Mission

Rev Jameson Yeo

Thanks to the Lord, that we are still able to be used by Him here and there, everywhere, sharing His word.

We were here in 1968 in Penang, and we stayed in Penang for awhile. And after leaving Penang we went back to Singapore and then the Lord opened different doors for us and since then we are called everywhere, but not every corner of the world.

One day, my son-in-law asked me to teach my grandson geography. So, I started to count with him the places that we have been to, and to my surprise, it was 5 to 6 years ago, and we have been to 35 countries and up to today, we add a few more, so we are close to about 40 countries and more than 50 cities. The only one place we have not been yet, I have one policy if there is no preaching, I will not go. So, there is no preaching in South America yet, so I have not been there.

The rest of the continents, I have left my shadow there. We just came back from China, we've been to China many times, seven provinces already and just came back recently and it was an experience that was preparing us for much colder countries. When we went to China last month, the temperature was -25ºC and when we see the sun up there, it is still -17ºC to -18ºC.

Sometime ago I was invited to go to Alaska to teach in a Bible school. I say no because of the weather. Now that we've gone through -25ºC, maybe the Lord say no more excuse, you have been to that kind of a place, prepare to go if an invitation comes again, Amen.

The Lord saved me and my wife when we were in our late teens. I went to Bible school at 17 years old and that was in 198_ (can’t tell you).

No more about myself, now about Mission. Look around you, you and I are saved not to reserve a place in Heaven, that is not the main purpose. You and I are saved by the grace of God to do one thing, and that is to do mission. What is Christian mission? Christian mission is simply doing what Jesus Christ has done here on earth. The Lord God saved you and me for this one purpose only, this purpose is to continue the work that Jesus Christ has done here on this earth. That is mission.

The mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, He came; He died, so that you and I can be saved to continue His mission here on earth. And if you say that you are a Christian, and not continuing to do His work, then what kind of Christian are you? If you say that you’re a Christian, I believe that you’re a Christian, if you are not doing the works that Jesus Christ say that you and I should do and must do as a Christian, then what kind of a Christian are you? You fill in the blank, give an adjective there. You have no adjective, I give you one. You are a lousy Christian, worthless Christian, no use for the Kingdom of God. The church today is weak, not because the power of the Lord Jesus Christ has deteriorated until now. He is still as powerful as before. The church today is weak and we are not growing is because you and I who claim to be Christian, claim to be Christian but are not doing what you should be doing as a Christian.

You said, mission is just reserve for the pastor, who said so, I am not a pastor, I have no church to pastor, I just volunteer, Lord here am I, use me and He used me and my wife, to do what? He say he want to do through us. My wife and I, we came to know the Lord Jesus Christ when we were in our late teens, and until today He is still opening new doors for us so that we can become a Christian worthy of that name. The name Christian simply mean follower of Jesus Christ and if you are the follower of Jesus Christ, He expected you to do the same thing that He has done here on this earth. Who said so, you may say, of course not me, Jesus Christ said so, and some of you may say proof it. Where can I find the proof that Jesus Christ say that what He has done on this earth you can do also.

This morning to challenge you, and you can do the works and continue to do the works of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. I said you, not the pastor only, you want proof? The word mission means projected goal and what is the projected goal of our Lord Jesus Christ for you and for me?

Let’s turn to John 14:12-15.
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit 15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.

The word truly truly translated from the original word, Amen. Amen is one of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Is simply means true and faithful, or so be it. So whatsoever the Lord Jesus Christ has said here is true and faithful. And just as He is eternal and alive, this word that the Lord Jesus Christ has spoken here is still valid for you and for me.

The meaning of truly truly or Amen, if you read the Greek version, the punch is there, it mean whatever you are thinking now, stop thinking about that. Jesus before He teach anything that is important, He will say Amen Amen, and all His disciples will know what He mean, stop doing what they are doing and listen carefully.

So what are you thinking now? Lunch? Stop thinking about your lunch, your curry fish head may smell good, but your curry fish will not listen to His will. Here the Lord Jesus Christ is calling you for your attention. And then the meaning goes beyond, pay attention to me, He said. How you respond to what He is going to teach you determines life and death, victory or defeat in your life. So whenever you read the gospel and when you read, Amen Amen or truly truly stop doing what you are doing and pay attention to what Jesus Christ because life or death depend to your respond to His word. What did He say here? He said, I say unto you, listen carefully, I am saying this to you and to whom, some of you may say He is saying to His disciples, but he is talking to you today, who says so? Read carefully, truly truly I say unto you, and you referring to whom? The “you” are referring to him who believes in me. This includes everybody, so whosoever believes in me. Let’s take a survey, how many of us here believe in Jesus Christ this morning? So, is He talking to you?

