The Visionary Missionary

It's my privilege today to introduce Niku, Pastor Niku Sotir to you, although many of you know him already. And let me encourage you, stay for this afternoon as he presents his ministry, as we get to talk to him and learn about the ministry they have in Romania. And if you can't stay for the meal, come back afterwards then. All right? I think it would be good for you. by God's providence Niku is here pursuing his doctoral studies and visiting a number of supporting churches while until May and so we're going to miss him in Romania it's the irony of it all he'll be here we'll be there but let me just say something about Niku and Marta the the thing that stands out to me about them is they are incredible servants of God and servants of others you know God says the greatest in the kingdom is a slave of all and I think they've achieved that I I remember last time they were here I was in the hospital and I was going to be back and they were going to do some kind of procedure and Beck thought she needed to be there and so she left them with some kids that we were taking care of at the time that Becca was taking care of.

They took care of them. We walked in the door. They had supper ready for us. It was great. I've been in their home many, many times as God's given me the opportunity of ministering at Logos Baptist in Bucharest and have spent many hours in their home and have just enjoyed their hospitality. Niko and Marta were instrumental and well they were the church planters that planted Logos Baptist in Bucharest where he's been pastor now all these years.

And Nick is the guy who always picks us up at the airport. Every time we go there he's the guy who picks us up and takes us to our hotel. And normally he's with us at least one week, sometimes two, translating for us and helping us. And so just tremendous servants. I've got lots of good memories, lots of good memories. with Niku. You know, one night, let me tell you this one.

We were in a, we had our module at a camp in southern Romania. It was the end of the day and I said you know it be great to have a Coke They didn have any Cokes on the campus and he said you know I like one too I said great I make you a deal You fly I buy which means you drive and I buy He said, okay. So off we go. We're on the way back. It's dark, and they don't have lots of lights on the roads out there.

It's dark, and we're flying down the road. when all of a sudden what appears in front of us is a horse who had gotten loose from somewhere. Nick averted disaster, and we made it back to enjoy our Cokes. But all kinds of stuff like that. He's just, yeah, we've had lots of good times together too. So Nick, come and minister the word of God to us, and we're looking forward to what God has to say.

Good morning. Pace a domnului. I usually read from my Bible in Romanian, but the text this morning, it's a little bit longer, so I thought about reading it in English so none of you will sleep or fall asleep at least. So if you want to open with me, please in Romans chapter 15 and we're going to read one of the most powerful probably motivations and words that you can probably read from the New Testament.

Though I've been reading chapter 15 and 16 for quite a while now, this year I've been celebrating by God's grace 20 years in ministry. So I've been preaching from Romans 15 and 16 a lot of times, and I've been reading Romans a lot of times. But this year, I mean, last year I preached at Logos through Romans again. and when I came to chapter 15 and 16, it was like reading it for the first time.

And to tell you the truth, reading chapter 16, I cried like a baby. I mean it funny I mean there are just names there and you like how can you cry from names you know but you will see We get here the words of the greatest missionary ever Paul And though the title of the message this morning is a visionary missionary, I'm telling you any of you, any of us can be like that by God's grace and you know sometimes we get this attitude of putting missionaries and elders and pastors on a pedestal just lift them up and for God, I mean his call for each of us as Christians I mean, it's a high call for all of us. All of us have to live our lives up to that standard.

You know, it was one of the questions in the Sunday school today about differences between old saints and deacons and elders. And yes, they have different roles, and they have high roles. But you know what? If you look through the New Testament, almost every single thing that you find on the list in 1 Timothy 2 and 3 about elders and deacons, you will find them through the New Testament as God expecting any sense, any Christian to live that way.

I mean, you know, elders are teaching, but all of us as Christians are teaching other people about the Lord. Amen? So I want you, you know, when you're going to hear the message today, to think that it's It's not a call for, you know, somebody that God is calling him to be a missionary, though maybe God is calling you. But it's God's desire for all of us to live up there.

That's standard, high standard. Amen? Let's read. Chapter 15, verse 14. I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourself are full of goodness, complete in knowledge, and competent to instruct one another. Hey I mean you read the whole book of Romans and Paul is going over so many many many things and you think man this church in in in Rome they had no idea about the gospel but Paul is saying here that you you full of knowledge you were competent to instruct one another you know and and you read that and you're like is Paul lying here or is he's just trying to be you know political correct no he's He knows that his brothers and sisters know everything that they should know.

