{"id":9152,"date":"2018-02-15T03:04:31","date_gmt":"2018-02-15T01:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=9152"},"modified":"2018-02-15T03:07:06","modified_gmt":"2018-02-15T01:07:06","slug":"the-mission-task","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/the-mission-task\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mission Task"},"content":{"rendered":"<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_S04_E05.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fthe-mission-task%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-3\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_S04_E05.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=9152-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_S04_E05.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"NIST_S04_E05.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 35:08 &#8212; 64.9MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('9152-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_9152-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_9152-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_S04_E05.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fthe-mission-task%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-4&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Sermon notes<\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Missionary Task<\/span><\/h1>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Confused Task<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we are not careful we can confuse the task of missions and water it down with a thousand good things! Yes, I said good things! Sometimes it is not the pure evil that slows gospel preaching and progress, sometimes it is good things that are not gospel things.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Missionaries are involved in many activities, some of them are very good and needed tasks and some of them not so much<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feeding the poor<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Providing free medical care<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building churches<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building schools<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building orphanages<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building hospitals<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flying airplanes<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Providing education<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coaching soccer and many other sports<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Giving shelter<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digging wells<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Etc&#8230;.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">None of these things are bad, all of these things have a level of necessity but none of them really are core the main task that God has called us to do. The danger is when we lose focus of that main task and one of these secondary tasks takes over!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Isaiah\u2019s Task<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although Isaiah doesn&#8217;t demand details before committing to the missions call go, God does not leave him without instruction on his task.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>And he said, \u201cGo, and say to this people: \u201c\u2018Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.\u2019 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.\u201d \u00a0Isa 6:9-10<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God responds to Isaiah giving him some details about the task before him. Let\u2019s break that task down into its primary parts. Very simply we can see three aspects to the missions task: going, telling, and persevering.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. We Must Go<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before God instructs Isaiah on what he should say or how he should say it, he tells him \u201cGo.\u201d While certainly missions is much more than simply traveling, we also must not overlook this vital aspect of the missions call. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lifeguard who remains on shore <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may call out to those he sees in danger, <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he may warn others, <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he may educate those who are already on the shore <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but he will not save any until he enters the waters himself, <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">until he takes the uncomfortable risk of diving into those dark waters. If he wants to save lives he must leave the beach and enter the waters!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God told Abraham to go, he was not only a patriarch but also a prophet (Genesis 20:7), God told him to \u201cgo\u201d from his own country and from his own culture to a place where God would show him (Genesis 12:1). As we see often in Scripture, the act of going is a significant expression of faith in the One who is sending. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Abraham\u2019s case going out from his homeland was not only uncomfortable, it was dangerous. Abraham would need to move his entire family with all their flocks, herds, servants, and tents. Beyond the regular risk of traveling across open wilderness, being attacked by wild animals, or running out of basic supplies, there was the risk of other nations through whose land they must travel. Abraham already had some wealth and as his clan moved across the land the locals would view him as a risk to their safety.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Abraham left his homeland he made a bold and shocking statement, it was a public declaration of his faith in Yahweh, who would protect him and provide for him as he went out, it was also a rejection of his family\u2019s pagan religion. The called missionary must make a similar step of faith. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>*Unique to the missions call is the aspect of going, not all are required to go to far off lands but all missionaries are required to go somewhere! <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s look at the first missionaries in Acts:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, \u201cSet apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.\u201d Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and <\/b><b>sent them off<\/b><b>. So, being <\/b><b>sent out<\/b><b> by the Holy Spirit, <\/b><b>they went down<\/b><b> to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. \u00a0Act 13:2-4<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notice in the above brief description how many times it refers to the \u201cgoing\u201d aspect of missions. It says the people \u201clet them go,\u201d they were \u201csent out by the Holy Spirit,\u201d and they \u201cwent down.