Missionary Commissioning Service for Arif Khan

Introduction to the Commissioning Service and Psalm 67

0:05 This cassette contains the commissioning service for Mr. Arif Khan, held at the Trinity Baptist Church on September 22, 1996.

0:17 Now let us turn together in our Bibles to the 67th psalm. We break into our normal sequential reading through the Psalter to go back this morning to Psalm 67. And we are doing so because the entirety of this hour of worship this morning is structured around and leads to an unusual event in the life of our church at the conclusion of our service. The culminating element in our service will be a time in which the elders who are present will be laying hands upon our brother Arif Khan and praying for him and commending him to God for the work to which God has called him and equipped him and the whole matter of God. God's purposes and God's heart to the nations will be very much before us. And this psalm, as one commentator has, I believe, very accurately observed, perhaps rises above any other expression in all of the Psalter of the vision of God's purpose in establishing Israel as his people and what was true of ancient Israel is even more true of new covenant Israel. And here in this...

1:35 In this particular psalm, we find that great truth underscored so clearly. Follow then as I read the 67th psalm. It begins with the prayer, God be merciful to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God.

2:05 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

2:05 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

2:05 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

2:05 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

2:06 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

2:06 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

2:07 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

2:07 Amen. Praise you. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy. For you shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations on earth.

2:18 Let the peoples praise you, O God. Let all the peoples praise you. Then the earth shall yield her increase. God, our own God, shall bless us.

2:30 God shall bless us. And all the ends of the earth...

2:35 ...shall fear him.

2:37 Surely in the initial petition, in the exhortations given, and then in the glorious affirmation of faith at the end of the psalm, you see this intimate connection between the blessing of God upon his people and the spreading of the knowledge of God among all the nations. And when Israel forgot that her mission was to be an instrument in God's hands to display to the nations. And when Israel forgot that her mission was to be an instrument in God's hands to display the knowledge of the true God, she turned inward upon herself, and she eventually turned away from her God to serve idols. And so it is in every epoch of the church, when the church turns away from the vision embodied in this psalm and pleads for increased measures of blessing only to consume it upon herself. It's the beginning of the end, for Jesus has said, he that would save his life is the one who loses it. But the one who loses his life for my sake and the gospel's the same shall save it. May this be our earnest and intelligent prayer as we sing together this psalm set to meter in page 385 in our hymnals, 385, the 67th psalm.

Prayer for God's Blessing and the Regulative Principle of Worship

3:57 Our Father, we read in your word that from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. Your name is to be praised. We have heard the yearning of the psalmist read in our hearing that all of the nations might praise your great and glorious name. And how we thank you that on this Lord's Day Sabbath, from one hemisphere to the other, in country after country, in large metropolitan areas, in little hamlets and villages, in ornate cathedrals, in large cities, in large cities, in large cities, in large cities, in large cathedrals, and in domestic dwellings, in hovels, in tents, your name is being praised by those whom you have gathered to yourself through the proclamation of the gospel of your dear Son. And how we thank you that our standing here in this building this morning, in your pledged and promised presence, looking only to Jesus Christ for access.

5:11 And how we thank you that we are the fruit of that ancient promise that you would bruise the head of the serpent. We thank you that this day we stand in your presence, the fruit of the sufferings of our Lord Jesus. His conquest over sin. And the devil, and death, and hell itself.

5:45 Help us then, O Lord, as we think of the magnitude of the privileges that are ours in Christ. That our hearts may overflow with joy. And that we may be given a fresh sense of our privilege and our responsibility in seeking to make known your name among the nations. O Lord, sanctify all that is said.

6:09 O Lord, sanctify all that is said. O Lord, sanctify all that is said. O Lord, sanctify all that is said. O Lord, sanctify all that is said.

6:13 In this place today, to your praise and to our prophet, we plead through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. And we continue in this morning hour of worship. I believe a word of explanation is in order as to the unusual nature of our time together this morning. We have been instructed, I trust, to our personal conviction, from the word of God, that we that in the worship of God we are constantly to yield ourselves and our desires and our interests and our whims to what is called the regulative principle in worship. That is, in framing the content of our worship, we are to consider nothing more than that which God requires, nothing less than that which God has mandated, and nothing else than that which God designates as pleasing to himself.

7:26 But since God has not given us a neat, indexed manual of acceptable worship under the freedom and liberty and wonderful adaptability of the new covenant, we must seek to extract the relevant, precepts, and principles from the scriptures in seeking to implement the regulative principle. Convinced that 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17 is true, that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished unto every good work, we come to the scriptures with the prayer, Lord, what is this? What is warranted, even at a time when we believe a set of scriptures would direct us to do a certain thing that is not an ordinary part of our ordinary seasons of worship? What biblical warrant is there for doing what we sense we ought to do, it is appropriate to do, but Lord, can we do it in the conviction that it is pleasing in your sight? Well, as I wrestled with that question and wrestled honestly, and wrestled long and pleaded with God that he would indeed give either a reminder of light given in the past or fresh light on the matter,

Biblical Warrant for Commissioning: John 20:19-23

8:54 my mind was directed, I believe, in answer to prayer to a passage in the word of God to which I want to direct your attention for a few minutes this morning. You see, this is a different service in structure. We're going to have a mini-sermonette, or a mini-sermon or sermonette. I don't know what a mini-sermonette would be.

9:14 If you'll turn with me to John chapter 20.

9:20 John chapter 20, and follow as I read in your hearing verses 19 through 23.

9:29 John chapter 20 and verse 19. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said unto them, Peace be with you. Now when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

10:00 Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.

10:18 If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.

10:26 Now if we take the combined witness of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we can come to a clear and, I believe, a unanimous conviction that prior to the incident here described by John, our Lord had made several appearances to various individuals subsequent to his resurrection. from the dead. He appeared to Mary Magdalene. Here in this very chapter, verses 11 through 18, record his appearance to Mary Magdalene.

11:02 Again, in Mark 16, in verse 9, we have a record of his appearance to Mary Magdalene. He also appeared to the one designated as the other Mary. In Matthew 28, verses 1 to 10, we have the account of the one who was born of Mary Magdalene. We have the account of the one who was born of Mary Magdalene.

11:19 We have the account of that appearance to Mary Magdalene and the one called the other Mary. And then many of you will remember that he appeared to the two on the road to Emmaus. That's recorded in Luke chapter 24, verses 13 to 35. And in that very passage, we are also told in Luke 24, 34, that he appeared to Peter.

