What Do Churches Do For Missionaries CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

What is our responsibility to missionaries?

We Send Them – Acts 13:2-3 – we are to send them as the Holy Spirit leads not as they “choose” to go – the whole process from the missionary’s call to his arrival on the field has to be of the Lord or he is going to fail – since we anticipate the Lord calling more of us to the field, then we need to be involved in training and preparing men and women for the ministry – we can’t hold on to our good ones when God wants them somewhere else.

Pray for Them – Acts 13:3, Rom 15:30-31, Eph 6:18-20, Col 4:2-4, 2 Thes 3:1 – They must have our support in prayer.  Prayer is more important than money.  $5.00 with prayer goes a lot further than $100.00 without prayer.  We pray over every current prayer request from our missionaries every Wednesday night.  Come join us in prayer for them.  Some even pray throughout the week for them.  Their requests are on their prayer letters.

Labor with Them – Phil 4:3 – These saints in this passage were actually on the field to which Paul went.  However, they labored with him in his work.  Likewise, men and women can labor with missionaries by making missions trips to help with evangelistic opportunities and with construction projects.

Give to Them – Phil 4:14-17, 2 Cor 11:9 – In addition to your tithe and offerings, you should give faithfully and regularly to missions.  And from time to time you should give them special offerings as needed.  Our church started giving to missions when it was still a mission of the church that helped start us.

Love Them – Acts 20:36-38, 2 Cor 8:7 – Missionaries should be like family.  Many churches send their missionaries cards and gifts on special occasions and demonstrate personal care for them the same way they would as if they were their own children overseas in the military.

Conclusion: In 1989 we began giving to the Sykes family and in 1990 we watched as they boarded a plane for South Africa.  The grief of their departure felt like a death; we missed them so much.  Many years have passed and Bro. Ron has recently gone to be with the Lord.  His wife remains on the field.  We’ll see her soon, Lord willing.  Your heart just gets knit with your missionaries when you send them, pray for them, labor with them, give to them and love them!!