★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA),
(now Evangelical Church Winning All)
Airport, Abuja - Nigeria
[Missions Week]
7th June, 1998
* Speaker: Pastor D. D. Sakoma (from ECWA Karu)
* Topic: Rescue the Harassed and the Helpless
★ Romans 12:18 →"If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in peace with all people."
* Our God is a "seeking God''. The Bible is a record of the Shepherd seeking the lost sheep
★ Genesis 9:6 →“Whoever sheds human blood, by a human his own blood is to be shed; because God made human beings in his own image."
→ Man was made in the image of God
★ Matthew 9:35 →"Then Jesus began traveling throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness."
* God sent His Son into the world to rescue men. He sent His Word to bear witness
* The harassed and the helpless are those that are the sinners and those under the bondage of the enemy; those that have not yet heard the Gospel
★ Matthew 24:14 →"And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
* Jesus will not come unless the Word (Gospel) has been heard by everyone
* If you cannot go out to the rescue mission, then you can pray, or give to support missionary efforts
★ Philippians 2:10 →"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth."
* Jesus humbled himself to become man. He was afflicted and brutally murdered but eventually, He rose from the dead.
* Poser: What are you doing (as a Christian) to share in the suffering of Christ?
★ 1st Thessalonians 2:1-2 →" For you yourselves know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a waste of time. As you know, we suffered persecution and were mistreated in Philippi. Yet we were encouraged by our God to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition."
★ Romans 1:14 → " Both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to foolish people, I am a debtor."
* The Gospel is an obligation that Christians are indebted to
★ Romans 5:6 →"For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, the Messiah died for the ungodly."
* If we don't preach the Gospel, our brethren will be left to die in darkness
★ Ezekiel 33:8-9 →" If I should say to a certain wicked person, ‘You wicked man, you’re certainly about to die,’ but you don’t warn him to turn from his wicked behaviour, he’ll die in his guilt, but I’ll seek retribution for his bloodshed from you. However, if you warn the wicked to turn from his behaviour and he does not do so, he will die in his guilt, and you will have saved yourself.”
* Unless you tell the lost about the love of Christ, if they die in darkness, God will require their blood from you
☆ HOW TO ENGAGE IN MISSIONARY WORK
1. Let people see the light of God in your life
2. Pray for the progress of God's work and the workers
3. Support the work through generous giving
4. Go out and tell others that are lost and are in darkness about the love of Christ
* Many Christians have turned from evangelism to back-biting and grumbling
* The lost cannot be found unless someone goes and tells them;
* God will require their blood from you if you relent in spreading the Word of truth that gives life
* NOTE: Missions is the heartbeat of God