11:43 And this is underscored in Paul's record of the post-resurrection appearances of our Lord, as found in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. But here in the passage read in your hearing, John 20, verses 19 to 23, is the first recorded appearance of our Lord to the gathered disciples. Now we know from verse 24, that on this occasion, Thomas was not present. And not being present, he still doubted that our Lord had indeed been raised from the dead.

12:19 So when the text says that on the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled, we're not absolutely sure who was included in these disciples. We know that it was at least the other ten apostles. Judas had gone out and hanged himself. Thomas was absent.

12:41 The other ten were present. It could well be that the two described on the road to Emmaus were present. It could well be that some of the women were present. We do not know precisely who is included in the designation, the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews.

13:00 But this much is clear, that this was the first of our Lord's post-resurrection appearances to his gathered people. And it's also interesting that this appearance is clearly described as having occurred on the same, on the same day at evening, being the first day of the week. Now when you bring together these two elements, the first day of the week, and disciples being gathered together, what do you have? Do you not have the seedbed of that which obviously flowers out into full bloom in the epistles, that under apostolic direction, the first day of the week, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord's resurrection becomes the Lord's day Sabbath. It becomes the day in which the people of God assemble in a very special way in the promised presence of the Lord Jesus. For did he not say, where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. And here our Lord Jesus is found on that which eventually becomes the special day of the people of God.

14:24 And while they are gathered, the Lord Jesus himself appears in their midst. All we read is that the doors being shut or the gates being kept fast, they were assembled. Jesus came and stood in the midst. And everything seems to point to the fact that he did not enter by way of the gates.

14:49 We have all kinds of questions. We have all kinds of questions. Since he obviously appeared in his physical presence, he could say to them, here are my hands, here is my side. And when they actually saw the corporeal substance of our resurrected Lord, they were glad.

15:06 He said in another setting, as you see the marks of my crucifixion, you know that a spirit hath not flesh and bones as I have. This was no apparition. This was their glorified, risen Lord standing in the midst. How he came?

15:27 In what manner did he pass through the material of the walls of the gates? Those are all questions that are mysteries to us. And we pass over them simply to underscore this principle, that here on the first day of the week, we have the gathered disciples and we have Jesus in the midst. Now, surely we ought to look with fascination upon, the first corporate gathering of the disciples of Christ, subsequent to his resurrection.

16:00 And when the Lord Jesus appears in their midst, what does he do? Well, according to the passage read in your hearing, he does three things. First of all, he confers his blessing. He says, peace be with you, peace to you.

16:19 That would take a sermon in itself to open up, the concept, the rich biblical concept of our Lord, pronouncing peace upon his people. All the plenitude of the blessings of redemptive mercy purchased by his own blood and validated by his own resurrection, he now pronounces such blessing upon them. So there was a conferral of his blessing. Then secondly, there was a confirmation of the reality of his identity.

16:51 Verse 20. Now when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Well, did they not see him when he appeared in their midst?

17:07 Why does John say, then they were glad when they saw the Lord? Well, there again, the marvelous seedbed for meditation and exposition and application. But suffice it to say, there was a confirmation, a confirmation of the reality of his identity. And where there may have been some tentativeness, once he showed them his hands and his side, they could no longer doubt this is our beloved Lord.

17:36 This is he whom we saw impaled upon an instrument of execution outside the city wall of Jerusalem. This is none other than our Lord. So he conferred his blessing. He then confirms the reality of his identity.

17:53 But what is the crowning thing which he does? He conducts a commissioning service. He conducts a commissioning service. Look at the text.

18:05 Then Jesus said to them again, peace to you. Now that they fully perceive who he is, they will now understand a much greater content in the pronunciation of blessing upon them. So he repeats the words, peace to you. And then he commissions them.

18:24 As the Father has sent me, as the Father has formally marked me out and commissioned me a use of the verb apostello, so send I you a use of the verb pento, which at times is used synonymously with apostello. And I don't want to go into the discussion as to whether or not there is a fundamental significance. This much is clear. As surely as they now know, I knew in a heightened sense the significance of the words, as the Father has sent me, that as the commissioned and sent one who had fulfilled all that he said would transpire to him at Jerusalem, that he must suffer, that he must be mocked and abused and killed, but the third day rise again from the dead, as the Father has sent me, as the Father has sent me, I also, or even so, I send you. And he commissions them, not with a bare word of sending them, but he then goes on to indicate, I not only send you, I empower you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. Again, all kinds of questions.

19:49 Did they at that time receive some fresh endowment of the Spirit? Was this a symbolic prophetic act of our Lord pointing the Pentecost? All kinds of questions, pass them over. I have to exercise the discipline of exclusion in this brief exposition.

20:06 This much is clear. When he says, I commission you, as the Father has sent me, so send I you, he makes it clear, I will also empower you. I will not send you forth in your own strength. I will not send you forth to accomplish the mission I've laid upon you by the power of your own ingenuity or the force of one human personality against another.

20:34 I send you, I empower you, and thirdly, he says, I authorize you. I authorize you to make pronouncements concerning that which transpires in heaven as you go forth sent by me in the power of the Spirit to proclaim my message, a truth we learn from parallel passages and from their subsequent history, bound up in these words, if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. We had occasion to look at these words as they are found in Matthew 16 and Matthew 18, last Lord's Day evening, and the structure in the original language is very clear that it is not heaven. It is not heaven putting its amen upon what men say. It is men ratifying the declarations of heaven. And what does heaven say?

21:36 Heaven says, he that believes shall not come into condemnation. The heaven, the word of heaven is that as Christ is presented in the gospel, those who repent and believe are forgiven and accepted as righteous, in the sight of God. And here our Lord authorizes them to proclaim that message that deals with the most critical issue of time and eternity. What will men do with their sins?

