A CARD COLLECTION & 2 KEYS

Recently, on his Facebook page, a friend, posted a photograph of the many missionary prayer cards he has collected over the years. What a joy it was to see one of our family’s prayer cards in the mix of so many wonderful missionary-friends. My friend’s purpose in posting was not to show off a large card collection, but to highlight the Great Commission and the vital connection that believers in local churches have with missionaries – and more importantly, with missions – through prayer and giving.

My friend’s post reminded me of what I believe to be two of the primary keys to local church impact in world missions, from here in America to the ends of the earth.

The first and obvious key is the power of the Holy Spirit – there is not even a close second.  I remember the day a missionary friend from another denomination (non-Pentecostal) asked me why the denomination of which I am a part is so effective in evangelism, church planting, and discipleship.  Before I could reply, he answered his own question:  “It’s the power of the Holy Spirit, isn’t it!”  He then proceeded to give me a wonderful explanation of the indispensable and vital role of the Holy Spirit in world missions.  Key number one:  the power of the Holy Spirit.

The second key is the personal connection between churches and the boots-on-the-ground missionaries they support in prayer and finance.  It’s a connectedness that is not program-focused, but people-focused:  in us and in our call, people recognized their own call to go into all the world; they connected our call with theirs; and they chose to “go” with us in prayer and in finance.

As a pastor, I saw this from the outside looking in.

As a missionary, I experienced it from the inside looking out.

Today, as a pastoral coach who has been both a pastor and missionary, I see it and experience it from both sides now.

Case in Point is revealed in one of our most requested “Missionary Stories”: The 27 Cents Solution

THE STORY

During the early and very difficult days of our missionary service in France, I went to the mailbox to collect our mail of the day – that would be “le courrier” in French. Among the usual collection of advertisements and notices was a small envelope from the USA.  The address on the front of the envelope had obviously been written by a young child. Written in pencil, and in extremely large letters, it said: “MISSIONARY BAKER,” and below was our street address in Tours, France. Our mail carrier certainly couldn’t mistake who we were and why we were there!

Intrigued, I opened the envelope to find a single sheet of paper, written by the same young hand:

“Dear Missionary Baker,

“My name is _____________. I am 7 years old. I live in LaPorte, IN. I attend LaPorte AG with my mommy and daddy and family.

“In my Sunday school class we are studying missions. Every Sunday my teacher tells us about missions and what missionaries do to tell the world about Jesus. Last Sunday she took us to look at all of the missionaries on our Wall of Fame. She read all of the names and countries to us. Then she told us to choose one missionary to be our own, a missionary we could pray for.

“I chose you.

“When I prayed for you Jesus told me to send you all of my money . . . “

I looked, and tucked away in the envelope was a 3×5 card with a quarter and two pennies taped to it.

All the money she had in the world.

“I chose you.”

It wasn’t just the voice of a little girl in LaPorte, Indiana that I heard that day, it was the voice of my God and Heavenly Father, gently reminding me that He had called us and would be faithful in providing for our every need as we remained true to His call. Tears filled my eyes at the sound of His still, small voice.

“One quarter and two pennies: 27 cents.”

And it wasn’t’ just one quarter and two pennies that I found inside that envelope that day.  It was something much, much more:  it was the solution to the Great Commission.

Many would look at 27 cents and say, “So? Just twenty-seven cents to a missionary in France? What is twenty-seven cents in the face of the incredible need for the Gospel in France and in Europe? Vast regions of the country and Continent are without a Bible-believing church, and there are even fewer pastors than there are churches – what is twenty-seven cents in the face of such need? Millions of people there are lost and on their way to an eternity without God – what is twenty-seven cents in the face of such need? A country and continent seemingly so hardened against the Gospel of Jesus – again what is twenty-seven cents in the face of such incredible need? What can twenty-seven cents really do?”

But you see, this little girl didn’t give twenty-seven cents to a missionary; she gave 100 percent obedience to God.

And only heaven knows what would happen in a world of need, from this city in America to the ends of the earth, if each of us would do the same: give this same measure of obedience to God – a twenty-seven cents obedience?

IT’S TIME TO WRITE YOUR LETTER

Let each of us sit down today and write a letter, not to a missionary, but to God:

“Dear Missionary God:

“In my Bible I read your call to missions – to give, to pray, to send, and even to go. Not just on Sunday, but every day my teacher, the Holy Spirit, teaches me about missions and what I can do to tell the world about Jesus.

“Today, He led me to the true Wall of Fame, a wall with only one name worthy of honor, the name of Jesus, the one who bled and died to pay for the sins of all peoples in all nations, the One who then called each of us to go into all the world and tell this Good News.

“Then the Holy Spirit invited me to choose from His missionaries around the world so they can be my own – my heart and hands extended to a world in need of Jesus, missionaries I can pray for, because, Jesus,You chose me.

“When I prayed for missionaries today, the Holy Spirit told me to send you, Jesus, all of my obedience:

“be it twenty-seven thousand dollars or twenty-seven cents – all of my obedience;

“praying daily or praying even more – all of my obedience;

“sending others or going myself – all of my obedience;

“doing all I can with all that I have in my heart and hand so that I may give you my one hundred percent obedience.”

Then, let each of us take one quarter and two pennies, tape them to a 3×5 card, and tuck them in our Bible as a bookmark and a reminder of three critical truths:

First, that God has chosen each of us to take this Gospel into all the world, right here in our city ANDaround the world,

Second, that God has promised to supply every resource we need to fulfill His call, and finally,

Third, that we will give Jesus nothing less than our 100% obedience.

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM

The 27 cents solution to world missions: from our front door to the back corners of the globe.  It’s no mystery.  The solution is so simple and clear, even a child can and does understand it.

Note: I deposited that precious little’s girl’s offering in our work account with our denominational headquarters, but when I returned to the US several years later to itinerate from church to church across the nation, I taped 27 cents to a 3X5 card, tucked it in my Bible and carried it to every church I preached in. This card now sets here in my study, just to the left of my desk, as I coach young ministers in America and overseas. It continues to faithfully echo to me in a still, small voice: “I chose you.” And each morning, it calls to me, “Give me your 27 cents again today, your 27 cents obedience.”

Now, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and vitally connected to each other for support, let’s take this Gospel to all of our world, beginning right where we are. This town! This campus! This region! This state! This nation! This world! In Jesus’ strong name!

————

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