This is the final article in a four-part series that emphasizes the need to pray each day in the month of May for our churches that are preparing to go to some of the hardest to reach peoples and places in the world.

Article 1 emphasized the urgent need for prayer.

Article 2 encouraged us to pray for the promised harvest.

Article 3 challenged us to pray for laborers.

This final article focuses on identifying, equipping, and sending those called to ministry.

Churches of the Union Baptist Association will go to some of the hardest-to-reach peoples in some of the hardest-to-reach places this summer. As they go, leaders will have a unique opportunity to identify those called to go beyond the reaching distance of a particular local church.

Let’s be clear; all believers are called to go. The Great Commission employs the word “go” with imperative force.

Jesus said in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” (CSB) Jesus left little doubt that his disciples are called to go. But this hasn’t always been the case.

General and Specific Calls

The modern mission movement began when William Carey, an English Baptist, re-applied this command to all believers. For centuries, few people applied the Great Commission to the local church because they believed it was given only to the Apostles. Most assumed that when the last Apostle died, the command inside the commission died with him. 

But Carey argued that if baptism was the responsibility of the local church, so was the command to go. In other words, if the command to go died with the last Apostle, so did the command to baptize. The argument hit home; after all, he was speaking to a group of Baptists.

Today, thanks to William Carey, most of us understand that all believers are called to go to those within their reach.

But some of us are called to go to those beyond our reach. Jesus issued the call for laborers while looking across the fields of a ripening Samaritan harvest. This call had to have been a startling revelation to his followers who had spent a lifetime avoiding Samaria. The implication wasn’t lost on the disciples, and it shouldn’t be lost on us. We are commanded to go to those who won’t come to us, even those we would rather avoid.

And this is where you come in. You take the lead in identifying those specifically called to go beyond the reach of your church.

Identify

1. Inform. You should have regular access to at least two maps: one of Houston and one of the world. Lead your leaders to pray over those maps. Select an area(s) beyond your reach. Then dig deep and learn the needs. Don’t hide the ugly truth. 

2. Inspire. Read missionary biographies. Consider The New Lottie Moon Story, In the Shadow of the Almighty, Through the Gates of Splendor, and Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret. Draw from your own mission trip experiences. Use these stories as illustrations in your sermons.

3. Preach the power of the gospel. If all you do is inform, they’ll withdraw in fear. Their witness will grow increasingly insular and ineffective. But if all you do is inspire, they could rush in like fools. They might run over but they’ll limp back. Both fear and foolishness come from misplaced faith.

   Instead, your sermons should redirect their faith toward the gospel. For it alone has the power to humble the laborer, save the lost, and glorify God. It “is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16, CSB).

4. Provide opportunities to go. Short-term trips give members an opportunity to dip their toes in the water. Houston is filled with people beyond the reach of your church. And our two international airports provide access to most of the world’s 13,000 people groups. If your church can’t provide opportunities to go, consider partnering with others who can.

5. Issue the call. Start with prayer. That’s where Jesus started. Regularly cast the net in your preaching and teaching. Call out the called. Pay particular attention to those taking part in your mission efforts. Look for character, a willingness to serve, and a capacity to lead. 

6. Don’t quarantine your best leaders. Give God your best. It’s an act of faith that in God’s economy won’t be wasted.

Equip

Once you identify those sent out, you’ll need to equip them. That’s where UBA’s Sending Pathways can help. We help churches build systems to equip their members for the vast array of Great Commission tasks. Contact us at info@ubahouston.org.

As the Senior Consultant for Sending Pathways, Cris Alley helps support the local church in thinking and acting like missionaries.

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