The Sacrifice

in Missions
 Mark 12: 41-44
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place
where the offerings were put and
watched the crowd putting their
money into the temple treasury. Many
rich people threw in large amounts.
42 But a poor widow came and put in
two very small copper coins, worth
only a few cents.”
 Mark 12: 41-44
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus
said, “Truly I tell you, this poor
widow has put more into the
treasury than all the others. 44
They all gave out of their wealth;
but she, out of her poverty, put in
everything—all she had to live on.”
 What is Sacrifice?
Definition: the act of giving up something
that you want to keep especially in order
to get or do something else or to help
someone

This question may sound very simple to

some and unusual to others but it carries
weight when we talk about missions for
Christ.
A group of women went out for a
Missions Tour in the hinterlands of
Paquibato, among the tribes, and
they slept in a tent, with all the
mosquitoes flying. While eating the
meat of a wild pig grilled with no
salt, drinking brewed black coffee
with no sugar, they will say to
themselves, “WOW, this is life”.
In fact, some young pastors, even
old ones, if assigned to remote
places with no Wi-Fi, no phone
signals, no electricity and no TV;
they accept it as a tremendous
sacrifice for them.
What I call a sacrifice may not be a
sacrifice to you and to others. But
when it comes to Missions
Sacrifices, we can not have a
different opinion. God knows
what a sacrifice is. Jesus knows
what a sacrifice is, but it is a must
that we also know.
Life of William Carey
1793, the modern missionary
movement was started.

In just 100 years,

Bible translation multiplied from 50 to
250 and missions organization from
7 to 100.
Missionaries were sent out, tribes were
converted, and nations discipled.
By 1900, the number of professing
Christians had more than doubles
from 215 million to 500 million.
Sacrifice of William Carey
William Carey’s family and team endured
trials while they plant the Gospel
among the Hindus in India.

Carey’s young son, Peter, died of

dysentery, his wife went insane, his co-
worker squandered all their money and
bankrupted the mission. Sickness
afflicted them all. To cap it all, after 7
years of tireless toil in India, Carey still
did not have a single convert.
What was the key to this
missionary advance? The
Beginning of Modern missions
is a story of Sacrifice!
What was the key to this
missionary advance? The
Beginning of Modern missions
is a story of Sacrifice!
If that is not sacrifice, what do
we call that?
The Bible tells us what a sacrifice is. Did you know
that to live a righteous life, there has to be a
sacrifice? If we really want to live a Christian life –
a sacrifice has to be made. It was C. S. Lewis who
said “If you are thinking of becoming a follower
of the Lord Jesus Christ (a Christian), I warn you,
God is going to get the whole of your life.” The
word “whole” is emphasized here.
Psalm 4:5 said, “Offer right sacrifices and trust in the
Lord.”
I – Sacrifice must be willingly/
freely given – (Psalm 54:6)
It says “I will sacrifice a free will offering to
you, I will praise your Name, O Lord, for it
is good.”
Sacrifices must be freely given. It must be
willingly given. A sacrifice offered from an
unwilling heart is not acceptable. Don’t
you know that when the Lord called us to
“follow him” and serve him wherever we
are, we are called to a lifestyle of sacrifice -
willing and freely.
I – Sacrifice must be willingly/
freely given – (Psalm 54:6)
In the Gospel, Jesus Christ many times
issued command to follow him – He is
calling us to a life of total sacrifice.
That’s the same commitment of
sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ calls us
in the Gospel. Our missions demands
greater sacrifice. It is something that
is freely given.
 II – Sacrifice must be totally
given

Partial sacrifices are not acceptable.