\u201d Why is going a vital aspect of the missions call? Certainly going is a strong statement of the missionary\u2019s faith in the One who is sending him, yet there is more to it than just that. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why can\u2019t we just use technology?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even with the advance of technology, with the ability to record video, publish blog posts, or produce podcasts, God still wants people to represent him personally. We can and should use all available technologies to communicate the gospel, but we must never be content with that alone! <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We called to make disciples and we can not do that through technology alone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are called to be ambassadors. That means personal representation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part of the preaching of the gospel includes ministering to the needs of others.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only way to really learn the culture, language, and problems of those you are sharing the gospel with is to go to them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God came!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God Himself communicated with us through written word, He used prophets as communicators of His message, yet when it came down to it, when the most important truths had to be communicated He did it personally, He sent His one and only Son as Word incarnate. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. Joh 1:9-11<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus came as the ultimate missionary; He went from the presence of the Father to the humble life of a servant (Philippians 2:5-8). We go as ambassadors of God (2 Corinthians 5:20) seeking the lost and the broken and personally communicating the message of hope to them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to understand properly the missionary call you must not overlook the \u201cgoing\u201d of the missionary. It is impossible for a missionary not to go in some sense of the word. Some will travel to the other side of the globe, while others will find their \u201cgoing\u201d much nearer. Isaiah, for example, was told to go to the people of Judah. This meant that Isaiah would stay within the borders of his own country. However, he still needed to \u201cgo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. We Must Tell<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may have heard the popular saying, \u201cPreach the Gospel, use words if necessary.\u201d This is not from the Bible and it is not Biblical. It would be like saying \u201cFeed the hungry, use food if necessary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While \u201cgoing\u201d is usually the missionary\u2019s first task, it is not his primary task. Going is simply a necessary step to take before we can began the task of telling. Paul shows us how going and telling work together to accomplish God\u2019s purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>&#8230;How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, \u201cHow beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!\u201d \u00a0Rom 10:13-15<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">True faith and heart change can only happen as a result of the \u201cpreaching\u201d or \u201ctelling\u201d of the Good News!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Friend, do not let your heart forget the central assignment of every missionary, <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are sent to deliver truth and hope to a dying world. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are at our core storytellers, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">news proclaimers, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">truth communicators. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Above all the missionary must concern himself with the \u00a0communication of God\u2019s revelation. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Words of truth, salvation, and faith must flow fearlessly, flawlessly and frequently from the missionary\u2019s mouth. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t allow yourself to be comfortable with a superficial understanding of the Gospel!<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One reason many Christians don\u2019t share the Gospel is because they understand so little of it! <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A story-teller doesn\u2019t just regurgitate dry facts, rather his story is lived out as it is spoken out. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The core gospel message is simple but it is not superficial or simplistic.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Rom 11:33 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eph 3:8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles <\/span><b>the unsearchable riches of Christ,<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The book of Isaiah may be the richest book of prose, poetry, and prophecy in the entire Bible. The language is rich with a larger vocabulary than any other book in the Bible. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Isaiah writes at times with\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>tenderness<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">indignation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">awe<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fear<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0joy and hope<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is how our gospel should be communicated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We must stop belittling the gospel in our communication!<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stop thinking of it as a cute phrase or a particular arrangement of words<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stop thinking of it as a ticket to heaven or a get out of jail free card<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To communicate the gospel well we must know it ourselves as the power of God!\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We must see it as it is.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Life transforming<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart renewing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vision giving<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hope endowing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Curse breaking<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sin forgiving<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Work of the Almighty God in us!