Ephesians chapter 1, we're going to read from verses 3 down to 14, and it's on page 1173
if you're using a red-covered Bible. Let's listen to God speak to us as we read this.
Amen.
He has freely given us in the one he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he has lavished on us
with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to
his good pleasure which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times have reached
their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out
everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we who were the first to hope
in Christ might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal,
the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption
of those who are God's possession, to the praise of his glory. Ken. Before Ken speaks, I'm just going to pray for him
and for us. Let's pray. Our Father God, we thank you for your word. We thank you that it's in our language
that we can read, but without your Holy Spirit we will not understand and it will not change us or transform us.
So we ask that by your Spirit you would speak into our lives today. We pray for Ken. We ask that you would
help him to communicate effectively and clearly the truth of your word. We pray that you will bless
his ministry and his work, his teaching ministry in the college. We pray for his visits to Peru,
that he would be an encouragement to the church there and that you would continue to help him
as he seeks to bring the gospel and encourage the church worldwide with the good news of Christ.
Christ. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
Good morning again. I want to say it's a privilege to be here and to enjoy fellowship. I was going to
say the warmth of fellowship. The fellowship's good. The building's cold. I understand why you have tea
and coffee. I think that's great. And I've drunk Barry's tea for the first time in my life. Some
people drink nothing but, I'm told. Anyway, today I was asked a question about what I'm doing now that
I'm going to retire quite soon. I'm going to tell you a secret before I begin to preach. Today is my
birthday. A very kind gentleman guessed me at 51. I think that was flattery. I'm 62 today and life has
gone very quickly. Life moves along very swiftly, doesn't it? And it's good to be able to live for
the Lord and to know the Lord. And the theme today is mission. The whole weekend has been mission and
we've been thinking about mission and hostility. But really what I want to do today is perhaps pick up
the idea of mission and preach a sermon that may not be so typical. I want to reflect on why I am doing
what I do at this time, but not to make it that personal, to actually look at the scriptures and to see
what the scriptures say. And we've read together a lovely passage, Ephesians 1, 3 to 14, which I think is a
great passage on mission, but I'm not going to expound it. But really that is the background to what we're
going to do today. Before we get into the Word of God, let's pray. Father, again we pray. And once again,
our God and Father, we thank you that mission is part of your sovereign activity in the realm of
redemption in the world. And Father, we know that from first to last, it's your mission. It's not our
mission. We're involved in mission not because of us, but because of you. And Father, we know that
mission and the gospel of Jesus Christ originated in your heart. It's based on your love, determined by
your will. And the mandate was enunciated in the Word of God through the will of God. And Father,
we know that it is all explained. The rationale for mission is explained in the Word of God.
And the ultimate success and fulfillment depends on your power, not on us. Depends on your sovereignty
and not on our human will. Help us, Father, we pray, to proclaim the gospel, knowing that people
will believe because the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes in you.
We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
So, when I sit in my office in Belfast, in Moira, and think about mission, these are the thoughts that
come to my mind. And I want to share them today. And the starting place for mission is not me.
It's not you. It's not us. Nor is it the lostness of the world. Nor the command to go.
The mandate for mission lies within God and His desire to have a relationship with His creation.
So, this is my weak attempt to try to articulate what I believe the Bible teaches about mission.
And this church, every church, the church of Jesus Christ, and it's much bigger than any little local church,
exists because God is a missionary God. We can certainly say that. And God works through His Son.
He works through His Spirit. And without God's work, I would have nothing to do. You would have nothing to do.
The great thing about the mission of God is, and we were reading about it in Ephesians chapter 1,
is that the mission of God stretches from eternity to eternity.
Long before we came here, and I have to say, long after we will be gone from here.
What excites me when I look at the New Testament and the scripture about mission is,
that all the verbs connected to mission and God. If we have to be convinced it's God's mission,
think of the verbs, the action words. God loves. Action. God sends. Action. God chooses. Action.
God predestines. Some people will have a ball game just because I mentioned that word.
God does that. Action. God speaks. God creates. God plans. He sends. He moves by His Spirit.
And I have two big brush strokes this morning. And when I think about these two things,
my heart, I think, is kept right in regard to mission. I don't get the thing out of sync.
I don't lose too much sleep. And I follow the Lord more easily.
The first thing I want to say this morning, very simply, is this.
