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THE MISSION
Theme: The grace of God will not take you, where the
will of God won’t keep you.
Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of Grace, that we may obtain Mercy, and find
Grace to help in the time of need.
WHY MISSIONS AND THE BIG QUESTIONS:
What about the money? Wouldn’t it help missions more if I just sent
the money? That’s a lot of money that is spent to go. Yes, but, that’s
what God said to do. There is nothing that replaces the joy of others
who are on the mission field than when someone comes to see them. Just think about your joy when you have a special event and someone
comes to see you-especially if they come from a far-away distance. It
makes you feel like they care about you. This is how we were treated
in the Philippines. The Filipino people have great respect for their
pastors. They treated Apostle Charles and me like we were royalty.
Another reason and more important is the spiritual blessing you
bring to people. Let me tell you about a young woman who went to
South Africa with us in 2010. Her name is Shanda Philips and she laid
hands on a woman who had been tormented over the death of a
child left this woman’s care. It was Shanda who came all the way from
the United States who laid hands on the woman and the woman was
set free from the condemnation of this child’s death- a situation for
which the woman should not have been feeling condemned and
persecuted. South Africa-2010 Photos/Videos But, that is the
devil’s job to make us feel condemned (John 10:10, the devil comes
not but for to kill, steal and destroy), but it is our duty to answer the
call when the call is delivered to us to go to and bring deliverance to
others.
Sometimes God says, you must put your foot down on the soil of a
particular country or community for a work to be accomplished there.
This was the situation with a family member of mine who was called to
go to Africa. She struggled with going, but God told her, she had to go
and she had to put her foot down. She was obedient and she was
glad she was.
So, there is always a reason for the mission whether to let those who
serve in other locations know they have not been forgotten or to bring
deliverance to some soul, or just because God said so. You may never
know the results of your obedience until you get to heaven.
TIPS WHEN ON MISSIONS
Let God send you (Mark 16:15), don’t send yourself;
Be careful with whom you travel. In other words, don't go on missions
with people who are not God-minded and mission-minded!
Listen to those with experience;
Prepare well in advance for your trip;
Be sure you have contacts familiar with the country or the
area you are going to (Apostle Charles and I always had at least one
person with whom we could make contact. Only once did we not
personally know the country contact, but we had 14 years experience in missions by that time; get all your medical shots; Do not drink the water, do not even rinse your mouth out with the
water (some people will disagree with me on that and they may be right, but if they are wrong, you will suffer terribly for that drink of unfiltered water-and I do mean you will suffer. You may even ruin your mission trip.) (Be wary of the condiments (ketchup, mustard, etc., as well (X got sick on a
mission trip from eating open servings of
condiments.) Always carry the medication the doctor prescribes and even carry the
necessary over-the-counter items (in the requisite 3-ounce containers
or at least the small quantities);
Be sure to brong Electrical adapters (if outside the US (in some cases like the
Dominican Republic and Ecuador, you do not need adaptors;
Plenty of SD cards or other camera/video equipment
("X's" experience);
Dress appropriately (what will the weather be like where you are going;
always be prepared for a change in the weather; what is the custom of
the country (you must be respectful)); talk to your contacts about what to wear; observe the customs of the country in dress or whatever
do not try to Americanize other peoples, let the Lord bring about the change); Ladies have special considerations as far as personals, etc., of course.
Consequences for not being obedient are not necessarily bad but
it may be that you may miss a blessing.
Blessings for your obedience! |
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