22:06 And so in this passage, we have what, in my judgment, gives us abundant warrant to believe that on this particular Lord's Day Sabbath, this first day of the week, we as his disciples being gathered, not for fear of the Jews, not for fear of persecution from the local authorities, but gathered in obedience to the word of God. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together is the word of God through the writer to the Hebrews. And as we are met on the first day of the week, and as we have met in the confidence that our Lord's promise is, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst. Does it please our Lord to turn a Sunday morning worship service into a commissioning service? Well, I believe from this passage, we can deduce that it certainly is not displeasing to the Lord who himself turned the first gathering on the first Lord's Day, into a commissioning service. And I have absolute liberty of conscience and confidence that in structuring our service this morning

23:34 around these dominant elements, we are not violating our commitment in worship to bring to God nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else than that which is warranted from the word of God. And I trust that this brief exposition of this passage carries the conscience of you, the people of God, so that you will not feel yourself a tentative outsider looking in on what transpires in our time together, but that with a conscience bound to the word of God and a heart committed to the great issues before us, you can enter in with all of your being to all that transpires in the time that remains to us. Well, let us pray that God will help us to that end, and that though, as I've already indicated, this will be a very different morning service of worship, may we have the confidence that we are pleasing him who has called us to himself. Let us pray together.

24:41 Our Father, how we thank you for the sufficiency of Holy Scripture, for all that pertains to life and to doctrine, and we thank you for the confidence we have that if our Lord Jesus, turned that gathering of his people in his own special presence into a service of commissioning, so we, in following that pattern, may with good conscience continue to plead for your blessing upon all that transpires in this service this morning. Holy Father, do not leave us at the mercy of our own resources, but come and continue to meet with us, we plead, through Jesus. Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Historical Sketch of Arif Khan's Ministry and Trinity Baptist Church's Partnership

25:35 Now, if anyone began to attend the public services of this congregation with any degree of regularity, it doesn't take long for such a person to discover that a vital part of the life and ministry of this assembly is linked to the cause of the gospel in the faraway country of Pakistan. Furthermore, if such a person were to make a visit to this building during the daytime hour, Monday through Friday, and were conducted on a guided tour through the facilities, he would soon become aware that there is a Trinity book service, there is a Trinity pulpit, a tape and radio ministry, but somewhere in that tour he would come across a room with a sign on the outside that says Muslim Outreach Ministries. And if the person is at all observant and interested in what's going on, he would want to know, well, what's the connection between Muslim Outreach Ministries and this guy Khan, Arif, Arif, Arif, however you pronounce it, Khan that we hear prayed for almost every Sunday night, and often in other connections we hear about the gospel cause in Pakistan. Well, upon discovering these facts, one might naturally ask the question, what is the relationship which this congregation in Northern New Jersey sustains, to the cause of the gospel

27:04 in a country halfway around the world? How did such a relationship come into being? What are the dynamics of that relationship? Well, the heart of the answer to these and similar questions is really quite simple, and it is this, that God in his providence has brought Mr. Arif Khan into the life and ministry of this assembly. That's the bottom line. Simple answer to all of the questions, that might grow out of one's awareness that this congregation has more than a passing interest in the work of the gospel in the country of Pakistan. And the heart of all of the questions that would grow out of that awareness is that God in his providence has brought Mr. Arif Khan into the

27:52 life and ministry of this assembly. And although, as RF has stated in other settings, that his awareness of the ministry of Islam, of this assembly goes way back into the early 1970s, we're concerned to understand how it is, not that he became aware of the ministry of this assembly, but how it is that this assembly became aware of his ministry and how his ministry became a part of our ministry. And encouraged by the fact that in giving that brief historical sketch of the birthing of Grace Reformed Baptist Church last Lord's Day evening, I've been directed by my fellow elders to take a few minutes to give you just a brief historical sketch of how it is that in the providence of God, Arif Khan has become a vital part of the life and ministry of this assembly. While a student at university in his country of birth and rearing, Arif was drawn to Christ and converted from a life of trusting himself and seeking his own way to rest in Jesus Christ and to own Christ as his Lord and Savior. And in the unfolding of God's purpose, he came to the United States in order to attend

29:15 Gordon Divinity School in Massachusetts in 1970. It was there that he met the woman who was eventually to become his wife. And when he graduated from or completed his studies at Gordon Divinity School in the spring of 1972, later on in the latter part of that year, the woman whom he had met at Gordon Divinity School became his wife. And during the next few years, Arif pursued graduate studies at Rutgers University while he and Kathy were investigating various options for missionary service. It was during this time that God was pleased to grace their home and to give them a chance to be a part of the ministry of God. First of all, with the birth of a daughter, Darlene, and then a son, Shazad. Then in 1977, Arif was sent to the country of Iran under the sponsorship of an interdenominational mission board and with some ecclesiastical contacts, particularly with the church in this area from which our sister Kathy had come and to which she had long-standing ties. However, a year later, as some of you will remember, there was a revolution in the country

30:36 of Iran, and Arif and his family were forced to return to the States. Then in 1979, he returned with his family to the Middle East. Under the same mission board, he was sent to engage in an evangelistic and church-planting endeavor in what is called the United Arab Emirates along the Persian Gulf. and it was there that he labored among Pakistani immigrants.

31:05 There are masses of them who flowed into the Middle East, particularly in conjunction with the oil industry, and our brother was sent to engage in an evangelistic and church-planting endeavor in that part of the world. Well, after nearly six years in this ministry, Arif was unable to obtain the necessary visa renewals and was therefore again forced to return to the U.S. in 1985, settling in this area because this is the area of his wife's immediate family and in the providence of God, they were shuttled and nudged into this geographical area. During this time, Arif became increasingly concerned about his present church affiliation and began to attend Trinity regularly in 1986. And then in 1987, he and Kathy became members of this assembly, and at that time, several things were made explicit. And this is crucial.

32:12 If you are to act in faith as a congregation, you must understand this. And that's why I'm taking the time with a good conscience before the living God to state these facts. At that time, several things were made explicit in receiving Arif. Arif and Kathy into this assembly.

32:30 Number one, they made it clear that they were committing themselves and any future sphere of ministry to the assessment and directives of this assembly through its appointed leadership. They made it very clear that they had come to the conviction expressed by our brother in the previous hour that the church is the pillar and ground of the truth and that any sense of personal call and suitability for any ministry must come through the quality control of the church and its appointed leadership. Secondly, it was clear to them and to us as elders that no promises were made and no assumptions were undergirding this relationship. We did not say, well, after a year or two, Arif, we're sure we'll come to the conviction that you're called to this, that, or the other and send you forth, so just be patient and wait out your year. As a formality, that we might have the support of the church. No, it was made explicitly clear and I can remember some of those conversations that not only were they committing themselves in any future sphere of ministry to the direction of this assembly under Christ but that no promises and commitments or assumptions undergirded that relationship.

