First Baptist Church

Fairbanks, Alaska

805 Sixth Avenue

(907) 456-4923

http://www.firstbaptistfairbanks.com

Click above for First Baptist email access.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Emphasis

 Matthew 28:19-20

 Mark Howdeshell (December 2, 2007)

Matt 28:19-20  19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Introduction

Missions…what do you think about when you hear that word?  Do you think about people in far off “exotic” lands eating weird food and talking strange languages?  Do you think about raising children in different cultures than our own?  Do you think about those that cannot even reveal their names for fear of lives? 

Being “on mission” can mean all of that.  In addition, it means answering a call of God, fulfilling a need that He wants you to do, bringing the gospel to a land that is lost, and risking falling in love with your fellow man.  The Lottie Moon Missions Offering is the result of that exact thing. 

Lottie Moon

Birth
Born Charlotte Diggs Moon Dec. 12, 1840, in Albemarle County, Va.

Salvation
Lottie rebelled against Christianity until she was in college. In December 1858, she dedicated her life to Christ and was baptized at First Baptist Church of Charlottesville, Va.

Education
Lottie attended Albemarle Female Institute, female counterpart to the University of Virginia. In 1861, she was one of the first women in the South to receive a master's degree.

Missionary appointment
Edmonia Moon, Lottie's sister, was appointed to Tengchow, China, in 1872. The following year, Lottie was appointed and joined her sister there.

Missionary work
Lottie served 39 years as a missionary, mostly in China's Shantung province. She taught in a girls' school and often made trips into China's interior to share the good news with women and girls.

Letters home
Lottie frequently wrote letters to the United States, detailing Chinese culture, missionary life and the great physical and spiritual needs of the Chinese people. Additionally, she challenged Southern Baptists to go to China or give so that others could go. By 1888, Southern Baptist women had organized and helped collect $3,315 to send workers needed in China.

Lottie's death
Lottie died aboard a ship in the Japanese harbor of Köbe on Dec. 24, 1912. She was 72 years old.

Lottie's  Legacy
The Lottie Moon Christmas Offerings have brought in over $2 billion for International Missions. 

Regardless if God has called you to GO into the mission field or not, we are called to missions.  Our support of the those answering the call is paramount to the spread of the gospel. 

Heart of the Matter 

Our call to missions is not an optional accessory to our salvation experience.  Matthew 28:19 makes it quite clear that we are to GO and Make disciples of all nations……   

The Meat of the Message 

There are 6 “M”s that I want to look at this morning in reference to missions.  These 6 “M”s will help us to understand what missions are all about.

1. The Mandate

Matt 28:19-20  19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

1. A mandate is an official or authoritative directive or command.  Whose authority is this mandate given?  Verse 18 answers this question when Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.”  It is by that authority we are commanded to do it.
2. This mandate is a call to action.  It tells us to GO….not wait until someone asks or someone begs!
3. This is a definitive mandate……it tells us specifically what we’re supposed to do…GO, MAKE DISCIPLES, BAPTIZE, and TEACH.

2. The Motive
   1. Though this message may have sounded like a hundred other sermons you’ve heard on missions, this is where it’s going to change!! 

Num 22:27-30  28 Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" 29 Balaam answered the donkey , "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."

30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey , which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"

2. An example of God’s sense of humor!!

                                          i.    God told Balaam not to go to Balak who wanted a curse to be put upon the Israelites.

                                         ii.    Balak tempted Balaam with more silver and gold.  Balaam answered them correctly when he said he couldn’t be tempted, but God knew what was in Balaam’s heart when He told him he could go. 

                                        iii.    God positioned the angel of death to take Balaam’s life, but the donkey saved his life and got beat for it 3 times.

                                       iv.    God revealed His plan and Balaam repented and was ready for God to use again.

3. Answering the call to go must be made with a pure heart and with pure intentions.  You don’t want to be caught talking with donkeys!  You cannot do it for personal gain, or because someone else is doing it, or even because the church has begged you……..it must be because GOD has called you.

3. The Message
   1. The message might be the easiest of the 5 “M”s.  We’ve been taught the gospel, blessed by it, and live by it.  Now we must tell others about it!

1 Cor 15:1-4  15:1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…

Mark 16:15  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”   

4. The Messengers
   1. Who are the chosen messengers by Christ?  According to the mandate, we all are! 
   2. He does choose those that He wants to go onto the “Mission Field” just as He chose the 12 Apostles that became “Fishers of Men.”

5. The Methods
   1. Loving our neighbors

                                          i.    Tell them

                                         ii.    Invite them

                                        iii.    Be an example for them

2. Prayer

John 17:20-22 20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  

                                          i.    Jesus prayed for them

                                         ii.    God hears our prayers

3. Meet their needs

                                          i.    Physically

                                         ii.    Spiritually

6. The Motivation

2 Peter 3:8-16  8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.  

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

1. The Lord is being patient with us.  His desire is for EVERYONE to come to repentance.  He wants us to help get this done!!
2. He was patient enough for you to come to know Him…will He continue to be patient for you to be obedient?
3. He loved you enough to send His Son to die for You!

The Bottom Line   We have been assigned a mission.  The mission is to help God spread the gospel.  Are you being obedient in your assignment?  Your assignment may be different than mine, but it is from the same Commander in Chief with the same goal in mind.  Accomplishing your mission may be the integral key for someone else to complete their mission.   

INVITATION

Accept His call for missions.  Maybe He wants you to GO to the foreign mission field, maybe He wants you to give sacrificially to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, maybe He wants you to talk to you best friend.  Whatever the call He has for you, don’t delay…..start the Mission!  Accept that calling today during this time of invitation.

Send mail to webmaster@firstbaptistfairbanks.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 11/30/08