Tonight what I want to do is just kind of speak with you devotionally a little bit about how we can support our missionaries. Let's just begin with a word of prayer. Our Father in heaven, we do want to support our missionaries. We want to be a help to them and a blessing to them. We do think of the Bixbys and our other missionaries around the world who are faithfully serving you in their field of calling. And Lord, I pray that we would be faithful to serve you in our field of calling here in the East Flat Rock area, but that we would also faithfully support and encourage our missionaries and remember them in prayer and lift them up to you and support them in every way we can. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. This is a topical message, so we're going to look at a few different passages. I'd like you to start in Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15, toward the end of that chapter. And my theme this afternoon is that our missionaries are counting on your support. They're counting on your support. They're dependent upon your support. So I want to talk about three practical ways that we can support our missionaries. And the first of those, every missionary will tell you, you know, how can we support you? Top of mind answer to that question is you can pray for us. supporting our missionaries with our prayers. Now it's fair to say that the Apostle Paul was the greatest pioneer missionary in the New Testament church, bar none. He was a man of great spiritual privilege. The risen Lord himself had appeared to the Apostle Paul and called him to a unique ministry. And it was, in essence, a church-planning ministry. And he went on those missionary journeys. to spread the gospel to the Gentile world. Paul was mightily used of the Lord to establish churches all over Asia Minor and well beyond, even into what would be present-day Europe. What was the secret of Paul's success? Well, the right answer to that, of course, is that it was the Lord working through Paul. It was the Lord who empowered Paul. It was the grace of God at work in him. That was his secret. But at least a contributing factor to his success was the fact that he had many, many, many people praying for him. And he was not bashful to ask them to pray for him. And so we come here to the epistle to the Romans And this is actually a passage that was the first message I preached when I came here to Grace Baptist Church, Romans chapter 15 in verse 30, where Paul writes, Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints, that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed." So he's inviting the believers in Rome to pray for him, to actually strive together with him. And this is an interesting word in the Greek here that's translated strive together. It refers to strenuous, agonizing effort to really exert ourselves. We get our English word agonized from the Greek word that is translated to strive together. Paul does not ask the believers in Rome to rescue him from all of his circumstances, to deliver him from all of his trials. to protect him necessarily even from all his opposition, or to even come to the field and join him in the ministry that he's doing. What he asks them to do is to strive together with him in prayer. This is what he's asking them to do for him. And Paul frequently asks for his supporting churches, if you want to call them that, to pray for him. He wrote to the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 1.11, Ye also, helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf. And so he's asking them and those in Corinth to pray together with him. And he writes to the Ephesians, Ephesians 6, 18 through 20, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. And then he writes to the believers in Philippi, Philippians 1, 18, What then? Notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, and yea, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation, my deliverance through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. So he recognized that things depended on the way people were praying for him. He wrote to the Colossians in Colossians 4, verse 2, "...continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving, with all praying also for us that God would open a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak." And so he's saying, pray for me, pray for me, pray for me, pray for me. I need your prayers. I need your prayer support. He wrote to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5.25. Brethren, pray for us. And he wrote again in 2 Thessalonians 3.1. Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified, even as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all men have not faith. So he asked his supporting churches to pray for him, and he even would ask individuals to pray for him. He wrote to Philemon, verse 22, But with all, prepare me also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. And so our missionaries want us to pray for them. They need us to pray for them. They're depending on us. to pray for them, to pray for their ministry effectiveness, to pray for their boldness in their speech, to proclaim the gospel to the lost, to stand up to the enemies of the cross where they are serving. They need our prayers. They need our prayers. The story is told of a long-ago couple who felt called to go to the mission field. And they said farewell to their home church, and as they were about to leave for their field, which was in Africa, a field known as the white man's grave, the husband said, my wife and I have a strange dread in going. We feel much as if we were going down into a pit. We are willing to take the risk and go if you, our home church, will promise to hold the ropes for us. and one and all present promised to do that for them. Well, less than two years passed when the wife and the little one God had given the couple succumbed to death by a fever. And soon the husband realized his days were also numbered and not waiting to send word of his coming to his home church, he just returned and