33:51 But then thirdly, we as elders and subsequently in varying degrees as a church we recognize that we were receiving a stewardship of our brother's gifts, experience, and desire for the work of God. That coming to us, he came to us with a deposit of provenness in various areas and we could not treat him like an unknown commodity, the new kid on the block, who had none of this previous experience, none of this previous involvement, none of the previous acquisition of, of linguistic abilities and burden for the work of God in other places. So those three things were made very clear in the very entering into a relationship with Areth and Kathy as members in this assembly. Then in 1988, members in 87, then in 1988 Areth and his family returned to the land of his birth and upbringing. He went back to Pakistan, still connected to an independent, mission board, and your elders met with representatives of that board or a representative of that board and entered into extensive interaction, seeking to identify the function of the mission board as purely diaconal, that the mission board, which was receiving funds that Areth was receiving from various churches and individuals,

35:21 that the mission board would be the clearinghouse for monetary support and diaconal concerns, but that we as a church would take the responsibility of his spiritual oversight and directing the channels of ministry in Pakistan. And we made a bona fide effort to have an amicable relationship with that particular mission board. Now, why do I say that? Well, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that when a church makes it known that they believe that God's ideal is church based missions, people assume that you're out throwing stones, that people would do it in a different way.

36:00 And they assume that you posture yourself in a judgmental attitude. That is simply not necessarily true. And God is witness that we recognize the validity of what that mission board might accomplish in diaconal services. And we sought to work in a honorable and upright way with them.

36:21 Well, with the passing of time, it became clear that that was not a viable relationship. And so during this time, subsequent to their return to the field in 1988, the church here assumed full responsibility for Aref's oversight and the handling of the diaconal aspects of that oversight and commitment. And we took full responsibility for our brother and his family. Thankfully, some individuals in churches who were supporting him through the mission, upon being informed by Aref of this change to a totally church based missionary enterprise, continued their support and some continue it to this day. And we are indeed grateful for their prayerful involvement and their monetary commitments. Well, our brother and his family remained on in Pakistan till 1991, 88 through 91. At which time after some pastoral visits to Pakistan, it was the judgment of your elders that the purposes of God for Aref and his family and for the cause of the gospel, that these would be best served by having our brother come home with his family at that time.

37:44 And since returning back to the States in 1991, what has our brother been doing? Well, he's obviously not been sitting on his hands, waiting to go back in a permanent way to Pakistan. He has continued, and he will continue to do so, for many years now. He's continued and expanded the work of translation of Christian literature into the Urdu language.

38:04 The first volume of Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, that which deals with the Gospel of Matthew as many of you know is in print and in the hands of pastors and Christians in Pakistan. The 1689 confession of faith has been translated and the children's Catechism as well. I like it very much, though, when I was in. Second later when I visited July 28 by a few of my collectors, or as I came home, I didn't care about the circumstances, Thirdly, he has continued and expanded the ministry of radio.

38:31 Kalamehawk is now broadcast twice every week, going out by shortwave, and a potential listening audience of tens of millions. Thirdly, he has continued the annual pastors' conference, which began in 1990, and, God willing, will continue even into this fall. And I may apprise you of a little incident that we have a good laugh about. When one attends any kind of a gathering of pastors or missionaries in Pakistan, one of the first questions people ask you is, Who are you with?

39:08 They want to know what mission you are with. And so when Arif would be asked this question, and Pastor Barker would be asked this question, and Pastor Alan Dunn, who have formed a team of men who work well together and meet frequently throughout the year, in preparation for that conference and other concerns, they have formed themselves into what they call AFA. So when anyone asks them, Who are you with? They say, I'm with AFA.

39:36 That's Arif Khan, that's Frank Barker, and Alan Dunn. So if someone comes and says, Oh, do you belong to that church where people minister under AFA? You'll know what AFA is, and you'll have the inside track on this missionary society. But then, And then fourthly, he has continued and has expanded extensive correspondence that grows out of primarily the radio contacts.

40:05 Put yourself in the place of someone in an Islamic state where if you are in Islam, by law, it is illegal for you to listen to the gospel, let alone profess an interest in it, let alone to have a Bible, let alone to profess to be attached to the Bible. In a land where there are few servants of Christ and few vibrant churches, and when God blesses the preaching of the word by radio, an avenue is open for those who are concerned to write. An address is given. And growing out of that radio broadcast, our brother has something began while he was in Pakistan, and now it has continued and has expanded of a vital ministry, a ministry of correspondence to these who contact him through the radio broadcast. In the fifth place, he has had increasing opportunities to visit churches and to share the vision and burden of the work of God there in Pakistan. We have not sought to promote our brother and his ministry, but his people have become aware that God has given to this assembly, this deposit of stewardship. They have asked and requested that he come, and share something of the burden of his heart and our hearts for the work of the gospel in that needy land.

41:31 And God has opened this wide door of influence among the churches. And in the sixth place, God has given to our brother a peculiar understanding of Islam, and as a result of that, the Muslim seminar ministry has flowered in the past couple of years. This last seminar, though it did not focus exclusively upon reaching Muslims, we are thankful had a number of our sister churches represented and over a hundred people registered. Well, in summary, this is a brief historical sketch with respect to how our brother has become such an integral part of the life and ministry of this congregation.

42:15 And as chairman of the elders, I can say that it's been a joy for us to work with and to oversee our brother. I'm going to tell you several things. You would have no way of knowing unless I told you, and you'd have no reason to doubt them unless I'm not an honest man, in which case I shouldn't be here. Our brother has been willing to follow counsel, to receive reproof and admonition in areas that at times we frankly wondered whether we might have driven him away.

42:47 Our relationship has not been marked by stroking one another. It has been marked by faithful dealings with an open Bible. And we bless God. For the privilege we have had as elders in seeking to commit ourselves, not in theory, but in the outworking of biblical principles to a biblical perspective on the work of the gospel in other places, how it should be conducted, how those who conduct it should themselves reflect the power and the impress of the gospel in every facet of life.

43:20 There are times when we've had to address matters that's not been easy for us and not been easy for our brother, but we thank God that he has shown himself to be the wise man of the book of Proverbs who hearkens unto counsel. He has not stood upon his dignity and say, look, most of you guys can only speak one language. I can speak three or four. What do you know?

43:42 I've been here. I've been there. What do you bunch of insular provincial men know? No, he has taken the attitude of a brother willing to receive counsel.

43:53 And for that, we give God thanks. And I might say, to some of you, good to God we could say that of you. I say with no reservation that this is true of our brother. Furthermore, he's been determined to stand with us shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart in seeking to discover and implement biblical principles in the work of God, not only here, but there in Pakistan.

