1 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,000 Greetings, everybody. Thank you for joining us for 2 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:11,800 this episode. My name is John Ewart. 3 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,080 I'm the senior pastor at Inglewood Baptist Church here in 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:15,960 Rocky Mount. And we're so thankful that 5 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:18,320 you've been listening to this. You know, we've been 6 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,960 broadcasting and these episodes in a way to to try to help you 7 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,800 as you're praying or, you know, we originally started with the 8 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,400 idea that you would be walking, maybe in your neighborhood, 9 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:31,640 walking the dog, walking with your spouse or friends, And 10 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:33,480 maybe you're walking around the mall. 11 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:36,560 Maybe you're driving and you're listening to these, or maybe 12 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:38,480 you're just sitting in your living room and having your 13 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:42,000 quiet time and listening through this and using these as prayer 14 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:43,400 guides. I hope you go back and listen to 15 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:45,040 all the episodes. We've tried to cover different 16 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,840 areas of prayer. And today we have a special one. 17 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,920 I think we're going to be praying for the world. 18 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,280 We're going to be praying for missions, which is near and dear 19 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,640 to my heart. I have a background in missions 20 00:00:55,640 --> 00:01:00,160 and, and my teaching role at the seminary in the past has been in 21 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:01,800 that world. So this is something I'm very 22 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,120 excited about. Inglewood has had a history of 23 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,320 missions over the years. It has a foundation of that. 24 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:08,920 And so that's something we certainly want to build upon, 25 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,320 continue to, to enhance and then to get even more people to 26 00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:15,080 participate. So not only in our trips and our 27 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,560 projects, but just in our, our prayer support and our giving as 28 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,280 well. So it's, it's a big part of the 29 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,080 DNA of our church. So if you're not a part of a 30 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,160 church anywhere else, I hope you'll come and be a part of 31 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,120 what we're doing here. I'm, I'm excited to be joined 32 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,400 today by, by someone you've, you've heard him before. 33 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,840 If you've been listening to these episodes, Pastor Charles, 34 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,640 our pastor of prayer and pastoral care is here with us. 35 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:40,560 Charles, thanks for being here. It's great to be here. 36 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,440 Charles served overseas in missions and that was our 37 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,680 missions pastor for many years. Then we're also joined by our 38 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,400 student pastor, Dylan Anderson. Thank you for being here. 39 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:52,240 Thank you, Pastor John, looking forward to. 40 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,440 It Dylan has also served overseas and leads many of our 41 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,000 mission trips with our students and we're excited about his 42 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:00,880 input. Let me just give us a brief 43 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:03,000 introduction as you start driving or walking. 44 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,760 So get those feet going or, or get your prayer, prayer wheels 45 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,280 and moving in your living room there. 46 00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:12,080 You know, one of the things that we, we believe here is that an 47 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,880 essential discipleship at Inglewood is that a disciple of 48 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:16,720 Jesus would participate in missions. 49 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,600 But they would also do that with a sense of urgency and a sense 50 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,760 of sacrifice that there's a, a passion involved with this. 51 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:25,760 And what does that mean? You know, missions often gets 52 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:28,240 confused. Sometimes a lot of stuff gets 53 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,040 kind of defined as missions. There's some different words 54 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:32,920 that we use. You know, we have the idea of 55 00:02:32,920 --> 00:02:37,760 God's mission with no S on the end, and that's an unchanging, 56 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:40,640 non debatable thing that God creates. 57 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:42,120 We don't get to decide God's mission. 58 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,040 He does that. His mission is to bring himself 59 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,120 glory and for us to join him in redeeming the nation's. 60 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:53,040 This is a biblical a word and will of God kind of issue. 61 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,760 So the church doesn't decide its mission, but the church does 62 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,720 participate in missions in order to help fulfill that mission. 63 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,880 So part of what we do is we have, we have various projects 64 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,800 and prayer, prayer issues and every Sunday we're praying for 65 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,600 unreached people groups as well as trying to get people 66 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:12,840 involved. So missions is something that we 67 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:14,600 do to participate in the mission. 68 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:16,760 And then you have the idea of evangelism. 69 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,200 And what's the difference between missions and evangelism? 70 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,200 I used to get asked that in Class A lot. 71 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:23,600 You know, I, I, I do it this way. 72 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,160 It's pretty simple. I, I divide things into 3 73 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:28,440 categories. Yet pre evangelism, evangelism 74 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,600 and post evangelism. And in pre evangelism, you're 75 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:33,800 building the relationships. You could do social ministry, 76 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,200 pray for people, develop the relationships that you want to, 77 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,360 to build those bridges. Evangelism itself is actually 78 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:42,960 verbally sharing the gospel. You're talking about a cross, 79 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:44,560 you're talking about a resurrection, you're talking 80 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,920 about what Jesus did for us. And then post evangelism after 81 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:50,520 somebody's saved, obviously you have discipleship and follow up 82 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:53,280 that needs to take place in missions. 