The Gospel Coalition published an article by missionary Mark Collins titled, “Your Bad Ecclesiology is Hurting Us.” His point was that too many local churches are uncertain concerning what to expect of their missionaries, unaware of the activity of their missionaries, and irresponsibly too quick to delegate their responsibility of missionaries to other organisations. And this often results in missiological train smashes on the field.

Collins offers some advice concerning how to reverse this and one of his wise counsels is: “Make Paul’s first missionary journey a model for missions” (Acts 13–14). That is good counsel, and this is what we will do in this study. Specifically, we will examine the characteristics of the first local church-sent missionaries in recorded history. This should help us in a few ways.

First, it should encourage us that our missionaries are indeed God’s missionaries and therefore we can gladly own them as ours.

This being the case, it will, second, encourage us in our ongoing involvement in their ministry, prayerfully and practically.

It should, third, encourage our missionaries that we believe that they are God’s missionaries and therefore we love them as our missionaries. See our outine below:

1. God’s Missionaries are Church Members (vv. 1-2)
2. God’s Missionaries are Commissioned Members (vv. 3-4)
3. God’s Missionaries are Cared for Members (vv. 3-4)
4. God’s Missionaries are Continually Cared for Members (14:26-28)

Digging Deeper

Discussion Questions

1. The preacher said "Sadly, there are many who are merely “at” a church without being “in” the church." Why does this matter?
2. The idea of world missions originates with God, not with men. How can this statement be supported from our text?
3. Does the sending church have a responsibility to its missionaries after it commissions them? Why or why not.
4. What characterised the ministry of these leaders in Antioch? (cf; Romans 1:1–16, Acts 11:26, Acts 16:1­–3)
5. Why is it important that God’s missionaries be qualified?
6. True or false. Christian maturity is measured by the ability to reproduce. Why, or why not?
7. John Piper once said: "Either you’re a goer, a sender, or disobedient?" Do you agree or disagree? Why must missions be the focus of all?
8. The Apsoltel John spoke of sending forth missionaries “in a manner worthy of God” (3 John 6), which implies material support. What would this look like for our church?