And I'm aware of this situation here in your church. You know everything that you should know. And all of you are ready, in a sense, to instruct one another. So there you go. I mean, this is for LaRue Baptist Church. It's not just for the church in Rome.

I have written you quite boldly in some points as if to remind you of them again because of the grace of God gave me. To be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I glory in Christ Jesus in my service, in my ministry, in what I do.

To God, I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done. by the power of signs and miracles through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around the Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. Amazing. I mean, when you think about that whole region, Paul is saying I've been going everywhere and proclaiming Christ.

It has always been my ambition, and this is a nice ambition, because we have our ambitions, but listen to Paul's ambition. is to preach the gospel where Christ was not known so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written, those who are not told about him will see and those who have not heard will understand. This is why I have often been hindered coming to you.

But now, that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I'm on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there, for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessing, they owe it for the Jews to share with them their material blessings. So, after I have completed this task and have made sure that I have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

I urge you, my brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, so that, by God's will, I may come to you with you and together with you be refreshed. To God be the peace be with you all.

Amen. This year, I have read some biographies. for many many years I said you know I need to be uh systematic in my theology so there you go I've read a lot of systematic theologies and big guys and um and after that I said I gotta spend more time in biblical theology so there you go you know I started studying a lot of big guys I'm not going to say their names and uh but recently I've decided to start reading more biographies I always said you know biographies are for the babies you know for spiritual babies You know they need devotionals I don need devotionals but I been reading J Ryle and John Payton And I've read and heard sermons on John Payton. Do you know who John Payton was?

I'm just curious. I don't want to tell the story and realize that nobody knows anything about this guy. Okay. No? Okay. Oh, John Payton was a dear missionary.

He went to New Hebrides. It's very close to Australia at the beginning of 18th century. And what is more known about him is that at one meeting before he was going into the missions, he said he's ready to be eaten by cannibals because the place that he wanted to go there were some islands close to Australia and on those islands were just cannibals. And on that meeting was one old guy, one man old man that said that you don't want to go there.

And he said, sir, I don't want to be you know, don't sound like I'm polite, but you're kind of old and very soon you're going to die. And you're going to be eaten by worms. So I don't think there's any difference between being eaten by worms or being eaten by cannibals. He actually said that in his last meeting. and he went to this island with his beautiful young bride, and they basically had the baby on the way there, because it was not flying over, it was getting a sheep. and his wife and son did not even unpack the things that they got from home and both of them died so after three months he was by himself on this island and he stayed for four years and nothing happened a lot of things happened And he was killed almost several times and eaten by cannibals several times but God has been rescuing him every single time And you've got to read his story.

It's just amazing. And he went back to Australia, and after that he went back to Scotland, where he was coming from, challenging churches to go in missions. And it's amazing. And God brought a huge revival through his presentations of what happens on those islands. And many, many, many young people decided to go into missions. And he went back.

He remarried. And he went back on another island, which was very close to that island. And after 30 years of ministry, the whole island became Christian. It's amazing to look. There are different books, biographies on his life, and some of them have pictures, and to see pictures of cannibals, Christians. Some of them from those pictures killed missionaries before they got converted.

And it's just amazing to look. What is special about this missionary, and what is special about Paul, and what is special about all those people? is that they counted every single life precious. I want to share with you one of his quotes. He says, Life, any life, would be well spent under any conceivable conditions in bringing one human soul to know and love and serve God and his Son, and thereby securing for yourself at least one temple where your name and memory would be held forever and forever in affectionate praise, a regenerated heart in heaven.

That frame will prove immortal when all the poems and monuments and pyramids of earth have gone to dust. we live some times that looks like everybody is just focusing so much on entertainment and material stuff and comfort And you know what There are a lot of poor people in Romania and I know there are a lot of poor people in the States. But you know that even those poor people have their comfort? I remember when I was challenging a church that was very poor to go on a mission trip, and it was one lady that she was very poor, and she said, I don't want to leave my pillow.

So her comfort was the pillow. So, you know, you don't need a lot of things to get comfortable. You know, sometimes we look at people around us that have a lot of things and we say, oh, we don't have their comfort. But all of us have our comforts. And many, many times we get so entangled in those comforts that we just shut our ears, basically, to the needs of the nations to learn about our Christ, our Jesus.

And what is most important about this is not about us. It's not about us going. It's not about missionaries going. But it's about the glory of Christ. And every single person that comes to him belongs in his trophy shelf. are his trophies, because he is the one opening the hearts. Today's sermon is not about modern missionaries, though.

