Fulfilling the Work of Missions

Before returning to Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ gave His disciples what we call the “Great Commission.” All four gospel accounts as well as the book of Acts record that commission. Matthew states the commission this way:

All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Because of this commission, the true church of Jesus Christ has been and always must be missions minded and soul conscious. Anything less is disobedience to the One who gave Himself for us. Our Savior did not just command us to evangelize, He also gave us a pattern to use in fulfilling this mission. The book of Acts gives this pattern as the early church ventured into the work of missions. Chapters 13 and 14 record the beginning of missions from the Church of Antioch, and the first missionary term of Paul and Barnabas.

The Antioch church was the first church to send missionaries. The leaders of that church were sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Verse two says, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” The Holy Spirit chose Paul and Barnabas to be the missionaries, but He revealed His choice to more than just Paul and Barnabas. The Pastor, teachers, and other leaders in Fellowship Baptist Church must be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in their own lives and in the lives of all of the congregation. The Lord may choose some of us to go into missions, and the rest of us must give encouragement.

Also note that Paul and Barnabas, as well as others were actively serving the Lord in the Church of Antioch. In fact, many Bible teachers believe that Barnabas was the pastor of the church and Paul was an assistant. Anyone who senses that the Lord would have them in missions should be serving God, and getting training right in their own local church. Only then are they properly qualified and equipped for missionary service.

In verse three, we read, “And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” The local church at Antioch commissioned and sent Paul and Barnabas on the mission God gave them. Today we tend to delegate to specialized agencies the responsibility of selecting, training, and sending missionaries. The pattern in Acts is that the Holy Spirit selected the missionaries through the local church. The local church then encouraged, commissioned, and sent the missionaries. We cannot retreat from that pattern today and do God's work in God's way. The local church cannot afford to give up its responsibility of direct involvement with missions and missionaries.

When Paul and Barnabas left Antioch to fulfill the mission God gave them, they went to Cyprus and Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. They proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ in each city they entered. As people were saved, they organized into local churches. Before returning to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas again visited the cities where they had carried the gospel,

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. (Acts 14:22-23)

Their work was not complete until they solidly established the churches. The result of their work was the planting of local, independent churches. We must accept nothing less for the goal of our missions program today. There are many worthy causes that come under the umbrella of missions. We must always keep medicine, education, literature, and benevolent endeavors as secondary ministries if we are to follow the Bible pattern. These types of ministries should support church planting ministries, not replace them.

When Paul and Barnabas had concluded the first term of their ministry, they returned to the church at Antioch. Acts 14:27-28 tells us,

And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples.

Paul and Barnabas were responsible to the Antioch church. That congregation supported them, prayed for them, commissioned them and sent them out. It was right for the missionaries sent by the Antioch church to be accountable to that church for the ministry carried out from that church. When they were home from the mission field, Paul and Barnabas stayed with the congregation of Antioch and served the Lord there.

In essence, all the churches Paul and Barnabas started in Cyprus and Asia minor were daughters of the church at Antioch. This is what missions is all about. This is how we are to carry out missions. A local church sensitive to the Holy Spirit, trains, equips, commissions, sends, supports, prays for, and holds accountable those it sends forth to preach the Gospel and establish churches elsewhere. This is fulfilling the Great Commission God's way.