Christ Leads His Church

0810-26A 1

THE HIGH COST OF MISSIONS

(Acts 11:1-18)

TEXT:

SUBJECT: Evangelism

F.C.F: What is the high cost of gathering the elect around us?

PROPOSITION:Since God has called us to gather the elect, we must pay the cost.

INTRODUCTION:

A. What is the high cost of missions? Certainly cross-cultural missions is very expensive. To train a person or couple for the mission field almost certainly involves a college degree, perhaps $50-100,000. For many it will involve post-college study, racking up even more expenses. And there is the time involved in the years of general training, and the specific language and culture-learning. And then there is the annual support for cross-cultural missions, maintaining that person or family on the field, travel and living expenses, not to mention the ministry expenses as well. It could easily run up to $100,000 a year to maintain a missionary family on the field, though most are underpaid and under-funded. And this is not to mention the personal cost to the missionaries themselves: the possible danger, the loneliness, the hardships, frustrations, and the bitter opposition of the evil one. Gathering the elect through the good news of the Gospel is a very costly work.

B. But I want to step back a bit and consider our calling here in this place. Some will be called to go, but many will be called to stay and serve God’s purposes right here. And yet we all bear the responsibility to gather the elect around us with the good news of the Gospel. What will it cost us to reach out with the message of Jesus Christ and give everyone the serious opportunity to embrace him as Lord and be saved from eternal death? What will be the price you must pay in order to gather the elect from among those in your circles, those with whom you have some connection and influence? What is the cost of missions right here, right now?

I. THE COST OF MISSIONS.

A. We get an indication of the cost from our text for this morning. Through the direct command of God, Peter traveled to the house of Cornelius the Gentile. He crossed the threshold of his house and entered it, which the most strict Jews forbade. When it was unmistakably clear that Cornelius and his Gentile friends had received the Gospel and had become Peter’s brothers-in-Christ, he stayed with them, sharing the home and table of these Gentiles, for some days.

And when the Jews back in the home office in Jerusalem got wind that the chief of the twelve apostles was not only hobnobbing with Gentiles but was actually sharing room and board with them, there was a measure of panic among them. “1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

B. Now what is going on here? Remember in first-century Judaism there were two distinct groups; we could call them the traditionalists and the progressives. The traditionalists wanted to preserve every aspect of their Jewish culture. They refused to go along with the times, speaking only the traditional Hebrew and Aramaic, and not adopting the more modern Greek language, customs, and dress. The progressives were more open to outside customs. Some of them lived a distance from the Holy Land and started to resemble the people around them. Don’t get me wrong; both of these groups, the traditionalists and the progressives, were fully Jewish. Both groups kept the kosher food laws, attended synagogue each week, came to the festivals in Jerusalem if possible, and followed the law. It was more a matter of style.

Up until this time, most of the persecution of Christians was confined to the progressive Jewish Christians. You recall that Acts 6 records the tension in the early church between these groups. The progressives complained that their widows were being short-changed in the daily distribution of food. The church sought to rectify this by appointing seven servants (early deacons) to take charge of this work, and all seven were most likely from the progressive group. Stephen was the first named among them. And you recall that Stephen was accused of preaching against the Temple and the customs of Moses, probably by the non-Christian Jewish traditionalists. Stephen answers the charges by declaring that both the customs of Moses and theirbeloved Temple had found their completion in Christ, and that by missing Jesus as the Christ, the Jews had missed the point of their own religion. And the result was that Stephen was condemned to death and a great persecution broke out against the Christians, largely, I think, against the progressive-Jewish Christians.

For a while, then, there had been a sort of truce between the Jews and the Christian Jews, though there was continual tension. The twelve apostles, the leaders, were all among the traditionalists, so this may have helped smooth things over a bit. The implication was that these Christians were led by good, upstanding, loyal Jewish traditionalists, so they could be tolerated.

C. And then, Peter, the traditionalist, the chief of the twelve had stayed in the home of a Gentile, and had shared a table with this Gentile family. This went way beyond anything that even the progressives were advocating. This must have sent shock waves through the Christians back in Jerusalem. This not only threatened to break the fragile truce; it exploded it and potentially opened the whole Christian church to a fresh and reenergized wave of persecution. No wonder these traditionalists were so alarmed and criticized Peter.

So Peter explains himself to them: “4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: (The order of events here is different from Luke’s account in chapter 10 because they reflect the situation from Peter’s perspective.) 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”

Apparently, according to verse 12, those six men who had accompanied him to Cornelius’s house were with him to confirm the details.

D. God bless those traditionalist Christians! They knew that Peter’s actions might cost them dearly in a fresh wave of persecution. The non-Christian Jews would certainly be incensed that the leader of the Christians had eaten at the same table with Gentiles. But these traditionalist Christians submitted to the clear command of God. “18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” They not only accepted this truth as the command of God, they worshipped the Lord for his grace to the Gentiles, in granting to the Gentiles also the sovereign ability to repent and be saved. God bless them. It reminds me of the three friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before Nebuchanezzer. “We must obey our God who is able to deliver us. But even if he doesn’t, and we perish, we will still obey him.” Or Esther who said that she would do the right thing and “If I perish, I perish.” You see, they were all willing to pay the high cost of missions.

II. THE COMMAND FOR MISSIONS.

Now before we go any further, we need to be clear that the same God calls us to join him in our generation in the great, though costly, work of missions, gathering the elect through the Gospel. If you are a believer, then you need to be absolutely sure that the work of the Gospel is not only entrusted to others, but also to you as well. This is not only the work of evangelists, those God has especially gifted in evangelism, preaching and teaching, and missions. This call to make disciples of all nations is for every last follower of Christ. How can we be sure?

