how a church feels.
[0:36] It's a very different feeling than it is in the United States. Because here, basically everybody in the southeast, kind of like they think of themselves as Christians and everybody quote unquote loves Jesus.
[0:49] And so there's a different feeling. But when you're in South America, for example, where we lived for years, you literally do have a subculture. I mean, we were a family getting together. Brother meant more than just brother.
[1:01] Like when we said at church, hey, Brother Austin. Hey, Brother Jonathan. Hey, Brother John. It's different than just that. It's more like, man, I am really seeing people.
[1:12] I am deeply in love with Paul. Love these people. And he didn't make the trip to see them. And so he's kind of ending the letter now. And he said, hey, I've been writing to you. And I'm explaining to you why I didn't get around to seeing you.
[1:23] And I'm still on my way. And he kind of explains what he's been doing. So we look at his missionary methods. And so I want you to go with me. And let's see as he ends up this letter some of the things he says and how they apply to us.
[1:34] Look, if you would, in Romans chapter 15 and verse 17. Romans chapter 15 and verse 17. Paul said, I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.
[1:49] Now, before we ever get around to the points of the message, look at verse 17. Paul says, man, I have good reason to be bragging. I have good reason to glory. But my glory, look at what it is.
[2:01] He said, I glory not in my football team, not in my politics, not in my country, not in my wealth. But I glory in things which pertain to God. Man, I'm excited about God.
[2:15] I'm excited about the God of heaven. I'm excited about the one and only true God. In a city like Rome where there were hundreds of gods, he said, man, I glory. I am excited about my God.
[2:28] I'm excited about a God who created the earth. I'm excited about a God who is the judge of the universe. I'm excited about a God who pays for us for our sin and paid for our sin.
[2:40] You will receive what you deserve or you'll get it. And then he said, look at what it says in verse 17, through Jesus Christ. You know, there's only one way to God. Well, I hope you write that under, underline that there.
[2:52] The most, the most devastating thing that you can say, the thing that will most hurt people is this. If you tell them Jesus is the only way, everybody's excited about believing in Jesus as long as he's one of the ways, as long as he's one of the things.
[3:08] But Jesus is the only means. So Paul wasn't bragging about what he did. He's bragging about his God. Look at verse 18. He said, I don't even like to talk about what God didn't do through me.
[3:19] Look at verse 18. He said, for I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ had not wrought by me. I won't tell you, I won't be bragging about stuff. I'm going to tell you what God did through me, what Christ did through me.
[3:33] And the Lord Jesus Christ was at work in Paul's life. And he saw great things happen in the ministry. And he was excited about watching what God had done. And he said, Christ did a work through me.
[3:44] When I read that, my heart says, man, God, I want to know you're doing a work through me. I want to find what you want to do with my life. I think I did find it. I want to find it. I want to do it as well as I can. I want to know that God's using me.
[3:57] That ought to be your goal. It ought to be your heart to say, man, I want God to use me. I don't want to just live and take up space and breathe air and spend money and have junk and die just like I was an evolved animal.
[4:12] I believe God has a special plan and purpose for my life. Paul said, man, I said, I don't even like to talk about what God, Christ, has not done through me. But what's really interesting in verse 18, he made the Gentiles obedient.
[4:26] If you get in your mind, change that word Gentiles to pagans, because that's how they saw them. They saw them basically like you might see in some movie. And it's got the Vikings and they're dirty and their beards are long.
[4:39] And they got food in their beard. And they're big old guys. They beat people up and they kill people. That's basically how these Jews saw them. They're like, look at these pagans. He said, but God did something in their life.
[4:50] God changed them and God made them obedient. And he didn't just make them obedient. Look at what it says. He says he didn't just make them obedient in word, but in deed. They didn't just change the way they talked.
[5:02] They changed the way they were and how they acted. Now, let me give you four things you might write down out of this chapter with me if you would. Go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 3.
[5:15] 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 3. And I would like to go, I want you to go there based on verse 19. Romans 15, 19 says, Through mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about Italy to come, I have fully preached Christ, the gospel of Christ.
[5:36] I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Write this down. He fully preached the gospel of Christ. Paul said, I'm being sent up by letter to you Romans, and let me just tell you, I have fully preached Christ.
[5:51] That is a wild statement. What's the gospel? Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 3. What's the gospel? Let's get down to what the gospel is. Write this in the Margie Bible.
[6:01] Write this somewhere in your notes. Write it right there in Romans chapter 15. The gospel is that Jesus died according to the Scriptures for our sins, that he was buried, and that he rose again, and all according to the Scriptures.