44:22 We do not believe that we have a Bible that fragments the great principles of gospel endeavor into whole, and foreign missions. Those are concepts that are ours. They're not God's. What's foreign to God?

44:38 What's foreign to God? I asked the question, what's foreign to God? The work of the gospel is the work of the gospel. Yes, there are principles that need to be considered when we think of taking the gospel across cultures and across linguistic barriers.

44:56 The great missionary apostle Paul was very conscious of this. He says to the Jew, I became as a Jew that I might gain the Jews to those that are under law as under law to those without law as without law, not being without law to God, but in Lord to Christ to the week I became weak. Yes, there are principles that must undergird the work of missions, and we certainly have not approached our brother with the idea that we have everything hammered out and we're going to make him conform to those principles, but together under Christ. And.

45:31 In the light of this word, it has been our delight to stand shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart and seek to discover and implement the principles of the word of God. And furthermore, we are thankful to God that in this work we are of one heart in the matters that were outlined in the previous hour in terms of what we believe is primary in the work of the gospel and what our vision and aim. is in the proclamation of the gospel with a view to seeing sinners repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus and such professed disciples gathered into biblically ordered churches. And this is a little history of how God has brought us to the place where RF is a vital part of the life and ministry of this church. And I trust that the sketch of that history will encourage all of us. As we look back and see what God. god has done and enable us with a renewed sense of commitment to plead for god's ongoing blessing upon the endeavors of his servant now as we said last lord's day evening so it's a delight to say again you are not harassed and pummeled and sent on guilt trips in this place with appeals for this

The Significance of Laying on of Hands: What We Are Not Doing

46:54 and that and the other week by week but in this place the ordinary announcement preparatory to bringing our offerings to the lord is that we will worship the lord with our tithes and offerings and as you give of your hard-earned substance as an act of worship may you be encouraged to know that part of that which you give is being translated into sound waves that go out and are picked up by radios in pakistan the printed page setting forth the truth of the word of god the living voice of god's servant the airline tickets that will take him to the heaven of god him over to pakistan and in a few weeks time enable his wife to join him for part of that time all of those things come out of the giving of the people of god in this place so may we as we give this morning give with joy that in so doing we are having fellowship in the advancement of the gospel here and to the ends of the earth will the brethren come and receive our gifts and offerings to the lord now in this second mini sermon i want to answer from the word of god the very simple but i trust a very pressing question that most of you i hope will have upon your minds

48:14 and that question is this what is the significance of the laying on of the hands of an eldership upon a servant of christ being sent forth to do the work of christ since we know from the scriptures that god abominates superstition in any act of worship and god abominates mere mechanical worship then if what transpires in the special presence of christ in this place is to have significance to us as the people of god there must be an intelligence a biblically instructed mind and an engaged heart in that activity and so i want to address the question regarding the laying on of hands and i'm going to do so under two very simple headings first of all what we are not doing and then secondly what we are doing and under the negative there are two statements so that no one is going to be able to do what we are not doing that's right jesus Christ has there is no one on earth no one has done anything the little bit more then or rather the green refuses come and start talking about this thing of Priorites don't go away with any misconception what has not transpired here this morning

49:41 the first of all what we are not concerning the office of an elder or pastor in the life of this assembly or in the life of any other assembly i don't have stated more bluntly in laying hands upon our brother we are not saying that he had received that we are got to start by where do they want to go call 간 allez ㅎㅎ double the color red hat double is man that he is a gift of Christ to serve in this or any other assembly as an under shepherd of the Lord Jesus. We believe the word of God teaches not in this or that passage explicitly, but in its overall teaching and principles that no one becomes a pastor, an elder, an overseer, a bishop of any congregation without the suffrage of that congregation. That is, without that congregation assessing that man in terms of his graces and his gifts and the recognition that Christ, the head of the church, is giving such a one to serve in that capacity. And when there is a confluence of a man's providential placement in a congregation, his internal desire for the office, 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1, if any man desires or seeks the

51:00 office of overseership, he desires a good work, and the recognition of the congregation expressed by their suffrage, however that is done, with the raising of hands, with the casting of a ballot, it is only when a congregation assessing the man in the light of the scriptures sees him in the light of the scriptures that he is a good man. And if it is biblical, it will always be a man. If a man desires overseership, he desires or seeks a good work. A man. So we are not.

51:48 We've got to claim anyone who goes out and says, oh, ours was made up. No, no, no. No, no, no conferral, no recognition of conferral of the pastoral office. That's not what we are doing.

51:59 Our Constitution, I believe, very accurately captures the biblical teaching on these points, and I commend to you a fresh reading of pages 20 and 21 in our own church constitution. So, in answer to the question, what's the significance of the laying on of our hands upon Arif this morning, what we are not doing, we are not conferring the office of an elder. Secondly, we are not imparting any special graces or gifts to our brother by the act of laying our hands upon him and praying for him. We are not imparting any special graces or gifts to our brother by this act of laying our hands upon him.

52:40 There is some indication that one of the unique apostolic aspects of unique apostolic authority and endowment was the ability, with the laying, laying on of the hands, to confer certain spiritual graces. You have a record of that in Acts chapter 8, when the apostles came from Jerusalem to Samaria and laid their hands upon these Samaritan believers and prayed for them. And when they did, there was an impartation, a divine endowment of unique manifestations of the Spirit's work. This may be what is alluded to, maybe, in 1 Timothy 4, 4, when Paul speaks of Timothy's gifts that were conferred in conjunction with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Tie that into 2 Timothy 1, 6, and unless we have two different laying on of hands ceremonies, the apostle himself was involved, as an apostle, in laying his hands upon Timothy. But whatever the explanation may be of the unique endowment given to apostles, I want you to look with me briefly at two instances of the laying on of hands in which there is obviously no indication of the conferral of special graces or gifts

54:04 in conjunction with the laying on of hands. The first is in Acts chapter 6. Most of you remember the setting. As the disciples multiplied, the needs of the widows increased.

54:19 And up until this time, the apostles were overseeing, and obviously, apparently even, administering the care for the widows. And there was a friction, or friction emerged, under the perception, if not the reality, of preferential treatment being shown to the pure Jewish widows, as opposed to those who are called the Hellenistic widows. And the apostles come up with a solution to this problem. Verse 3, Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude. Isn't that amazing?

