The True Missionary

THE MISSION
Mark 6:7-13
Mark 6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:
9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.
10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
Born September 3, 1934 was a man who would soon hear God's calling to salvation. God would send him on a mission. This man would preach the gospel for 61 years. He would pastor churches that ran less than 100, but would be used greatly to influence preachers across America. His name was Walter Burrell.
On April 24, 2010, Dr. Burrell's mission was on earth was complete and God called him home. His life in eternity was just beginning. As he walked before the Lord and bowed at His feet, I believed Jesus said, "Walter, well done, welcome home, my good and faithful servant." His last words to me on April 9, 2010 were, "I just want to preach one more time."
Did you know that God has a mission for all His children?
If we are to obey our Lord's mission, there are four things He wants us to know.

I – IT TAKES POWER v7
Mark 6:7, And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
When God calls you to salvation, He also provides the powers to live for Him.
1. Called - The word "called" means appointed.
Paul said in Romans 1:1, He was called to be an apostle.
Romans 1:7 says that Christians are called to be saints.
Romans 8:28 says we are "the called according to His purpose."
Romans 9:26 says we are called "children of the living God."
Romans 8:29-30 reads, 29 "For whom he did foreknow, (to have knowledge of before hand) he also did predestinate (to determine in advance) to be conformed (fashion like unto) to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."
30 "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: (to make innocent and righteous) and whom he justified, them he also glorified (to give honor). You have been honored by God to be called to salvation."
Let me sum up the calling of a believer. God choose you before the foundation of the world and determined that when you accepted His invitation to Salvation, you would be fashioned like Jesus. He would make you righteous and your life would be honorable for Him.
Do you understand what happened to you when you got saved? You were like a P.O.W. You were destined to rot in Satan's jail and spend eternity in hell. Then Jesus knocked down the prison wall and chose you to be one of His own. Some of those prisoners are still behind bars, but you were chosen to walk with Him.
God said, "I picked you to be my child." It was not because of your looks, money, righteousness or bloodline. God chose you because of His grace and mercy.
Paul is so excited about that teaching that he says in Ephesians 1:3-5, 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
A true believer is called to salvation by the good pleasure of God's will.
A true believer is called and honored by God.
That is your main calling.
Then, there is your ministry calling.
We are called to service.
Our wages are: God shall supply all our needs.
Our Retirement is eternal life.
Our work is to serve with all our heart.
I remember Richard Thornburg's mom, Jane. She loved the nursery. That was her calling. She loved to take care of the children. She told me one time, "Preacher just put me in the nursery every service."
We are called to live for God. We are called to die for God.
God doesn't call everyone to be a pastor or a teacher or to sing in the choir, but he does call us to be saints. He does call us to do His will. He does call us to be like Jesus Christ. (Amen)
2. Send (v 7) - As the disciples are sent on a mission from the Lord, so we that are His children are also sent on a mission. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He told the disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go ye into all the world and preach or proclaim the Gospel, teaching them to observe all things..."
Two is the number of unity. Let me give you three great witnesses for the Lord: 1) A husband and wife: When a husband and wife are in unity with God and each other, they are a picture of Jesus Christ and the Church. They are a great light to family and friends.
2) When a congregation of people is in love with Jesus Christ and walking in unity, they are a great witness in their community and those who attend the church.
3) When people go out and visit two by two and invite people to church and share Jesus with them they are a witness of two obeying God's mission to the world. You folks ought to pair up two by two and pray and go and visit your neighbors and friends because you have been called and you have been sent. Selah! Just invite them to church and tell them what Jesus did for you.
Some folks have asked where is my world? Your world is your family, your neighborhood, those people you meet every week. That's your mission.
May I encourage you to be a witness for Christ? His only way of winning the lost world to Him, is for you and me to go and tell others.
Last week, John's wife, Sherry came down to visit for a week. She will be moving down in two or three months. She came to church every service at the witness of her husband.
After John got saved, John gave his testimony to Sherry, and she saw the change in John's life. On this past Monday morning after reading my Bible and praying, I couldn't get Sherry off my mind. I thought Karen and I need to go and see her. So about 2:30 we went by to talk with her. She told us that all night she was waking up thinking about the Church services. As a youth she grew up in a Baptist church but never heard any one talk about being saved.
She had ask John question after question about the Bible. After answering questions and sharing God's plan of Salvation with Sherry, she bowed her head and gave her heart to Jesus.
That is what Mark 6:7 is talking about. Our mission is; we are called and sent and given power from God to tell the world about Jesus Christ.
3. Power - Jesus said, He would give you power. The word for power is the Greek word, exousia. It means delegated authority. This word is important to know because; the authority of God is greater than the authority of man. You and I face “unclean spirits.” Paul called them devils, principalities, powers, rulers of darkness. God says, I’ve given you power of them. These spirits control governments, religions and people.
In China today, the government says, you cannot worship, unless you get a license from the state and then you must worship as we tell you to. Millions of Christians formed hundreds of thousands of underground churches to worship the Lord. They are going against their government because there is a power greater than man-made government and that is God's authority.