The primary motivation for mission, for you, for me, for everyone in the whole world,
is for the glory of God. That is the primary goal and the motivation of mission.
It's all about God. Let me clarify. Mission is not to do, has not to do,
in the first place, with the welfare and glory of the human race.
It's not about the growth and expansion of the church. When we think that's what it's all about,
we lose our vision and our focus. It's about the glory of God. And that forms the highest goal
of mission. And the ultimate goal is that God will be glorified as His people, that's us,
tell other people about His greatness, and as people who are at enmity with God,
come to faith in Jesus Christ. That's about as simply as I can put it.
Mission is church-centered. That's why we're talking about mission today. That's why there's a mission weekend.
And the church, us, we are the means of mission, and we are the goal of mission.
Does that make sense? We're how it's done. And it's all done so that people will be added to the church of Jesus Christ.
And again, the church is much bigger than anything that many of us might think about.
That's the goal and the aim. And the goal is to gather people into the community of local churches in the world.
And what do we do here? We've been doing it today.
Where we worship God. We've been doing that.
Where we equip people to grow in a relationship with God.
And that's why we're here today.
And where we share God, where we share Jesus Christ and the gospel with other people.
And that's not necessarily done within four walls.
The church of Jesus Christ has legs.
And we walk.
And we leave the building.
I come from the north.
I say that.
I've lived in the north since 1991.
If I was preaching today in the north, you know this.
I would have a suit on.
I would have a tie on.
Yes, I would.
Just so that I wouldn't offend certain people.
That's what I would do.
And we would probably be seated in some of the most lovely buildings in the world.
And my wife would be throwing off her cabigans because it would be far too warm.
That's just how it is.
And sometimes, perhaps, we can get connected to the building.
So let's disconnect from the building.
We know that.
We are the church.
And we are the goal.
People like you and me.
And so what I want to do today, and I'm picking this up from Johnny.
He was saying something like this.
And this is my paraphrase.
I simply want to challenge you and me, and I need to be challenged all the time,
to think about mission, about the practice of mission,
and perhaps to process all the stuff we've got into our heads and hearts over the weekend.
Yesterday we were blitzed, weren't we?
And sometimes when we're blitzed by it, statistics, how many Christians, where the church has been persecuted,
where things are not like that, and so forth, we don't know what to do with all that stuff.
So we think.
But I also want us to feel.
And I want us to feel the motivation for mission.
And then I want us to take the responsibility.
Now, we can't be responsible for all of mission.
And if I had my way, I would have all of you today picking up the four little boxes that remain
and saying, I want to support Baptist missions.
By the way, take them.
Because I'm going up in public transport today, and I'd rather not have all the stuff to carry along with me.
So take them and support Baptist missions.
And especially the radio in Peru.
Isn't that right, Tom?
There we go.
But I want us to think about responsibility about mission.
Now, we can't do everything.
All the Lord will ask you to do and me to do is something.
Something.
Maybe more than we've done up until this time.
So let's go back.
First big brush stroke.
And I don't want to lose this from my thinking, your thinking.
Because it's really what the Bible teaches.
The primary motivation is the glory of God.
And when you think about that, that keeps our hearts right.
Doesn't it?
And we can share in that because you and I, and we've read about it,
are co-heirs with Christ.
And the scripture goes on to say, if we share in his sufferings.
And I don't think there is any Christianity without suffering.
I had a little quote I was going to throw in yesterday, but I couldn't do it.
I didn't have time.
Archbishop Festo Kivingeri from the Anglican Church in Africa,
speaking at the anniversary of the martyrdom of a Ugandan archbishop,
said this, said this,
Without bleeding, the church fails to bless.
Now that sounds very tough, doesn't it?
Without bleeding, the church fails to bless.
And sometimes we want very comfortable lives.
But I'll tell you this, following Jesus Christ,
sooner or later, will cost us some kind of suffering.
I don't mean physical, necessarily.
It will cost us perhaps somebody laughing.
It will cost us something along the way,
where people make it a little bit difficult for us to follow Jesus,
and to believe the simple faith that we have in him.
And it's still true, co-heirs with Christ,
if we share in his sufferings.
Being willing to lay down our lives for Jesus.
It's never all blessings at no cost.
And that's true for the church here.
It's true for every church, everywhere.