[6:16] 1 Corinthians 15, 3. If you have your Bible open, I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
[6:28] If you've got your Bible open, you need to put a circle around for our sins. Dying is not that impressive. Everybody does it. Dying is not that impressive. But Christ died for our sins.
[6:40] The reason he died was for our sins. And it wasn't something he thought up, and it wasn't something he made up as his idea and his plan. The Bible says there, and you underline it, according to the Scriptures.
[6:54] So this was pre-planned. This was pre-planned. Jesus didn't die by accident. Jesus didn't die because the Jews were shrewd, and they didn't want a political party to win that they didn't want to.
[7:08] Jesus didn't die because Romans condemned him to die. Jesus died for our sins. And that shouldn't shock you because the Word of God already said it was going to happen.
[7:20] Can you say amen? You see the whole plan of the Bible? Every time you read the Old Testament, every time you saw a lamb slain in the Old Testament, every time you saw an animal's blood dripping out of his body, in the Old Testament, it was a picture of Jesus who was going to come and die on the cross of Calvary.
[7:36] Every time they had the Passover, it was a picture of Jesus who was going to come and die on the cross. It's the gospel. Jesus died. Why did he die? Help me out. Help me. Tell me he died for?
[7:48] He died for? And how do we know that that was happening? According to the what? Scriptures. You see, it was already written. It's not a surprise. It's not like Jesus got taken by surprise and they beat him.
[8:00] Boy, these Easter movies are so funny. You know, around Easter when they show all the crucifixion, it's like this poor, meek, sissified little Jesus can't figure out what he's supposed to be doing, and they grab him. He's just a nice guy going about doing good things, and they grab him and they kill him.
[8:14] Not at all true. He came knowing who he was. He came knowing why he came, and he came to die on the cross to pay our sin debt. Can you say amen? That's the gospel. Look at 1 Corinthians 15.3.
[8:26] It says, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and he was buried. He was dead, dead, dead, dead, and he rose again according to the Scriptures.
[8:39] He died, and he was buried, and he rose again. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, I want to show you something real quickly. I really want you to pay attention. This is the most important thing we have.
[8:50] The gospel is the most important thing we have. I challenge you to listen to this and hear this. What's the gospel? The gospel is that all men have sinned.
[9:01] The gospel is that absolutely no one has any way possible to ever get to God. Do you understand that every man was completely and totally separated from God?
[9:11] Nobody has a chance. There's not one chance. You say, Well, what if I live perfect from here forward? You still already messed up before. There's no way. And by the way, you messed up before you were old enough to even think about right now.
[9:25] You messed up back when you were 6 and 7 or 8 and 9, 10 years old. You messed up. If you turned over a new leaf, you still got a whole lot of baggage in your life. You couldn't make it to heaven.
[9:35] Here's the gospel. Man separated from God. He's separated from God by nature because he learned from Adam how to be a sinner. He's separated from God by choice because he chose and we choose to do our own thing and go our own way.
[9:49] We're separated from God. But the God of heaven loves us and he sends Jesus to the cross to die on the cross and to pay our sin debt. God himself comes in human flesh.
[10:02] God himself comes in human flesh and lives among us and dies on the cross and pays for sin. He knows what sin is. He knows what holiness is.
[10:12] He knows what righteousness is. And he paid our sin debt. That's the greatest news you could possibly ever happen. You could ever hear. God did for us what we couldn't do for ourselves.
[10:24] Can you say amen? Paul said I fully preached the gospel. Now, gospel, there's good news. Paul's going around telling everybody. Everybody in the world has these gods. And then Rome was full of gods.
[10:36] And the Greeks had gods. And the Romans had gods. And you know about Thor and Hercules. You know about Diana of the Ephesians. You've heard of all the different gods. They had all these gods. They were sick gods.
[10:48] They were gods made after people. They weren't a god of holiness and purity and righteousness and power. But Paul says, I know the real God. He's the creator God.
[10:59] He's the judge God. And by the way, if you've sinned, you'll pay the price for it. But God didn't want you to pay. He came. And he paid the price so that you could be saved.
[11:10] Well, that's the most wonderful news in the world. And this morning, before you ever got here, people all over the world, members of our church and members and other people and members of other churches that we've sent out, they stood and preached that good news in places that is the strangest sounding story they've ever heard.
[11:27] They stood in China today and they told that story to people who do not know Jesus, people who do not know how to go to heaven when they die. And they told that story. And some Chinese people heard for the first time, there is a God in heaven and he loves you and he died on a cross and he paid your sin to it.