The Old Testament concept of
Sacrifice is sacrificial animals had
to die – not just partially dying.
 II – Sacrifice must be totally
given
As we study the strategies and sacrifices of prominent
missionaries of the 19th century, we know why the
1800‟s was the greatest century of missions. Why?
First, missionaries of the last century were tough.
Secondly, they made sacrifices and endured
hardships that we can hardly imagine.
But the fact of the 19th century history is that even if
they are facing different threats physically, there was
no shortage of missionary volunteers!
 II – Sacrifice must be totally
given
The first American missionaries to go overseas,
Adoniram and Ann Judson, endured tropical
diseases and harsh opposition and imprisonment
under the cruel king of Burma. Ann Judson died
on the field at 36 years old only. Yet by the time
Adoniram gave his all including his life, there
were 100,000 baptized church members
amongst the Karen tribe. To this day, Karen
people (Christian) remain steadfast in Burma.
 Mark 12: 41-44
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place
where the offerings were put and
watched the crowd putting their
money into the temple treasury. Many
rich people threw in large amounts.
42 But a poor widow came and put in
two very small copper coins, worth
only a few cents.”
 Mark 12: 41-44
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus
said, “Truly I tell you, this poor
widow has put more into the
treasury than all the others. 44
They all gave out of their wealth;
but she, out of her poverty, put in
everything—all she had to live on.”
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
This is exemplified in the life of our
Lord Jesus Christ as a model. No
wonder, the famous English pioneer
missionary C. T. Stud declared, “If
Jesus Christ be God and died for me,
then no sacrifice can be too great for
me to make for Him.”
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
Dr. David Livingstone was called to Africa
with his wife. His medical training and
theological education brought him to a
vision of building lay leadership Bible
training centers throughout Africa. The
strategy of ministering to the body, mind
and soul was affirmed. That time, they
began to establish hospital, school and
church. This is holistic strategy that we are
implementing.
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
Livingstone made a research in opening up Africa
to Christianity and destroying the Islamic slave
trade in his time.
Livingstone set many souls free from slavery, both
physical and spiritual. He suffered much also. He lost
his fourth child, Elizabeth, and his wife, Mary, to
diseases in the field. He suffered attack from wild
animals and Muslim slave traders, criticism from
home and the physical strain of walking through the
dense jungles and walking from coast to coast across
Africa.
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
It was Livingstone who said, “These privation, I beg you
to observe, are not sacrifices. I think that word ought
never to be mentioned in reference to anything we
can do for Him who though He was rich, yet for our
sakes became poor.”
Likewise said in relation to the slave traders of his time,
“Shame upon us missionaries if we are to be outdone
by slave traders.”
He always look at Jesus Christ as example – A sacrifice is
always something with a cost.
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
We have pastors and lay preachers,
evangelists and missionaries who
love the Lord, who labored hard for
the sake of Christ and the Gospel in
spite the challenges of church
ministries. They know something
about sacrifice.
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
We have teachers and staff of our Bible colleges
who work day in and day out, in spite of their
meager pay, just to be able to train godly men
and women to become effective communicators
of the Word and competent leaders for God’s
church. These people knew something about
sacrifice.
We have cross-cultural workers, local community
workers who labored much in spite unfavorable
circumstances and threats from within and
without. They too, know something about
sacrifice.
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
We have churches and congregations like the poor
widow, who belong to the poverty line. Yet they
faithfully give their tithe and missions offering and
they care much about their church and workers. They
know something about sacrifice.
We have churches located in rebel-infested areas,
whose workers and members of her church in
constant engagement with the insurgents. They too
knew something about sacrifice.
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
We have old veteran workers, leaders
seemingly aging yet their hearts and
minds and lives continue to be of use
by the Lord to inspire and encourage
young workers. Relentless, untiring,
selfless, they are still working for the
Lord. They know something about
sacrifice.
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15

Why all these? They love Christ.

The love of Christ constrains us.
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
A missionary in Africa was once asked if he really
liked what he was doing. “Do I like this work?”,
he responded. “No, my wife and I do not like
dirt. We have reasonable refined sensibilities.
We do not like crawling into vile huts through
goat refuse… But is a man to do nothing for
Christ he does not like? God pity him, if not,
liking or disliking has nothing to do with it. We
have orders to “GO” and we go. Love
constrains us.
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
Lately, a group of terrorists,
fundamentalists, highly trained in the
field of war hugged the headlines of the
world’s newspapers. They call
themselves the ISIS. Even our own were
recruited through the internet. It was
confirmed by our political leaders. What
causes this group of men to enter into
that organization? Why?
III – Sacrifice must be given at
cost – John 10:15
As David Livingstone said about the slave
traders of his time who were very active
in selling slaves – “shame upon us
missionaries if we are to be outdone by
these slave traders.”
We likewise say, “Shame upon us Christians
if we are to be outdone by ISIS or ISIL or
NPA.
Is our sacrifice with a cost?
 JESUS: THE CRITERIA OF
SACRIFICE
Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was freely
given. John 10:15 reads, “just as
the Father knows me and I know
the Father – and I lay down my
life for the sheep.”
 JESUS: THE CRITERIA OF
SACRIFICE
Jesus Christ gave His life totally. Romans 5: 6-8, “You see, at
just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ
died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a
righteous man, though for a good man someone might
possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.”

Jesus Christ gave His life at a cost. Matthew 20:28, “Just as

the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”