We won't see the full blessing of God,
unless somewhere along the line,
there's a tough element to following the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now that leads me to my second motivation for mission.
And if you have your Bibles, please,
I want to pick it up now in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, please.
In verse 18.
And Paul is talking about you and me,
and about what you and I are called to be in Christ.
2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 18.
I'm just going to pick out a few verses,
because for me,
this is what you and I do.
And are.
And all of this is a gift from God,
who brought us back to himself through Christ.
And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
For God was in Christ,
reconciling the world to himself,
no longer counting people's sins against them.
And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
And I love this verse.
This is what you and I do.
So, you and I are Christ's ambassadors.
God is making his appeal through us.
We speak for Christ when we plead,
come back to God.
The secondary motivation for mission,
and these are the only two main points I have this morning,
is the ministry of reconciliation.
I can think of nothing more exciting than that.
The ultimate goal?
God's glory.
And that includes the reconciliation of this world to God.
Now, Jesus is here today by the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus empowers you and me by his Spirit.
And you and I are involved as members of a church,
as part of the body of Jesus Christ,
on Christ's behalf.
And we ask people,
we implore people,
to be reconciled to God.
And Paul goes on to say,
it is just as if we do so on Christ's behalf.
Now, when I used to tell my school friends,
into my teen years,
when I went through grammar school,
that I wanted to be a missionary,
actually, I believed then,
and I still believe,
that perhaps the Lord had given me the privilege,
of being called to do
one of the most wonderful things in the world.
But every Christian is called to do exactly the same.
And that is to call people to come back to God.
And we believe that.
And we certainly believe,
in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 3,
that Jesus Christ died,
he was buried,
and that he rose again.
And if a person does not believe that,
Paul goes on to say,
in 1 Corinthians 15,
if a person does not believe that Jesus died,
was buried,
and rose again for their sins,
that person is not a Christian.
And a lot of people say they're Christians
because they do good works.
And I think it's excellent that people do good things.
And none of us can ever criticize that.
And we certainly know
that there's a general goodness of God in the world.
But we believe that the resurrected Christ
appears to people,
and changes their lives.
Now that's a simple,
powerful message.
Paul.
What a wonderful testimony.
Against the church.
Against Christians.
Locking them in prison.
And totally opposed to the ideology.
And then God
showed the resurrected Christ to Paul
on the Damascus road.
And he was absolutely changed.
James,
the half-brother of Jesus,
mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15.
The half-brother of Jesus,
who when Jesus was alive,
said about Jesus,
he's beside himself.
Actually,
he was saying
that Jesus
was a little bit
out of his mind
at that point.
Didn't believe in Jesus.
You know,
I find that a tremendous comfort.
Sometimes people say to me,
I try to live for Jesus
in my family,
and people
don't want to hear.
Can you imagine
that Jesus,
the very Son of God,
walking on the earth,
and his own half-brother
had no faith.
And then he came to faith
and changed.
Other people were changed.
And I love the story of Peter,
mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15.
The failure.
The man who wanted
to follow Jesus
and didn't manage to do so.
And the resurrected Christ
appeared to him.
Do you not think
that sometimes
we give Peter
bad press?
We think that Peter's
the headstrong man.
We think that Peter's
the one who,
you know,
says,
I'm going to follow Jesus
and he gets it all wrong.
But the thing
that changed me
and my view on Peter
is I've read one Peter,
I've read two Peter.
And when we read that,
we have another kind of Peter,
a mature man
going on.
Changed.
So exciting.
That's the message
that you and I have.
Jesus died,
was buried
and rose again
for our sins.
And when we believe that,
things change.
In Peru,
I'll give you a statistic.
Incidentally,
please take these things.
They're heavy.
I don't want to carry them
on the bus, really.
And you read about Peru,
you read about Spain,
France,
different places,
Baptist missions works.
When I went to Peru
in 1973,
before many of you
were born,
1 to 1.5%
of the Peruvian population
professed
evangelical faith.
Let's put it that way.
According to government
figures in Peru now,
12.5%
God has done
wonderful things.
Peru's very different.
I get in a taxi
in Belfast
and we talk about
everything.
I get in a taxi
in Peru
and the guy says to me,
you're not from here.
No.
What brings you here?
And I say,
well, I'm a missionary.
I'm a Christian.
And we have a conversation.