[11:43] And if you're repenting your sins, you could be saved. They said that. They said that today in South Africa. They said that in Burkina Faso. They said that in Northern Africa, in the four or five countries that we support people. They said that all over the world already today.
[11:55] Paul said, I fully preached Christ. I fully preached Christ. What was the story? God was pleased with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I need you to listen to this because you're American.
[12:06] So here comes something for you Americans. Much of what's preached in our churches today is not God pleasing. It's man pleasing. And so what ends up happening, the preacher comes in and he tells you how to have your best life now.
[12:19] And the preacher comes in and tells you how to, if you'll give some money, you can make you rich. And the preacher comes in and says, you don't have to be sick. And the preacher, and he tells a whole bunch of junk and he tries to tell some Bible verses, but Paul fully preached the gospel, not a prosperity, but the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[12:40] God come to earth down a cross to pay your sin debt that you could be saved. That's what he preached. That's what he told everybody. You're all going to die. Everybody in this room is going to die unless a rapture happens or you're going to die.
[12:53] You're going to get cancer and you might not have enough money and you might have a stinking rough life and it may not go well for you the rest of your life. I'll just be honest with you. You might be penniless and there are people all, you know, if you travel the world, you'd be shocked.
[13:06] You'd be shocked. People are hurting all over the world, but the gospel is not about how to get rich. The gospel is how to get your sins taken care of and a right relationship with God. That's what Paul preached.
[13:17] Can you say, man, Paul said, I fully preach that. Sounds like he found every person everywhere he could and he preached the gospel to them. Paul said, I fully preached it.
[13:28] He said, you know, see, I thought there's not a deceptive thing. This is really what's why when you're talking to people and you say to them, you know, you're a sinner. I don't really want to hear that.
[13:38] Just to be blunt honest, you're wicked. Just to be blunt honest, you deserve to go to hell. Just to tell you the truth, you're in a heap of mess. People really don't want to hear that.
[13:49] Then you say to them, but God, through Jesus, dying on the cross, paying your sin to it, saved you. Fantastic news. Paul said, I fully preach Christ. Number two, look if you would at verse 20.
[14:00] Romans chapter 15 and verse 20, Paul said, Paul said, I try to preach where they don't know anything about Christ. Look at verse 20. Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation.
[14:16] That's one of the wildest verses in the Bible. Here's the way the apostle Paul was. Paul would have probably come to Alfred and he'd look around and say, they sound like a lot of people have been preaching about Jesus here. Not for me, I'm out of here.
[14:26] Then Paul would have gone on down to Atlanta and said, hey, it sounds like a lot of people have been preaching about Jesus here. And Paul would have been looking for the place where they didn't know about him. Paul would have been going maybe to China where he'd get in a taxi cab.
[14:37] And I've been in a taxi cab when the missionary asked him, have you ever heard of Jesus? And the chauffeur said, no, who is he? He said, well, I'm a Bible teacher. You've heard about the Bible. No, never heard of it. And Paul said, I want to go where they don't know who he is.
[14:50] I want to go where they don't know who he is. They don't love him. They don't believe in him. That's where I want to go and preach. That was Paul's goal. That was Paul's goal. There are places all over the world today where our guys, our friends, members of our church, people you support financially through missions are standing and preaching where people know nothing about what you're saying.
[15:10] Where literally you start with the most simple message. I can well remember back in 1988 when I first started working at Nottingham and I would hold a Bible up and I said, this Bible is a collection of 66 books.
[15:21] And these big numbers are called chapters and these little numbers are called verses and I walked them through it. I can remember preaching messages I preached all my life and I would make a reference to an Old Testament character and I would see him looking at me going, you say Noah?
[15:36] And they're like Noah. We don't know him. I said, well, all right, let me stop the message and explain who Noah was. And so one message turned into a series.
[15:47] I'd say, all right, I was going to tell you about repentance and let me start back. And I'd be, okay, let's just start over. That's where Paul wanted to go and share the gospel. He didn't preach where he could get Peter's disciples or the other apostles.
[16:00] He wasn't trying to steal the work. He was trying to see new people saved. Paul was seeing the people you least expect to get saved, saved. Look at verse 21, Romans 15, 21.
[16:10] Look what he said. But as it is written, to whom he was not spoken of, they shall see. And they have not heard. They that have not heard shall understand. Paul said, I'm going. I'm not going to Jewish people who know.