83 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:57,480 All three of those things happen and often the definition of 84 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,200 missions would include some cross cultural element, although 85 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:04,080 in today's world that's getting a little more vague because with 86 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,480 globalization, you'll have people in your neighborhood from 87 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,160 different cultures speaking different languages. 88 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,480 And so that doesn't necessarily mean you have to go to a 89 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,000 different country to be engaged that way. 90 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,839 Although we often think of international missions as the 91 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,839 the primary part, but we also have North American church 92 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:24,000 planting as well as our our own local projects and evangelism. 93 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:27,160 So to kick us off, as you begin your walk and you're you're 94 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:29,040 looking around at the neighborhood you're walking 95 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,240 through or you're driving and noticing people in other cars or 96 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,680 walking along the sidewalk, or even if you're just sitting in 97 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,360 your den. I want to read a couple passages 98 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:38,960 for you. And then you can begin their 99 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,200 prayer time. And we'll give you a moment to 100 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,080 do that. A very familiar, well known 101 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:46,440 passage in missions is called the Great Commission. 102 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,080 When you look in the Gospels, you'll find and in the book of 103 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,200 Acts, you'll find versions of this Matthew 28 is the most 104 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,680 common. So let me read that verse 18. 105 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,200 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven on earth 106 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:00,320 has been given to them, are given to me. 107 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,360 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them 108 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,560 to the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, 109 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:08,560 teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. 110 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:11,800 And behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age. 111 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,000 I always like to point out that the only way that the going and 112 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,000 the discipling and the teaching and the baptizing and all that 113 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,480 stuff in the middle, the only way that works is because Jesus 114 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,040 has all authority. So we depend upon his power, and 115 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:27,760 then he also promises that he'll always be with us. 116 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:30,520 So we depend upon his presence. So his power and presence make 117 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:35,280 all of our missions possible. And then you have the verse in 118 00:05:35,280 --> 00:05:38,560 Acts 18, which is also very familiar, says, but you will 119 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,880 receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and 120 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,840 you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and, and in all Judea 121 00:05:44,840 --> 00:05:47,200 and Samaria into the end of the earth. 122 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:51,400 And so we see this progression of command to, to go out into 123 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:55,080 the whole world, starting locally, working through the 124 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,120 region. Samaria would also represent 125 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,720 people who aren't like you and ending up in the end of the 126 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:02,520 earth. So, so even as you begin your 127 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:06,440 prayer time right now, think about a world of, of lostness, 128 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,480 think about the world of need and think about your own 129 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:12,560 participation. Begin to pray, to ask God to, to 130 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,520 show you his presence and to show you his power. 131 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,400 And we'll give you a moment to begin praying, and then we'll 132 00:06:18,400 --> 00:07:13,920 come back. The. 133 00:07:54,720 --> 00:08:49,560 The. The. 134 00:09:27,520 --> 00:10:10,610 The. The. 135 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:16,240 Now, as we move forward, I want us to pray, first of all, for 136 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,280 those who are already participating in missions. 137 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:22,920 Charles and Dylan both have experience, as do I, living 138 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:25,560 overseas. And so I'ma let Pastor Charles 139 00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:27,360 kick us off here. But Charles, talk to us a little 140 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,280 bit about how we could pray for those who are already 141 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:33,920 participating in missions. Yes, that's a great place to 142 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:38,160 start. We can use Acts 1/8 as a as a 143 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,800 guide. Jesus said you will be my 144 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:43,720 witnesses. And then he says in Jerusalem 145 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:48,080 and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 146 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:53,320 So I like to make it personal. I like to say, what is my 147 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:55,000 Jerusalem? What is your Jerusalem? 148 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:59,400 So as you're praying right now, what is your Jerusalem and 149 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,040 praying for those who are already participating in 150 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:08,000 missions in your communities, in your context, in your area, 151 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,040 where you live? Hopefully it's you. 152 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:15,880 Hopefully you are that Jesus said you will be. 153 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:20,320 So for us as believers, we are impacting our community. 154 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:24,880 We are sharing the gospel. We are engaging others right 155 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,560 there, right here where we live. And then we think about the 156 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:31,120 local church and hopefully your local church. 157 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:34,200 I know Inglewood, we say about Inglewood. 158 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:39,080 We are a church serving the Rocky Mount, Nashville, Red Oak 159 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:43,280 and surrounding areas. We desire to make an impact 160 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,880 right here where we are. When I talk to people many times 161 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,920 I tell people this is our community, this is where we 162 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:53,520 live. This is where we as God's people 163 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,480 at Inglewood Baptist Church live and play and work. 164 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,840 And so we want to make a difference and we have 165 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:05,400 ministries that we can participate in and do it with 166 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:08,800 urgency and sacrifice to make a difference right where we live. 167 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:13,520 So as you're praying, pray for your church and your local 168 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,240 church and the local churches around us that we are engaging. 