Participants:
Series Code: SUES
Program Code: SUES000004A
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00:17 Once again, friends,
00:18 it's good to be here with you today. 00:20 We're with Secrets Unsealed here in the islands of Hawaii 00:23 in Oahu particularly and having a blessed time 00:26 studying in this series, "Equipping the Saints." 00:29 We're looking at what does God expect of us 00:32 in His work in the earth today. 00:34 And so we want to go right into the Bible and study that 00:37 and this message today 00:40 is "Why Jesus was always talking about plants." 00:44 Why Jesus was always talking about plants? 00:48 That's an odd title, but we're gonna see 00:49 where we're headed with it in just a few minutes. 00:51 But before we do any study from God's Word, 00:53 as usual, let's begin with a word of prayer. 00:56 Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You so much 00:59 that You give us the opportunity 01:02 to be connected with Jesus through working with His body, 01:06 which is the church. 01:07 Please help us to not only be members in attendance, 01:12 but be missionaries for You. 01:15 Please teach us Christ's method of working. 01:19 Show us what we should do 01:21 and then strengthen us to do it, 01:22 for we pray it in Jesus' name. 01:24 Amen. 01:26 "Why Jesus was always talking about plants" 01:29 and again, it's an odd title. 01:31 But if you look through the Bible account 01:32 when Jesus talks to people and gives parables. 01:34 Now sure, He talks sometimes about money, 01:37 and sometimes He talks about fishing 01:40 and these kind of things. 01:41 But over and over again, 01:42 you see that Jesus repeatedly comes back to that 01:45 agricultural theme. 01:47 He was always talking about soil, and seeds, 01:50 and plants, and harvest, and crops, and grain 01:53 and why was Jesus always talking about plants? 01:56 Well, let's go and find this from the Bible. 01:58 Go to Luke Chapter 4 02:01 Luke Chapter 4, Jesus comes in 02:04 to His hometown of Nazareth 02:06 and He attends the church service. 02:09 Verse 7, I'm sorry, Matthew Chapter... 02:12 Luke Chapter 4, I apologize. 02:14 Verse 16 says, "So He came to Nazareth, 02:18 where He had been brought up. 02:19 And as His custom was, 02:21 He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, 02:24 and stood up to read." 02:25 Now I want to highlight a couple of things 02:26 before we get into the meat of our sermon. 02:28 This is kind of a parenthetical aside, 02:31 but please notice, 02:32 Jesus went to the church 02:34 or the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Why? 02:36 Because it was His custom. 02:38 It's just what you do on the Sabbath. 02:41 Did Jesus go because people always love to hear 02:43 what He had to say, 02:45 or eager to have Him attend? 02:46 No. 02:48 How did Jesus day end later this Sabbath? 02:50 Those very people tried to throw him off a cliff. 02:53 But you know, He did the next Sabbath, 02:55 He went back to the synagogue. 02:56 Why? Because it was His custom. 02:59 Notice this also, 03:01 He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day 03:02 and stood up to read. 03:05 He wasn't just a passive watcher, 03:08 He was an active participant in the worship service. 03:11 And this day, He goes to His hometown church, 03:13 which He always did when He was growing up. 03:15 And He prepares to read the scripture reading. 03:17 And it says in verse 17, 03:19 "He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. 03:22 And when He had opened the book, 03:24 He found the place where it was written: 03:25 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, 03:28 because He has anointed me 03:29 to preach the gospel to the poor, 03:31 He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, 03:33 to proclaim liberty to the captives 03:35 and recovery of sight to the blind, 03:37 to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 03:39 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." 03:42 Verse 20, 03:44 "Then He closed the book, 03:45 and gave it back to the attendant 03:46 and sat down. 03:48 And the eyes of all 03:49 who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him." 03:52 Verse 21, 03:53 "And He began to say to them, 03:55 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'" 04:01 Put it another way, Jesus just said that 04:04 what we just read is all about Me. 04:09 Jesus Christ recognized that His mission statement 04:12 for His work on the earth 04:14 was found in the prophecy of Isaiah, 04:16 where we would find in the Codex Bible today, 04:19 Chapter 61. 04:20 So let's go back and read it in the original. 04:23 Isaiah Chapter 61. 04:26 This is where Jesus drew His inspiration 04:30 to declare to the believers in Nazareth 04:32 that this was His mission. 04:34 Again, He quoted verses 1 and 2, 04:38 but I want to draw your attention 04:40 to the last verse, verse 11. 04:45 Clearly, we've established that Jesus recognized Isaiah 61 04:49 as His personal mission statement 04:51 for the work God had given Him to do on the earth. 04:53 He said, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." 04:58 But I want you to see that 05:00 Isaiah 61 has more than just those first two verses. 05:04 And it concludes 05:05 with how the ministry that Jesus came to do 05:08 will eventually be spread with the whole world. 05:12 Notice verse 11. 05:14 It says, "For as the earth 05:18 brings forth its bud, 05:21 as the garden causes the things 05:24 that are sown in it to spring forth, 05:26 so..." 05:28 Now I'll just pause and let's think about 05:29 our sentence structure. 