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Adam and Eve failed to obey the First Command. The nation of Israel failed to live up to the Ten Commandments. The First Century people failed to heed the teachings of the Living Word, Jesus, and hung Him on the cross. Today, we still have a chance to listen and obey God’s Word through Jesus’ Last Command to his disciples.
Dr. Luke wrote down what Jesus said when he met with his disciples after his resurrection.
Acts 1: 8
“…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The disciples did their task, but it is not yet completed. For over fifty generations the work is still being done. Today, approximately 80% of the task has been accomplished. How long will it take the present generation to finish the job? How far would we go in fulfilling the Last Command of Jesus?
The Apostle Paul was a missionary who spent his life travelling around the Roman Empire, proclaiming the Euangellon of Jesus. Of the many churches that were established in his ministry, he noted one – the church at Philippi - that stood out in Missions and Missions Partnership with him.
In his epistle, Philippians 1: 3-5, he wrote,
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ….
In our discussion today, let us consider three things: Missions Then, Missions Now and Missions Tomorrow.
1. Missions Then
Paul and his team were busy looking for places to share the good news. Finally, they were led by the Holy Spirit to Philippi, the major city of Macedonia then. There, they met several people who were not only Jews but believers in God too.
In this city, Paul shared the euangelion with a merchant, a lady named Lydia. He also cast out a demon from a young slave girl who had made a lot of money for her masters by fortune-telling. When the demon was cast out, this ability was gone. Her masters became very angry as they had lost their source of wealth. So, they falsely accused Paul and his friend, Silas, and dragged them off to prison. Paul then had opportunity to share the euangelion with the prison warden.
Both Lydia the merchant and the prison warden, together with their families accepted the Lordship of Jesus. This was the beginning of the church in Philippi.
When Paul was released from prison soon after, he continued in his missionary travels. A partnership between him and the Philippian church developed through some 14 years!
The partnership was evident in the prayer and economic support for Paul. The Philippians remembered Paul and his team in their frequent prayers. Wherever Paul went, their gifts and support would always follow. This continued for years. The Epistle to the Philippians was an acknowledgement receipt and thanksgiving for their gifts. Paul probably wrote to the Philippians every time the gifts arrived. However, the Epistle in the New Testament is the only surviving letter that we know of, and the last Paul wrote them.
Just how far did the Philippian Church go? Well, as far as Paul travelled!
We read in Romans 15: 19
So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Jerusalem and Illyricum were the extreme eastern and western boundaries of the Roman Empire! Paul shared his vision of going to the regions beyond - to the Church and Christians - in Rome. There was no stopping him in the fulfillment of the Last Command!
Rev Dr Betia speaks,
“Allow me to share my personal testimony. I was a missionary to Cambodia and other Indochina countries for sixteen years (1993-2009). I had no promised support from my denomination and church. And how I wished I had individuals and churches like the one in Philippi!
God gave me my wish. God touched individuals to pray and send me support. I called them my “ravens”. It’s like how God used ravens to provide meat for the prophet Elijah. One church supported me through the years of my missionary ministry. I have retired twelve years now and the same paradigm that worked for me in the mission field still works for me in my retirement.”
2. Missions Now
Today, many churches have programs, budgets and support for missions. However, many Christians perceive missions as only one program, among many others, of the church. Biblically, mission is not a program! It is THE MANDATE to Christians and churches! This is what every Christian should be busy with – living time, exerting effort, maximizing creativity, exhausting resources and giving missions full attention. The only task of the church is Missions.
3. Missions Tomorrow
Churches and Christians can model the Philippian Church in doing missions. In a study of Philippians, Rev Dr Betia and his students discovered approximately 40 mission principles – all very practical! What are these Missions Principles?
Paul and the Philippians prayed regularly for each other. It gave Paul joy to pray for them and every time he thought of them, he thanked God for them! The strong bond that linked the church and the missionary is prayer.
Paul probably knew each Philippian by name including their families and household members. Though separated by hundreds of miles, Paul received updates from them. Beyond names, he probably knew about their capabilities, families, work situations and challenges too.
Missions is beyond being mere acquaintances. The word Paul used here is “partnership”. In Greek, the word is “koinonia”. The word goes beyond physical proximity and material exchange. It involves the interplay of self, heart, mind and vision too. They shared life, aspirations, dreams and commitments. Their total personalities are involved!
The best time to teach someone about Christian Missions is at the start of his/her spiritual life. From the moment one commits life to the Lordship of Jesus, he/she must be taught this responsibility. Every new believer must be duly impressed that he/she is to fulfill and obey the Last Command.
Delay in this teaching would only result in ignorance and passivity. Delay in learning this responsibility would push this command aside as other things take priority. The Philippians learned it on first day they were converted and were still doing it when Paul wrote his last epistle to them, 14 years later!
Philippians 4: 18-19
I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
The Philippian Church and all her members gave to missions to support Paul. Two things in these verses stand out:
Paul portrayed the gifts sent like the burning sacrifice on the Temple altar. The aroma was sweet-smelling. At the same time, it came at great cost because an animal was killed. The sacrifice was most expensive.
Many misunderstand verse 19, claiming this verse as a promise when material difficulties and needs arise. But read the context carefully – it is not a promise to claim but a benediction pronounced on a missionary on a supporter.
The Apostle Paul knew the economic state of the Philippian church and its members. The City of Philippi was established for retired soldiers of the Roman Legions. Retirement pension is never enough to sustain life. According to Rev Dr Betia,
What Paul received was more than the church could afford to give. The Philippians had to forego some things so that they could support Paul. He was keenly aware of what it must have cost the Philippians and thus prayed that God would return it to them.
We see here that Missions Offering does not impoverish the giver. When a missionary prays, the gift would be returned 100%! Thus, the missionary is blessed, and the giver is also blessed! The God of the Bible is a God who blesses!
Rev Dr Betia always encourages missionary candidates with these words,
Serious consideration must be made about doing Missions today for tomorrow’s harvest. Rev Dr Betia shares some parting thoughts, “I would like to see missions as a movement with many more individuals and churches excited to participate, like the New Testament Philippian Church. We must not stay comfortable with the level of current mission involvement today.
The only task given to us today is the Last Command. It is easily understood. It is doable. It must be done! Doing Missions is the best and the only way to fulfill Jesus’ Last Command.
Then Jesus will return sooner than we expect when we do what we have simply listened.”