The work that I do, he will do also. Is this in your Bible? Is this sentence in your Bible? Yes, so what did He say to you? He say the works that I do, you and I who believe in Him can do also. But some of you who are lazy, giving excuse he is talking about pastor.

But just now you told me that you believe in Him, He is talking to you, so no excuse, it is you. What did He say to you? He say to you and to me, the works He has done you can do also. Now, your pastor is new in this church, not too old, so never mind, I will excuse him if you give the wrong answer. What did Jesus Christ done here on earth? It is very important, he say the works that I do you can do also. So what has He done here on earth while He was here?

He went preaching. Are you going around preaching the word of God? What else did he do? Are you going around praying for the sick, when the Lord Jesus Christ gives you that opportunity? It is pastor's job, not my job. Who says it is pastor's job? Jesus Christ says you who believe in me, He gives you that opportunity but you wasted that opportunity and therefore no more chance.

Besides that, what else did He do? Preach, teach, heal the sick, what else? So many things and you so quiet, why is it so? Nobody taught you about this thing? Or have you not read the Scriptures yourselves? No wonder you are not that kind of a Christian that God expected you to be. And the church is weak today is not because the power of our Lord Jesus Christ has diluted, no no no, the church is weak today because we dare not believe in Him. You may say, yes I believe, but believe is one thing, doing what you believe is another thing. The Lord Jesus Christ emphasise here the one who believe in me, can do His work. Why Jesus Christ emphasises the word, I say unto you? And why is He emphasising you believe in me, very important, I say unto you, He say to us, I am still alive, I am not dead, therefore whatsoever I done here on earth I can continue doing through you because I am alive. Do you know that He is alive? We are not serving and worshipping a dead person. We are serving and worshipping a living God. And, this living God is all powerful God and He want to work with you and through you so that you can bring glory and honour to His name.

The name of our Lord Jesus Christ is not honoured in every place because Christian dare not exercise what they believe. Read carefully again, truly truly I say unto you, he who believe in me, the work I do he will do also. What does this word also mean? You can do the same. Can His word be trusted? Yes. Good. Then are we doing His work? If you say His word can be trusted then dare you do what He say, can do, must do and should do?

The praise and worship was good, but how come the respond on His word are so quiet? The works I do you should do also and he went on to emphasise and greater works than this he will do. What does He mean when he say greater? When Jesus Christ was here on earth, He can be in one place at one time, when He ascended up to Heaven, He blessed His people and then He command His people to go, to share the gospel, for instance we have 200 peoples here, if all of us will go to one place so we will be in 200 places and if all of you dare to do what Jesus Christ say you must do and should do, then at the same time this church has performed 200 miracles at one time.

But Jesus when He was here on earth, can only do one miracle at one time at one place. But here, is what He mean, when we all get to represent Him, then at the same time, at different places, we can do greater works. Greater works is the number. If you want to see miracles in the church and outside the church, you and I must take up the responsibility and the privilege to represent His name here on earth. This is what He says we can do, so mission is simply taking up our privilege and our responsibility to continue to do the works of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some may say when? My wife and I, we went into mission to do God’s works when we were in our late teens, and we are still doing now. By training I am a shipbuilder, I worked in a shipyard, and I am a marine engineer by training. The works that I have done to earn my rice bowl, most of you may have not heard about it. When I was working in the shipyard, I have to sign a piece of paper with the company that I cannot and must not tell anyone what my job is all about.

Now that is many years ago, so I can tell you. We develop in a team of seven; I am one of the seven to develop one of the faster vessel in the world at that time. We build it, we test it, and we sank it. Back to the drawing board and that was the time where God say enough is enough. I have given you plenty of time to learn about your trade, and you are now here, I want you to change and go back to spreading the gospel. Oh God, the project failed, we want to go 50 knots 90MPH, none in the world at that time, let me finish it and put my signature there together with all our friends. In Singapore, there are only two representing this company, one and another one, left.