A. Well for one thing, we need only look to the example of Christ. He left his safe, comfortable group in heaven, if you will, and came and dwelt among sinners, not only to explain the Gospel, but to accomplish the Gospel so that we would have some good news to share. Peter says that we are to “follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Christ’s steps led him to sinners to proclaim the good news and offer them everlasting hope. Our steps must follow him there.

B. For another thing, Christ’s love in the cross constrains us (2 Corinthians 5:14). The greatest truth of all time, the most important message that anyone could ever hear is the love of God poured out for sinners on the cross of Christ. This really is the best news, more important, more significant than all other truths rolled into one. This news is so big that it requires all of God’s people to share it with everyone.

C. And of course we have all of the direct commands of God to “be his witnesses” (Acts 1:8), to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), “that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47), and that “as the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:23).

D. And we have the example from our text in Acts 10-11. Peter goes to share the Gospel with the Gentiles as God commands, and the whole church is convinced that this is right. And you must be convinced as well. And this leads us to

III. THE COMMITMENT TO MISSIONS.

A. Beloved in Christ, you must make or renew your commitment to missions. Some will be called to go; others will be called to stay and support those who go. But don’t miss the vital truth that even those who are called to stay must be at work gathering the elect in our day and in our place.

Perhaps you know that early in the last century, American Christians, largely Presbyterians, began to reach out with the Gospel to Korea. In time God blessed the work and many churches were planted there. The church in Korea became very strong and soon the Korean church was also sending missionaries around the world. But what has happened in the mean time is that the work of the Gospel in America has been sidetracked and in many ways marginalized. And what is remarkable is that now the church in Korea is sending missionaries to America to do the work we have neglected!

B. We all need to be committed to the work of the Gospel in our backyards and neighborhoods, our workplaces and schools. And let me be very honest: this work which we have largely neglected will be very costly to us. As the early church embraced the cost, so we must step up and reach out. What will it cost us to obey God and become intentional about gathering the elect in our area?

1. First of all, it will cost us true repentance. Let’s face it: most of us have been content for far too long to leave the work of the Gospel to others. We have been busy in other pursuits: feathering our nests, chasing worldly success, seeking personal comfort and pleasure, promoting the popularity of our children, excluding others for the sake of extended family, and just being callous and unconcerned about the great message of the Gospel and the glory of the cross of Christ. The Apostle Paul puts it very bluntly in 1Corinthians 15:34: “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.” (1 Cor. 15:34)

So what it will cost us first is true repentance before God for buying into worldliness and self-absorption, being disobedient to our Master’s command, and remaining so coldhearted to the love of Christ and the peril of the lost.

2. I hardly need to say that it will also cost our time. But then who ever said it was “our” time? When you came to faith in Christ, did you not submit to him as Lord? Did you not commit yourself to him, wherever, whatever, whenever? Did you not say to the LORD Jesus Christ,

Take my life and let it be

consecrated Lord to Thee…

take my moments and my days,

let them flow in ceaseless praise”?

So it will cost you some time.

3. And to some extent it will cost your place in your group. Do you know what I mean? Most people try to belong to a group. It may be the people you hang with at school, the folks you associate with at work, the clubs and organizations, the people you meet with for coffee. Or for some, it may largely be your extended family. You don’t really get to know other people because you restrict your associations to extended family or to your group. Most people seek upward mobility in these groups: they want to hang out with the popular people. They want to be considered “cool” because they are included as a part of the “cool” people.

What we may have forgotten is that God has undoubtedly chosen some for salvation who are not a part of the cool group, or who are not among your extended family. Now if you only associate with these groups, you are going to have zero influence and contact with some of the people whom God has appointed you to reach with the Gospel. And what that means is that you are going to have to give up that cozy place in your comfortable group (or extended family) and follow Christ, who came and dwelt among sinners. It’s kind of like Peter, leaving the safety of those clean, safe, kosher Jews and staying for some days among the Gentiles. It’s like those traditional Jews in Jerusalem who hear that God has granted repentance unto life to the Gentiles also, and so worship God for his grace and throw their arms around the Gentiles as well.

C. What I’m saying is that it is going to cost you your reputation. You will start associating with some questionable people, and you will then be associated with them. Remember that our Lord Jesus was soundly condemned as “a friend of prostitutes and tax collectors and sinners.” He wore it as a badge of honor. We regularly sing a hymn that begins with “Jesus, what a friend for sinners,” and we understand ourselves to be those sinners. Are you ready to let your reputation fall, as our Lord Jesus’ reputation fell? Are you willing to join with Peter who spent “some days” with “those people”?

CONCLUSION

I am a reader for the Crossroad Bible Institute. What that means is that people in the prison system the United States are invited to participate in a correspondence Bible study. And then people like me receive their studies, check them over, and send letters of encouragement to them. Sometimes the prisoners include prayer requests. And some of these break my heart.

Last week I received a study from Jimmy from West Virginia. Here is one of his prayer requests:

“Pray for my eleven-year-old son to keep focused on me coming home to him in two years. And that he keeps coming every weekend to see me. I love him so much, and I want to be a spiritual leader for him, something I haven’t been in the past. May God watch over him.”

What if I told you that Jimmy’s wife and son live in your town? If Jimmy’s son went to your school, do you think he would need a friend? Do you think the popular kids in school would include him? Do you think that if you befriended him your popular friends would like it? Who is going to pay the cost to befriend and reach Jimmy’s son?