05:32 As this, so that. 05:36 So He's making a comparison in the same way 05:39 that a garden causes things to grow, 05:42 as the earth brings forces, 05:44 but so in like manner, 05:47 what will happen? 05:48 Look again in verse 11, 05:50 "So the Lord God will cause righteousness 05:53 and praise to spring forth before all the nations." 05:58 Jesus identified Isaiah 61 06:01 as His personal mission statement 06:03 and He recognized that the righteousness 06:05 that He came to reveal would be spread 06:07 throughout all the earth in the same way 06:10 that a garden causes the seed to grow. 06:14 He recognized there was this agricultural metaphor 06:18 that was the guiding principle 06:20 for how the gospel would be given to the world. 06:23 Thus, it is little wonder 06:25 why Christ repeatedly compared soul winning 06:28 to agriculture 06:30 because it was written into His mission statements, 06:35 why Jesus was always talking about plants. 06:41 Like Isaiah 61:11, Christ's use 06:45 of the agricultural metaphor 06:47 repeatedly emphasized not just in a general way 06:51 that the gospel we given 06:53 and the earth will be grown like a garden 06:55 or something like that. 06:56 He actually in His ministry breaks 06:58 that agricultural process down to its sequential elements. 07:03 It's piece by piece. 07:05 Participants, notice that what it says here. 07:07 Christ use of the agricultural metaphors 07:09 repeatedly emphasized 07:10 the sequential nature of the work, 07:12 akin to agricultural production 07:16 evangelism is a process, not merely an event. 07:21 If there was one idea I'd wish for you to take away 07:24 from this message today, is that evangelism, 07:28 the winning of souls to Christ is a process 07:32 and not merely an event. 07:35 It's a process, 07:36 akin to the agricultural process 07:39 from by which a seed becomes crop, okay? 07:43 Just as the agricultural cycle includes preparing the soil, 07:49 planting or sowing the seed, 07:52 cultivating, harvesting, 07:56 and preserving the crop. 07:59 This cycle of evangelism 08:02 requires corresponding phases 08:06 that are essential for true success, okay? 08:09 So when you look at the agriculture, 08:11 how do plants grow? 08:12 Well, you have to prepare the soil first, 08:15 then you have to sow the seed in that tilled soil, 08:19 then you have to water, and fertilize, and weed, 08:23 and otherwise cultivate the crop in the ground 08:26 and it will begin to spring forth, 08:27 you got to continue to care for it. 08:29 Then after it is grown, you have to harvest that crop. 08:34 And then once you've plucked that fruit, 08:36 that grain, you have to do something with it. 08:37 You have to preserve it and put it to use. 08:40 This is exactly what Jesus says 08:44 throughout the gospel record and the Bible itself 08:46 about the process of soul winning, 08:49 that it's not just an event, 08:51 it is an ongoing process with multiple sequential, 08:56 essential phases. 09:00 Let's start with soil preparation. 09:02 Just like the agricultural cycle, 09:03 you have to start by fixing the dirt, 09:05 you have to go straight to the ground. 09:08 The same thing happens in the gospel, 09:10 giving gospel to the world. 09:11 Let's go to Luke Chapter 8. 09:13 Let's see Christ put this into action. 09:15 Luke Chapter 8 Jesus taught this very idea. 09:20 He gives a parable surprise, surprise of a sower. 09:24 Luke Chapter 8 09:27 starts in verse 4, says, 09:29 "When there great multitude had gathered 09:31 and they came to him from every city, 09:33 He spoke by a parable, 09:36 'A sower went out to sow his seed 09:38 and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, 09:42 and it was trampled down, 09:43 and the birds of the air devoured it. 09:46 Some fell on rock, 09:47 and as soon as it sprang up, 09:49 it withered away because it lacked moisture. 09:53 And some fell among thorns, 09:54 and the thorns sprang up with it 09:56 and choked it. 09:58 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, 10:01 and yielded a crop a hundredfold.' 10:05 When He had said these things He cried, 10:07 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear!'" 10:11 Now, he explains 10:13 what he meant with that parable. 10:14 Go to verse 11. 10:16 "Now the parable is this: 10:19 The seed is the Word of God." 10:23 Okay, so notice, 10:24 we can start making the application 10:25 he uses the agricultural metaphor, 10:27 and then he makes a spiritual application. 10:29 He starts by saying that the seed is what? 10:32 The Word of God. 10:34 It is Bible truth, the word of God. 10:38 So notice in the parable 10:40 that all the different results started with the same seed. 10:46 Whether it hit rocky ground, or fertile ground, 10:48 or thorny ground, or whatever, 10:50 it all was the same seed. 10:52 It's not like sometimes he sowed good seed, 10:54 but other times he sowed bad seed. 10:56 No, no, they all got the same seed, 10:58 yet there is different results. 11:00 So what made the difference? 11:02 It must have been his technique for sowing the seed. 11:06 But the Bible doesn't say that either. 11:08 It does not say that some he tossed over his back, 11:11 some he was scientifically analyzing one by one by one, 11:14 some he scattered to the wind, 11:16 it doesn't say that he had a different method 11:18 for sowing the seed either. 11:19 It's the same seed and the same sowing technique. 11:25 So it's not a difference in the seed 11:27 and is not a difference in the sowing. 