169 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,440 There are many local churches in the Rocky Mountains, surrounding 170 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:25,280 areas that are engaging and making a difference and on 171 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:29,000 mission with God. And then I'm thankful for the 172 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,080 Christian organizations that we get to partner with. 173 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:35,920 I think about your choice Resource Center is 1 making the 174 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:41,000 difference, touching lives, sharing the gospel with those 175 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,920 who come to them and those they get to to witness to and 176 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:49,600 participate in ministry with. And then I think about a 177 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,360 Christian adoption services. That's a ministry that we 178 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:57,680 partner with and they're making a difference with families who 179 00:12:57,680 --> 00:13:00,800 want to adopt and make a difference and want to make a 180 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:05,240 Christian impact in families. And then I think about the 181 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,600 chaplains, the Christian chaplains that work in hospitals 182 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:12,480 and I think about the the principles and the head masters 183 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:14,800 that we have right here in Inglewood and different local 184 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,760 churches who know Jesus Christ and are making a difference 185 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:22,760 right where they are. So what I like to do is call 186 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,600 people by name and call schools by name that I know that there's 187 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:30,160 Christian witnesses and, and pray for the churches. 188 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,880 We need to be praying for one another as we're making the 189 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,640 impact because we're here for the mission of God. 190 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:41,600 And then Judea, your Judea and my Judea, I think is our 191 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:43,880 surrounding areas outside of where we live. 192 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:46,240 It could be our state, North Carolina. 193 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:48,200 I think it also can be our country. 194 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:51,240 It's right where we live. And I'm so thankful that we 195 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,680 partner with North Carolina Baptist, the North Carolina 196 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:56,320 Baptist Convention. And they have so many 197 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,640 ministries. I think about one Baptist on 198 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:04,200 Mission, Pastor John and Pastor Dylan that work with people who 199 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:08,480 are going through troubled times, going through that have 200 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:12,640 experienced disasters, natural disasters and other kind of 201 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,960 disasters. And we get to minister and share 202 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:20,520 the gospel and, and show acts of love and kindness with the power 203 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:24,320 of Jesus Christ. I think about the aging adult 204 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:28,160 ministry that our North Carolina Baptist participate in. 205 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,160 And so I'm very thankful. And I think about our Bible 206 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:37,000 colleges and our seminaries in North Carolina and, and beyond 207 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,800 and pray for them by name. Remember them. 208 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:45,600 Remember that that God is actively working today in our 209 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,320 world, in our country, in our community. 210 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:52,680 And so then we think about, as Pastor John mentioned, Samaria, 211 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:57,880 your Samaria, that's the ones that tend to be overlooked and 212 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:00,880 neglected. Maybe the homeless in our area, 213 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:04,520 it could be the orphans or the widows or the widowers. 214 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:08,960 See, it could be those that we just maybe they have addictions 215 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:13,200 and we tend to turn our back, society turns their back on them 216 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:17,000 or those with special needs and special abilities. 217 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:20,080 And so we as a local church and there are ministries. 218 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:23,520 I think about the North American Mission Board and I think about 219 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:27,960 again, Samaritan's Purse and different ministries, Christian 220 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,720 organizations that minister and to the homeless. 221 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,760 But how about us? How about we need to be thinking 222 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:37,440 about and know that there are local churches today like 223 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:41,120 Inglewood and others that are ministering to those that we 224 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:45,760 would consider Samaria. And so let's just pray, continue 225 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:49,120 to pray for those and call them by name as you're walking, as 226 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:53,200 you're sitting in your prayer time, maybe look up the North 227 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:57,120 American Mission Board, maybe look up your church website and 228 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:03,200 just be looking at the different ministries to these ones that 229 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:07,200 tend to be overlooked. And then your ends of the earth. 230 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:12,000 There are people beyond your immediate sphere and to the 231 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,080 outermost parts of the earth. I never forget, Pastor John, 232 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:22,600 that we as a local church are commanded to do all of this. 233 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:26,120 We, we don't just do our Jerusalem, we do not just 234 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,960 minister to all of Judea. We do not just minister to 235 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:33,320 Samaria, but to the outermost parts of the earth. 236 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,240 God has called us. And there are always, I think 237 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:40,000 about the IMB International Mission Board and I think about 238 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:43,320 a North American mission board right here and N International 239 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:46,760 Mission Board overseas and there's many, many other 240 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:50,160 agencies. I think about Transworld Radio 241 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,640 and I think about how they are sending the gospel by the 242 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:59,560 airwaves on radio and to places that are hard to reach and how 243 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,080 God's using them. And I think about Wythcliffe 244 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,319 Bible Translators, how God is using them in the world today. 