When a government says, you can no longer pray and worship according to the Bible, but you must now pray and worship the way we tell you to; that is when true Christians says, "My authority comes from God. I shall pray and I shall worship in spirit and truth."
When the government passes laws and says, you can't say what the Bible says, that is when God's children say, I fear my God more than I fear big government.
When the government says, "If you don't stop we will take away your job, that is when you say, I won't stop. I had a friend in Winder, Georgia, 28 years ago, who had taught at a public school for twenty years. He had always read the Bible and prayed before every class. The authorities said, you can't do that anymore or we will remove you from your job." He said, "I've always done this, why must I stop now." He would not stop and they fired him.
When the government says if you don't stop, we will put you in jail. That is when God's children says, "You can put by body in chains but you can't put my soul in chains. I have freedom in Jesus."
When big government says, "We will kill your body." that is when we quote Jesus who said, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt 10:28).
In ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, the US-based Christian charity World Vision said on March 10, it has suspended operations in Pakistan after militants stormed its offices, killing six staff members and injuring several others.
On the internet site, "Worldwide Persecution of Christians, they state, "In the past 100 years (during the 20th Century) 26,000,000 Christians were killed for their faith (martyred). It does not count the untold numbers who were persecuted in other ways, imprisoned, tortured, and enslaved."
Jesus says, I will have given you POWER over those spirits.
II - IT TAKES PREPARATION v 8-9
Mark 6:8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: 9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.
The disciples were on a mission. A mission is an undertaking, an operation, a duty, a purpose.
In a military mission, a group of well trained men will lay down their lives to fulfill the orders giving them from their commanding officer.
Jesus told the disciples go and be a witness for me and don't worry about how YOU are going to live. Don't worry about your script. That was a leather pouch where they kept their food. Jesus said, I'll feed you.
Don't worry about where your bread or where your money is coming from. If you are in my will, I'll take care of you.
Jesus said, "Just secure your sandals, we have work to do.
These men had spent many months with the Lord. They had heard his teaching. She said "Follow Me." Now He says, "Go."
I believe these men rose early in the morning and prayed and went out all day long, eight and ten hours a day serving the Lord and witnessing.
The whole idea is this: Satan will tell you, you are not ready to witness. You are not knowledgeable to witness. Wait till you are more established. Wait till you are secure in this world and then witness for Jesus Christ.
Let me give you two thoughts:
1) If God's Spirit is precious to you and you want to truly become a soldier on a mission for Jesus Christ before he returns you can be a witness almost immediately. John was to his wife.
But as the disciples sat at Jesus feet, God's child needs discipleship. When the disciples were called of Jesus Christ, He taught them daily, hour after hour. When they were ready. He sent them out.
I learned more in a 32 hour discipleship course after I graduated from college, than what I learned in college. You just have to find someone who knows how to disciple. I've had the privilege of disciplining three preachers.
But, let me say this, if you will claim 2 Timothy 2:15, God's Spirit can be your teacher. The reason Jesus discipled his men is because 99% of believers need to be discipled.
2) Secondly, "If God has called you into full time service, it may take you eight to ten years to prepare." Why? It is one thing to witness to a lost person, that you work with or a neighbor. It is totally different in dealing with those demons that fight against the Church of Jesus Christ.
Because of a lack of personal Bible study in homes and individual's lives today, most people called of God in full time service need the discipline of hard work and a college education.
Stephen Anderson will graduate from college Monday night. His life of learning is just beginning. It hasn't ended.
I've heard many stories of Christians called of God that tried to save their money for college but couldn't ever save enough. Then, they went by faith and God took care of them. I had an aunt that was called of God to be a missionary. She tried to work and save money and could never make enough. She then went off to college by faith, got her a job at college and worked and put herself through.
Faith is believing God. But, it is believing God's word that says, man shall live by the sweat of his brow.
As I planned to go to college, the first thing I did was to get two jobs. I discipline my life when I was a teenager by my life style at home. I lived on $25.00 a week and saved $100.00 a week to take care of my first semester's bill.
The day I got to college, I registered in the morning, paid for my first semester and went out and found me a job that afternoon.
I worked 40 to 48 hours a week till I graduated. Then I worked sixty to eighty hours a week for the next five years. That is called, living by faith. You see, God was getting me ready to pastor.
These disciples walk with Jesus, served Jesus and sat at His feet 12, 16, hours a day for 3 1/2 years. When Jesus rose to heaven, their ministry was just beginning.
Do you know what God was doing for me when I was young, by working in chicken houses and taking care of cattle and pigs and fence lines, hauling hay and taking care of pasture land ten to sixteen hours a day? He was preparing me for the ministry.
Then, when I went off to college and worked for Dupont eight hours at night, after being at college five hours. God was teaching me to live by faith and preparing me for the ministry.
Now, most of you say, "But, God hasn't called me into full time service." No but you are called to be a saint and a disciple. God wants us to spend time getting disciplined so we can be a witness for Him.
Church, I love you. Do you remember when dad ask you to do a chore and you didn't? When he came home and call your hand on it, you were ashamed and embarrassed.
You don't want to stand before God empty handed, having never brought one soul to Jesus, do you? God says, I will give you power but your part must be, preparation.

