Hallelujah. I feel like I wish I had the gift of tongues. Is there an interpreter in the house? That was a great song and it really has kind of got us into the move of where we're going.
So Last May most of you probably know this I Took a very interesting trip to Zambia and I was there for 16 days And it was my first time to experience Africa and I thoroughly enjoyed it It enriched me and my soul and I'm gonna share with you a little bit today about the work of God that God is doing in Zambia so I want to start with this question How can a church? impact the world how can a church actually make a difference and impact the world and I want to share with you how This church Northbrook Bible Chapel has actually impacted Zambia And you might be sitting here today. You might wonder what connection does John Wells have with Zambia? So there's really only one connection and just to kind of satisfy your curiosity I'll tell you how I got connected to Zambia There was a gentleman that used to do a lot of street ministry in Halifax.
His name was Mark Randall and Mark Randall influenced me a lot in street ministry and he left Halifax and he joined the Billy Graham organization and campus crusade for Christ and he eventually went to Zambia and started training people in evangelism and he had been asking me for about 14 years to come to Zambia and Finally I decided okay. That's that's it. I'm going to Zambia So I planned this trip and I had an incredible time and I'm gonna share with you a little bit about that so my question today is how can the church impact the world and I'm going to invite you to turn to Matthew chapter 28 and We're going to start there by reading a familiar passage What's interesting here is this picture was sent to me a couple weeks after I Returned from Zambia and some of the people that I preached to there were actually following the Lord in baptism And the brother that I was with sent me this picture of some of these people getting baptized So Matthew chapter 28 and we're gonna read a verse 18 and Jesus came and said unto them all Authority all authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth go Therefore and make disciples of all the nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and here's the promise from God and behold I am with you always even unto the end of the age So the principle here is go a Church has a responsibility to go and to share this message with the world And there's a promise that as we are going he is with us and we are teaching What Jesus Christ has taught his disciples and that truth is being passed on to us and it's impacting the entire world at large I want to share with you one other principle that has really impacted my thinking a lot and I want to ask you to turn to Matthew chapter 25 Matthew chapter 25 and we're going to read at verse 34 Now the context of this passage is the judgment of the Libby nations It's the last day and Christ has returned to the earth and he has set up his earthly kingdom And this is what he says in verse 34 Then the king will say unto those on his right come you blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was hungry and you gave me food. I Was thirsty and you gave me drink I was a stranger and you welcomed me I was naked and you clothed me I was sick and you visited me I was in prison and you came to me then the righteous will answer him saying Lord When did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you or naked and close you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you and the king will answer them? Truly I say to you as you did it unto one of the least of these my brethren you did it unto me What an incredible principle that as we reach out to the world and the body of Christ and believers and as we Minister to them and meet their practical everyday needs We are literally ministering to Christ Because as we serve the church which is his body the people of God we are serving Christ and there will come a day When everything that we have done for the saints the church which is his body those believers that are in need and have Real practical needs there will come a time when we will be rewarded by God for our faithfulness to these people and when I read this It really impacted my thinking in my trip to Zambia. I observed a number of things First thing that really grabbed my attention was how little resources these people have the second thing that grabbed my attention was their lacking of technology and yet they're apparent full functionality They can function without technology The third thing that really impacted me was these people who love the Lord love the word of God Most of them don't even have Bibles.