And within minutes
we can be talking
about spiritual things.
People are so religious
in Peru
and so open
in a way that perhaps
they aren't here.
So I've been spoiled
working in that.
Now,
let's bring it back here.
This ministry
of reconciliation.
And you're probably saying,
do I have to go to Peru?
Does everybody have to go
somewhere else?
Not necessarily.
I think
wherever God
has placed you,
whatever job you have,
that's where the Lord
is leading you.
Somebody has put it this way
and I love this.
If we want to follow Jesus,
we have to follow Him
to the ends of the earth.
For that
is where He is going.
Now for me,
that was Peru.
For some of you,
that's here.
Some have come
from other places
to here.
It might seem like
the end of the earth
to you folks
who have come
from other places.
But this is the end
of the earth for you
because this is where
Jesus has brought you.
And where the Lord
took me
was to another country.
And it doesn't matter
whether you're here,
Belfast,
Orkney,
or the United States,
or Africa,
any place in the world.
That's where the Lord
is leading you and me.
And I thank God
for how He's led me
in my life
and for what I've been
able to do.
You know,
things have changed
in the world.
You've probably noticed this.
In the past,
most missionaries
were from the West.
True?
Yesterday,
I noticed that
the country that sends out
most missionaries today,
did anybody notice?
Huh?
Was it China?
China's sending out a lot.
You're almost right.
It surprised me.
Yeah.
Say that.
I think it was Mongolia
or Moldova.
It was one of those
weird countries.
Brazil sends out a lot.
China sends out a lot.
China wants to send out
100,000 missionaries.
Do you know
what's happening?
We naughty Westerners,
I'm talking about we Brits,
and I'm talking about
we Americans,
we're at war
in certain countries.
They don't like us
over there
for some reason.
Don't quite understand that.
I'm being facetious.
But you know
what the Lord's doing?
Chinese people,
I mean real Christians,
are going from China
and they want to send
100,000 missionaries
from China.
The persecuted church
that has grown
when missionaries
were thrown out of China
back in 1951,
I think it was,
one million Christians.
Do you know now
how many Christians
there are in China?
Some reckon
there might be
130 million.
That's one in ten Chinese.
Check it out.
Most of the things
we wear are made in China.
One in ten,
probably a Christian
making your shirts
and your trousers
and everything else.
But those guys
are going to other countries
and they're not going
as missionaries,
they're going as Christians.
Because at the end of the day,
to call yourself a missionary
is not very popular
in certain parts of the world.
And they're going.
This is going too.
But they're going.
They're going to work
in these places.
And they're in Afghanistan.
They're in Iraq.
They're in Iran.
And they're talking
about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isn't the Lord so wise
in what He does?
See,
call them what you like.
Maybe they work
in laboratories.
Who knows?
But they're working
for the Lord.
And in the past,
most missionaries
were from the West.
Not now.
More people are coming
from the other countries
and we,
we will
have to receive people
and willingly
and lovingly
receive people
and say,
you guys perhaps
have so much to teach us
from other countries
here in the West.
We won't go down
that route
at the moment.
But there are now
more Christians
in the Southern Hemisphere
and in what used to be called
the Third World
than in the West.
I think that's great.
I could go down
the line on that.
But in this task
of reconciliation,
I've learned this.
And this might seem
a very, very simple
lesson to learn.
And it's this.
There is no room
for first fiddles,
number ones.
There's only room
in the Lord's work
for number twos.
And I've called us
second fiddles.
I love to go
to the orchestra.
We went at Christmas,
Jeannie and I.
And I'm dreaming
of Jeannie today.
And incidentally,
Jeannie with the light
grey hair,
if you know her.
That's a good
Scottish song.
And we go.
And I'm always enthralled
because in the orchestra,
Handel's Messiah,
you name it,
first fiddle.
The conductor,
he stands up
and he bows forever
and a day at the end
and he gets the applause.
And first fiddle.
Have you noticed that?
And he often goes over
and shakes the hand
of the first fiddle.
That's probably not
the best way to say it.
But the second fiddler
is also playing.
Imagine first fiddle
without second fiddle
and third fiddle
and fourth fiddle.
Where would the orchestra be?
And in the Lord's work,
now you're beginning to think,
Ken's beginning to be
non-biblical.
Well, let me give you
my scripture.
Where about John the Baptist?
That's where I start.