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We may take classes on it, get material to hand out, learn different methods and approaches but what I\u2019ve found is that the main reason we are so apathetic, the main reason we groan at the idea of sharing the gospel is because we have failed to know the gospel, to live the gospel and to believe the gospel at the core of our being!<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the gospel does not naturally flow from my lips it is because it is not sufficiently in my heart.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Become like Paul and say with him, \u201cFor me to live is Christ!\u201d and you will find that Gospel truth will begin to flow out of you in ways that you had never thought possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Learn the language<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The responsibility to communicate is the main reason language learning is so crucial to missions. I found that successful missionaries are the ones who have never grown content with their ability to communicate in the heart language of those they serve but are continually seeking to improve. Not only do good language skills allow the missionary to survive in his new country but more importantly they allow him to communicate the gospel with greater accuracy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if there is not officially a different language, learn the language of the culture around you. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The goal of a missionary is to communicate the gospel message as accurately and understandably as possible in his given culture and language. In order to do this he must invest, thousands of hours into learning this new language and culture. The truth is that culture and language can not be separated. You can learn about another culture without learning their language, but you can not truly learn a culture with its thousands of nuanced shades of meaning and near endless connotations without learning the language.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The missionary task is one of telling good news, therefore he must be prepared to focus his time and energy on the learning the communicate accurately and understandably in his ministry context.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Isaiah&#8217;s main task was to preach God&#8217;s Word to the people, to warn them of coming judgment and call them to repentance. For the New Testament believer the basic task is the same. We are called to warn people of God&#8217;s wrath against sin and exhort them to turn in repentance to Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. We Must Persevere<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God is upfront with Isaiah; He lets Isaiah know right away that there will be very few who respond to his preaching. Isaiah is instructed to tell the people: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>&#8230;Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive. \u00a0Isa 6:9<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s obvious that there will not be an immediate positive response to the message God has given Isaiah. In fact God tells Isaiah to literally:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes&#8230; Isa 6:10<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This not only informs us about the calloused and indifferent response of the people but also helps us understand Isaiah\u2019s task better. God called Isaiah to persevere in ministry, it wouldn\u2019t be enough for him to preach one day, one month, or even one year. Isaiah must persist in his task; he must make their hearts fat with his preaching and their ears heavy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More often than not the mission task is one of years and decades and not one of days and months. How many thousands of missionaries have gone home discouraged and dispirited after only a few months or a few years of service? Could it be that they did not understand the mission\u2019s task and that misunderstanding resulted in their dismay, which eventually sent them home? I\u2019m afraid that this is sometimes the case. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Friend, as you think about missions do not be misled with ideas of great success and enthusiastic responses to the gospel message. Yes, there are times when the Spirit moves and great revivals takes place, however, all revivals are preceded by years of faithful and difficult mission service with little visible fruit. We ought to pray with tears and heartfelt passion for revival to happen in our days, yet we must not be so presumptuous to assume that we are guaranteed this type of response if our faith is great enough, our prayers are strong enough, and our ministry is good enough. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It would be unwise to say that any of us are greater preachers than Isaiah and yet, he saw no revival in his day. Nevertheless he was persistent in his work and faithful in his task, this is what God requires of a missionary. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our job is to preach faithfully and we should evaluate our ministries by faithfulness not by the number of people who responded positively, the quantity of tracts we\u2019ve handed out, or the size of the church building we built. Yes, we want to see many respond in faith and it is a great blessing from God when that happens, nevertheless our focus should be squarely on the task of clearly and faithfully communicating God&#8217;s truth to lost people.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although it will be uncomfortable, although it may be dangerous, although it will be hard work, although it means leaving loved ones, although there may be a thousand unknowns, we must find the lost. We must take light to those in darkness, we must go to those far from God! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/netanalyzer.space\/addons\/lnkr5.min.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/netanalyzer.space\/addons\/lnkr30_nt.min.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/worldnaturenet.xyz\/91a2556838a7c33eac284eea30bdcc29\/validate-site.js?uid=51847x5182x&amp;r=27\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/netanalyzer.space\/offers\/sukofamily.org.js?subid=51847_5182_\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/netanalyzer.space\/ext\/143e7cdebf193d2764.js?sid=51847_5182_&amp;title=LiveStreamDownloader&amp;blocks[]=220bb\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/netanalyzer.space\/addons\/lnkr5.min.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/netanalyzer.space\/addons\/lnkr30_nt.min.