245 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:12,839 And so thank God that God is at work and he is using US and he's 246 00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:16,800 using believers around the world to touch. 247 00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:20,920 So let's just take time as you're praying to remember it. 248 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:23,599 God is at work. And I was thinking about some 249 00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:28,600 scriptures other than the ones Pastor John just mentioned, but 250 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:33,480 especially like Mark 1615. And Jesus said to his disciples, 251 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:38,000 go to all the world and proclaim the gospel. 252 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:42,800 Proclaim the gospel, whatever else we may do to proclaim the 253 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:48,680 gospel to the whole creation. And then Jesus said in John 2021 254 00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:55,600 to them again, peace be with you as the Father has sent me, Even 255 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,840 so I am sending you. Here at Inglewood. 256 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:03,640 We remind each other that we are sent, We are the sent ones to 257 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:09,840 our Jerusalem, to all Judea, our Judea, Samaria, into the 258 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:12,240 outermost parts of the earth. Pastor John. 259 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:15,360 Yeah, thank you, Charles. You know, I was just thinking as 260 00:18:15,360 --> 00:18:17,800 I was sitting here, I actually just got a WhatsApp from a good 261 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:21,440 friend of mine who's the leader of the National Mission Board of 262 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:26,080 Brazil and talking about how they're, they're trying to reach 263 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:30,600 out to over 5000 churches. And he also had a video of that 264 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:33,680 he sent me where they were ministering to one of the, I 265 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,120 believe it's 3000 islands at the mouth of the Amazon before it 266 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:41,640 flows into the ocean. And, and, and just the the the 267 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,520 need that's out in the world that we can see locally. 268 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:46,920 One of the things that I would just encourage you, which is 269 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,040 what you were saying is that don't just pray for all the 270 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:50,840 missionaries in the world. Don't just pray for all the lost 271 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:54,440 people in the world begin to identify individuals or 272 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:56,440 individual ministries. And there are thousands of 273 00:18:56,440 --> 00:19:00,480 missions in entities out there, frankly, but the zero in on 274 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,720 those that your church is working with and that that your 275 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,240 church is really trying to partner with and begin to pray 276 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:08,520 for them. So don't just don't just listen 277 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,280 to announcements about them or don't just hear that we're going 278 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:14,840 to do something with somebody, actually lift them up in prayer 279 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:17,880 and lift up the missionaries. We have a global prayer hallway 280 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:21,520 here where we have missionaries that have been sent out from the 281 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:24,280 church. And so we have specific names of 282 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:27,360 people that you can pray for. So the more specific you are in 283 00:19:27,360 --> 00:19:30,480 prayer life, the more fresh it is, the more proactive it is, 284 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:33,600 and the more the more you'll actually see fruit and results. 285 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,440 So I'm going to stop for a minute, let you take just a few 286 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,960 minutes to begin asking God to show you some of these specific 287 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:44,240 people or ministries and to take a few moments and begin lifting 288 00:19:44,240 --> 00:20:44,910 them up an intercession. The. 289 00:21:29,760 --> 00:22:08,260 The. The. 290 00:22:48,480 --> 00:23:23,010 The. The. 291 00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,320 Well, we've been praying for those who are already 292 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:44,800 participating in missions, but what about those who should 293 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,560 participate in missions, Right. And so one of the things we want 294 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,600 to do is spend a few minutes thinking about some ways we 295 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:54,480 could participate in missions and, and Our Calling to 296 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:56,920 missions. And so Pastor Dylan, help us 297 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:58,680 with this. You've LED a lot of people on 298 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:00,560 short term mission trips. You've also been part of 299 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,360 missions Agency. So talk to us a little bit about 300 00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:05,360 how we should be involved in missions. 301 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:07,640 Yeah, Thank you. Pastor John, in the very 302 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:09,880 beginning, you were mentioning that participating in missions 303 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,360 is one of the essentials of discipleship here at Inglewood. 304 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:15,600 And if we're saying that participating in missions is an 305 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,560 essential of discipleship, that means we're expecting everyone 306 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,080 to be participating in missions in some way. 307 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:26,680 And 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, verses 17 through 21, Paul tells 308 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:30,160 us that we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. 309 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:34,360 God is reconciling the world to himself through Christ, and he's 310 00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:38,520 given that ministry to us to join a part of his mission of 311 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:40,640 reconciling the world to himself. 312 00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:43,880 And so the first thing that we can do is we can pray. 313 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:47,760 Everyone of us should be praying for missions. 314 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,040 And just like Pastor Charles said, we should be praying for 315 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,360 those who are already laboring in missions, thinking about our 316 00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:55,440 missionaries, our local partners, our international 317 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:58,480 partners by name and, and working through those and 318 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:00,680 praying for those on a regular basis. 319 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:05,440 But also, as Matthew 938 says, we should be praying that the 320 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,960 Lord of the harvest would send out more laborers into the 321 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:12,600 harvest that God would begin to send out and call out more 322 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:16,680 missionaries to go and be a part of what he's doing in the world. 