It's about an ancient one that I personally admire the most. It's Paul the visionary missionary. And what I've read to you, and when you go in chapter 16, and you find all those names, just think about it. Paul never visited Rome. So how in the world can you know so many names, and how in the world can you know the needs of a church that you never visited so well?

Right from the beginning, it tells you about the heart of this Christian, about the heart of this missionary. He loves people. He loves to hear about their needs. He loves praying for them. and Paul is that missionary, Paul is that person that always thinks about other people, thinks about their needs thinks about their struggles, thinks about their joys and he wants to always put his life into that and he writes this letter to a church that he never, never visited.

And by the way, just a small parenthesis, it's really interesting when you go in chapter 16 about the Sunday school lesson this morning. It was really interesting about that slave girl. There are at least a couple of families in chapter 16 that were coming from slaves' background. And it's so unique to see the church, the local church, being so colorful.

You get people from all kinds of nations, from all kinds of ethnicities, and they're coming from all over, from all kinds of backgrounds. And that was the church in Rome, and they had their struggles, but this church knew how to suffer. and I think they've learned it from missionaries and from people like Paul that knew how to suffer and Paul knew this church very well he knew the struggles, the temptations, the victories and the attacks and he loved the local church and missionaries today and people today should learn from Paul to love the local church talking about missions, observing missionaries, one of the things that happens is that they should love the local church, but they don't. At least that's what I see.

For example, I go to India, and there are a lot of missionaries in India. You know how many of them do church planting? Very few. Actually, we've been in Calcutta, and we could not find any missionaries doing church planting. All of them were doing social stuff. All of them were doing a lot of stuff regarding the human traffic.

But no church planting. And I was so mad, in a sense, but upset and sad to see that. And it tells you how much modern missionaries today care about the local church and that has to be changed Because we as missionaries should love local churches should love our local churches that we coming from and our focus should be on planting other churches And that's our model, and that's what we see in the New Testament, and that's what should happen in our modern ministries today.

Let's look at this text. We're going to split it in three, And we're going to look at it and see three things about this visionary missionary, about this wonderful Christian that we should walk in his model. Visionary missionary is a servant of Christ for the nations. Okay. Maybe that sounds okay for you. but when my sister was getting ready to go to India six years ago, she went back just a month ago, she went back to India, praise the Lord so came back to renew her visa so six years ago she was getting ready to go to India and called several churches in Romania and told the pastors I'm getting ready to go to India.

And I got your phone call from Niku. You know, he's a pastor also. And I just want to ask you if you're interested in hearing my presentation and if you're willing and you desire to stand behind something like this. And several pastors said, no. We don't want to hear about world evangelism. We want to train our people to do outreach in our communities here.

So we want to focus on that. And when that is done, we'll see. And seriously, there are different pastors that said that. And I was very disappointed. And some of them are my colleagues. I mean, we meet from time to time.

Sometimes it's so hard to go over those conversations that my sister told me about it. And dear brothers and sisters, God's heart is for the nations. It not just for Americans It not just for white people or for black people It not just for Americans It not just for white people or for black people It not just for Romanians It's not just for Jewish people.

God's heart is for the nations. And what I love about Paul is that he makes that underline in this text that we read, that God has called me by His grace to be a missionary to nations, plural, to all nations. And we have to look at Paul and think about that, okay? And maybe you look at me today and say, you know, I'm kind of old. I cannot think about that anymore.

Yes, you can. Yes, you can pray. Yes, you can give. And I think, yes, you can go. I don't think anybody is too old to go as a missionary and reach other people. And just when you read the New Testament, observe God's heart for the nations.

And it's not just New Testament, actually. It's the Old Testament. You know, from Abraham all the way, God has the nations. He thinks about the nations. And what I like when you think about this text that we read, it's not just nations in general, you know, using this term because, you know, some people are taking this seriously and they do go to the nations.

But again, they don't go for the conversions of the nations. And Paul says here, my heart is for the nations, but my heart is to see the conversion of the nations. And the reason I'm making that connection is because of this. The modern missions today, it's too much about children that are very poor, that are being abused by other people and sold as basically slavery, you know, slaves. and it's an important issue don't understand me wrong but so many times everything, all those social things they just replace the desire of the local churches and the believers to see the conversions of the people and we have to understand that first of all when you think of nations you have to think about their conversion We have to desire that.

