The great and wise philosopher Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers once wrote, “What I’ve got, you’ve got to get it. What I’ve got, you’ve got to give it. Give it away, give it away, give it away now.”
There’s no doubt he understands that something worth getting is also something worth giving. The New Testament, Bible-believing Christian should agree with this as well. The greatest ‘something’ worth getting on this planet is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. And, by default, the greatest ‘something’ worth giving is the message that that gift is available to all. This is why the central focus of any believer and any biblical local church must be a Mission Focus, one that prays, prepares, pays, and proceeds with the mission.
PRAY: Give your SUPPLICATIONS for the Mission
Having a mission focus requires us to be given to prayer.
Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Ephesians 6:19-20 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, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Having a mission focus requires us to be given to prayer. If we aren’t praying for the mission, then we aren’t spiritually invested in the mission. If we aren’t spiritually invested, then we will never be physically or financially invested either.
You will know how mission focused believers are by how much attention they give to specifically pray for the local, regional, national, and global mission of making disciples of all people everywhere. It is good to give our attention and time to schedule and attend prayer meetings and develop prayer teams. However, those times should produce believers who give themselves continually to prayer and ask for others to continually pray for them as they also labor in the mission.
PREPARE: Give your STUDYING for the Mission
we have to be willing to give and give up in order to get prepared.
Ephesians 4:11-12 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Many believers are given to study because they like to learn and talk about how much they have learned. In their much study, they ignore the mission of making disciples of Jesus in favor of the mission of making disciples of themselves. Bible studies become opportunities to discover some new thing instead of opportunities to be drawn into fellowship with God and be equipped for his service.
The purpose of Bible study and biblical training is to equip believers for the work of the ministry. Whether it be our time, money, plans, relationships, hobbies, sleep, et cetera, we have to be willing to give and give up in order to get prepared. Ministry preparation takes work and sacrifice because ministry requires work and sacrifice. Get discipled, go through Discipleship 2, and enroll in LFBI as you trust God to grow you spiritually. As you gain knowledge of Bible truths, seek understanding and wisdom in how to submit to those truths and apply them in the ministry of making more disciples.
PAY: Give your SUPPORT for the Mission
Biblical giving is not an issue of ability, but one of maturity.
Philippians 4:15-17 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
2 Corinthians 8:4-5 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
Giving is more than just tipping God or the local church; it is funding the mission. Any mission will ultimately fail when those responsible for its success fail to give in its support. It's impossible to be mission minded and not be a giver. However, it is completely possible to be a giver and not be mission minded. One gives to help fund those who go in their stead, and the other gives to help fund those who go instead. For some, it’s just easier to give than it is to go.
Biblical giving is not an issue of ability, but one of maturity. Pastor Jeff Bartell once said, “Children are not required to pay their way, while thieves refuse to pay their way.” This is unfortunately how many believers approach biblical giving. Their lack of giving is either proof of their immaturity, or, as in many cases, their desire to be takers instead of givers. The Philippian church couldn’t afford to give but had the biblical maturity to realize that they couldn’t afford NOT to give. So, they talked with Paul to set up a plan to be regular givers. Many believers have nothing to give because they have never planned to give. Mission-minded believers have mission-minded spending plans.
The Philippian church was mission focused because they knew they were the byproduct of others who were mission focused. They had to supply the work of the ministry because there were so many others who needed what they had. They knew anything worth getting was worth giving. They also knew that while they may not be prepared to go, they could be prepared to help fund those who were.
PROCEED: Give YOURSELF for the Mission
if God calls them someplace else, they will make disciples there too.
Acts 13:2 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.
Ephesians 3:7-8 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Sadly, many believers miss out on what God has for them because they realize that if they give themselves for the mission, they will have to give some things up for the mission as well. And that sacrifice is just not worth it to them. The comforts of home, family, entertainment, hobbies, sports, and culture hold a lot of God’s kids back. They are willing to spend, but they aren’t willing to be spent.
Mission-minded believers have mission-minded spending plans because they have already placed THEMSELVES in the offering plate within their local church. They are not waiting for a call because they know they’ve already been called by the grace given them of God. They have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. They are not content to be just fellow brothers or sisters in the Lord, but have yielded themselves to be fellow laborers in the Lord. They are busy making disciples of the people—children, addicts, married, singles, single-agains, youth, poor, rich—right where they are. And if God calls them someplace else, they will make disciples there too. Wherever they are in the world, they are ready and willing to give everything away, to give everything away now.
To learn more about Pastor Tony Godfrey and his ministry, check out this episode of the Postscript podcast.
Tony Godfrey is the head pastor of Harvest Baptist Church of Iola, KS. He has been serving the Lord since 1997, and was instrumental in leading the Living Faith Fellowship in the revision of our discipleship lessons.