[16:24] I'm not going to people who have an idea. I'm not going to proselytes. I'm going to go to people who have never, ever heard. Not working with the Jews. Not working with anybody who's ever even heard it mentioned. The ministry of getting the gospel word had never been preached.
[16:37] That kept Paul so busy he couldn't get back to Rome. Or didn't get to Rome. He said, I want to go see you guys in Rome. I want to be there with you. But I can't. Look at Romans 15, 22. For which cause I have been much hindered from coming to you.
[16:49] And Paul said, man, I would like to come see you. But do you understand what's going on everywhere I go? I keep running into all these people that never heard about Jesus. And he said, I have to start telling them about Jesus and explaining the gospel to them.
[17:01] And laying out the Bible for them and giving them basic discipleship. And I'm so excited about it. I want to get to see you. But I've been so busy. To me, it's like the story of Acts chapter 13.
[17:13] In Acts chapter 11 and 12, we see some people get saved. The last part of 11. And in Acts chapter 12, we see some people get saved in Antioch. They've never heard the gospel. As the Jews were told in the church of Jerusalem, After that, the Holy Ghost has come upon you.
[17:28] You shall have power. And you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and the uttermost part of the earth. And when the power of God came on them, they got excited. But they only told their own people. They filled Jerusalem with their doctrine.
[17:40] They told everybody who lived anywhere near them. But they were telling other people of their same nationality. They were telling other people who spoke their basic language. They were telling other people who already believed basically what they believed.
[17:53] They were really kind of nationalistic or racist in their approach. They weren't telling anybody. There were a couple of exceptions. Old Philip went and told the Ethiopian eunuch. And he also went down and preached to the Samaritans.
[18:05] Peter had gone down and spoken to a centurion, a Roman centurion. And when the Roman centurion got saved, he baptized him on the way back to the church. Some of the leaders of the church met him and they said, What are you doing?
[18:17] Why did you baptize that Gentile? Why did you do that? And Peter said, Man, I didn't want to either. But God came on him like he did on us. I didn't have any choice. I was kind of stuck. So the church was kind of stuck in a kind of a racist, nationalistic mode.
[18:32] They weren't taking the gospel. Acts chapter 8, verse 1. Persecution comes against the church. And the church started scattering. And Christians like you who talked about Jesus all the time, which I hope we do, talked about Jesus all the time.
[18:45] I mean, everywhere you go, you talk about them. Can you believe it? Can you believe he forgave me? Can you believe he saved me? Can you believe he changed me? Can you believe what God did in my life? They ended up over in Antioch.
[18:56] And they're telling everybody, but the Bible says they were only looking for Jews. So they look at you and they size you up. You don't look the right color, the right height. You don't seem to have the right way of speaking. I'm not telling you. But somebody slipped up and told a pagan, a Gentile.
[19:09] And when he did that, guy got excited. And he said, are you telling me that there's a God in heaven who loves me and who's signed out on a cross to pay my sin debt? Are you telling me I can have a new life and my past can be erased and I can have a new future?
[19:23] Are you telling me I could be made a new creature? And the guy goes, I didn't know you weren't Jewish. Yeah, but yeah, that's the truth. I wasn't planning on telling you, but yeah, that's the truth. And the guy goes, I believe.
[19:35] And he starts running over and telling his family. And the next thing you know, man, in Antioch, there was a church growing like crazy. It was a multiracial, multinational church. It was growing like crazy. And they heard about it back in Jerusalem.
[19:46] And they sent Barnabas over there and Barnabas carried the gospel. That's what was going on. Paul said, I want to go where nobody has been before. Now look, if you would, at Romans chapter 15 and verse 23.
[19:58] Romans 15, 23. But now having no more place in these parts and having a great desire these many years to come unto you, I'm headed your way. That's what's going on in verse 23.
[20:11] Now look here, let me show you something. Paul was a weird cookie. He would not have pastored in the United States of America. If the First Baptist Church of Jerusalem or the Vision Baptist Church of Jerusalem or even the First Baptist Church of Antioch could have called him, Paul would have said, you don't need me.
[20:28] I plow new ground. That's who I am. I plow new ground. I go where no man has gone before. I talk to people no one has ever talked to before. I'm really not interested in talking to people that know a whole bunch and never do anything.
[20:40] I want to go where nobody knows anything. I will say this. One of the most exciting things about being overseas is, you know, the first people I saw the Lord save, they would come to church and they would literally say stuff like this.
[20:57] Would you mind going to see my aunt with me? Sure. We'd get in the car and I'd drive over to his aunt's house and we'd walk in and he'd tell his aunt, he'd say, he'd say, this is the guy that showed me about Jesus. I know you know about Jesus. I know you know about religion.