We have to pray for that, that the Lord will save people from all nations, cannibals. And there are some more cannibals even in this modern world that we live today. There are cannibals still living and maybe God is calling you. To go there. This is very, very important. Again, thinking about India, because we've been twice in India since we've been here three and a half years ago.

And after the first visit, I came back home, crashed in my heart to see that so few churches and Christians have as their goal to see the conversions of the nations. And it's funny because when you think of missions, you should think about this first of all, but it's not. So we have to pray for this. You know, we're our list of prayer, you know, thinking of, you know, Philippines or Indonesia or China or Russia, you know, to pray for the salvation of those people.

You know, you don't have to go as a missionary to Russia, though Russia is really struggling today. I mean, Christians are more and more persecuted. They close down in different parts of Russia churches, and you probably heard that. and I'm talking about China and other places, where it's very, very hard. India is getting harder and harder. The prime minister of India now is a very strong Hindu, and he's making the life of Christians very, very hard.

And you're talking about a country that about 20-something percent is Muslim. So Christians are suffering not just from Hindus, but they're suffering from Muslims also. And on the north part of India there are a lot of Christians that die and suffer greatly from all those persecutions. You know, are you aware of this? If you're not aware of this, I wonder how much do you care and think? of the conversion or about the conversions of the nations.

Don't think about it. Don't stay in the pew and say, you know what, I'm a Christian. I'm here in America. It's nice and warm. It's comfortable. I don't care about what happens in other parts of the world.

You shouldn't. And I say that to Romanians, not just to Americans, because it's the same temptation. You know, you become so comfortable where you are, you don't think about other people, other Christians that are going through so many struggles. And today's message, I hope, is going to at least put the desire in your heart to start thinking about this more.

Paul's ministry is centered in Christ, verses 17 and 18. and because of that he glories on that you know do you hear people glorying on different things being proud about different things you know maybe some people are looking here at paul and say you know paul i don't know if you should be proud you know being proud is not christian but he glories on Christ. But in the same time, he says, my ministry. Did you see that?

Because when I read, I underlined that, my ministry. Was it his ministry or was it Christ's ministry? Both. Christ's ministry, he's the one converting people, but Paul looked at that saying, that's my ministry. That's my work for Christ. Okay?

And Paul has a unique desire, verse 20. It's his ambition. And he loves pioneering. And to be a pioneer means to open fields that nobody went before. And Paul wants that. And you know, most of the time, those places are the most sacrificing places.

People die when they pioneer, sometimes on different islands or on different places. People never went before. Same Peyton was saying history has no braver records than those of the pioneer missionaries of the cross in the South Seas Their greatest peril was from the evil deeds of their own countrymen who had been before them at various places. But the savage could never be won without constant risk of life.

And men were always found who died, who did not count their lives dear unto themselves. It was when they saw their companions fall that these men felt the iron enter their souls. and maybe we've seen too less suffering and too few missionaries dying. And what is your unique desire? What is your ambition? Build another room close to the house? Get another car? see your children having a good education, a good degree?

Or maybe you're thinking about your degree. What's your unique desire? What is your ambition? When you look at Paul's ambition to be the pioneer, to see places that people never went before, to see places invaded with the love of Christ, I think that's a good ambition. And you know what? I'm sure there are places across America, even, that were not invaded by the love of Christ.

Why not making that a unique desire for your life and your ambition to see more people coming to the Lord? Or why not making a great ambition about seeing your friends that do not know Christ, knowing Christ through your life, through your example, and through your long discussions with them about who Christ is. That sounds like a good ambition. 22.29, a visionary missionary is a dreamer.

And I was talking with Pastor Tim about it. Jerusalem, Rome, Spain. You know, sounds nice. You know, Spain is worm for some of you. But when you think of this itinerary you know it like okay what is so special about that It about 6 kilometers you know about a little bit over 4 miles Close to 5,000 miles. Okay, in a world that was not, you know, blessed by all the airplanes, you know, and the way we travel today, it was so strange, and it was not known in that time.

So Paul is dreaming big. You know, it's like, you know, to put this itinerary in a modern, you know, itinerary will be like, you know, today I'm going to go to Alaska and after a while I'm going to go to South America. And from South America I will fly to China. And from China I'll go to South Africa. And from South Africa I think I'll go to Canada. And from Canada, it's something like that.