323 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:20,440 And then we also need to be praying for the lost by name. 324 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:23,400 We need to be thinking about the lost people in our community, 325 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:27,320 the people that we know in our as, as Charles said, our 326 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,640 Jerusalem, our Judea, those people that are close by us. 327 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:33,560 But then we also need to be thinking about those people on 328 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:35,440 the other side of the world. Here in a little while, we'll 329 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:37,880 talk about unreached, unengaged people groups. 330 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:41,320 We need to be calling out those those people, those places by 331 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:44,480 name and asking that the Lord would bring salvation to them. 332 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:47,400 But prayer is not where things stop. 333 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:51,760 We also are called to give, and so I would encourage you to be 334 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:56,240 giving to your local church. In Acts chapter 4, we see what 335 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:58,800 when the local churches is selling their possessions and 336 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:00,800 they're pulling all their resources together and they're 337 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:04,080 bringing them and laying them to the feet of the apostles to be 338 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,720 distributed out to the different ministries that God has called 339 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:09,080 the church to. And so we here at Inglewood, we 340 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,600 support all kinds of organizations here locally and 341 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,880 internationally. We support missionaries that we 342 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:18,080 have sent out from Englewood Baptist Church. 343 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,920 And so we pray very diligently and seek the Lord on the places 344 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,960 that we would send the money that's been entrusted to us as a 345 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:28,760 congregation on how that is used. 346 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:31,280 I mean, and it allows us to be able to do things like mission 347 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,000 scholarships to help people go on short term mission trips here 348 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,200 through our local church. And so giving to our local 349 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,320 church is one of the best ways that we can support missions and 350 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:45,640 what God is doing in the world. But then also many of us will be 351 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:49,440 going and so there are many different ways and avenues to be 352 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:51,440 able to go. You can go on a short term trip 353 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:54,200 or a a midterm trip or even long term. 354 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:58,480 And so that we've got many short term trip opportunities that are 355 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:01,080 going to be coming up. We've got some local 356 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,960 opportunities with our church plant over in Tarboro with First 357 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:07,280 Love and with Jonathan and Brittany Taylor and their 358 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,960 family. But then later this year we're 359 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,200 going to have a missions month where we're going to be talking 360 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:15,080 about all of the short term missions opportunities over the 361 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:19,000 next year here at Inglewood where you can go either 362 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:21,520 somewhere locally in in North America or somewhere 363 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:24,160 internationally and serve the Lord for a short period of time. 364 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,200 But I'm even excited that we've got midterm opportunities as 365 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,120 well, where like some of our college students even next 366 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:32,680 summer are going to be going overseas and spending the summer 367 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:35,560 overseas with some of our missionaries. 368 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:38,520 And so there's all kinds of creative ways and avenues and 369 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,080 opportunities for you to be able to go and to be involved in 370 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:43,320 missions. And any of us would love to be 371 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:46,240 able to have a conversation with you about what those things look 372 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:49,000 like. And so the bottom line is every 373 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,800 one of us are called to participate in missions. 374 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,800 So how is it that God is calling you and your family to 375 00:27:55,800 --> 00:28:00,880 participate in missions? And what if God might be calling 376 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:07,400 you to go long term yourself? It's a possibility that the Lord 377 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:12,040 might be calling you to pick up, sell everything that you have 378 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:16,080 and go somewhere else and serve the Lord in a vocational 379 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:19,200 capacity for missions. Man, one of my favorite quotes 380 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:23,880 of all time about just allowing the Lord to have full control 381 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:25,680 over our life is from Corey Tinbum. 382 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:28,880 Corey Tinbum, she said it this way. 383 00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:33,920 She said hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it 384 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:37,000 hurts when God has the pry your fingers open. 385 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:40,640 And so God's got a plan for your life already. 386 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:43,840 And we need to hold our plans loosely and just tell the Lord 387 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:47,400 Lord, we are here and we're ready to do whatever it is that 388 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:49,800 you call us to do. Danny Aiken, the president of 389 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:53,760 Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, who's preached at our 390 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:56,120 church here many times, this this quote does not originate 391 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:57,600 with him, but he says it all the time. 392 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:03,440 Don't ask why I should go. Instead, ask why should I stay? 393 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:09,280 And So what if the Lord might be calling you and your family to 394 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,320 go serve Him in some capacity on the other side of the world? 