55:14 The leaders made a suggestion, and you had no one who had to assert his individual identity by going contrary to the flow of the corporate consensus. That never ceases to amaze me. And the number of the disciples is up into the thousands now. Imagine having a chance to speak your mind in a congregational meeting with thousands to listen to you, and be impressed with your differing perspective.

55:39 But it says the saying pleased the whole multitude. And what did they do? They chose Stephen, now notice, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. When was he full of faith and of the Holy Spirit?

55:51 Prior to any hands being laid upon him. And Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles, and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And what is the sequel to this laying on of the hands? Not the endowment of any special grace or gift of the Spirit, but we read that in entering into their divinely appointed function, the result was, since the apostles were not distracted from prayer in the ministry of the word, the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

56:35 Now what's the principle that I want you to see in this passage? The principle is this. The requisite gifts and graces were already present, and the suggestion or the directive that came from the apostles was, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, men who already have sufficient endowment of grace to have earned a place of credibility amongst the people of God, men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, men who having already manifested these graces are now ready to be appointed over this business. So that when they seek out seven, who are described in terms of at least Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, nothing more is lacking but the official recognition that these are the men who already manifest the requisite gifts and graces for this specific task. And in this setting, it appears that the fundamental significance of the laying on of hands was a formal and public declaration of a reality that already existed. That these seven men were a notch above,

57:59 a cut above the ordinary rank and file of the men in that assembly. They were men manifested by an unusual measure of these graces and these fruits of the Spirit. And therefore when the apostles laid their hands upon them, nothing is said in the text to indicate that anything additional was conferred upon them. It was but the corporate, public, formal recognition of what already existed in terms of graces and gifts and was now the declaration that these were the men whom God had fitted for this task.

58:42 And we have a similar paradigm in Acts chapter 13. In Acts chapter 13, a passage referred to in the previous hour demonstrating that biblical missions is church-based missions. Now in the church that was at Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers, and then they are named. Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Mannion who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch in Saul.

59:15 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. Now however the Holy Spirit marked out Saul and Barnabas, for this specific work, and that's a matter discussed and debated amongst biblical students, and I'm not going to open up that issue.

59:55 This much is clear, that when the Spirit said separate Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I've called them, it is not as though these men were unproven commodities, and now needed this unusual ceremony of the laying on of hands to equip them for the work, for which the Holy Spirit had marked them out. But if you read the biblical record of Barnabas, you go back to the end of Acts chapter 4, and you find that Barnabas in the church at Jerusalem, though he was a native of Cyprus, was a man already marked out as a man of unusual grace and gift, for he was given a nickname, Barnabas, son of exhortation, or son of consolation. And the Holy Spirit underscores in the latter verses of Acts chapter 4, that he was a man who had manifested a selfless, generous spirit. He is described in Acts chapter 4 and verse 36, Joses, who was named Barnabas by the apostles, which is translated, son of encouragement, a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Now here Barnabas is described in terms of an element of his dominant gift.

61:19 He was one so given to exhortation, encouragement, consolation, admonition to the people of God, he was nicknamed, son of exhortation. And a grace is highlighted, not only a gift, but a grace. The grace of a selfless heart. He was among those who are described in broader terms in this very chapter as those who spontaneously, without any legislation from above, in the spiritual leadership, were spontaneously selling their lands and giving up title to possessions as there was need amongst the brethren and bringing the fruit of that sale of land and title deeds to the apostles and distribution was made.

62:03 So here Barnabas is highlighted in terms of giftedness and the graces, vital and essential to the work of the gospel. And as far as Saul is concerned, you read in Acts 9 of his conversion, and at the very time of his conversion God made it plain that he was marked out to be a vessel to bring the name and gospel of Christ to the nations. At his very conversion God made plain to him, Acts 9 in verse 15, Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel. And in the latter part of Acts 9 we read of Paul going immediately into Damascus and there preaching Christ. Then we read of his visit down to Jerusalem and Barnabas comes along and validates that he's the real thing. He becomes a member of the church of Jerusalem and the scripture says he was with them going in and out preaching boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And after further period of maturation just as we find Barnabas later on in Acts 11 sent by the church in Jerusalem up to Antioch to look over this work concerning which they had no direct involvement, these itinerant preachers who went out after the dispersion of the church in Jerusalem through persecution, they went as far as Antioch,

63:31 waxed bold to preach the gospel to people other than Jews and God does a mighty work. And it says the report of that came down to the ears of the church in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas up to look over the situation. Barnabas sees the manifestation of the grace of God. Barnabas labors to establish them in the faith.

63:51 Barnabas recognizes he needs help and he seeks for Saul at Tarsus and he brings Saul now to labor with him. And we read in the word of God in Acts 11 that these two were together in that one situation forging the bonds of mutual endeavor in the work of the gospel, becoming true yoke fellow in that work. And we read in verse 26 of Acts 11 and when he had found him, that is Barnabas found Paul, he brought him to Antioch. So it was for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people and the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

64:34 And in those days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch and then we read of the ministry of Agabus among them there in Antioch. Well the next time we find Paul in Barnabas or Saul in Barnabas, we find them there amongst others laboring for the advancement of the gospel in Antioch, for the maturation and strengthening of the church. Now why do I take the time to say all of those things? To underscore this principle that the necessary graces and gifts were already abundantly manifested in both Saul and Barnabas.

65:11 So when it is said that the spirit of God spoke however he spoke through one of the prophets most likely, that at this time Saul and Barnabas were to be separated to the work. Notice the emphasis of the text. Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I've called them. Not some new office.

65:33 Paul was already an apostle, capital A. Barnabas was an apostle, small lower case A. He is called in several places an apostle. Not an apostle, capital A.

65:46 He is a sent one. One recognized by the church as a man of grace and gift, of proven usefulness in the work of the gospel. What was left for them to have before they went forth to the work? There's no indication that there was a fundamental lack either of gift or of grace.

66:06 But what was needed for them and for the entire church was a public formal declaration of recognizing what the spirit of God had done in marking out these two men to go forth for a distinct task in the fulfillment of the commission of their exalted Lord. And so when I say what we are not doing, we are not imparting any special graces or gifts to our brother by this act of laying on of our hands upon him. I believe in these two passages we have a clear demonstration of two instances where there is the laying on of hands but not a shred of evidence that there was a conferral of any special gift or graces in the occasion of the laying on of the hands. Well, if that's what we're not doing, we are not conferring an office, we are not conferring any special graces or gifts, what are we doing? Well, let me suggest even more briefly that we are basically saying three things. We're saying something about our brother Arif, we as a church are saying something to our brother Arif, and then thirdly, we are saying something to God.