11:29 What made the difference in the result of the work? 11:34 It was the condition of the soil itself, 11:37 was it not? 11:38 Look again, Jesus said, "Now the parable is this, 11:40 the seed is the Word of God. 11:43 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear, 11:47 then the devil comes and takes away the word 11:49 out of their hearts, 11:50 lest they should believe and be saved." 11:52 Notice the people that fell by the wayside, 11:54 the seed that fell by the wayside, 11:56 I should say. 11:57 The wayside represents people 11:59 who hear the message, but it never sinks in. 12:03 The devil comes and snatches away 12:04 and immediately that even start to grow, 12:06 they just in one ear out the other. 12:10 Look at verse 13, 12:11 "But the ones on the rock are those who, 12:14 when they hear, 12:16 receive the word with joy, 12:19 and these have no root, 12:21 who believe for a while and in time of temptation," 12:25 what happens? 12:27 "They fall away." 12:28 So notice the second group 12:30 actually received the word with joy, 12:32 but they didn't dig down and put down roots. 12:35 They didn't stay in the message and in a time of temptation, 12:39 they were gone. 12:41 So they had a mountaintop experience. 12:42 Amen, 12:44 they might have come down front for the appeal, 12:45 they might have given their heart, 12:46 but they really didn't surrender all 12:48 and continue in it, 12:50 and lo and behold, 12:51 the first difficult when that comes through, 12:54 they're gone. 12:56 Verse 14, 12:58 "Now the ones that fell among the thorns 12:59 are those who, when they have heard, 13:01 go out and are choked with cares, 13:03 riches, and pleasures of life, 13:05 and bring no fruit to maturity." 13:08 Notice it does not say, they don't grow, 13:10 they just don't ever bring forth fruit. 13:12 They just grow up with the weeds 13:14 and they get caught up in the cares of life, 13:15 you know, the hode-hum, 13:17 jump drums kind of life, 13:19 and they don't bring forth fruit. 13:22 They never have a harvest. 13:25 But verse 15, 13:26 "The ones that fell on the good ground 13:28 are those who, 13:30 having heard the word with a noble and good heart, 13:34 keep it and bear fruit with patience." 13:40 So think about the only difference 13:42 in the results of the sowing of the seed 13:46 and the harvest was not the technique, 13:49 or the quality of the seed. 13:52 It everything had to do in this parable 13:55 with the condition of the heart of the receiver. 13:59 Notice this from the book Adventist Home, page 145, 14:02 "As the garden must be prepared for the natural seed, 14:06 so the heart must be prepared for the seed of truth. 14:09 No one settles upon a raw piece of land 14:12 with the expectation that it will at once yield a harvest." 14:16 You can't just go to a raw piece of land, 14:18 drop some seed on it, say all right, 14:20 let's see it grow. 14:23 "Diligent, persevering labor must be put forth 14:26 in the preparation of the soil, the sowing of the seed, 14:30 and the culture of the crop. 14:33 So it must be in the spiritual sowing." 14:38 We read this when in Christ's Object Lesson, page 57. 14:41 "The sowers of the seed have a work to do 14:43 in preparing hearts to receive the gospel." 14:47 And this is cutting deep as a pastor, it says this, 14:49 "In the ministry of the word there is too much sermonizing, 14:56 and too little of real heart-to-heart work. 15:01 There is need of personal labor for the souls of the lost. 15:06 In Christlike sympathy, 15:08 we should come close to men individually, 15:10 and seek to awaken their interest 15:13 in the great things of eternal life. 15:16 Their hearts may be as hard as the beaten highway, 15:19 and apparently may be a useless effort 15:21 to present the Savior to them. 15:24 But while logic may fail to move, 15:27 and argument be powerless to convince, 15:31 the love of Christ, 15:33 revealed in personal ministry, may soften the stony heart, 15:38 so that the seed of truth can take root." 15:41 Sometimes one of our failings 15:43 in evangelism is we go to sow seed, 15:46 and we just keep throwing seed at rocks, 15:49 instead of first taking the time to prepare the soil 15:53 to receive the message from God. 15:58 So the first step in this 16:00 what we call the cycle of evangelism 16:02 based on this agricultural cycle 16:04 is the preparation of the soil of the heart 16:07 by doing good works and personal ministry. 16:10 You come close to the people, you befriend them, 16:13 you mingle with them as one who desires their good. 16:17 Also that their heart is softened 16:20 to receive the word when it is sown. 16:25 Preparation of the soil, step number one. 16:27 Step number two, 16:29 sowing the seed. 16:32 Now I know this sounds like a very elemental concept, 16:35 but hear me out. 16:36 The purpose of preparing the soil 16:40 is so that you can sow seed. 16:43 Does that make sense? 16:45 No one goes out and tills the ground 16:48 and prepares the soil, 16:49 looks back at what he's done and say, oh, that's good. 16:52 And then he just goes and does it again. 16:54 And then he turns around looks that's good. 16:56 And he goes back in it, 16:57 he doesn't spend his whole time. 16:59 No farmer goes out and just tills 17:00 in the spring and in the summer, 17:02 and he's just always turning over the dirt. 17:04 At some point he prepares that soil for what purpose? 