An Outstretched Hand​

By DALTON TEW
Baptist Progress Writer

​There is a picture that has circulated around the internet, which features a man reaching into rushing waters to rescue a sheep. However, the man is not alone. He is supported by the outstretched hand of another man who has his feet planted firmly on the ground. The rescuer finds himself spanning the distance between the stable man and the drowning sheep. In this picture, the man on the land is labelled the church, the rescuer is the missionary, and the sheep is the lost soul. This is a clear and accurate picture of missions.
 
Missions is not something which exists apart from the local church. In fact, it is an outpouring of it. The very first people sent out on a clear missionary journey were Paul and Barnabas. In Acts 13, it is recorded about the church in Antioch, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off (Acts 13:2-3).” It was the local church then, that gave their blessing and sent these two men out from among their midst.
 
It is evident in the New Testament that the church’s responsibility is not only to send out missionaries, but also to support them and partner with their work. Today, there is equal need for the local church to be involved in the supporting and partnering with both local and international missions. One such BMA church which has made it its goal and aim to do so is O’Quinn Baptist Church in Pollok.
 
Led by Bro. John Curry, the mission board at O’Quinn is a dedicated group of 16 believers who are intentional about finding how they can support missionaries in their work. Not only are they generous givers, but they are also generous doers. Rather than just sending money to help with projects, they sacrifice time, energy and resources. This group of people understand what it means to be the ones holding the hands of those who stand in the gap. They know their role, and they take it seriously.
 
One of the ways O’Quinn has helped support foreign missionaries in the past is through putting together care packages for missionary families around the holidays. They gathered many articles of clothing, board games, puzzles and kids books and gifted them to missionary families as a way to bless them while on the field and on furlough. This kind act brought a lot of joy and encouragement to the missionaries and their families.
 
They have also served by partnering with a church planter from the BMA of Texas by helping to put on an outreach program for his church plant in West Texas. They passed out flyers in the area and then gathered in local parks and ran a VBS program for people in the community. They also helped with some additional service projects for the church building. In the coming weeks, they will be putting on a similar outreach program in the DFW area.
 
Most people have a clear idea of what it means to be a missionary; a “goer”. There are few, however, who truly know what it means to be a sender! It means lending a hand and being a support system for the one going. It requires not only praying but also investing in the life of the missionary. It means being a partner and not just a facilitator.
 
O’Quinn Baptist Church understands this and has made it their aim to join hands in partnership with multiple missionaries and church planters. Their vision is simple: “We are empowered by Christ, unified by the love of Christ, trained in the gospel and ready to let our light shine.”
 
The truth is, a church does not necessarily need a large budget or a big congregation to be a good partner. They simply need to find where the missionary is at work and find ways to encourage him and come alongside him in his ministry.
 
The Apostle Paul was a missionary who went on many journeys, and he himself expressed the importance of the partnership of a local church, “Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only (Philippians 4:14-15).”
 
Paul knew what it was like to experience both the joys and struggles of serving the Lord, and the local church shared in these many experiences with him through their partnership. Just like the church in Philippi, churches today can, and must, be the ones holding the hand of the missionaries whom they have sent. They must be present, active, and invested in the ministry to which God has called the missionary. After all, he is not working on his own, but on behalf of the many who have joined with him and sent him out.
 
For the majority of us, we will never know what it is like to be the man in the middle, spanning the distance between the lost sheep and the stable man. However, each and every one of us, by default, are the man on stable ground. Let us be faithful to partner with and bless those in the middle—the missionaries. Not only will we have the experience of sharing in their sufferings, but we will also have the privilege of sharing with them in their victories.

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