395 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:17,040 And so be praying and be open to the fact that God may be calling 396 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:20,600 you to vocational missions. And so if you're wrestling with 397 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:22,840 that man, your pastors would love to talk to you. 398 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:24,800 We'd love to be able to have a conversation with you about 399 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:26,240 walking through what that looks like. 400 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,120 And one of the best first steps is just to be able to go on a 401 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,600 short term trip. And so I'm really excited about 402 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:34,120 our missions month later this year where we'll be announcing 403 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:37,080 some of those short term trips where the Lord might use one of 404 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:42,080 those opportunities to be able to call you to go on the mission 405 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:44,480 field vocationally. Pastor John. 406 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:47,040 Yeah, thank you, Dionne. You know, it's really good to, 407 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:50,920 to think about. I, I almost dare you to pray 408 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,040 that way. You know, as you're, as you're 409 00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:56,440 sitting in your prayer time right now, walking or driving, 410 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:01,720 I, I dare you to, to ask God those questions. 411 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,840 You know, why? Why am I not participating? 412 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,760 What prevents me from participating? 413 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:15,320 How could I best participate? Why is God not calling me to 414 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:19,840 missions instead of, instead of all the excuses for not going or 415 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,720 not participating? I want you to think about what's 416 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:25,000 holding you back. And, and I want you to take a 417 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:30,240 few moments just to pray about that as well as those that that, 418 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:32,400 you know, in the church. Maybe maybe you're listening to 419 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:33,520 this and you're one of those folks. 420 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:34,720 You're, you're going all the time. 421 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:38,080 You know, you're, you're part of the teams, you're, you're very 422 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:39,680 involved. And so we're so thankful for 423 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:41,320 you. But but think about the others. 424 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,200 We want to see a much higher percentage of our own 425 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,080 congregation participating. And then I would love to see 426 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:50,800 that happening in other church life too. 427 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:52,080 So pray about that for a few minutes. 428 00:31:51,660 --> 00:32:36,240 The. The. 429 00:33:25,840 --> 00:34:09,699 The. The. 430 00:34:45,690 --> 00:34:49,570 One of the other areas we want to pray for is, is for lack of a 431 00:34:49,570 --> 00:34:52,449 better way to put it, I want, I want to pray for the fruit of 432 00:34:52,449 --> 00:34:55,120 missions. In other words, part of what we 433 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:58,560 want to pray for is that this will be effective. 434 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:00,840 You know, it's not just a matter of going on trips. 435 00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:02,880 It's not just a matter of living overseas. 436 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:05,240 It's not just a matter of, of planning a church. 437 00:35:05,240 --> 00:35:07,200 We actually want to see something happen at the end of 438 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:10,280 those things. We, we want to see spiritual and 439 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:14,760 Kingdom fruit being born. This whole time it's just been 440 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:18,080 providential. I've, I've been dialoguing on 441 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:22,240 WhatsApp as I've been recording this podcast with my friend in 442 00:35:22,240 --> 00:35:24,760 Brazil. He was just sharing with me that 443 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,800 they're going to have a project down there in a, in a single 444 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:29,440 day. They're hoping to see 1,000,000 445 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:34,080 people saved on one day with thousands of churches working 446 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,840 together hitting the street. And so you think about that kind 447 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:41,240 of fruit and, and what we would expect. 448 00:35:41,240 --> 00:35:43,880 And sometimes it's hard. You know, when you think about 449 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:45,680 international missions especially, it's hard to wrap 450 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:48,280 your head around billions of lost people. 451 00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:51,080 You know, you hear these things. There are billions of lost 452 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:53,240 people. There are thousands of unreached 453 00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:56,080 people groups. And sometimes it's hard to wrap 454 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,920 your head around that math. It's just kind of overwhelming. 455 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:01,560 Or you hear the name of an unreached people group. 456 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:04,080 You don't know them. It's hard for that to be 457 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:05,520 personal. It's hard for that to really 458 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:09,280 touch your heart sometimes. And sometimes it's just so big, 459 00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:12,080 so nebulous too, that it's just kind of hard to wrap it around 460 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:14,040 there. So you got to break this down. 461 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:15,920 We got to break this down like eating the elephant. 462 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,080 You got to do this one bite at a time and you got to really begin 463 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:22,120 to focus on those specifics and to think about how in the in 464 00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,840 this place or with this missionary, what they're doing, 465 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:29,120 what their next project is. And so it's helpful to expose 466 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:31,760 yourself to resources that would actually help you to do that, 467 00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:34,480 like the Joshua project and other places you can go online. 468 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:38,800 There are apps where you'll get AI get a feed every morning for, 469 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:40,440 you know, a new unreached people group. 470 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:42,600 And of course, here at Inglewood, every Sunday morning 471 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,160 we're pointing out an unreached people group or we're featuring 472 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:49,920 one of our missionaries or we're reporting on one of our trips so 473 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:53,120 that we can personalize this and give you something specific to 474 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:54,560 kind of wrap your head around and pray about. 475 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:57,160 But here just a couple of categories to think about in 476 00:36:57,160 --> 00:36:58,320 prayer. And then I thought, you know, 477 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:01,080 you guys jump in, but you know that I want you to think about. 478 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:03,000 Let me break it down to those 3 categories again. 