[21:08] But he's going to tell you about how to have a relationship with Christ. We saw dozens of people saved in the same families. All of them kin to each other. Everybody worried about their family. Everybody bringing their family to Jesus.
[21:19] I had this one lady in the last church I pastored. She was in the last two churches. She'd go with me to help start the new church. We actually started it in her. We actually started it in her living room. She's been here to this church to visit us.
[21:30] And she used to come to me. This is just, it's weird. It's weird. It's not like here at all. She would come to me and she'd say, when we having a revival meeting? I said, I don't know. I wasn't planning on it.
[21:40] She said, well, I think you need to. I'm like, lady, you don't tell me what to do. I didn't say that. I'm used to being told what to do by my wife. Amen. And I said, I said, well, what do you mean? She said, well, if you'll preach the meeting, I'll fill the building up.
[21:53] And I say, excuse me? She said, if you'll just put it on the calendar, I'll fill the building up. I'll bring my friends and you can tell them how to get saved. I said, lady, you just named the date you got in mind. She said, well, I was thinking about doing it this week.
[22:04] I said, sold, lady. I'll do it. I'd come to church. And she'd come in. She said, this man, this man, some of my wholesalers.
[22:15] I got them all here. Let them have it. And I'd get up and preach. And she got mad at me one night. She was witnessing to the mayor of several, Colorado. He's a mayor of a million and a million people or so.
[22:26] And she was going too long. So I went ahead and canceled. I called the service office and it was over. We'd go home. She gave up to me there. She says, you know, when I'm in the middle of witnessing to somebody like him, you ought not be doing that. You ought to pray longer and sing more.
[22:39] I said, yes, ma'am, I'll do that. I'll try to do better. But not the deacons running. I mean, it's the women of the church. It's different. Paul said, I'm going where nobody knows. I'm going where they get excited about it.
[22:50] I'm going where when they sing, the folks rejoice about it. I'm going to go there. Paul said, there's no more place for me here. That's kind of a lesson for our missionaries at least. Go preach. Get them started.
[23:01] Let them do the work. Realize that in many ways, your ministry should be a temporary ministry. Paul hoped that the Roman church would take care of him as he went on his journey. That's what Paul's goal was.
[23:11] Paul was, by the way, Rome, I'll come by and see you. But I just want to come by and see you. So y'all can take up an offering and send me on to the next place. I'm just like, I'll come up here. Y'all can slingshot me further out because I'm not, I really don't have a lot of time for you guys to roam.
[23:25] Want to come by? I want to share the gospel with you. Want to preach to you? Want to pray with you? Want to spend a little time with you? But man, help me on my journey. Look at what he says in Romans chapter 15 and verse 24. Romans 15, 24.
[23:36] Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you for I trust to see you in my journey and to be brought on my way thitherward by you. If first I'll be somewhat filled with your company.
[23:47] That's a wild verse. Paul says, Hey guys in Rome, I've been wanting to come by and see you. I haven't been there yet, but I'm away. I'd like to come by and see you. And I've been busy. And I, the reason I, it's not because I didn't want to come see you.
[23:58] He said, man, there's so many people getting saved. He said, everywhere I turn, people are getting saved. I'm having to work discipleship. I mean, it's just killing me, man. I'm so busy. I just can't keep up. And he said, but I, I got to get to Spain.
[24:09] And nobody been there yet. I'd like to get there. That's where I want to go next. I want to go to Spain. Boy, the Peruvians, when they found that verse, they all came in and they were just clamoring and said, we're in the Bible. I said, Spain is not in South America.
[24:21] They said, no, but our roots are there. They were so excited. And watch what he says. He said, I'm going on my way to Spain. Look at it. Verse 24. I'll take my journey to Spain, but I'll come by you.
[24:33] And I trust I'll see you. I want to go by and spend some time with you. And then look what he says in verse 24, underline it and be brought on my way. And be brought on my way.
[24:43] Thitherward by you. Now, before I explain that, be brought on my way. Look at this. Last part of 24. He said, and I'll be filled with your company. Can you just imagine? Paul's showing up.
[24:54] You know what they're going to have? They're going to have Thanksgiving. Man, they're going to kill a big old fat turkey and kill a pig. I don't know what all they're going to do. They're Jews now. They're not Jews. Now they're saved. They're born again.
[25:04] They can have bacon. Say amen right there. And no more law. And they were happy about it because once they taste bacon, they're pretty glad. It's hot in the Bible. I made that up. So he said, I'll come and we'll be filled. Can you imagine it?