he sneaked in on a prayer meeting night, sat down at the back pew undetected and listened and observed the prayer meeting as it went on. At the close of the meeting, he went forward, and one by one, people began to recognize him, and an awe came over the people, because as they looked at this man's face, death was present there in his face. And he said and testified before his home church, I am your missionary. My wife and my child are buried in Africa and I have come home to die. And this evening I listened anxiously as you prayed and hoped for some mention of your missionaries to see if you were keeping your promise of holding the ropes for us. But I listened in vain. and you have not held the ropes for us. And I can't help but wonder if that is why in less than two years I have had to come home." That's a negative example. That's a negative story, but a poignant one. Our missionaries are dependent upon our prayers more than we may realize. Could it be that there's some one of our missionaries right now who is struggling and fighting the very forces of hell and about to lose because we have failed to pray for them? They need our prayers. They need our prayers. Our missionaries are counting on your support. The first practical way that we can support our missionaries is to pray for them. And the second is the one that we would most often identify with, and that is to support our missionaries with our giving, with our giving. I mean, this just seems obvious, doesn't it? Missionaries go to the mission field. They're dependent upon the financial support of their home church and their sending church, their supporting churches and other individuals who support them. They've devoted their lives to the gospel ministry, and they've been called to a particular mission field, and they need our financial support to sustain them and their ministry there. And we ought to support our missionaries financially. We ought to be supportive of those who have been called into gospel ministry. Paul states this principle in 1 Corinthians 9, 14, even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. This is the divine pattern. And so it is that Paul commended the church in Philippi for their financial support. Turn over to Philippians chapter four. Philippians chapter 4. I want to just read a few verses here in this chapter, beginning at verse 14, where Paul writes, notwithstanding ye have well done that ye did communicate. Now that's an old English word that means to share. You have shared with my affliction. Now ye Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated, shared with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account." But I have all, and abound. I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God." And so Paul commends the Philippian believers really for their financial support. If you boil it down, that's what he's talking about here. They had sent some financial support. They had sent gifts In this passage we observe two forms of giving. First we observe regular giving or what we might call systematic giving. That is the kind of giving that we do here when we have our missions conference and then we turn in our mission giving cards and we're making a commitment, we're expressing the desire of our heart to give a certain amount to missions. And then every week or every month when you come to that point of turning in that money for the mission support, you are giving regularly, systematically to the support of mission work around the world. So that's regular giving. But we also see a responsive giving, a need-based giving. where those in Philippi became aware of specific times of need in Paul's ministry, specific needs that he had. And Paul commends them for responding to his immediate affliction, to the difficulties that he is facing. This was, after all, a prison epistle. He's in prison. He's needing support. Prisoners in those days were sustained by their friends who would bring them their meals. Prison didn't serve the meals. And so it was that they sent a special gift. They sent it by a man with a very long name, Epaphroditus. I wonder what his nickname was. He couldn't have gone by that all the time, I suppose. But, you know, you can just imagine Paul sitting in that prison feeling, you know, alone. You know, at least alone for the sake of the gospel. And imagine him seeing the face of Epaphroditus as he shows up with that bag full of gifts. from the believers in Philippi. What an encouragement that would have been to Paul. Now, I am very thankful that we are indeed a mission minded church. And I'm very thankful that I can tell people, fellow pastors and even missionaries that call, we are a mission minded church. And by that, I mean that we pray for our missionaries and we do financially support many missionaries. I thank the Lord that a little over a year ago we were able to do an across-the-board increase in our support for our missionaries. They need that. I'm thankful that we have missionaries who are part of our fellowship from time to time, like the Windgroves who are here. They need our financial support. They depend on it. And they're even dependent on those special gifts. I was talking with the Windgroves this week. They told me how much it means to them when they go to a church and there is an offering taken and a special gift is given to them. And they see how the Lord uses that to meet their immediate need. So we see in this passage both regular giving and responsive giving. And we should be and we are a giving people to support our missionaries with our giving. And thirdly, the third way that we can support our missionaries is with our kindnesses. Very often when a message is preached on supporting missionaries, prayer is mentioned, giving is mentioned, but very seldom is this area mentioned. And yet I can tell you after talking to many, many missionaries, this means the world to them. When someone in one of their supporting churches shows some kindness to them, singles them out and expresses the love of God to them, in some tangible way. The idea here is to be a blessing to our missionaries, to show them that we care through our kindness. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 7. 2 Corinthians chapter 7. As Paul is writing to the believers in Corinth, he is expressing to them how much it meant to him to be paid a visit by Titus. 2 Corinthians 7, verses 6 and 7. Nevertheless, God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus. And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire your mourning, your fervent mind toward me so that I rejoiced the more." Titus's visit really meant a lot to Paul, and you can sense that in just reading these words. It was a great encouragement and comfort to Paul that Titus came and visited. And specifically, Paul mentions that it was the news that he brought that was such an encouragement to him. the news from home, from afar, good news from afar of how the brethren are doing. It really encouraged him. So I'd like to give some practical suggestions for ways in which we might be able to show kindness to our missionaries, to, in some tangible way, encourage them and let them know that we really care. Well, we can certainly encourage them with our visits. And that may be in person, physically. Maybe the Lord has enabled you to travel abroad and you could visit our missionaries. Or perhaps you could participate in a mission trip. We took our first one last year and we're going to have another one this year. And so maybe you could get involved in going on a mission trip. Maybe you can't go, but maybe you can support those who are going. And so vicariously you can visit our missionaries. But anyone in the room could pick up a phone. and call a missionary, and we have our missionary directory available in the members only section of our website. You can go there and get their phone number. Pay attention to the time zone, okay? You don't want to wake them up in the middle of the night, but pay attention to that. But, you know, give them an encouragement call. Write to them. Write them a letter, send them an email, post on their Facebook page these days. Our younger people, I encourage our children to write letters to our missionaries. Very often they will write you back and that they will be very thankful to receive an encouragement like that. We can express things to our missionaries and give them good news like Titus did. He mentions three things here. The good news of their earnest desire, their longing for Paul, for someone who is far away. In other words, it's kind of like saying, I miss you. I miss you. I care about you. I'm interested in you. I'd like to hear what's going on in your ministry. He mentions their mourning. And I think the best way to explain this is to understand that, you know, there are ups and downs in ministry. And the Scriptures encourage us to rejoice with them that rejoice and weep with them that weep. We should have thought immediately of the Bixbys when we saw on the news that there was that terrorist attack taking place in Paris, France, and I think many of us did. And immediately went to prayer for our missionaries and were eager to hear the news and we did receive the good news that they were safe. And then Paul mentions the fervent mind, the news that the believers there had a fervent mind, a zeal a zeal for the Lord, a sharing together, kind of their hearts are knit together with Paul and the ministry that he's called to do. We're in this together. We're serving the Lord together. We care about you, what you're doing on the mission field, Mr. Missionary, Mrs. Missionary. We care. We want to see you be effective there for the cause of Christ, for the glory of God. And so we can express in tangible ways our kindness to our missionaries. I know some of the ladies of grace especially will try to remember our missionaries' birthdays and remember our missionaries' anniversaries. There may be little notes that we can individually give to them and encourage them in this way. Give a special Christmas gift to our missionaries. We do this each year. We take our Christmas offering. And it's a way that we can express in a special way, just show a little kindness to our missionaries. And they're all so very thankful for that. Maybe you can become aware of specific needs that our missionaries have, and you can take part in helping to meet that need. And you'll always receive a blessing when you do that. So we really just talked about three practical ways that we can support our missionaries. Can you remember what they are? What's the first one? Pray. What's the second one? Give, okay? And what's the third one? Kindness. Show it through your kindness. Our missionaries are counting on your support. They deserve your support. They need your support. And these are very tangible ways in which we can support our missionaries through our prayers, through our financial giving, through our kindness. And all of this is for the glory of God. We do this not so that our missionaries become famous. They're not seeking fame. Or so that they become rich. They're certainly not seeking riches. What they're seeking to do is serve the Lord in their field of calling. They're basically doing exactly what we should be doing right here. It's just that they're doing it somewhere else. Our Father, we thank you for these very simple devotional exhortations from your Word. And I do pray for our missionaries all around the world who are faithfully serving in their field of calling. I am so grateful for the wonderful missionaries that we have, from the very youngest who are yet to get onto the mission field. I think of the bakers who are heading for Australia, to the ones who have just retired, to the frays who have just retired after over 50 years of faithful service. We have wonderful missionaries. And Lord, I pray that you will help us to support our missionaries as we ought, to not be guilty of failing to hold the rope for them. So may we pray, may we give, and may we show through our kindness that we really care. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.