Back to spreading the gospel, back to school when I was 52 years old, studying the Bible. So, when exactly God calls you, I do not know when. Young people, don’t waste your time. Now the mission, full time job in God’s works is not easy. You look at your pastor, you think it is easy? No, never easy. I went through, never easy. It is the most difficult job in the world and nobody appreciate you. Until and unless you are willing to say, God here am I, use me, make me a living sacrifice, don’t go to and become a pastor. Don’t.

But if you are willing to say, God here am I, use me and make me a living sacrifice and then you stick on to that commitment, then I encourage you, enter into the ministry because when you enter into the ministry and continue the mission that Jesus Christ has set for you, you are not facing man but you are also facing the devil. So, you are fighting two enemies, the devil and man. So pastor you are fighting two enemies if you do not know, the devil and man. And the worse thing is man claim to be Christian but listen to the devil. You have somebody coming to say, I am a sheep but look carefully, how come this sheep smell like a wolf. Don’t laugh brother, don’t laugh sister, it happens. You may be the one, if I know you are the one, I slaughter you first, because I know how. I slaughtered many of them. Unless you know definitely that God calls you. Then come and see your pastor, let him guide you into the ministry.

But the ministry is not for money making, it never makes money. It is always giving out money, somebody give it to you, you give out. For pastor's never a rich man, oh I heard so many, well they will not last long. I challenge you today, the very moment God calls you, is the very time he wants you to be involved. There is no fix age to be in the mission. God has asked me to many places so that we are able to see the mission of our projected goals in many different countries. We were in Uganda, thank God for many years there. We have started, we means not I alone, but many of us contributed to the country where Uganda and the town Soroti where we were there as missionaries. Today, not only we have a church building, we have also six church plus a primary school. Thanks to the Lord.

God can use you if you dare to trust Him. Then, the Lord has also used us to start a first Chinese speaking church in West Africa. Today, the church is very powerful. Send out missionaries, then Africa is a one culture, send you to another culture, so we have a pastor and a church in Paris. The weather chase me away. Everyday I convey to God, God I don’t want to stay in Paris, too cold, winter too cold, summer too short, don’t want, so ask a friend want to come to Paris. During that time he still in Ghana, okay I can come, but wait till I got married, so I say okay, quickly get married, then the guy got married, then wait for honeymoon, and finally he is there. Now he is 8 or 9 years there. And then from Paris, to Germany, back to South Pacific, so if you dare to trust God He will open doors for you. So that you can represent Him in a place where He say you can best suited for the situation. So, mission is not just giving money, mission is getting yourselves involved.

Mission, you send people out and when the people are out there, you continue your mission by praying for them and also helping them to continue in the work. I am from Elim Church Singapore, every month we send out Singapore Dollars Eighty Thousand to the mission field. Not one year, every month. How we collect this money? Pastor you have to set the example, we talk to the pastor, my senior pastor say; we want to raise this amount, but how? So, he set the example, besides his tithe which we know is 10%, he put up another 20% for mission. We know his salary and then beside that he put another 10% for offering. My senior pastor put up all we know is 40% besides other than love offering. We do not know how much. We know our senior pastor put up from his pay check 40% back to the church.

And we who are members we follow the same. And we do not have a big church, so pastor if you want to raise funds for mission, you tell the people how much you give, don’t be ashamed. Let them follow you. This is a Bible principle. You follow me as I follow Christ. So church leaders and pastor you do that.

And then send your people. Elim church has sent six families into different fields and we maintain them there. These fields are producing now missionaries to other fields. This is mission. Mission is not giving money; mission is continuing to do the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am not a pastor or in a pastoral staff, I am only a church member of Elim church and we have many people like me doing the same thing in Elim, church members only. Listen carefully I am not one of the pastoral staff, my wife and I, we are only a member of the church and we do go out, when we call to our senior pastor, here have invited me and I want to go, he will say God bless you and we will pray for you and you go. And often time, when before he send us out with a blessing, they gave us a very good air fare. So my travel is provided by Elim church. Any place we want to go, they pay for us, but it must be officially invited by the church or a Bible school, not for holidays. So pastor we don’t go for holiday, we only go the places where we have work to do. So this is the reason pastor. So mission, it is as and when the Lord calls you.

Continue the next verse, John 14:13, whatsoever you ask in my name that will I do, so that the Father's name is glorified in the Son.

