September 25, 2022; Sunday School

Order of Service

• Prayer Requests
• Lesson — Missions: Common Objections and Biblical Foundations
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: Common Objections to Missions and a Biblical Response

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

I. Introduction to Missions

A. Definition of missions

1. Merriam-Webster: a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work
2. Class contributions: sharing the gospel, participating in God's plan, living among people outside one's own culture

B. Biblical foundations for missions

1. Creation mandate — Genesis 1:28: be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth
2. Old Testament precedent: Jonah sent to Nineveh, prophets sent to foreigners
3. Jesus sends out the seventy-two — Luke 10:1
4. The Great Commission — Matthew 28:19-20: go, make disciples of all nations, baptize, and teach

II. Objection One — There Are Enough Unbelievers at Home; Why Send Missionaries Abroad?

A. The body of Christ has many members with different callings — some called to stay, some called to go B. It is not either/or but both/and: local ministry and foreign missions are complementary

1. The church supports local ministries (pregnancy center, jail ministry) and foreign missionaries simultaneously
2. Many parts of the world still lack access to a church or the gospel; some cities of millions may have only one evangelical congregation C. Opportunity differs: in the U.S., seekers have abundant access to churches, Scripture, and Christian media; that access does not exist everywhere

III. Objection Two — Nationals Can Do It Better and Cheaper; Why Not Just Send Money?

A. Cheaper is not always better; financial accountability requires personal presence and oversight B. Biblical precedent: in the New Testament, money was sent between churches alongside people with relational connections — 2 Corinthians 8–9 C. Sheer need can overwhelm a small local believing community; outside workers provide necessary personnel D. Western missionaries carry a unique platform: curiosity about why an American would leave comfort to serve abroad opens doors for the gospel E. Both short-term and long-term missions are modeled in the New Testament

IV. Objection Three — Reached Nations Already Have the Gospel; Why Send Missionaries There?

A. "Reached" is a difficult category to define precisely; nominal Christianity and biblical illiteracy exist even in churched communities B. The Great Commission calls us to make disciples, not merely to preach and leave — Matthew 28:19-20 C. Different mission organizations serve different functions within the one body

1. Example: Wycliffe Bible Translators focuses on Scripture translation; their work ends when translation is complete
2. Example: Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) serves remote communities through aviation
3. Specialized callings do not invalidate other forms of ministry D. Analogy: military members serve in varied roles (front lines, training, administration); all are necessary for the mission

V. Objection Four — Missionaries Destroy Native Cultures

A. Missionaries are human and do make mistakes; cultural imposition has occurred historically B. The goal is to bring the gospel, not to export Western culture

1. Distinction between what is biblical and what is merely cultural must be carefully maintained
2. Some cultural practices that conflict with Scripture will and should change; purely cultural practices need not C. Forced change (e.g., the Crusades, coerced state religion) versus voluntary change through conviction by the Holy Spirit D. The objection itself conflates Christianity with Western culture; the gospel is transcendent of all cultures E. Christianity has historically brought genuinely positive cultural change: abolition of slavery, ending child sacrifice, protecting the vulnerable F. Every culture, including Western culture, contains things that need changing

VI. Conclusion — Faithfulness as the Missionary's Ultimate Objective

A. The missionary's ultimate calling is not merely humanitarian work or soul-winning but faithfulness to God B. This applies to all believers wherever God places them — raising children at home, neighboring evangelism, or reaching unreached peoples C. We are all called to be the hands and feet of Christ and to make disciples — Matthew 28:19-20 D. Prayer for more laborers, echoing Christ's own words that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few — Luke 10:2