The Significance of Laying on of Hands: What We Are Doing

67:27 So we're speaking about Arif, we're speaking to Arif, and we're speaking to God. First of all, what are we saying about Arif? We this morning are formally and publicly declaring that we have come to recognize in him the graces and gifts and never reverse that order. Never reverse that order.

67:56 In the formal declaration of what is essential for the pastoral office in 1 Timothy 3, 1 to 7 and in Titus 1, 5 to 9, graces dominate over gifts. If a man is eloquent, no. If a man is a forceful speaker, no. If a man has a charismatic personality, no.

68:23 If a man is blameless, then what it means to be blameless is delineated in its particulars and nestled amidst that dominant emphasis upon graces. We have apt to teach one word in the Greek in 1 Timothy 3, and in Titus 1, 9 that he may be able, competent, both to exhort in the sound teaching and to convict the gainsayer. And so, brethren, words convey meanings. And if you ask why I'm sticking to my notes, it's because I've labored to use words that capture what we are saying about our brother this morning.

69:05 And we are saying, formally and publicly, that we recognize in him the graces and the gifts to undertake a specific task in fulfillment of the commission of the risen Lord. That's what we're saying about our brother. That we have come to recognize. We're not conferring something we wish were there.

69:29 We are formally and publicly acknowledging what God has already placed there. And what God has placed there in the crucible of realistic, face-to-face, multi-leveled involvement with our brother over these many years as the historical sketch has outlined in your hearing. And we are saying about our brother that we see in him those graces and gifts requisite for the undertaking of a specific task in fulfillment of the commission of our Lord Jesus. Just as in Acts 6, look out, men, with these graces and gifts whom we may appoint over this business, the laying on of their hands was the formal public recognition that these men manifested the necessary graces and gifts for that specific task. Likewise, in Acts chapter 13. So we are saying something about our brother. But then secondly, we're saying something to our brother.

70:34 And I look directly at you when I say this, your elders not only represent the word of God, the word of God to you as they speak the word of God, but they represent you in such actions, you, the people of God. Hence, we are saying to Arif that we are publicly, formally committing ourselves afresh to stand with you and behind you in this endeavor to which God has uniquely equipped you and for which today we are publicly recognizing what God has already done. And I trust, Arif, as our hands are laid upon you, it will not be an empty formality, but a very real symbolic expression of the voice of your elders and of this congregation saying we're committed to you for the work for which God has equipped you and which we believe in his providence he has set you apart in the days to come. But then we're also saying something to God. Why do we join prayer with the laying on of hands? Why is prayer joined to the laying on of hands in the Acts 13 passage?

71:50 Well, whatever else it's saying, it's saying this. We're saying we believe what our Lord Jesus said in John 15, 5, Without me you can do nothing. Apart from me you can do nothing. We're expressing in prayer the language of dependence that we need the grace and presence and power and enablement of the Holy Spirit that when our Lord said in Acts 1, 8 you shall receive power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you that his ministry is not a luxury but an absolute necessity in every gospel endeavor.

72:26 And while we believe with Paul that he has made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant not of the letter but of the Spirit, nonetheless none of us has that measure of the Spirit's grace and power which we yearn to have and which we must have in ever increasing supplies of the Spirit as Paul designates it in Philippians 1 and verse 19. And Jesus said in Luke 11, 13 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? So in laying hands upon our brother what are we not saying? Are we not saying that the office of an elder or pastor is being conferred upon him? If God should keep our brother amongst us in days to come it may be that in the will and purpose of God we will recognize him as a gift of Christ and there would be another service of the laying on of hands but only subsequent to an honest, thorough consideration of our brother for that office by you, the people of God. And don't let ever, ever any group of elders impose an elder upon you. There is no biblical warrant to do so.

73:40 You must receive such a one by your own suffrage in the light of the word of God. So we are not conferring that office nor are we conferring any special graces or gifts by the laying on of our hands. But what are we doing? We are saying something about our brother recognizing what God has already deposited in his grace and the doors that God has already opened in his providence.

74:05 We are saying something to him. It is not his thing and we wish him well. It is our thing and we are in it with him. To pray, to give, to support in every way possible this gospel endeavor.

74:21 Then we are saying something to God. We are saying, God, we are not sufficient for this task and we look to you for the supplies of grace and power for your protection upon our brother for your grace upon his life and upon his family. These are the things that my fellow elders will bring to God in prayer as your mouthpiece. One of them focusing upon our brother's life and walk before God and before his family.

74:45 Another for God's grace upon his labors in all of these areas. I have just touched six categories and that was not exhaustive. Then another praying that God will help us as a church to fulfill our end of the responsibility and to nobly carry this privilege that God has given to us as an assembly of his people. Arif, will you now come and my fellow elders please as we commend our brother and his labors to the Lord and to the word of his grace.

Prayer for Arif Khan's Personal Walk and Family

75:17 Brethren, let's pray. Our God and our Father, we thank you first of all for this privilege to be able to send out one of your servants into the country of Pakistan to labor in your name for your glory and for the good of souls. And Lord, we now pray as a congregation. Unto you, our God, for Arif.

75:43 We ask that above all you would help him in the days and weeks and years ahead to keep his heart above all that he keeps. To guard it. To guard it as the primary seat of his affections for you, his God. Lord, we know that all that he will do will be in vain if his heart is not right with you.

76:07 And so we pray that you would help him. That you would give him grace in the midst of pressures. In the midst of trials. In the midst of difficulties.

76:17 In the midst of your strange providences at times. That you would give him grace in his heart. To cleave to you with all of his heart. To love you with all of his heart.

76:27 To serve you with all of his strength. We pray, Lord, that you would keep him in his heart. To that end, we ask that you would help him each day. To read your word.

76:38 To study your word. To treasure it. To keep it in his heart. We pray, Lord, that as he reads your word each day that you would come and meet with him and commune with him.

76:50 And that he would then be enabled to pour out his heart before you each day as well. Praying for his own needs. Praying for the needs of his family. Praying for the needs of others.

77:01 Lord, we pray that you would keep the devil at a distance. That Arif would always be on his guard against his adversary and the foe. Who stalks about as a roaring lion. Seeking whom he may devour.