[25:15] Paul gets there and they're all like, man, you wrote so much of the Bible. You taught so many. And people you've discipled and people you trained have come here carrying the gospel. And we're so glad just to meet you.
[25:25] And it was just like this big, wild get together. And he said, I'll be filled with your company. I'm going to have a blast. It's kind of like Christmas celebration. It's like family coming in from out of town.
[25:36] It's like party every day talking about the great thing. You get together and talk about your mama and your aunt and your cousin. You get together and talk about what happened when you were the kid. But Paul shows up in the room and they're all talking about Jesus. Can you not imagine it?
[25:47] It had to be the wildest thing you've ever seen in your life. Paul's in the room and they're all like, hey, tell us about Jesus one more time. I want to hear that story. Tell us one more time about how you saw him on the road to Damascus. Tell us one more time about how we're new creatures and all things are passed away and all things have become new.
[26:01] Can't you imagine it? Paul's explaining it. I can just see it going on and on. Finally, he says, all right, man, I'm filled with your company. Had enough of you guys. I'm glad you're excited about Jesus, but I've got to get on down the road.
[26:13] There's some people up in Spain that need to hear the gospel and haven't heard the gospel yet. That's a term, by the way, that's used in Scripture quite a bit about us supporting missionaries. Look, if you would, in Acts chapter 15 and verse 3.
[26:25] Acts chapter 15 and verse 3, if you would. This term, brought on their way, it's used in other places. It says in Acts 15 and verse 3, and being brought on their way by the church.
[26:36] Now, what's that mean? Well, basically, it's like they showed up at church and they got here to the church service and when they got here, we had food for them and we gave them a place to sleep and we gave them some good hot showers and let them have rest and they got their feet washed and they're having a good rest and they're eating good food and when they got ready to leave, somebody needs to see to it.
[26:58] They got a bus ticket to get to the next town. They got another money to pay their boat to get to the next town and Paul said, I'll be on my way to Rome. I'm on my way to Spain. I'll stop by Rome but when I get there, guys, I'll probably be running out of money.
[27:10] That's kind of the code words going on here. I'll probably be running out of money by the time I get there and so I'd like to hang around and get filled back up. My gas tank will be running low. I'll probably be going hungry for a couple of days planning on you guys just giving me a lot of food and prayer and fellowship.
[27:24] We'll have a blast and then I'll be leaving. And don't forget, you get to carry me on the road. That means y'all take care of me and send me on down the road. Acts 15 verse 3, and being brought on their way by the church.
[27:37] It was the church who took them on their way. They passed through. What was their way? Phoenicia, Samaria and they declared the conversion of the Gentiles and they caused great joy. As the men of God traveled, the churches brought them on their way or they sent them.
[27:49] They met their needs. You say, I'm not sure I get that out of that. Alright, go with me to 3 John. Right before the book of Revelation. 3 John. Our church is big on taking them on their way.
[28:01] We support missionaries. We give mega money to missionaries. Mega on our scale. Not mega on the world scale. But a little church like our church in eight years, $800,000.
[28:12] That's not too bad. That could have bought us a nice building by now and had it paid for, we've given away that money and that's what you're doing is you give the faith promise. That's what you're doing. By the way, I have been paid a salary since day one and been taken care of and so have the other men on the staff we've been taken care of.
[28:27] The rent's been taken care of. You have brought the gospel on its way. It happens through what you're doing. Look if you would in 3 John verse 5. 3 John. It's only one chapter. Verse 5.
[28:38] Read what it says. Go with me in verse 5. Verse 5. Beloved, thou dost faithfully, underline, you do faithfully whatever you do to the brethren and strangers. Now first, he said we got brothers coming through.
[28:50] You know them. You remember meeting Paul and you remember meeting Peter and you remember meeting James but there's some other guys on the trip with them. There's old Titus and there's Timothy and there's Onesimus and there's other guys on the trip and you don't even know they're strangers.
[29:03] You don't know them but they're carrying the gospel and you're doing faithfully whatever you do for them. You're doing it for God. You're giving to God to carry out God's work. Look if you look at verse 4, or verse 6.
[29:15] They have borne witness of thy charity. They have talked about your love. They have talked about your love before the church whom if you bring forward, there's the term, bring forward on their journey, bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, you do well.
[29:32] He said, you did, man, you did it after a godly sort. Now, anybody gets up on five bucks. I know what happened. You took care of them.