They are so happy content Rejoicing and living abundant lives and I look at my own life And I think of our first world problems and I think what is wrong with us? We have so much more and yet we have so much more Discontentment and so I was impacted by a number of things and this scripture right here really made me think a lot This is a picture of people that had just listened to a sermon that was being preached and a number of them We're going down into the waters of baptism to follow the Lord and what impacted me was Any ministry that a church or Individuals can do or give to the body is literally serving Christ And so if I go back to this slide for a second I want to share with you how Northbrook Bible Chapel as a church has impacted Zambia so How should a church support missions? Well, I want to share with you today what I think are four biblical principles That are critical for how a church can actually support missions principle number one is the church supports missions by sending principle number two is By supporting principle number three is by equipping and principle number four is by praying and I'm going to develop these four things and then I'm going to share with you some Practical implications and people on an individual level that have been impacted by this church And it's good for all of us to to know what we are doing so that we can all feel that we are a part of this If you were to turn to Acts chapter 13 and verse 2 you would read these words about the church at Antioch and As they ministered to the Lord and fasted the Holy Spirit said now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work for which I have called them then having fasted and prayed they laid hands on them and they sent them away They sent them out if you look at the context of Acts chapter 13 the church of God was growing and it was expanding and Jerusalem was no Longer the center in fact there's only a few years and there was gonna be a massive destruction in Jerusalem and So the gospel had started to spread and and now there's a large church at Antioch and Paul and Barnabas are there And they are ministering to the saints of God and they are fasting and they are praying and there's also Six other men that are mentioned there as leaders in that church and the Holy Spirit said separate onto me Barnabas and Saul for the work that I have called them and so as we look at a New Testament church today there's a principle here and the principle is that sometimes God raises up people in a church and they are diligent and focused and wanting to give their whole life to the Lord in a work that he's called them to do this doesn't happen overnight But it's a work of the Holy Spirit of God that generates a desire within a particular gifted person that has a passion to go out with the gospel And so that individual recognizes that God has called him and God is sanctifying him Setting him apart for a specific work that God has called them to do and he's preparing them But there's something very important that has to happen when an individual or a group of individuals have this passion to go out with the gospel The church needs to recognize it and the church needs to have confidence in those people And so it's not just the individuals that have a desire to go out with the gospel It is the church that is recognizing this gift It is the church that is recognizing that this brother or sister is being raised up by God and they are confirming That this is what God is sending them to do and so in this case the elders of the church laid their hands on them And they commended them to that work that they are going out to do and from there the gospel spread across Asia And it's spread across Acacia and Macedonia and Paul and Barnabas went into these cities all over the known world And they preached the gospel and there was a church behind them And so the role of a church in missions is to send people out and to support them if we were to go to Second Corinthians 9 and verse 6 and 8 you'll see some very clear teaching on what support looks like from a church to missions So so Paul is exhorting the Corinthians in this passage and he says this I say he who so's sparingly will also reap sparingly But he who so's bountifully will also reap bountifully So let each one give as he purposes in his heart not grudgingly or of necessity for God loves a cheerful giver and God is able to make all grace abound toward you always having all sufficiency for all things that may have an abundance for every good work And so if you look at the context of that passage, here's what was going on There were saints of God in Jerusalem and they were in poverty and the church had been persecuted And if you read the book of Hebrews, you would find that some of those very same people had had their goods spoiled They lost their businesses they were in in poverty and they were struggling And so Paul is appealing to the other churches that had some very good practical means to support these poor Christians That were struggling in Jerusalem and he brings the example of Macedonia and he says the churches in Macedonia They supported the church in Jerusalem and now he's appealing to the Corinthians But there's a couple of very clear principles about giving first of all No one here at this church will ever talk to you about giving Giving is a very personal thing No one will ever ask you are you putting something in the offering or how much are you putting or is this 10% No, giving is very very personal and it is out of the willingness of one's own heart It is not something out of duty or obligation that you feel like you got to do this or you got it No, it is a work that God has put in your heart And so giving is from the heart and as God has moved in every one of your hearts and in my heart We in turn give out of the willingness of our heart Now the principle here is God loves a cheerful giver not grudgingly but someone that is happy and willful to lay something aside for the glory of God and That gift is first given to God Yes, there's benefit to other people but the principle of giving is when I lay aside something of my means to give to God It is given to God. It is a sacrifice, but it is for God and it's as God has purposed in my heart It is a sacrifice.