The greatest of all the prophets,
Jesus said.
But what did John say?
Jesus said,
John is the greatest
of all the prophets.
Let Jesus say stuff,
not us.
But John said,
Jesus must increase.
I must decrease.
So when I think about
the practice of mission,
yes,
the ultimate goal of missions
is the glory of God
through the redemption
of people,
redemption of people
for God
through Jesus Christ.
The radio in Peru.
I'm going to show you
something from Baptist missions.
I only have two of these
and I'm going to give them
to you.
I don't know if you have
a notice board.
But I went to a church
in the north.
This is everybody
in Baptist missions.
There aren't many
of these around anymore.
Some of you may have them,
right?
Well,
I went to a church recently
and they had it up.
There I am,
right in the center.
I went to a church
and I said,
huh.
But it was up on the wall.
No,
not really.
That came out wrong.
But it was up on the wall
and we were there,
all the western missionaries.
And I said to them,
have you got another copy?
They said,
no.
I said,
what a pity.
Because if you were to pin
the other side up,
this is Peru.
There are,
look at the Peru bit,
this little corner,
three couples.
Three couples.
And I love these guys,
but they're not doing
all that much
because there's only
three of them.
Three couples.
But look at the front.
Fifteen different units,
all on Baptist,
with Baptist missions,
being paid a pittance,
perhaps.
But they're doing
far more work
than the missionaries
in Peru.
I think that's exciting.
And even in Peru,
the radio,
and it's my baby.
When you do give money,
give it to the radio.
There you go.
Specify the radio.
The Lord bless you.
But there they are,
great team.
They're Peruvians.
You see,
all I could do,
and I'm being quite honest,
all I could do
was set up the radio.
And my ministry
is very simple.
Your ministry
may be very simple,
may be better than mine.
I'm an implementer.
And you know,
when people said to me,
you're setting up a radio.
What do you know about a radio?
Nothing.
But all my life,
I've done stuff.
I've started stuff.
It's just one of the things
I like to do.
It's one of the things
that excites me.
It's why I get bored
and move on
to something else.
People are different.
I'm an implementer.
It's somewhere in the Bible.
I just haven't found it yet.
It's a gift.
Implementation.
But other people come behind.
So in this task
of reconciliation,
I'm learning
and I've learned
over many years
that I need to be number two.
Second fiddle.
Do you believe me?
So how does this apply to me?
How does this apply to you?
Obviously,
everything primarily,
and this is why
it's so important,
is for the glory of God.
But even in the ministry,
often,
there's no room
for number one.
It's only for number twos.
Let me give you
another scripture.
Paul is writing.
1 Corinthians 15, 9.
Now, let me say something
just before that.
Somebody told me
the other day,
and I love this.
I don't know
where he got it from.
Somebody said
from Charles Hatton Spurgeon.
It takes more grace
than tongue can tell
to play
the second fiddle
well.
I'll repeat that.
It's not a text,
but I think it's biblical.
It takes more grace
than tongue can tell
to play the second fiddle
well.
1 Corinthians 15, 9.
Paul is writing.
What does he write?
This is Paul,
the Apostle Paul.
I am the least
of the Apostles.
I am the least
of the Apostles
who am not worthy
to be called an Apostle
because I persecuted
the Church of God.
What did he say?
I am number two?
No.
Not even number two.
I am the least.
He met the risen Christ.
And when Paul
met the risen Christ,
he had two questions.
Check it out.
In the Acts of the Apostles,
he met the risen Christ
and he said this,
Who are you, Lord?
And isn't that
the greatest question
we can ever ask?
Lord, who are you?
I want to know you better.
And the other question is,
what do you want me to do?
I don't think you and I
can ask two greater questions
than these two.
Who are you?
And we want to know him better.
And you know,
he spent the rest of his life,
I believe,
answering these two questions.
And if you have questions in life,
I think these are the best questions
we can ever ask
and we can ever answer.
Lord, who are you?
Let me know you better today.
And I meant what I said earlier
and I hadn't pre-planned it
when he said to me,
When did you come to Jesus Christ?
I gave all that I knew
about me to God then.
And I know a lot more
about me now
because the Lord reveals
a whole lot more to me
about me.
And I can give a whole lot more
of me to the Lord now
than I used to.
And I knew Jesus was glorious
and I knew that
he changed my life then.