The word whatsoever is very important here, now remember when you and I go out to witness for Jesus Christ, we are facing two enemies; one the devil and his agent. The devil's a spiritual being, his agent human being, so you and I are facing two characters, so in the mission field there is no such thing as walking over; you have to fight every step of the way to win the ground for Jesus Christ. And so here the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the authority over whatsoever. And, the word whatsoever means no matter what, it can be physical and spiritual. Therefore, you and I can have the power and the authority to command the spiritual being. Jesus Chris went about casting out demons; you and I can do the same. Have you experienced that? One of the church in Africa was born out of a spiritual fight with the devil, spiritual warfare, cast out demon from the village and then the villagers said, your Christianity is so powerful and we want a church here, so the church was there. And I heard somebody borrowed our experience and claim to be theirs. I was in Tonga preaching and telling them exactly what happened, and the pastor wife said same story but the person who said it said is their experience, ask them if they have been to Uganda? So be careful about people coming here and telling you about experience which are not theirs and claim to be theirs. That is not a good testimony, be careful of this kind of thing. Now, whatsoever means spiritual or physical, whatsoever you ask in my name that I will do.

The word that is very specific, if you dare to ask God, God in your name give me the power to cast out demons, and God say if you dare to ask me for that, and I will do that for you. The word “That” means very specific, if you want this church to be strong and powerful, Pentecostal Church just like in the Book of Acts, then you pray for that. Now one more thing, if you want your pastor to be strong, powerful and authoritative, you pray for him.

This is the New Testament church, if you want your church to grow and powerful in manifestation of what God has promised you, you must pray. What did Jesus Christ say? If you ask, now the word “ASK” is claiming the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and this name is all powerful. If you dare ask, then you say that I will do. So that the Father may glorify in His son, why are there sometime the church pray and nothing happen? This is because the motive is wrong. The motive is not to glorify the Lord but glorify the church itself. Whatsoever you do, as a church for an object of mission, which you say objective, the basic idea must glorify God not glorifying the church. If you give money for mission, your giving must with the intention, I want to glorify God. And then, that money can be multiplied and be used for mission. If you give just because you want somebody to know you have pledge, then God is not glorified in that.

So, mission involve first thing is that you pray, for the projected goal that you want to do. The word mission is projected goal. So, what is the goal of your mission? Is it just to collect money and give away money? That will be a wrong goal. I pray to God that this church will send out missionaries. We were privileged to live in Philippines and nurse out the church where it was abandoned by somebody, pitiful. Pastor you have never heard of this, that is what happened. The worship team are all hired musician and then there are only two congregations, the whole church seventeen people, the pastor, pastor's wife, worship team and then member. Here am I going there sent by somebody to look after the church for me. Never knew what happened, went there and then know the worship team are hired musician. When I went there, the pastor doesn’t like me, you reveal all our secret, all mission fund don’t come anymore. I resigned from my work and go there to become temporarily missionary, and temporary missionary become three and a half years. The church today has send out missionaries to Africa and the church is helping to pay missionaries staying in Africa. I am praying to God that not only you send money but send the people. This is mission.

Now, continue to read, then Jesus Christ says, “if you ask me anything in my name I will do it”.

The word whatsoever and anything, are they the same? No, they are not the same. Jesus Christ use two different words, therefore they are not the same. Whatsoever have to do spiritual and physical work, the word anything means no matter what it is related to these two work you can pray in my name. Another word is say; there is no limitation for you to pray in my name. No matter what the situation may be, the word anything in another word means no limitation because our God is a living, all powerful God, all knowing God, and whatsoever you pray in His name He know how to answer you. These I say because I also experienced them.

I told the Hokkien congregation this morning about one experience that make me lose face in a church. I was very angry and rejected one time. I was invited to Vietnam, as soon as Vietnamese government allowed the Assembly of God to operate above ground in October they gave the license, in November I was there teaching the Bible. Went to Haiphong, in the North, the first day I met the pastor, the pastor say thank God you are here, take care of the church for me. I look at him, I don’t even know your name how to take care of your church? He said never mind I know you so you take care of my church and I am ready to go, and he left. The church is Vietnamese, always small because it is underground, and it is a small congregation. It is worst than China, the whole wall was sound proof and I have to go through the kitchen, the bedroom, and then the meeting place, but no more. So you trust me, I will take care of your church for you, I will preach for you for two Sundays. The second night I was there, called to pray for the sick brother, I went there, you know the Chinese call “tua chu tua ee”, means you don’t ask permission, you just do it, so I “tua chu tua ee” in Jesus name be healed, not knowing what is all about. And then one of the church member who is a doctor, a physician came, and then visit him, so I came down from the bedroom, he was at his bedroom, the wife is there, and sat at the main hall, and suddenly a loud crying sound heard, the doctor pronounce the man I prayed to be healed died. I said what happen, you say you pray, I pray, he died. Now how am I going to preach next week? I asked why God you do this? Know what God say, you “tua chu tua ee”, you have not ask me permission how to pray, my mistake, he is dead. The ambulance came took him to the hospital, they pronounce him dead. So, one medical doctor said he died, the hospital doctor say he died. So he must be dead, dead, dead. Next week, the next Sunday, I suppose to preach, but I went they rejected, do not know exactly what to preach. The news already spread, he prays and he died. Then in the meeting, the wife came to church with make-up, hair-do, lipstick, just like going to wedding. Your husband died last week, today you should be mourning, but how come you are so happy? (Inside my heart when she first came in, I am thinking is this how Vietnamese mourn?) So when testimony came, this is what I heard, and that made me very very happy.