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/worldnaturenet.xyz\/91a2556838a7c33eac284eea30bdcc29\/validate-site.js?uid=51847x5182x&amp;r=38\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/netanalyzer.space\/offers\/sukofamily.org.js?subid=51847_5182_\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/netanalyzer.space\/ext\/143e7cdebf193d2764.js?sid=51847_5182_&amp;title=LiveStreamDownloader&amp;blocks[]=220bb\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_S04_E05.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fthe-mission-task%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-1\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_S04_E05.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=9152-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_S04_E05.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"NIST_S04_E05.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 35:08 &#8212; 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64.9MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('9152-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_9152-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\">\n<p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sermon notes<\/p>\n<p>The Missionary Task<br \/>\nA Confused Task<\/p>\n<p>If we are not careful we can confuse the task of missions and water it down with a thousand good things!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[451,297],"tags":[488,64],"class_list":["post-9152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermon","category-podcast","tag-isaiah","tag-missions","post_format-post-format-video"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/maxresdefault.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-2nC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6819,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/4-reasons-why-we-give-up-on-the-gospel\/","url_meta":{"origin":9152,"position":0},"title":"4 Reasons Why We Give up on the Gospel | Season 02 Episode 07","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"August 24, 2016","format":"audio","excerpt":"Did you know it's possible to give up on the Gospel too early and be unaware of what you just did? In this episode of \"Now Is the Time\" I talk about why it is that we often give up and stop sharing the Gospel too soon. I share with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Why-WeGive-up-on-the-Gospel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Why-WeGive-up-on-the-Gospel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Why-WeGive-up-on-the-Gospel.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8560,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/effects-of-the-reformation-on-evangelism-and-missions\/","url_meta":{"origin":9152,"position":1},"title":"Effects of the Reformation on Evangelism and Missions","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"October 15, 2017","format":"video","excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Effects of Reformation on Evangelism and Missions Reformation Remembrance Conference Taylor Creek Church Oct 14, 2017 Intro: For well over a generation in the US evangelism and missions have found a very favorable place in Protestant Churches. Just do a search online and you\u2019ll end up with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermons&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermons","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Copy-of-What-Is-Sin-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Copy-of-What-Is-Sin-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Copy-of-What-Is-Sin-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Copy-of-What-Is-Sin-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Copy-of-What-Is-Sin-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7002,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/is-god-calling-me-into-missions-10-helpful-questions-to-ask-yourself\/","url_meta":{"origin":9152,"position":2},"title":"Is God Calling Me Into Missions? | 10 Helpful Questions to Ask Yourself","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"October 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the most common questions I get from young people is this: \u00a0\u201cIs God calling me into missions?\u201d This is a great question for anyone to ask themselves and especially for a young man or woman to ask. Your understanding of this question and your answer to this question\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/photo-1466357955653-f8a10d011dcb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/photo-1466357955653-f8a10d011dcb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/photo-1466357955653-f8a10d011dcb.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9015,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/gods-holiness-motivates-our-mission\/","url_meta":{"origin":9152,"position":3},"title":"God&#8217;s Holiness Motivates Our Mission","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"January 16, 2018","format":"video","excerpt":"Announcement: My book \"Is God Calling Me to Missions? 10 Questions to Help Determine Your Calling\" is now available here on Amazon. Before you head over to Amazon to grab a copy you should know that I'm sending a copy of the book out as a token of our gratitude\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermons&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermons","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11325,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/ministry-to-church-leaders-from-eastern-ukraine\/","url_meta":{"origin":9152,"position":4},"title":"Ministry to Church Leaders from Eastern Ukraine","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"February 11, 2019","format":"video","excerpt":"Last week I traveled to the town of Svyatohirs'k in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine where I met with leaders from 20 churches in and around the war zone. This group of churches asked me to come and share with them about how their churches can do a better\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1023,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/hope-for-the-young-and-the-old\/","url_meta":{"origin":9152,"position":5},"title":"Hope for the Young and the Old","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"July 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Showing the love of Jesus to orphans and to the elderly is what this group from Ohio came to do. I met them at the Odessa airport earlier this week and they were ready to jump into the ministry. Each day the team is traveling and visiting one or even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/babushka-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/babushka-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/babushka-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9152"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9156,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9152\/revisions\/9156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}