17:07 To sow the seed. 17:10 The purpose of preparing the heart 17:12 is to make entrance for the Word of God. 17:17 In Christ parable, the seed is the Word of God. 17:21 At some point, 17:23 my Christian brothers and sisters, 17:25 you must sow seed. 17:29 Now I know a lot of us might think, 17:30 oh good, my ministry, 17:31 my call to ministry is to simply be a friend to people. 17:35 I'm gonna smile at my neighbor, 17:37 and therefore I have done my part. 17:40 No, you haven't done your part, you've done part of your part. 17:44 You've done the first part, 17:47 which is starting to break down those barriers 17:50 and soften the ground and till the soil 17:53 and you might, you know, 17:55 give them a gift on their birthday 17:57 or a member to come by and do whatever, 17:59 doing neighborly thing, 18:00 bring them some nice loaf of bread or something. 18:04 But that is not the end of your ministry, friends, 18:06 that's the beginning of the work, 18:08 that's the preparation of the soil. 18:09 At some point, 18:11 you must go beyond just merely good deeds 18:13 of disinterested benevolence 18:15 and do evangelistic labor 18:17 of putting in their hand a piece of literature 18:19 or speaking from your mouth, a part of your testimony 18:21 or sharing some truth or some little sample seed, 18:25 some something 18:28 that you can test the soil 18:30 and see if they're truly ready 18:33 for the Bible study that needs to come. 18:36 Too many people make the mistake 18:39 of not sowing the seed of truth 18:40 because they're afraid they might do it poorly. 18:44 Right? 18:45 You might even think this in your own mind, 18:47 you know, I would go 18:48 and share the gospel with my friends. 18:50 But you know what? I won't do it well. 18:53 I wanna let you know a secret. 18:56 You probably won't do that well at first. 19:00 We remember from our previous presentation, 19:02 not being good at something 19:03 is not evidence you need to do less, 19:05 its evidence you need to do more. 19:08 Practice makes perfect. 19:09 And the same is true in the spiritual sense. 19:11 And if you're afraid, well, I don't want to do it wrong, 19:14 so I'm just not gonna do it at all. 19:17 Let's think about the logic of that. 19:19 So you're afraid that you might do it wrong, 19:23 so you're gonna guarantee to not do it at all. 19:27 I'm afraid if I do it wrong, they won't hear the message. 19:31 So the best thing I should do is not ever say the message. 19:36 That doesn't increase the odds of success. 19:38 It guarantees failure. 19:41 Well, we never want to approach someone 19:43 with Bible truth in a careless or prayerless manner. 19:47 We far too often 19:49 go to the opposite extreme of being so cautious 19:54 that we never actually sow the seed. 19:56 We make friends, we do good deeds, 19:58 we have lots of neighbors who like us and blah-blah, 20:00 but we never say, 20:01 "Hey, would you like to study the Bible?" 20:07 It is far better to risk failure 20:10 because of a poor approach 20:13 than to guarantee failure 20:15 by making no approach at all. 20:19 Listen to the words from scripture, 20:20 Ecclesiastes 11:4-6, 20:24 the counsel is given. 20:26 "He who observes the wind 20:29 will not sow, 20:32 and he who regards the clouds will not reap." 20:37 Think about what he's saying, again, 20:39 using that agricultural metaphor. 20:41 He's saying if you are always as a farmer, 20:43 as a sower of seed 20:45 waiting for all the meteorological elements 20:48 to be just right before you sow seed, 20:51 you know what's gonna happen? 20:52 You're never gonna sow seed. 20:54 You're like, it's too windy up, 20:55 it's too cloudy, it's too sunny, 20:57 it's too rainy, it's too cold, it's too hot, 20:59 it's too this, it's too that, 21:00 you can always come up with an excuse 21:02 for why you don't go sow the seed. 21:03 But at the end of the day, 21:05 you're gonna have a field with no seed. 21:07 "He who observes the wind will not sow 21:10 and he who regards the cloud will not reap." 21:12 And listen to what he says to do, 21:14 "As you do not know what is the way of the wind, 21:17 or how the bones in the womb of her who is with child, 21:20 so you do not know the works of God 21:22 who makes everything." 21:24 So what should we do? 21:25 "In the morning sow your seed, 21:28 and in the evening do not withhold your hand, 21:32 for you do not know what will prosper, 21:37 either this or that," 21:40 and I love this third option, 21:41 "or whether both alike will be good." 21:45 You could say, I don't know 21:46 if I should share this with my neighbor 21:48 or with my co-worker or with my family member 21:51 or with my friend or with my stranger 21:53 or with... 21:56 'Cause I think that that one will reject it for this reason. 21:58 I think this one won't like it, because I think this 22:00 and you're always second guessing 22:02 as though you're a prophet of the Lord 22:04 to know what will happen. 22:05 The Bible says you don't know. 22:06 This one might accept it, 22:08 that one might not or you know what? 22:09 They all might take it, 22:10 but wouldn't it be better to try than just stand back 22:14 and watch second guessing, 22:15 waiting for the perfect one moment. 22:19 So beside all waters, the scripture says, 22:22 2 Corinthians 9:6, listen to this. 22:25 And the Apostle Paul says, 22:28 "He who sows sparingly will also reap," how? 22:32 "Sparingly, 22:34 and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." 22:38 Now I know this sounds a little bit crass, 22:40 but this is true. 22:42 At some point, the work of soul winning 22:45 is basically a numbers game. 22:49 For instance, if you send out for an evangelistic series 22:52 you're gonna do when you send out handbills. 