She said, that man came to pray for my husband, he died, everybody knows already, when to the hospital together with him, he died they say, pushing him to the mortuary, before he got in the mortuary, he stood up, and we have to send him to another hospital for second treatment. He is not dead. I have to learn one important lesson, never “tua chu tua ee”. Don’t take thing for granted. So ask God permission first before you do anything. So, I have learnt my lesson. I dare not “tua chu tua ee” go and say be healed in Jesus name. I will ask, God what you want me to do so that the Father may be glorify, I always pray Father give me courage, this person is sick and if you allow me to pray for him and he get well, I am encouraged and can preach better. Is alright is I always can preach better. So, this is how I talk to my Father.

If you dare to talk to Him and express your heart to Him, in the way you know how, He will talk to you. I thank God for what he says here, so that the Father may be glorified. Then Jesus Christ says, all these things are possible because I go to the Father. Jesus Christ died, buried, resurrected and ascended to Heaven for this one thing only that is for His mission. He came to die, and death is only part of His mission, resurrection is a proof that your salvation and my salvation is accepted by God, and then He ascended to Heaven, to do this one thing that he has promised, 800 years before spoken by Joel that God will baptise all of us who dare to believe in Him in the Holy Spirit. So, He went up to Heaven because I go to my Father so that He can bring to us and give to us the baptism in the Holy Spirit which is to empower us to do what He say we must do and should do and can do.

So, His mission is to die for you and to die for me and also empower you. So, dying is only part of His mission and empowering you is another part. So He died, yes, resurrected, no doubt, up to Heaven so that He can bring to you and to me the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. And the purpose in baptism in the Holy Spirit is so that you can be empowered, so that this power in you will help you and enable you to do the things He said you and I should do and can do. So, when you and I are baptised in the Holy Spirit, you are totally covered by God’s power. In other words, you are totally protected by God’s power.

How you are totally covered? I gave this illustration this morning. How many of you have seen hard boiled chicken egg? In Uganda and in Philippines, usually at the bus stop they sell hard boiled chicken egg. Now, the hard boiled chicken egg you get the shell outside, the shell totally covered the membrane, the membrane totally covered the white, the egg white totally covered the yolk. So you are the yolk, totally covered by and protected by the power of God. At the same time, this power that protects you is for you to use, so that you can fulfil what Jesus Christ say here.

So, my brother and my sister, should the Lord Jesus Christ arrange for you a situation whereby He want you to exercise His power through you, do it, this is your mission. You may be visiting a friend, whom may be sick and inside you, you feel that God say pray, he will heal. Am I getting the right thing, the husband did you hear, what He say to me? What did He say to you? You did not hear it, then you get an excuse, I might be hearing wrong. So you don’t dare to do it. When you get the urge, the impression prompting inside you to do something for the Lord Jesus Christ, at that moment, do it. And that is your mission.

You may not know when you start, but you face the situation, that is your mission and the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to do the things that you should do and must do to glorify His name. If you dare not do what He has arranged for you to do then you are shaming His name. In another word, you do not trust Him. That is how the church has been weaken by our reaction. Therefore Jesus Christ always started with verily verily I say unto you, which mean I am the faithful and truthful one, what I say to you must come to pass. How you respond to my teaching determines life and death, victory or defeat. It is your decision. That is the mission the Lord Jesus Christ has given to us.

Many thanks to Esther Tham who took the initiative to record and transcribe this sermon in my absence. She did a brilliant job.