[29:44] You saw to it that they got on the boat. You saw to it they had money. You made them some cookies and brownies and some cakes and some sandwiches and you sent them on the road. You took care of them.
[29:55] You took care of them like God would take care of them. He said, they're talking about it. Everybody talks about your love. Everybody talks about your giving. Everybody talks about it and you bring them forth after a godly sort.
[30:07] And when you do that, you do well. Look at verse 7. Because when they they went out for his name's sake, they didn't do it for their name's sake. The apostle Paul wasn't traveling so everybody knew who he was.
[30:20] And the missionaries that come through our church are not traveling so people don't know who their name is. They're going to a country where they'll be mocked and laughed at where it may even be illegal to do what they're doing and they will share the name of Jesus.
[30:33] Right now, one of our young men has had a dilemma. One of our missionaries is on the field is having a dilemma. He's in a country where it's illegal to be there as a Bible teacher and he's got a cover as a consultant and he's just eating his lunch.
[30:46] He wrote me and he said, I just can't take it. I hate telling him I'm a consultant. So now when they ask me, I just say, I'm a Bible teacher and that's why I'm here because I'm not going to get kicked out. I say, hey man, at least to the government people say consultant.
[30:57] How about that? So the government people say consultant. You can say Bible teacher to anybody she wants to say but there's no need to just getting kicked out just to be kicked out. He said, I'm not here as a consultant. I'm here to tell them how to go to heaven. I said, consult them on how to go to heaven.
[31:09] Amen. So you can use that term. But the whole deal is he's telling people about Jesus. He didn't go there for his namesake. He didn't go there so people know who he was.
[31:20] He went there so they know who Jesus is. And he will stand in a place where Jesus is not talked about. Where Jesus is not respected. So he said, they went forth in his namesake.
[31:31] And look what it says, and they took nothing from the Gentiles. That means from the pagans. They didn't get anything from lost people. Our missionaries don't go forward saying Budweiser sent me here. They don't stand up and while they're preaching it runs across the screen and below, you know, right on the bottom of the pulpit it runs across the screen.
[31:46] This message is brought to you by Coca-Cola. No, this message is brought to you by the Church of Jesus Christ. This message is brought to you by people at Vision Baptist Church that care enough about you because they know Jesus and they love Jesus and they want the gospel carried over there to you.
[32:02] Look at verse 8. Fantastic verse. It says, we therefore ought to receive such that we would be fellow helpers to the truth. I doubt the majority of us will ever go to India.
[32:17] I mean, we may go visit. I'll go visit, but I mean, I'm going to live and die right here at Vision Baptist Church in Alpharetta. Do you get tired of me? I plan on being around like a plague.
[32:28] So we're not going there. We're not going there. I believe this is where God would have me to help launch guys out and bring guys forward after a godly sword. We're not going there. But check out what it says.
[32:39] I can be a fellow helper to that guy in India as he stands and preaches. I can be a fellow helper to that guy in Burkina Faso. I can be a fellow helper to that person in South Africa. I can be a fellow helper to those guys in China.
[32:52] Today, it's already snowing and it's already cold in Dalian, China. But I can be a fellow helper. I can be a fellow helper to our family in Tunisia outside of our church.
[33:02] I can be a fellow helper to a guy that's in London right now all alone in a city of millions of people not knowing where to turn. They even speak English, but where do you turn to? Where do you start a church? I can be a fellow helper to the truth.
[33:14] That's what's going on in that verse. It's time to quit. So let me give you some real quick application. We are not finished until every person in the world has heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. You should write that down somewhere.
[33:26] We are not finished. I came back because I wanted a church that would have the passion of we don't stop until the whole world has had a chance to hear the gospel. I believe that's your heart and I praise the Lord for it.
[33:39] When there's no place to work here, we find another place. If there's not something we can accomplish, if we can glorify Jesus here, there's no need for us. Plenty of churches around here. Just not a lot of them that are hungry.
[33:50] To get the name of Jesus magnified all over the world where it's part of everything to do, where they give their membership, where they give their song leaders, where they give their best people, where they give up their friends to carry the gospel.
[34:03] By the way, if you're witnessing to people and somebody you're witnessing to won't listen, move on. When a guy won't listen, there's somebody else that needs to hear the gospel. Keep telling people about Jesus. It is God that places those desires in you to do something great for Him.
[34:16] Every one of you can. The same, the way Paul wanted to go on, you should want to go on. Be flexible. You know what? We don't know what's going to work. We don't know what's going to happen, but if the ministry isn't turning out, don't quit.