22:54 Let's say you send 10,000 handbills back, 22:56 how many people should you expect 22:57 to come to your meeting 22:59 because you sent out 10,000 handbills? 23:01 Should you rent an auditorium has 10,000 seats? 23:04 It seems almost laughable, right? 23:06 No. 23:07 You recognize that 23:09 some are going to accept it but not all. 23:12 So does that mean oh, I should never send out? 23:14 No, you send them out and you recognize that 23:16 only a certain few are gonna be drawn 23:18 at that time by that particular approach. 23:21 So what you do is you expect that 23:23 and if you want to get your numbers up, 23:25 you know, what you do? 23:26 You send out more. 23:28 Let's make it 20,000. 23:29 If we want more than 10 people here, 23:31 we want to double that. 23:32 Let's now double it, that's the principle. 23:35 He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly 23:37 and he who sows bountifully, will also reap bountifully. 23:40 In Isaiah Chapter 32 23:42 we read this passage in verse 20, 23:43 "Blessed are you who sow beside," what? 23:47 "All waters, 23:49 who send out freely the feet of the ox 23:51 and the donkey." 23:54 We're blessed when we sow besides all waters. 23:56 Listen, the Publishing Ministry, page 395, 23:58 The Spirit of Prophecy gives us this counsel. 24:01 "From the light which God has given me, 24:04 He desires that His people shall improve every opportunity 24:08 for disseminating light." 24:11 If you have a little business card thing, 24:13 leave in the gas pump card register. 24:15 If you have an opportunity to speak to someone, 24:17 use your mouth. 24:18 If you have a DVD ministry you want to share, 24:20 slide it into their door. 24:21 Whatever opportunity you have, like here's my resource 24:24 what can I do in this moment to share crew, 24:26 even if it's just a little tiny sliver of a thing. 24:29 Every opportunity increases the odds 24:32 of finding a receptive heart. 24:36 Testimonies for the Church, volume 7, page 35, 24:39 "In the parable of the sower, 24:41 Christ gave an illustration of His own work 24:43 and that of His servants. 24:45 The seed fell upon all kinds of soil. 24:47 Some seed fell upon poor soil, 24:49 yet the sower did not therefore cease his work. 24:53 You are to sow besides the seeds of truth 24:56 in every place, 24:57 wherever you can gain access, hold forth the Word of God. 25:01 Sow beside all waters. 25:04 You may not at once see the result of your labors, 25:07 but be not discouraged. 25:10 Speak the words that Christ gives you. 25:12 Work in His lines. 25:15 Go forth everywhere as He did 25:17 during His ministry on the earth. 25:19 Now listen to this sentence. 25:20 The world's Redeemer had many hearers, 25:24 but few followers. 25:28 What was Christ's example when it came to sowing the seed 25:31 and giving the truth and preaching to the people? 25:35 He had multitudes listen to Him, 25:37 but did multitudes follow Him, 25:40 sacrificially giving of themselves, 25:42 becoming disciples of Jesus Christ? 25:44 No. 25:46 Almost everybody heard Him and almost nobody followed Him. 25:50 Remember, John Chapter 6, 25:52 He prepares a feeding of the 5,000, 25:54 it's a beautiful miracle. 25:56 The next day, they come back looking for seconds 25:58 and Jesus says, "No bread today. 26:01 I am the bread that you get today. 26:04 You don't get seconds, you get a savior. 26:06 How about it, you want to join me?" 26:08 John 6:66, 26:10 "From that time on, many followed Him no longer." 26:15 Got so bad that He went to His core 12, 26:17 His disciples and said, "Are you too going to leave?" 26:22 He went from 5,000 the day before to 12 the next day. 26:27 Don't be discouraged 26:28 when you don't see massive numbers 26:29 come out of your humble efforts. 26:32 God knows what He's doing. 26:33 He wants you to be faithful to the work. 26:40 So step number two, after you prepare the soil, 26:44 is to sow the seed. 26:46 Look for those spiritual interest 26:48 gather opportunity to share truth with others. 26:51 So step number three now. 26:54 It's cultivating the crop. 26:55 Let's say that you did as a individual 26:58 and this by the way, this cycle of evangelism, 27:00 I should say this now 27:01 is not just applicable to an individual, 27:04 but this is how our churches, 27:06 our local churches should be thinking about evangelism. 27:09 Oftentimes when you say, does your church do evangelism? 27:12 Yes. They say, yes. 27:13 We did that three years ago. 27:16 We did evangelism. 27:17 And what do you think they mean? 27:18 They meant they hired a speaker, 27:20 they put out banners, they advertise, 27:22 they held meetings for two, three, four weeks 27:24 and therefore we did evangelism 27:28 and we do it every few years. 27:31 But, friends, evangelism is not an event. 27:33 Evangelism is a holistic cycle 27:37 of winning souls systematically. 27:40 So you don't just cultivate, I mean, you don't just, 27:43 you know, 27:45 prepare the soil and then sow some seed, 27:47 then let's say that as a local church, 27:49 you did some outreach event that was merely to help people. 27:53 You did, let's say, a health expo, right? 27:54 You're checking blood pressures, 27:56 and this kind of stuff, 27:57 and helping people to be more mindful 27:59 of their physical bodies. 