Reaching Out
SECRETS OF SUCCESS (1)
Section III: A Precedent
Characteristics of a Missionary Church:
Courageous
Reflect upon Antioch’s attitude toward their missionaries, Barnabas and Saul in Acts 13. Possibly someone in that church cried out in moral fear on hearing the news that two of their greatest preachers were leaving the home congregation and going into the mission fields. “What will we ever do without them,” one may exclaim. “I don’t know, but I'll never be in favor of sending our best men just to preach to those heathens.” But they went, and the church at Antioch grew to one of the largest and most influential churches in those early days. Where would be a grand place to begin emulating their example?
Devoted Disciples
Fasting was practiced in the New Testament church. It was not a show or something just to be “noised abroad,” but was genuine and heartfelt rather than stomach-missed. The Antioch church fasted on sending out their missionaries (Acts 13:2). This was an urgent work, under the direction of the Holy Spirit. They did not have a big kick-off supper to bring people in, but to the contrary, they had a send-off to get missionaries out. They were more obsessed with winning souls than the balanced diet. Fasting obviously involved denial of material possessions (2 Cor. 8:1). Paul admitted “robbing churches” (2 Cor. 11:8), but frankly it was an inside job. They, as Paul, were willing to spend and be spent for the Kingdom of God. The matter of sacrifice is a two-way street, and a genuine gospel preacher is never unwilling to sacrifice anything and everything that elders and deacons and members are ready to do without. Yet, in far too many cases, when a church piously says, “Let’s sacrifice,” they may be referring indirectly to their next offering, namely the preacher.
A Praying People
The church at Antioch prayed for their missionaries (Acts 13:3) and with such spiritual force behind them, no wonder they were able to report glorious success upon returning (Acts 14:29; 18:22). When a man in these modern times leaves the home church and goes as a missionary to another land, he often fulfills the old saying, Out of sight and out of mind, and not too often, out of prayer. If an apostle like Paul felt deeply the need of prayers from his brethren, how much more should missionaries, both beginners and veterans covet this gift from home. Letters may dwindle as prayers increase, yet somehow one cannot help but feel that when prayers increase, the mailman will continue to knock.