III - IT TAKES PEOPLE v 10-11
10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Folks, listen, life is about people. Life is not about you or me. It is about others. It is about training our children and witnessing to the lost.
Jesus said, I came not to do my will but the will of my Father."
Jesus did not come to be served. He came to serve.
He did not come to live. He came to die.
In Luke 4:18-19, when Jesus told his friends his mission, they wanted to kill him. Don't expect everybody you share Jesus with to say, "Thank you." Some will, but most will not. Know that people shall react to you as the world reacted to Jesus.
Jesus said in John 15:18-19, "18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
When I was young in the ministry, it seemed most houses that I would visit, the people were friendly and would have respect for the pastor.
Today, we are living in a time where people don't really want to talk about Jesus Christ or heaven. Most people will say, I have my own beliefs or I'm not interested. Why? Let me give you two reasons:
1) A person's education has turned many folks away for the Lord. Many folks are taught that religion has called all the wars in this world. The truth of the matter is they are right. Religious leaders have been fighting against God and truth since the beginning of time. If you stand for truth, religious people will be your biggest enemy.
2) A lot of people are living in open sin and they don't want the preacher to come into their abode. They feel guilty or ashamed to have the preacher visit.
So, Jesus says, if you go to offer the greatest story in the world, the story of Salvation and eternal life and people reject you; kindly, and sadly, shake the dust off your shoes and walk away.
Then notice what he says in verse 11. When Judgment day comes, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for those who lived in Jesus' day. But, how much more today?
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities were the morality of men dropped to an all time low. The lowest state a nation can come to his the acceptance of homosexuality as legal. That happened in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Men desired men more than they desired women and the same with women. God told Abraham that He was going to destroy the city because his nephew, Lot was living there.
Abraham prayed and ask God if he would spare the city of there were fifty righteous people there. Then Abraham got to thinking and thought maybe there isn't fifty righteous people there. So he ask got to save it for 45, 40, 35... all the way down to 10 people. God agreed with Abraham. If there were 10 righteous people, He would spare the city.
Two angels went into the city to warn Lot and his family. Lot tried to witness to his family that was married and not in his house. But, they rejected Lot's witness. Why? Because Lot had not lived a godly life.
Finally, the angels led Lot and his wife and two daughters away from the city and God sent down fire from heaven and burned the city and its inhabitants to the ground.
There was a two-fold problem in Sodom. 1) Homosexuality was legal.
2) The believers had no power in their witness.
So, why will it be more tolerable to have lived in Sodom than America. Let me give you four reasons:
1. Sodom had no preacher. There are over 500,000 in America
2. Sodom had no churches. There are over 300,000 in America
3. Sodom had no Bible. There are over 300 million in America.
4. Sodom had not witness, except backslid or Lot. America has 40 million people who say they are born again.
Why is our country where it is and where is our witness?
I had a number of families on my heart this past week. I went by to see some. One man I went by to see I've always notice a light in his eye, but I never asked him personally if he had been saved.
When I did, he gave me his testimony and said, "Thank you for caring enough to ask." What a difference in a believer who is asked if he is saved and a non believer, who professes but is not.
Some time back I had another man on my mind who didn't have God's light in his eye. (Larry Kallum) I went by and asked him if he was saved. He got a little defensive and said kind of huffy, "Well, yes, I'm saved." I said, "Would you tell me how you got saved?" He growled and in anger said, "The same way you got saved."
Our mission involves having God's power, preparing to serve and witnessing to people.
But, there is one more and vital part to our mission.
IV - THE PROCLAMATION v 12-13
12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
I bought a chainsaw a few months back. I looked at the parts and pretty much knew what to do, but I thought I would still read the instructions.
It said, first, read all this information before using the chainsaw.
Then it said examine and make sure you have all these parts.
Then it said, assemble the chain saw. Then it said put the oil in the chainsaw. Then it said put the gas in the chainsaw. Then it told me how to choke it, turn it on and finally it said, pull the cord to crank the chainsaw.
So, why do you tell us that, preacher? Because, salvation has some steps to it.
1 - A person must hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:17)
2 - A person must realized they have sinned and are therefore destined to hell. No religion or good life will save anyone. (Romans 3:10, 23)
3 - A person must hear God's spirit within their heart calling them to salvation. (John 3:8)
4 - A person must surrender to that call. A person must surrender their life to Jesus Christ. (Repent and believe)
5 - Then, that person must take Romans 10:13 and make it the most important prayer they have ever prayed. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved."
I heard Billy Graham preaching last night. It was an old rerun. He quoted this verse and said, "When you call upon the Lord you must mean it with all your heart." Amen!

I remember, Dr. Lee Robertson, use to stand everybody up in front of the church when they made a profession of faith and he would ask them:
1. Do you believe that Jesus Christ died for you was buried and rose again.
2. Have you asked him to be your Savior and are you trusting Jesus with all your heart?
3. Do you want to be baptized and join this church. That means, when you accept Jesus, you accept His bride, His church.
If you know beyond a shadow of a doubt you are saved, give me a hearty, Amen. Great!
Now let me ask you, have you prepared your life for God's mission for you and do you care about people?