Who will we send next? This is the question that came to mind as I prepared to preach 3 John 1–8. While the main point of the sermon was to faithfully send and support gospel workers for the sake of Jesus’s name, I couldn’t help but wonder who the future missionaries might be in our congregation.
Faces began to come to mind of godly men and women in our church who have expressed a heart for missions. But I also began to think about those who haven’t expressed a heart for missions, but by God’s grace will develop a desire to go in the years to come. In that moment, I realized that as I was preparing to stand in the pulpit on Sunday morning, I would be preaching to send.
Faithful expositional preaching is a primary discipling tool in the life of the church. As we preach God’s glory in the gospel among the nations (Ps. 96:3), future missionaries are being prepared to go out for the sake of the name of Jesus (3 John 7) and making Him known.
When you think of aspiring missionaries, what do you think often contributes to their initial aspirations to begin the pathway to preparation? It’s true that the Lord may use means such as missions conferences, missions documentaries, missionary biographies — but how much of an emphasis do we put on the Spirit’s work to stir missionary aspiration through faithful expositional preaching?
Preach to Their Specific Circumstances
When the Word is preached, conviction, comfort, and conversions all take place by the grace of God. As preachers, we should be thinking about the specific circumstances of the people entrusted to our care as we consider sermon application. There are common categories that often come to mind as we seek to apply God’s Word to the hearts of people like the sister experiencing suffering, the brother fighting sin, the exhausted young mom, the senior saint enduring to the end — but what would it do for our missions culture if we regularly considered those whom the Lord may be developing a heart for missions while sitting under the preaching of the Word?
Rather than thinking of the Lord sending our most faithful members as a long shot, what if we viewed this as a real possibility in our weekly preparation? We shouldn’t be surprised when God raises up people from within to take the gospel to the nations.
This is what God does: He equips churches like mine and yours to faithfully preach the Word, which then leads to faithfully sending out and supporting gospel workers for the sake of the Name. Expositional preaching provides a clear and ongoing opportunity for God to raise up missionaries within our churches as we faithfully preach God’s glory in the gospel among the nations.
Preach for God’s Glory
Take John Folmer, for example, who faithfully serves as a pastor at the Evangelical Christian Church of Dubai. In Prioritizing the Church in Missions, he writes, “My own interest in missions began to grow as I regularly sat under preaching that emphasized the glory of God and the world-wide purposes of the gospel.” John’s pastors at Capitol Hill Baptist Church were committed to faithfully preaching the Word with missional application — which, by God’s grace, sparked an interest in missions for a brother who was sent out and has now faithfully pastored overseas for more than 20 years.
And during these 20 years, the Evangelical Christian Church of Dubai has sent out many more who are serving churches around the world, even in hard-to-reach places. This isn’t a surprise, because John is also committed to “preaching that emphasize[s] the glory of God and the worldwide purposes of the gospel.”
Brothers, preach God’s glory in the gospel among the nations as you come across this glorious truth in Scripture. When Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” He is simply reiterating a message that clearly runs throughout the Bible. God is the God of all nations. Take Psalm 96, for example: “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all people…” As you come across this theme in Scripture, use it as an opportunity to preach to send!
Preach for Future Missionaries
Brothers, remember that preaching to send also keeps in mind the entire congregation. Preaching to send certainly considers the future missionary, but most of the congregation must be committed to faithful sending and supporting those who go. How are they to go if we can’t send them in a manner worthy of God (3 John 6)?
Faithful sending and supporting provides needs for the journey, and for many this is the most faithful way to be involved in missions. The majority of your congregation may not be the ones who have gone out for the sake of the Name, but they can consistently pray and sacrificially give so that others can. Be sure to apply God’s Word to both those who will go and those who will send.
Brothers, the Lord will send missionaries from our churches in His providential timing (Matt. 9:37–38). We may think that our most recent sermon was inspirational in its missional application, but unless the Spirit works in the hearts of our future missionaries they will not be sent. And so, we must pray that the Lord would use our efforts in preaching to do what only He can do: send missionaries from our churches to take the gospel to the nations.
Brothers, keep praying and keep preaching. May God use faithful preachers like you, to raise up countless missionaries for the sake of Jesus’s name.
Brothers, preach to send!
— Will Cleland (M.Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as a staff elder at Abner Creek Baptist Church in Greer. He and his wife, Hannah, have three children.