It is the evidence of my love and it also is actually a part of my worship This may surprise you, but if you look at 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 1 He says on the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him lay aside as God has prospered him So it's something that's very tangible very practical and I can actually express my love to God My support for God's people and my worship when I lay aside something that the church or others can benefit from Giving is very practical and we can offer support for those in the body of Christ I was really struck by the verse in 1 John I believe it's chapter 3 and it says this He that has this world's goods and see if his brother in need and and Shut it up his giving to that person How does the love of God dwell in him? And so there is an appeal that is God has provided everything that I have I in turn can help in needy saint and the encouragement that I want To say to this church today is that is exactly what we have done and I'm going to show you some evidence of it Everyone here that has participated in the offering on a Sunday morning And by the way, you don't have to have an envelope that goes in that basket as it goes around every day many many people do it by e-transfer And that's fine and it's very personal and it's very private and we are blessed as a church to have so much support I believe that the people in this church are very liberal and they have really supported the work of God And there is a tremendous blessing that I want to share with you of how those funds have been used in a very practical way And I don't think that we often speak about this, but it's a good thing It's a it's a very practical thing to show and to share how this church has positively impacted the saints of God in Zambia So the first principle is the church sends people out and you know what we do that right here in downtown Halifax We send people into our community and I will tell you that the waterfront and Spring Garden Road is as big of a mission field as it is in Africa There is a tremendous need right here in our city and this church is very supportive of that work sending people out equipping so there is a principle in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11 to 16 and it says this God has given gifts to the church He's given the apostles the prophets the evangelists and the pastors and teachers Now these are gifts that God has raised up and given to the church and their responsibility is to equip God's people To do his work and to build up the church the body of Christ Okay, this will continue until we all come in such unity in our faith and the knowledge of God's Son that we will mature in the Lord Into the full stature and complete standard of Christ then there will be no longer immature children spiritually speaking We won't be tossed and blown about with every wind of doctrine or new teaching We will be influenced when people we will not be influenced when people try to deceive us or trick us Or whatever lies that are might sound clever that are not the truth instead We will speak the truth in love we will grow in every way more and more Like the Lord Jesus Christ who is the head of the body of the church and he makes the whole body fit together perfectly So what is the principle of equipping? It is Giving from the heart in such a way that others are able to Minister unto the rest of the church and so there are people that are raised up that can instruct in doctrine Instruct in teaching that can shepherd the saints and and this happens in a local capacity But it also happens in the church which is his body. I missed that last section there There's a typo the fourth way that a church can impact the world is by praying Please don't minimize or discount prayer Prayer is essential for the work of God and Paul writes from 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 and here's a plead that he has Finally my dear brothers and sisters We ask you to pray for us pray that the Lord's message the gospel will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes The King James version says we'll have free course and be glorified Pray to that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people Isn't that our prayer on Friday night?
When we go out sometimes there's wicked and evil people and they would like to totally destroy this work And so this is a very real and legitimate prayer pray that we would be rescued from wicked and evil men for not everyone is a believer But the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one So the principle of praying is pray for the spread of the gospel pray for Deliverance from evil and pray that God will supply the needs of the saints And so those are just four principles for the church now. I want to share with you some of my experience here so These little icons here that are in red are some of the remote villages that I travel to in the south part of Zambia Literally, I can't even pronounce these names, but maybe some of you can here's one village that we went to and if you look at this I've called this outdoor church and hunger for the word this right here's the church and It's covered with a roof of canvas and there's like some mud bricks and a little bit of straw that's made here And in this village there was 400 people one Bible one Bible in their native language in Tonga and that Bible has been there since the 1970s and 400 people in this village have a sign out where they actually share the Bible somebody gets it on Thursday Somebody gets it on Saturday somebody gets it on Monday and what shocked me when I went to this village was there was 400 people and one Bible And I prayed that night in my tent and I said oh God bring these people Bibles. They need Bibles and I'm so thankful today to share with you how God answered that prayer 400 people in this village six local churches One Bible this is the gentleman that my connection is with his name is Mark Randall one day He plans to come to Halifax and I'm sure that he will share and these are some dear people that have lived in this village all their life and These people love the Lord and they follow the scriptures as much as they can most of these people Memorize the scripture so that they have it in their mind because there's there's no Bibles this was interesting they wanted to have a special celebration for me when I was there and so they went out and got a couple of goats and We we had them for supper and it was an interesting experience for me never had that before like so fresh But it was really good really seriously. I came away thinking okay, so what's the difference?
I buy this at sobeezer superstore. I just don't see this part of it this dear brother I want to tell you about him his name is David Hobay David Hobay is a gem of a brother He is 100% fluent in English and he is 100% fluent in his native tongue tongue and he was my interpreter and so in 16 days I went to quite a number of churches and I think I preached 32 times and He was the full interpreter and he was an amazing gentleman I I I got I was convicted when I saw how this man lived his life went into his house. This is his dear family He's dressed very respectfully he has a great sense of honor and and dedication to the Lord and I went into their house and I had a meal with them and I was just so humbled at where they live how they live Do you know that this brother has served the Lord full-time in Zambia serving in 37 churches and he has never owned a vehicle In his life he has never owned a laptop in his life and When I sat with him I said David what are your greatest needs? And he said well I'd love to have a laptop so that when I preach I can have my sermons there He said I write everything out by handwritten and he said I would I would love to have a vehicle But he said I don't know if that could ever happen When I think about the way we live and all the things that I take for granted I am humbled by this man He is a dear beloved brother.