But I know that he changes
my life more now
because he's more glorious
than I realized
he was when I was 10.
52 years later,
that's how it is.
Later in life,
what did Paul write?
He's growing.
And I'll tell you
how I know this.
Ephesians 3, 8.
It was written
after 1 Corinthians 15.
Later in life,
Paul grows
and he says this.
He writes this.
To me,
who am less
than the least
of all the saints.
Imagine that.
What do we think
of ourselves
in the church
of Jesus Christ?
Do we think
we're the most important
kingpin?
We can be tempted
to think that.
But he goes on to say,
this grace was given
that I should preach
among the Gentiles
the unsearchable
riches of Christ.
What did Paul say?
Great sainthood?
Great sainthood
is to see yourself
like Paul,
the least of all.
That's a paradox,
isn't it?
Almost a contradiction.
He saw great grace,
he saw the greatness
of the gospel
and he saw that
it was all about Christ,
not about him.
Later in life,
and we know this
because 1 Timothy 1.15
was written
after Ephesians
and after 1 Corinthians.
Just before his death,
following Jesus,
he was growing.
This is growth.
1 Timothy 1.15.
There are several
faithful sayings
quoted in the
pastoral epistles
and this is one of them.
This is a faithful saying
and worthy of all acceptance
that Christ Jesus
came into the world
to save sinners
of whom
I
am
chief.
Now doesn't that seem
the opposite
of spirituality?
That's descending growth.
What happens
in spirituality
as we come to know
the Lord Jesus
is the exact opposite
of what happens
in the world.
Apostle,
the least.
Saint,
less
than the least
of all the saints.
Was Paul lying?
I don't think so.
I think Paul saw himself
in relation to other Christians
as not that important.
Maybe you don't think
you're that important.
Good
in that sense.
Maybe the Lord
can use you
even more
in that way.
And sinners,
the worst.
Did Paul mean that?
Absolutely.
And isn't that growth?
You know,
when I was younger
I used to think
that the older I would get,
as Johnny says,
near retirement age,
that I would feel
holier.
Ah,
I don't feel
holier
today.
I don't stand
here thinking
I'm a missionary.
I'm holier
than other people.
I'm absolutely
amazed
that the Lord
can use me
and He's still
calling me
to follow Him.
And the older I get,
the more I have to
confess my sins
than ever before.
And into that mix,
imagine this,
Paul presented
the unsearchable
riches of Jesus.
That's growth.
Descending growth.
The opposite
of what it is
in this world.
How about me?
How about you?
In me,
in you,
in us,
there's no room
for self-importance
in one sense.
I go into bookshops
when I travel
and if I see
another self-help book
I think I'll blow up
the bookshop.
Everything is
self-help,
self-esteem
and all that stuff.
The irony is
we only
are esteemed
finally
in Jesus Christ
and the weaker
we are,
the stronger
we are.
Isn't that strange?
Paul says,
did Paul mean this?
He says,
I have even
despaired of life
itself.
That's rock bottom.
And yet,
he says,
when I am weak,
I'm strong.
And there's no room
for self-righteousness.
I've been a Christian
for 52 years.
No room.
Life is just a vapor.
Let me tell you,
it's just gone.
And on the line,
my mother
passed away.
She was 90.
And I was talking
to somebody the other day.
I said,
I don't particularly
like to live
to be 90.
I said,
but the alternative,
I'm not too attracted
to that either.
You know,
life is just flying.
And that's good.
We'll be in heaven soon.
But meanwhile,
I don't know about you.
In my life,
and I mean this,
I do a lot of repentance now.
If I say something
I shouldn't say,
I think,
that's not nice.
If the Lord speaks
to my heart,
I just know that I have
to be right with God.
And it's a daily thing,
isn't it?
And I notice that people
who are like myself
at this age
are nodding their heads.
You know what I mean?
It's what happens
when we grow
and go on.
A lot of repentance.
But,
the other side to that is,
the beautiful paradox is,
we see more
of the unsearchable
riches of Christ
than we've ever seen before.
Isn't that true?
Back to Baptist missions
for a moment.
Three couples in Peru.
I think that's great.
13,
15 Peruvian units
on the Peru.
I think that's wonderful.
And to serve the Lord
on the foreign mission field
doesn't mean
you're a number one kingpin.