28:01 And in doing that good deed for others, 28:03 the last stop was trust in God. 28:06 Let's say, you're doing the NEWSTART program 28:07 and trust in God and you say, I don't know 28:09 if you want to just want to lower your blood pressure 28:11 and this but there's a wonderful way 28:12 to find rest and peace and joy, 28:15 and it's in a relationship with Jesus Christ, 28:16 would you like to study the Bible? 28:20 What happens if that person comes to the event? 28:22 He is blessed by finding out 28:24 that they have such a problem, they need to address 28:26 and they're so thankful 28:27 that they hear about the message and they say, 28:29 "Yes, I'd love to study the Bible with you." 28:31 What do you do next? 28:35 A lot of times, this is what happens. 28:37 You take down their name and information. 28:40 Oh, great, great, great 28:41 and you get little information card, 28:43 and you set it down. 28:45 And let's say that you have 28:46 100 people come to your event that day, 28:48 and five of them decide to sign up 28:50 and follow through your five little cards, 28:53 what do you do with those cards? 28:57 Most places do something like this, 28:59 they'll gather up the cards, 29:01 and humbly approached the pastor 29:03 and lay them on his desk. 29:07 There you go, Pastor, we've done our part, 29:08 now it's your turn. 29:11 Because we have this mentality, 29:14 that giving Bible studies and winning souls, 29:16 that's the pastor's job. 29:21 But, friends, that's still your job. 29:24 Listen to this, 29:27 once the seed has taken root, 29:29 the new plant must be cultivated. 29:31 This nurturing work is by far the most time consuming 29:35 and labor intensive phase of the growing cycle. 29:38 Let's just think about an agriculture itself. 29:40 If you had a plot of land, 29:41 let's say a garden in your backyard 29:43 that you wanted to turn into a fruit and vegetable, 29:46 you know paradise. 29:47 You'd have to start by tilling the soil, 29:49 how long would it take you to till that soil? 29:53 And if you had a rototiller it maybe not that long at all. 29:57 In the latter of an hour maybe or less. 29:59 If you did it by hand, it might be a little longer 30:01 and maybe take a full day, 30:02 but it's not like it's a three week process, right? 30:04 It's just pretty much an event, 30:08 and how about the sowing of the seed? 30:09 How long does that take? 30:13 Probably not long at all. 30:14 You might want to, you know, 30:15 organize it a little bit put tomatoes here, 30:17 put potatoes here, you know, 30:18 but you lined it up, you sow it, 30:19 you pack the soil on top of it, and your seed sowing is done. 30:23 How long does it take to hand someone a GLOW tract? 30:27 Not long, few seconds. 30:31 Make friends, hand them the literature. 30:33 Ask them if they'd like Bible, that's the fast part. 30:36 But what happens if they say, you know, praise the Lord, 30:38 I would love to have Bible studies, 30:41 then what do you do? 30:43 Then you got to take your time and cultivate that crop. 30:48 You got to take the time. 30:50 Just like the agriculture cycle, 30:51 once that seed is in the ground, 30:53 that's when the hard part starts. 30:55 That's when it's gonna take weeks of arduous labor, right? 31:00 You got to water it, you got to fertilize it. 31:02 As it starts to grow up, 31:04 you got to weed it and protect it, 31:05 you got to shade it and shield it 31:07 from birds and animals, 31:08 you got to take care of that crop 31:09 as its tender and growing. 31:12 It's the same thing in giving Bible studies. 31:15 It takes a while. 31:18 It's not easy work. 31:21 The primary way to nurture growth 31:23 of a new believer is 31:28 giving Bible studies. 31:29 Listen to this, 1 Peter 2:2, 31:34 the apostle writes, "As newborn babes, 31:36 desire the pure milk of the word, 31:40 that you may grow thereby, 31:42 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 31:45 So if you've had your first encounter with Jesus, 31:47 your first taste of His goodness, 31:50 the way that you grow in Christ is through the Word. 31:55 Let me tell you something, friends. 31:56 Every single member 31:58 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 32:00 every single one, 32:01 at some point, 32:03 if you become a baptized member 32:04 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 32:05 you have gone through a set of Bible studies. 32:08 Now not everyone 32:09 who becomes a member of the church 32:10 has gone to a health expo or vacation Bible school 32:13 or some outreach event of that kind. 32:15 And not everyone has had a GLOW tract put in their hand, 32:17 but every single member of the church 32:19 at some point has to learn what the Bible says. 32:24 And that's only done in a couple of ways, 32:26 either through a public evangelistic series 32:28 or for personal Bible studies. 32:32 This is the most important area of the agricultural cycle, 32:37 is the longest, the most hard working 32:38 and let me tell you something, 32:40 it's the least active amongst our members. 32:44 We have people who are soldiers with their GLOW tracts 32:46 and their DVDs and their literature media. 32:48 That's great. Praise the Lord. 32:50 And we have people who are great at friendship, 32:52 evangelism, social networking, 32:53 and all kinds of collaborative things 32:55 to make friends and break down... 32:56 Praise the Lord for that. 32:59 But the purpose of making the friends 33:01 and giving up the GLOW tracts, 33:02 so they become interested in Bible truth 33:04 and when they are, 33:06 we need to offer them that precious truth. 33:13 Acts Chapter 8. 33:14 If you're there in the Book of Luke, 33:16 go two more to the Book of Acts Chapter 8. 