77:15 And surely, if he could devour Arif in the midst of his labors others too would be devoured as well. So, Father, help him to fight the good fight. To stand fast in the word of God and in prayer. And to see the devil flee from him.

77:32 We pray, Lord, that you would also help him in his relationship with his wife. That he would continue to be a godly husband and leader to her. That he would continue to nurture her in the ways of God. And that his life and their life together as husband and wife would be seen by those in Pakistan as a testimony of the grace of God in their lives.

77:58 Lord, we pray that you would use their lives. We know that words are needed but lies that underscore the words that are spoken are also needed. And we pray that you would give grace to Arif and give grace to Kathy in the days ahead. That they would indeed be a testimony of your grace and power to those in Pakistan.

78:18 Lord, we pray for his children. For Shehzad and for Darlene. That you would be gracious to them in all of their special and peculiar needs. That you would also be kind in this whole family and make them to be your servants before these people.

78:35 Lord, we ask that you would hear our prayers and answer our prayers above and beyond what we have asked or thought. And bring all of the glory to Jesus Christ. In whose name we pray. Amen.

Prayer for Arif Khan's Ministry and the Spread of the Gospel in Pakistan

78:50 Our gracious God, we do bless you for the labors of your servant, our brother Arif. We pray that as he travels to Pakistan that you would be pleased to watch over him and to be with him. May he sense that you are always at his side. We thank you that you have made him to be an evangelist.

79:22 We pray that you would bless his labors as he seeks to go forth this morning to sow the good seed of the gospel. We pray, O Lord, that he may live to see the spiritual harvest of souls saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. We pray that you would bless his preaching ministry. That you would grant him, O Lord, great facility as he opens up your word.

79:48 As he has frequent opportunities both speaking to few and to many. We pray, O Lord, that you would bless his preaching. That the word of God may be fruitful. That he may see through his labors many brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

80:09 Make him to be a faithful shepherd of souls of your dear people there in Pakistan. Lord, we know that you have given him many open hearts, men and women, who look to him for counsel, for guidance. We pray that you would bless his ministry to these, your people. We pray your blessing upon his pen.

80:34 That as he writes, as he translates, as he communicates by letter, O Lord, make him to be your vessel used in your hands for the blessing of your people, for the building up of your kingdom, for the strengthening of the church. O Lord, grant your blessing upon his voice. We thank you that you have made him to have a voice that reaches into the hearts of many. And, O Lord, we pray that as his voice goes over radio and as it is heard by shortwave, throughout the land of Pakistan, we ask, Lord, that you would bless the preaching of the radio messages and that many would turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved through his ministry. May his feet, Lord, be shod with the gospel of peace. Grant that he may go forth conscious that he is your servant, sent from this assembly to accomplish those tasks that you have peculiarly given to him. Raise up, we beseech you, biblically ordered churches in that land that would be a glory to Jesus Christ and that would be as lights shining in the darkness.

81:51 Use, our brother, to help other pastors to implement biblical order in their churches. Grant, O God, that the word of God would spread through his labours and that men would not be able to resist his wisdom and the spirit of God attending his labours. We pray, our God, that the devil would not have the advantage, that the seed would not be plucked away, but that his word, the word of our God, would stand through his labours. Grant to him journeying mercies.

82:24 Keep him, O Lord, in that land from those who would do him evil. Bless him, O Lord, through the many miles that he must travel, through the many difficult situations that he will pass. He goes forth, Lord, as a lamb among wolves. We pray that you would preserve him, that you would watch over him and bless him.

82:45 Give him wisdom. Give him prudence. Give him yet great boldness and please fill him with faith that he may go forth as a man of faith in Jesus Christ. Grant, O Lord, your protecting hand to be upon him.

83:02 May he go forth and come back bringing his sheaves with him, rejoicing in your goodness and in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We ask this in the name of the great head of the church, even our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.

Prayer for the Church's Faithfulness and Future Laborers

83:23 Our Father, as your people in this place, we thank you for the privilege of laying our hands upon our brother and sending him forth to do that which you called him to do. Our Father, we know that you, as the sovereign God, have brought him into this place, that you have brought him into our midst. We thank you for the many years of fellowship that we have had with Orif and with Kathy and with the children. We ask, our Father, that you would continue to bless those times, that there would be many years to come when we could labor together.

83:55 Our Father, we thank you for this privilege as we sent him forth. We ask that you would help us to be faithful to him, that you would help us to be faithful not only in our financial giving as we seek to support him financially, but also, our Father, help us to be faithful in praying for him. Help us to be faithful as we bring him before the throne of grace on the Lord's Day and as we bring him before the throne of grace on Wednesdays as we gather to pray. But most especially, our Father, we ask that you would help us to remember in our times of family worship to bring our brother and his family before your throne, pleading with you that you would be merciful to them and that you would use them for your glory and for the furtherance of your kingdom.

84:40 And our Father, we also ask that you would help us to be faithful to encourage him. What a difficult labor this will be. We ask that you would help us to uphold our brother as Moses had those who upheld his hands as he sought to labor for you. Help us as a congregation to uphold our brother, to uphold his hands as he seeks to labor for you in the furtherance of your kingdom there in Pakistan.

85:05 And our Father, we pray also that if there be in our midst others who your hand is upon, we ask that you would cause them to see that the fields are widened to harvest and that you would as well send them forth to be laborers in that harvest. We thank you for this privilege. We thank you for this day that you've given us to set our brother apart. We ask not only that you would help him to remember this day, but look back upon this day when he was sent for, but help us to remember this day and to be faithful to him and in being faithful to him, being faithful to you.

Concluding Exhortation and Benediction

85:40 Be merciful to us, we pray. Amen. Amen. I was tempted to give a word of apology for the many things and the length that the combined elements have resulted in, but when I think that probably 50,000 people will sit outside in the rain in inclement weather and holler their heads off like fools for over three hours at Giant Stadium, God have mercy on us.

86:11 If we don't count on him, we won't have the privilege to spend a couple of hours in the presence of God, witnessing the work of God, which alone will have any significance when Giant Stadium and all of New York goes up in smoke at the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. God help us to have a biblical perspective, not only in general terms, but in the concreteness of even what we have witnessed here this morning. Let's conclude our service by singing together several verses of hymn number 382, which is a prayer. I trust you, the Lord's people, will be able to pray this prayer from your heart.

86:52 Speed thy servant, Savior...