479 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:06,000 Let's think about some of the pre evangelistic opportunities 480 00:37:06,720 --> 00:37:09,480 to where we want to build the relationships we're building the 481 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:15,400 bridges we're trying to open the doors to, to the gospel So that 482 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,520 so we we might be involved in in some kind of social ministry 483 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:21,640 where we're doing something, you know, it could even be 484 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:23,400 construction. You know, we may be helping to 485 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:26,160 build something or to paint something or to prayer walk 486 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:29,000 something or, or it might be medical or it might be 487 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:33,480 educational, might be sports related to where you're doing an 488 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:37,400 activity to in order to build the bridge in order to establish 489 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:39,920 the relationship cross culturally. 490 00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:42,800 That can be really important because in a lot of cultures 491 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:47,440 they're not going to receive an intimate conversation about 492 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:49,960 spirituality necessarily immediately. 493 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:52,680 They're they're going to want to know you a little bit 1st. 494 00:37:52,680 --> 00:37:55,400 And so to be able to think through some of those pre 495 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:58,720 evangelistic moments and how to develop those. 496 00:37:58,720 --> 00:38:01,800 And so some of our trips will even feature some of that to 497 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:06,000 where we're doing things to help the missionary on the field. 498 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:10,440 We're doing some things up front, providing the labor force 499 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:13,680 to do that in order to, to help them. 500 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:18,120 I mean, over the years I've taken guys on trips and they've 501 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:20,240 probably not shared the gospel much in their life. 502 00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:22,680 And we talk about that before we go and our preparation. 503 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:25,440 But, but some of them are going to do construction. 504 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:28,200 Some of them are going because they have expertise and, and, 505 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:32,360 and engineering, you know, on how to, how to put up a, a 506 00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:36,880 building of some kind or, or their coaches or all kinds of 507 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:38,960 backgrounds. And so guys, you got any 508 00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:41,400 comments on any? This is pre evangelism. 509 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:45,480 Think about that for a minute. I was thinking, Pastor John, I'm 510 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:48,920 have to kind of go back to my South Africa days when I was 511 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:51,840 there overseas. And one of the things we did in 512 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:54,760 one of the villages and in the community and Inglewood helped 513 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:59,640 us with this, this Christian organization that was working 514 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:03,160 from their church actually wanted to have a little 515 00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:06,800 Community Center. And so we came and helped them 516 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:11,560 with the construction of that. But then we for a few years 517 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:15,040 after that, we would come and help work that and have 518 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:18,200 opportunity to meet the people and people saw that we cared for 519 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:22,720 their, you know, for, for their village that we participated in 520 00:39:22,720 --> 00:39:27,400 helping kind of raise the level of living a little bit. 521 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:31,040 And they saw that we cared. And but we have the local church 522 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:34,560 there in that area. And so God gave them 523 00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:38,240 opportunities to share the gospel later and many people 524 00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:42,920 came to Christ and churches were planted in those several of 525 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:45,840 those villages surrounding that. But that helping build that 526 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:51,480 Community Center was a was a open door for us to be able to 527 00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:56,200 say, Hey, we care for you. Yeah, in Ecuador, where my wife 528 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:58,560 and I served, we did some very similar things, medical clinics 529 00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:00,960 and those kinds of things just to show communities that we 530 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:03,600 care. But also for us individually. 531 00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:06,680 We've talked about some ways that our that our church has put 532 00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:09,760 trips together and those kinds of things to help build, to help 533 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:11,680 missionaries build bridges in different places. 534 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:13,760 But what about you and your personal life? 535 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:16,760 What are those bridges that you're building right now with 536 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:18,440 the people around you? I mean, just think about the 537 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:21,360 things that you enjoyed doing. High school football is one of 538 00:40:21,360 --> 00:40:23,520 my favorite things. And so on Friday nights I get to 539 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:25,880 go hang out with a local high school football team and it 540 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:28,240 allows me to be able to build relationships with those young 541 00:40:28,240 --> 00:40:30,320 men to try to get the opportunity to be able to tell 542 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:32,720 them about Jesus. But I know many people here 543 00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:35,960 locally that play pickleball and other kinds of things that give 544 00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:38,600 them the opportunities to be able to just to get to meet lost 545 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:41,920 people to do that work of pre evangelism, praying that the 546 00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:43,920 Lord would give them an opportunity to be able to tell 547 00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:46,960 somebody about Jesus. Yeah, in a previous episode, we 548 00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:48,440 were talking about how to pray for lost people. 549 00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:51,200 And I mentioned Colossians chapter 4, which is a a prayer 550 00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:54,400 that Paul asked the church to pray for him while he was in 551 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:56,200 prison. And, and basically he's asking 552 00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:58,480 them that they would pray that the window or the door of the 553 00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:00,240 opening to the gospel would take place. 554 00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:03,280 And so these opportunities are things to pray for. 555 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:06,840 And so whether it's an international context or a local 556 00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:10,320 context for us to pray for these pre evangelistic activities that 557 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:12,800 many of our missionaries have to engage in, especially in some, 558 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:15,360 you got to think of some of our closed cultures and some of our 559 00:41:15,360 --> 00:41:18,520 security situations to where you're not going to stand out on 560 00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:22,360 the street and just proclaim the gospel easily in some countries, 561 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:24,520 in some cultures. And so they're going to be 562 00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:28,440 working through all kinds of various platforms and means. 