33:24 Acts 8:30. 33:32 Here the deacon Philip 33:35 is charged with going to find this particular individual 33:39 who's returning from Jerusalem worshiping. 33:41 Says in verse 30, "So Philip ran to him, 33:43 and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, 33:46 'Do you understand what you are reading?' 33:50 "Now let me pause right here for a moment. 33:53 This man is coming back 33:57 from worship in Jerusalem. 34:01 He has a Bible in his hand, 34:03 and he's reading it for himself. 34:06 He is clearly a believer in God. 34:08 But are there things he still does not understand? 34:12 Yes. 34:14 Friends, don't for a moment think, 34:15 well, if they're already a member of another church, 34:17 they've got their Bible in their home, 34:19 they're fine, we'll skip this house. 34:20 No, no, no, no, no. 34:22 There is present truth to share, 34:25 the Sabbath message, the State of the Dead, 34:27 the Spirit of Prophecy, the Second Coming that 34:29 all of these wonderful, precious truths. 34:33 This man was a believer in God and a worshiper in Jerusalem, 34:37 yet he didn't understand what he was reading. 34:41 It says here, 34:42 "So Philip ran to him 34:44 and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah and said, 34:45 'Do you understand what you're reading?' 34:46 "And he said, 'How can I unless someone guides me?'" 34:51 What did he need? 34:52 He wanted somebody to give him Bible studies. 34:55 And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 34:58 And of course, we read and he was reading 34:59 from the Prophet Isaiah from Chapter 53. 35:03 And the clarification is given and Philip works with him. 35:07 "So the eunuch, verse 34, answered Philip and said, 35:09 'I ask you, of whom does this prophet say this? 35:12 Of himself or of some other man?'" 35:14 Now notice what Philip does with this question. 35:16 "Then Philip opened his mouth, 35:19 and beginning at this scripture, 35:22 preached Jesus to him." 35:23 Was that the only scripture he had? 35:25 No, but that was the starting point. 35:27 He said, you have a question, 35:29 let me answer it with a Bible answer 35:30 from the place you're reading, 35:32 and then he developed from the Scripture, 35:34 the truth about Jesus Christ. 35:37 "Now as they went down the road, 35:40 they came to some water. 35:41 And the eunuch said, 'See, here is water, 35:43 what hinders me from being baptized?'" 35:45 Now that he understands Bible truth, 35:47 he feels confident to say, 35:49 yes, I'm ready to commit my life to Jesus Christ. 35:51 Now I know who He is. 35:54 Let me just pause right here also 35:55 and tell you something, friends. 35:57 This example in Scripture from Acts Chapter 8 36:00 is often used to say that we don't need to preach 36:03 all the distinctive doctrines before baptism, 36:05 just as soon as they say they love Jesus, 36:08 baptize! 36:11 But that is not what we see here. 36:12 First of all, let me ask you these questions, 36:15 if he was in Jerusalem worshiping 36:17 which the Bible says he was, 36:18 would he'd been aware of the Seventh-day Sabbath? 36:22 Of course. 36:23 If he was worshipping at the temple, 36:24 would he be aware of the sanctuary 36:26 and its services? 36:28 Of course. 36:29 If he was worshiping with the brothers in Jerusalem, 36:31 do you think he would have been aware of the health message 36:33 that they were to carry and their dietary lifestyle 36:36 based on Bible principle? 36:37 Yes, he would have. 36:39 He would have known the truth about the State of the Dead, 36:41 about all kinds of things. 36:43 The one piece of his theology 36:44 that was missing was the centerpiece of it 36:47 all which is Jesus Christ Himself. 36:50 The present truth at that time was that Jesus is the Messiah. 36:53 In beginning at that scripture, he preached Jesus to him. 36:56 Our culture today is completely the opposite. 36:59 Everybody's heard of Jesus, 37:00 but they don't know the distinctive truths. 37:03 So the goal is not just as soon as they say the name, 37:07 baptize them and say, all right, we won one. 37:09 Good, good, good. 37:10 No, our goal is to teach them 37:12 the whole truth of Scripture and then notice 37:14 that Jesus is the center of it all. 37:17 It is they love Jesus, 37:18 they love the doctrine of His Word. 37:22 Evangelism, page 338. 37:23 Listen to this, 37:24 "It is not preaching alone that must be done. 37:27 Far less preaching is needed." 37:29 Again, it cuts to my pastor's heart. 37:32 "More time should be devoted to patiently educating others, 37:36 giving the hearers opportunity to express themselves. 37:41 It is instruction that many need, 37:43 line upon line, precept upon precept, 37:46 here a little, and there a little. 37:49 Listen to that, giving opportunity 37:51 to express themselves. 37:53 Is it possible that when you introduce someone 37:55 to say the truth about the state of the dead, 37:57 you're informing them 37:59 that your grandmother is not in heaven, 38:02 like you've always thought? 38:05 Do you think they might have a question or two, 38:08 maybe a frustration to share, maybe a confusion to sort out. 38:14 They might even be emotional about it, 38:17 might shed a tear. 38:20 That's why the personal work is so important. 38:22 Often, you come to an evangelistic series 38:23 and tonight, 38:25 your grandmother is not in heaven, 38:26 like you thought. 