He keeps in contact with me on a regular basis He also told me about these many remote villages that have no Bibles no Bibles and this is where this started So we as a church leadership laid aside a portion of funding to send to Zambia and I'm so happy to tell you that 80 Bibles were supplied by Northbrook to elders and pastors in remote villages And here is a pastor in this village that I went to who received his own Bible for the very first time Here is 35 brothers in this village that received a Bible 35 of them for the very first time in their life in their own native language here's another village and We went to this village. I spoke three times in a couple of days at this village and these dear people My heart was aching for them and they had no Bibles and they were asking me What does the Bible say about this? We had an hour and a half of question and answering. What does the Bible say about this?
What does the Bible say about this through an interpreter? And I said guys I'm gonna get you all Bibles and they said This can't happen. I said no no this is gonna happen. I'm gonna go back to Canada I'm gonna get you Bibles and what's amazing is God has answered that prayer and these 40 people all received Bibles here is a list a Hand-written list of peoples names that we're gonna receive a Bible now How do you decide when there's 600 people that need a Bible and there's 80 Bibles?
How do you decide who gets a Bible and who doesn't? Well, the brothers actually put this list together of what they thought was the most needy of saints I'm gonna share with you what this man says. Can we play this? Hopefully this will work How would you have to borrow a Bible or how do you prepare?
And how far when you want to get to the next village? How far would that take tomorrow? This So you have to walk by for long there's just to be able to hopefully be able to borrow a Bible This brother ministers in a church that there are 90 people in his congregation and his preach there for 14 years By memory of verses that he knows and he has never owned a Bible and in order for him to get a Bible He has to walk five kilometers to another village and hope when he gets there that he can use that Bible that someone else doesn't have it signed out Now how often would you read your Bible? If you had to walk five kilometers to get it.
This is the way that Northbrook has impacted this community I like to go to the next one. He said he said us So this brother will be the only one in his church with the Bible and when he comes back to that church and shows people that he has a Bible They're gonna be overwhelmed. So I know that our time is up and so I'm not gonna continue This is just another church where a brother was given a Bible and this man right here said one thing that really touched my heart he said for over ten years he had literally cried to God that he would have his own Bible and He said God finally answered his prayer and he owns a Bible You know brothers and sisters we take a lot for granted a lot for granted We supplied 80 Bibles to these remote villages and we ordered them from the Bible society They had to have special printing they were shipping charges to get them there and it took about three months to get this all done Do you know that the average cost for us to supply one Bible to these guys is fifteen dollars a Bible? And these people have had no Bible some of them their entire life and their entire time in the church and now we are Positively impacting Zambia and I just want to say I am thrilled to see Northbrook the church in Unity together working to supply these needs and I think that is a biblical principle I'm gonna race through these sides because I think we're done This was preaching in the open errands in Zimba and like you stand up to preach and 500 people gather and nobody Nobody heckles everybody wants to track everybody wants to hear you This was a village that I went to Here's this guy who's got a goat on a bike and he takes it for like miles into town to sell it for three dollars and As I close I want to say this I have a real exercise for these people and Lord willing I'd like to go back I'd like to go back to Zambia and the next time I go back I want to be better prepared better prepared to help these people they need teaching they need the gospel They need very practical needs They need the support of the church worldwide and I'm thrilled that we can be laborers together with God in Ritching our brothers and sisters in this country and having such a positive impact And so as I close I just want to thank the whole church for all of your support your interests and all of your participation Because we all participate in this and it has such a positive impact to these dear people that are now being enriched and impacted by What Northbrook has done for them, and so I want to thank you and we're gonna pray and I'm wondering if we can sing Send the light you guys have this send the light.
Okay, let's pray Father. We thank you today for the gospel We thank you that it has reached us and it is the light of God that has changed us and it has illuminated our thinking and brought us into a Permanent relationship with you. We thank you Lord for the church of God worldwide Every believer that makes up a part of it and we pray today that you would meet these needs We think of this church particularly in Zambia and all these people that need Bibles and have very practical needs and we thank you that We've been able to be laborers together with God in this and and share some of the things that God has given us I pray Lord for the gospel in that country think of the darkness and think Lord of the spiritual darkness I think of how many people are are dealing with demons and witchcraft And I just pray Lord that you deliver them and that we as a church might be able to just be able to participate in helping And so Lord we thank you for this time together We thank you that we have the word of God in our hand We thank you for all the privileges and blessings that we enjoy in this country May we never take anything for granted and may we love you and serve you and may each one of us today be touched in our hearts in Ways that we can reach out and help others and thus minister to Christ And so we thank you for all these things and commit us to you and ask your blessing upon us all this day in the name of the Lord Jesus amen