In our passage, we see, for the first time, the church being proactive in missions. The church starts taking the initiative to purposefully commission missionaries from their midst.

There are 3 lessons we can learn on how to keep Missions, the main business of the local church. 

1. Priority of Preaching and Teaching (v. 1)
2. Powerful God-Centred Worship (v. 2)
3. Prompt Unquestioned Obedience (v. 3)

God was pleased to make worship, prayer, and fasting a launching pad for a mission that would change the course of world history. Let us measure our success at New Life Church not by the number of people that come into our church, but by the number of people that we send out to the nations! Let us measure growth not by percentage of increase in attendance, but by percentage of our congregation actively involved in doing missions. Let us encourage those among us to go out from us with our blessing and support to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Like David Livingstone said, “God only had one Son, and He was a missionary!”

Ephesians 1:5,6 says IN LOVE “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, (6) to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

There are people out there who still need to be saved! And He saves sinners “to the praise of the glory of His grace” And we NLC have the privilege of being part of His, supreme goal of HIStory

Let’s keep our main business in focus: To obey the Holy Spirit in promoting God’s glory among the nations by equipping each other to make disciples and by sending out workers called by God to preach the gospel.

Discussion Questions

1. John Piper once said, “There are only three possibilities in life: to be a goer, a sender, or disobedient” (Mission Frontiers [Jan.-Feb., 1998], p. 8). Do you agree, or disagree. Why? Why must missions be the focus of all?
2. How can a person know if he or she is called to going to another culture as a missionary?
3. Should missionaries be supported by many churches or primarily by one church? What are the pros and cons?
4. What are some ways that those who do not go as missionaries can be involved in the cause of missions?