563 00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:31,800 The key to that though, for pre evangelism is that you get to 564 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:33,920 the why. Here's why I'm doing this, 565 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:37,360 here's why we're doing this so that then you can begin to pray 566 00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:40,520 for the evangelism itself. You're praying for people to be 567 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:43,560 saved and opportunities to actually share the gospel and 568 00:41:43,560 --> 00:41:45,800 for people to be saved. So you want to pray for that as 569 00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:47,920 well. So it's a very holistic idea. 570 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:50,760 You want to pray for each step along the way. 571 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:54,840 And then and then you you also need to pray just as diligently, 572 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:56,800 especially in missions for the post event. 573 00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:58,200 This isn't just about evangelism. 574 00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,920 It's also about discipleship. And so how do I, how do I 575 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:04,280 develop young believers? How do I develop a new church? 576 00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:08,640 How do I develop people who are going to in a sense, take over 577 00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:11,960 from me so that I don't need to be here as a missionary anymore. 578 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:14,120 They're they're able to lead themselves and I can go 579 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:15,640 someplace where there isn't anybody. 580 00:42:16,240 --> 00:42:18,880 And so in the sense, how do I also pray for these post 581 00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:23,360 evangelistic opportunities to disciple and develop in a way 582 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:25,880 that they'll continue to repeat the cycle? 583 00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:30,920 And so it's not just a pre, it's not just the actual evangelistic 584 00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:34,360 act that we've prayed for before in a different episode, but we 585 00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:38,680 also want to think about what happens after that and how do I 586 00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:42,760 continue the task and finish the task through leadership 587 00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:45,240 development and exit. You guys got any comments about 588 00:42:45,240 --> 00:42:49,560 that one? Yeah, I mean, Second Timothy 22 589 00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:52,720 is one of those verses that just comes right to mind, those 590 00:42:52,720 --> 00:42:54,720 things that you have heard from me in the presence of many 591 00:42:54,720 --> 00:42:58,440 witnesses and trust of faithful men who will be able to teach 592 00:42:58,480 --> 00:42:59,640 others. Also. 593 00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:03,160 It's our job not just to make converts, but to make disciples, 594 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:06,680 multiplying disciples. And so it's our job not just to 595 00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:10,160 see somebody come to faith in Jesus and see the Lord bring 596 00:43:10,160 --> 00:43:13,120 them to salvation and see them baptized into the local church, 597 00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:15,400 but it's our job to continue to invest in them. 598 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,400 And as the Great Commission says that Pastor John is already read 599 00:43:18,800 --> 00:43:22,720 to teach them all of the things that Jesus has commanded us. 600 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:27,000 And so to walk alongside them as the church and help them grow in 601 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:30,360 their walk with Jesus, so that then they can go and turn around 602 00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:34,080 and do the exact same thing. Yeah, so just don't be 603 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:36,360 overwhelmed by the vastness of it all. 604 00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:39,840 I mean, 'cause you know, the idea of praying for missions can 605 00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:41,920 be a huge idea. So. 606 00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:45,760 So try to 0 in, as Charles and Dillon both said, too, try to 0 607 00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:49,320 in on some specifics so that as you're praying, you can begin to 608 00:43:49,320 --> 00:43:54,120 pray for people, places, activities that are near and 609 00:43:54,120 --> 00:43:55,600 dear to your heart. And you can do that with a sense 610 00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:57,240 of urgency and a sense of passion. 611 00:43:57,240 --> 00:44:01,000 So take a few moments, ask God to show those to you, and we'll 612 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:03,160 be back in just a bit. You keep walking, you keep 613 00:44:03,160 --> 00:44:08,080 praying and lifting up God's mission as we participate with 614 00:44:08,080 --> 00:45:00,680 them through missions. The. 615 00:45:43,680 --> 00:46:22,280 The. The. 616 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:43,280 The. The. 617 00:48:03,600 --> 00:48:06,440 I just want to thank you all so much for joining us once again 618 00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:08,520 on this episode. I really do hope you'll go back 619 00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:11,240 and listen to all the others. These do tie together. 620 00:48:11,240 --> 00:48:15,440 Especially go back and listen to our episode on praying for the 621 00:48:15,440 --> 00:48:18,280 lost people. I think it would dovetail with 622 00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:20,880 this really well. And, and also when you think 623 00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:23,880 about discipleship, one of the things I really do want to do is 624 00:48:23,880 --> 00:48:26,920 I want to invite you, if you don't have a church home and you 625 00:48:26,920 --> 00:48:29,520 live in the Rocky Mount area, I want to invite you to be here 626 00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:31,840 with us on Sundays. We're, we're actually sharing 627 00:48:31,840 --> 00:48:34,400 through what we call the seven essentials of discipleship. 628 00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:37,960 We're going to do an entire podcast series on that as well 629 00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:39,760 later. So watch for that. 630 00:48:40,320 --> 00:48:43,800 But if you want to know more about that post evangelism and, 631 00:48:43,800 --> 00:48:46,360 and what are some of the very specific things that should be 632 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:49,840 included in post evangelism and discipleship, That's exactly 633 00:48:49,840 --> 00:48:51,400 what we're talking about on Sunday morning. 634 00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:53,560 So if you don't, you don't have a church home, you'll be here 635 00:48:53,560 --> 00:48:56,160 Sunday morning. We start about 8:00 in the 636 00:48:56,160 --> 00:48:57,880 morning and there are many opportunities. 637 00:48:57,880 --> 00:49:00,560 You can find that on our on our website or our app. 638 00:49:00,560 --> 00:49:02,200 So thank you so much for joining us. 639 00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:05,480 I hope that you'll be here. If you come, please introduce 640 00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:07,040 yourself to me. I'd love to meet you. 641 00:49:07,560 --> 00:49:09,840 Thank you for joining us. And Charles and Dylan, thank you 642 00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:11,680 so much for today. Thank you, Pastor John. 643 00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:13,800 Sure. And we look forward to to 644 00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:17,000 hearing from you and we hope that you'll listen to our next 645 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:18,280 episode. Thank you so much.