How people can put you
up on a pedestal
it's not like that.
They're just so important.
These guys working away
in Peru.
Peruvians that I love.
I'm going back in June
and July
and I'm looking forward
to that.
And when Peru gets
into your blood
it's in there.
You're going back
on your honeymoon,
are you?
Tom?
Oops.
There we go.
We're all number twos,
aren't we?
Partners.
ordinary people.
And God calls us
to be second fiddles.
I think that balances out
beautifully
every church.
Don't you?
And the glory is His.
You see,
we're on a faith adventure.
The other night
Elizabeth Almanza,
you know her Tom,
phoned.
It was so encouraging.
She,
if you know the Bible college
in the north,
we have Valerie
who works in the,
she keeps us
six lecturers straight
in Peru.
It's Elizabeth Almanza.
And she said,
Ken,
it's great.
We're meeting for prayer
every morning
and we're praying.
The pastor's wives
are meeting for prayer.
We're having an evangelistic
campaign.
And she told me
all kinds of things
and I thought,
wow.
I didn't know
all these things
were going on.
And there are the guys
working in the mission,
the Peruvians.
I was so excited.
I want to encourage you today.
I don't want to send you
on a guilt trip.
I really don't.
I want you to think
about the weekend.
Fine.
I want you to process it.
I don't want you
to try and do everything
for every mission
and every field
in the world.
You can't.
But I want you
to think it through.
But be encouraged.
The primary motivation
for what you do
and for your life
and my life
is the glory of God.
And He has a whole lot
more glory
in your life
and my life
than you might even think.
I believe that.
So don't give up.
Don't give up.
This is for the glory of God.
Secondly,
the secondary motivation,
the ministry of reconciliation.
It's a process.
That's the challenge.
Think about it.
Think about the practice.
Feel it in your heart.
Be motivated
and take that responsibility
to heart.
Recession in the South.
I wasn't going to say this
but I came across
this little quote
the other day.
Some folk are looking for jobs.
You think you don't have money.
But you know,
I found this
and I've worked with
poor people in the world
and they're some of the best people
I've ever met in my life.
I'm not against wealth.
I've met wealthy people
and some of them
are the best people
in the world.
But giving
is not giving
of any kind
until
it interrupts
our lifestyle.
People talk about a tenth.
The Bible
in the New Testament
doesn't mention the tenth.
Have you ever wondered about that?
It talks about generous giving.
I'm just leaving you
with that one.
Maybe that's
where you have to plug in.
I can't afford to.
Hey,
giving is not giving
until it interrupts
our lifestyles.
Without bleeding
the church
fails to bless.
Let's pray.
Father,
we thank you
our God and Father
that you are a missionary God.
Thank you
that the Bible
is a missionary book.
Father,
we thank you
that the gospel
is a missionary message.
It's to be shared.
It's good news.
And Father,
we thank you
that your church
is a missionary institution.
Here in Carragalline,
this church,
us,
these people
are missionary people.
Help us,
Father,
always to be missionary minded
so that we do not deny
the faith
entrusted to us
nor betray your trust
in not passing it on.
We know you.
We love you.
And we know
it's wonderful
to know you.
Father,
we go through many struggles
and we know that.
Sometimes we even doubt
and you take us through.
And Father,
we thank you today
that the ultimate goal
of preaching the gospel,
of sharing you,
is your glory.
And Father,
we worship you
that you have given us
this wonderful ministry
of reconciling
this world to yourself.
And Father,
we bless you
that we enter into mission
because Jesus Christ
is present
in the form
of the Holy Spirit
here among us.
And he gives us power.
Power to go,
but power to be.
And that we're involved
as members of the church.
The body of Christ.
And Father,
we thank you
for that wonderful text
that when we implore people,
we do so on Christ's behalf
to come back to God,
to be reconciled to God.
It's just as though
you make your appeal
through us.
And Father,
we thank you
that you've called us
to do that
simply,
daily,
when you give us
the opportunities,
not artificially.
artificially.
And thank you,
Father,
for we know
that in this lies
the only possibility
of forgiveness
and of a new relationship
with God
for many people
and for all
who will come to you
to worship you
in spirit and in truth,
loving you
with all our hearts
and with all their hearts,
souls,
minds,
and strength.
And Father,
in this we rejoice
in Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
Amen.
Blessings on you.