So are you a dreamer or what? do you think about an itinerary like this so i'm gonna go to you know canada preach the gospel and from canada i'll go to south america preach the gospel and from south america i'm gonna go to china preach the gospel maybe stop in mongolia and from mongolia i will go to south america you know south africa that this is what paul is talking about here i mean for their mind you know Their minds in that time, Paul is dreaming. I want to go to Spain. You know, that's the end of the world in their times.

And he says, I will stop in Jerusalem. Hopefully, and he said, please pray for me at the end of the chapter so I will not be persecuted by the Judaizer and the Jewish people. it says and from Jerusalem after I'm going to leave the gift from Macedonia and Achaia that I received from Macedonia and Achaia I will go to Spain and on the way to Spain I will stop in Rome and visit with you so Paul is a dreams bag and you know when I read this I feel so I so ashamed because a lot of the times what I dreaming is I got to put new carpet upstairs The kitchen is kind of coming apart so I've got to finish that cabinet. And I think that's it.

Oh, oh, oh, I've got to take Nicholas to basketball. That's none. And I say, I'm a big dreamer. Who dreams like me? You know? Paul is dreaming about visiting brothers from there and preaching the gospel in Rome and preaching the gospel in Spain.

And hey, Paul was a man like me and like you. He was not an angel flying. He was not a superhuman. He was not Superman or Batman or whatever. He was a man. And he had his problems like we do.

And I think he had a lot of health problems that we don't have. I mean, being stoned by people is not that easy. So he went through a lot of struggles. And he had huge problems. But he was, I mean, to go back in some of the cities that he was so persecuted, but he still had the desire to go. You know, I wonder if you're put in prison once, if you want to go out from your house, you know, again, probably not.

I'm in depression, huge depression. I was a missionary and they persecuted me. But Paul is just, the more you persecute him, the more he wants to go. And oh, how much we need Christians and men and women like this in our world today. Amen? And the last part is a visionary missionary is a community-orientated.

I mean, he wants the approval of his brothers from Jerusalem. He says, I hope it's going to be pleasing for them. I just love the way he's wording stuff. You know, he's not saying, and I'm going to go to Jerusalem and they better like that, you know, prison. I mean, that. He's not saying that.

I would probably have said that. Paul will go to them, so they're going to like that. Because if not, they're going to be in trouble. He's so kind. He says, hopefully, by God's grace, they're going to look at this and they're going to be excited and they're going to be pleased. I just love the heart of Paul, of this wonderful missionary.

And he fights in prayer for the entire community. And he invites the community to pray with him and rejoice at the end of the whole text, in verse 30, to rejoice with him when he will come and visit with them and join them. And again, I think a visionary missionary should be a community-oriented missionary, should be a man of the local church, should love his brothers and sisters, should be a missionary a man a Christian that has a heart for the approval and for the relationships that he has with everybody from the community You know, if you think about today's questions, I usually do this, finish my messages with questions, and today's questions will be, what is your work?

What is your ministry? What is your service? Okay, today, if somebody will ask you, what is your specific particular ministry? What are you going to say? Can you say, this is my work, this is my ministry, this is what I do, this is my service. Do you know specifically?

The second question, are you a dreamer? Are you ambitious? What are your future plans? Do you have future plans? What are you ambitious for? What are you ready to die for?

And no matter what happens, you're going to die because you want to see that happen. And the third question, are you a fighter? What are you fighting for? What are you fighting for in your prayers Do you pray When we pray do you ask the Lord or do you sleep in your prayers Or you cannot even remember when you prayed last night? hey brothers and sisters we see here a man that was able to see imitate me because I imitate Christ walk in my walk and follow my example and I pray today that his example after so many years thousands of years will still impact people and will make such an impact on you.

By God's grace, you're going to be able, after many years, to say, you can follow me because I follow Christ. I'm a dreamer. I'm ambitious. I've got a service. And I'm a fighter. And that's for God's glory because I know what Christ has been doing for me. and I want that so much.

Amen. God help us. Pastor Pastor Let's pray, shall we? Father, we thank you for not just Paul, who was a great missionary. We thank you for the example that he has set. we confess to you that we are not visionaries. We do not dream, much less have ambition.

Help us, we pray, to think and to take to heart these things. Help us to examine our ambitions in light of your word. Father help us to dream about how we can communicate the gospel in many venues the very venues that we are involved in move us from satisfied with life as it is to visionaries of what we could do for Christ because of his great work on our behalf Help us to do that, we pray.

In Jesus' name, Amen.