Romans - How to Recognize a Missionary

Romans 15:18-21

HOW TO RECOGNIZE A MISSIONARY

Intro: We have already seen from this Romans Chapter 15 that Paul was a soul winner. He had a heart for the lost and did all he could to reach them for Jesus. In this passage, Paul portrays himself as a missionary. There is a sense in which these words are interchangeable. However, there is another sense in which they are not. In this second sense, a soul winner is someone who reaches out to the lost where he lives, in his community, in his family, at his place of work. A missionary, on the other hand, is someone who has been sent by the Lord to another place or another country to share the Gospel message.

Lets read from God’s Word.

Romans 15:18-20

King James Version

18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,

19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:

Now, for a church to be considered a real, New Testament church, that church must be engaged in the business of carrying out the Great Commission. This involves our witnessing where we are and from there, reaching out into the whole world. We are to have a program of evangelism where we are, and we are to have a plan that encompasses the entire world in its scope. This is the mandate of the Lord Jesus, Acts 1:8.

So, whether we are at home, at work, or on the foreign field, we are to be soul winner/missionaries all the time. This was Paul's heart and it is the heart that should be within each of our bosoms this evening. I want to take a few minutes to look at this passage and tell you How To Recognize A Missionary. Paul tells us the traits by which a genuine New Testament missionary is recognized. May we all examine our hearts and see if these traits are true of us as well.