[34:30] You say, well, I started trying to teach Sunday school and I don't do real good at that and it didn't work and my class died on me. Good. Find something else to do. Don't quit. Just say, hey, that does not be where God put my strength, but I can do something over here.
[34:44] That's where God put my strength. But you find out what you can do because we want to be able to sit around one day and just say, hey, God did something through my life. God used me for His honor and glory.
[34:56] Help our missionaries get on their way. Help them. It's got to be in your heart to help send our missionaries out. Our church, I know this is a weird church. I know you get hurt. I know I hear stuff like, well, you know, we get in love with people and our kids love them and then all of a sudden they're off to the mission field and this is a painful church to go to.
[35:14] I really think it is. I agree with you. You have to understand, the best friends I have live on the other side of the world. Guys, I invest hundreds of hours in, thousands of hours in to leave.
[35:30] But what did He tell us to do? Take up our cross and follow Him. It wasn't about us all getting in a circle, building a campfire and singing kumbaya. It was about get the gospel to the world.
[35:42] Can you say amen? Paul said, I've been busy, guys. I've been busy. I'd like to come see you. By the way, when I stop by Rome, I'd just like to hang out there a while. Let me stay with you two or three weeks.
[35:54] And after that, y'all can just go ahead and send me on my way because I've got to get to Spain. By the way, you know what He's going to tell the guys in Spain if He ever gets there? He probably never got there. You know what He'd tell them when He got to Spain, don't you? Glad to be here, guys.
[36:05] Headed to France. Let's have a meeting. Let's talk about Jesus. But I'm on my way out of here. By the way, I've got a Spanish guy who's going to take over as a pastor here, and I'm leaving. You know what He just said when He got to France, don't you? I'm headed somewhere else because there's no place.
[36:18] Paul said, once some people know about Jesus and once some people are preaching and teaching, I'm moving on. That's who we are. But we're the different group. We don't move on. Most of us stay right here. And that's why I call on you to give big time.
[36:34] We need a church building. We need a church staff. We need a training center. We need to send money to the mission field because though we're not going, we are helping them on their way.
[36:47] We are helping them on their way. This is big business. Testimony. Last test when I close. I did not come back to America because I didn't like what I was doing.
[36:59] I did not come back to America because I felt like that things weren't good on the mission field. I did think about leaving and going to another city. But I will tell you something. I came back because I felt like there ought to be a church that was consumed with one thing.
[37:12] And Trent summed it up very good. It's two things actually. Every verse, every nation. And we'd preach the Bible verse by verse until everybody got it and we would try our best to get the gospel to every nation.
[37:24] I challenge you to take up the cause. I challenge you to let it affect the way you give. And give big time to this church and support it. Give big time to mission.
[37:36] Give your time. Give your talents. Help the young missionaries. Let's carry the gospel to the world. Is it going to hurt? Yeah, it is. I stood at the back of the church in Dalton and my daughter's father-in-law was standing at the front of the church at Whitfield Baptist Church and I'm about to walk in with my daughter.
[37:57] It's like the happiest day of her life. But I'll be blunt honest with you. It's like the stinking saddest day of my life. I woke up that morning and Betty was excited. Women get excited about weddings.
[38:10] And she's excited. She said, get up, we got a wedding. I said, it feels more like a funeral to me. I'm standing back in the back and I'm crying. I'm wondering, is that big fat galoot going to take care of my daughter like he ought to?
[38:20] Is he going to love her and be tender with her? Is he going to treat her right? Because if he don't, I'm going to kill him. I'll go to prison. I'll kill him. I'll kill him. You say, you ought not think like that. I know. I only got two daughters. It's over. Amen. But I stood back here and on the way down that aisle, I, who never stood well, I was crying.
[38:35] Couldn't quit crying. Cryed all the way down the aisle. Later on, I said, honey, how's that big fat galoot treating you? She said, better than you ever did. I didn't like that.
[38:48] And I said, well, how do you love somebody as big and fat and ugly as he is? She said, a lot of practice on you. That hurt too. Amen. But that's what missions is about. Yes, we're walking our best people down the aisle.
[39:01] Yes, we're giving them away. We're giving them away. They're going to be happier and the gospel is going to go further and Jesus is going to be lifted up. Get in. Get involved. Help us get the gospel of the world.
[39:11] Father, I love you and I praise you and I pray that your name would be magnified and glorified and I'll give you praise for all. I love you and I thank you for the chance to talk to your wonderful people. This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia.
[39:23] For more information, log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times, location, contact information and more audio and video recordings.