38:28 And tomorrow night, that secret rapture 38:29 you believe, that was wrong, 38:30 and the next day, 38:32 you've been going to church on the wrong day of the week, 38:33 and the next, you know, 38:35 it's all true. 38:36 But they need a context, a framework 38:38 where they can talk to people 38:40 and sort it out and express themselves 38:43 and weave those truths into the tapestry 38:45 of their own experience. 38:50 You know, we often pray 38:51 for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 38:53 and latter rain power. 38:56 But I ask you, what do we expect to happen 38:57 when that occurs? 39:02 What is this great reformation that's gonna happen? 39:08 In The book Testimonies for the Church, 39:09 volume 9, page 196. 39:13 Mrs. White was shown what that would look like 39:17 and it might surprise you. 39:20 "In visions of the night representations passed 39:22 before me of a great reformatory movement 39:25 among God's people. 39:27 Many were praising God. 39:30 The sick were healed, 39:32 and other miracles were wrought. 39:35 A spirit of intercession was seen, 39:37 even as was manifested 39:39 before the great Day of Pentecost." 39:40 And then she adds, 39:42 "Hundreds and thousands were seen visiting families 39:48 and opening before them the Word of God." 39:52 When the Holy Spirit is poured out, 39:53 we're not gonna be watching, we're gonna be working. 39:57 Hundreds and thousands of individual members, 40:00 little family groups going to their neighbors 40:02 and opening before them the Word of God. 40:06 Friends, we don't need a revolution in the church 40:08 and turn over the tables. 40:09 We need a reformation in the church 40:11 to bring us back to what we were called 40:13 to be in the first place. 40:15 We need a Bible study reformation. 40:18 We need individual members, ministers alike to go around 40:22 wherever they have opportunity, prepare the soil, sow the seed, 40:25 and share the truth of God 40:27 as we cultivate that precious crop for harvest. 40:32 Which brings me to that next phase, harvest. 40:36 Here's a principle in agriculture 40:38 that works in evangelism too. 40:39 It's very simple one sentence. 40:41 Crops never harvest themselves. 40:47 I don't care if you have a garden, 40:49 if you have a farm, if you have an orchard, 40:52 anywhere where you have a fruit bearing crop, 40:55 it never harvest itself. 40:58 When you go to the apple trees, 41:00 those apples are gonna stay on there 41:01 until they rot and fall off. 41:03 But they're never gonna organize themselves 41:04 in a bucket, 41:06 walk over to your house and land on the front porch 41:08 and say we're ready. 41:11 That's not how it works. 41:12 Same thing is true with apples, and oranges, 41:14 and tomatoes, and potatoes, 41:15 and peanuts, and squash, and watermelon. 41:17 You go down the list. 41:18 There is not one plant, not one crop 41:21 that ever whenever it gets ripe, 41:22 announces itself, clips it off from the vine, 41:25 comes into your house, and sits on the, 41:27 you know, the deck. 41:30 Crops never harvest themselves. 41:32 The same is true in evangelism. 41:36 Psalm 126:5-6 reads, 41:39 "Those who sow in tears," 41:41 by the way that sowing process is not always happy, 41:43 it could be hard. 41:45 Let me tell you something. 41:46 When you get that Bible study interest, 41:49 you know, what they're gonna probably do? 41:52 Fizzle out. 41:55 It's not gonna be your fault. 41:57 That's what happened with the sower of the seed, 41:58 right? 42:00 When he sow that seed, how many of... 42:01 Within the majority received the word, 42:03 and we're happy, and we're fruitful, 42:04 and multiple. 42:06 No. 42:07 Some had this problem, some had that problem, 42:08 that you're gonna run into people 42:10 and as soon as they get an interest in Bible study, 42:11 all of a sudden, 42:12 my kids got a soccer schedule, oh, we got sick this week. 42:14 Oh, I'm not interested. 42:15 Things just fall apart and you're gonna say, 42:17 "Oh, I just invested this much time." 42:20 And now I got to start over. Yep. 42:24 It's hard work. 42:27 "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy." 42:30 But praise the Lord, some will come through. 42:34 "He who continually go forth weeping, 42:36 bearing seed for sowing, 42:38 shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, 42:40 bringing his sheaves with him." 42:46 Listen to this from Welfare Ministry, page 93, 42:49 "Personal, individual effort 42:52 and interest for your friends and neighbors 42:54 will accomplish more than can be estimated. 42:58 It is for the want of this kind of labor 43:00 that souls for whom Christ died are perishing. 43:03 Your work," 43:05 speaking to an evangelist here, she says, 43:07 "Your work may accomplish more real good 43:09 than the more extensive meetings, 43:12 if they lack in personal effort." 43:16 So she said there's the public work, 43:18 and then there's the personal ministry, 43:20 and personal ministry is better than public ministry. 43:24 But that's not to say you stop doing public ministry. 43:26 Here's where the recommendation is. 43:28 "When both are combined, 43:31 a more with the blessing of God, 43:33 a more perfect 43:35 and thorough work maybe wrought. 43:37 But if we can have but one part done, 43:38 let it be the individual labor of opening Scriptures 43:42 in households, 43:43 making personal appeals, 43:46 and talking familiarly with the members of the family, 43:48 not about things of little importance, 43:50 but of the great themes of redemption." 43:52 She says making personal appeal, 43:54 now that you presented the truth, 43:56 do you actually seal the deal 43:57 and make an appeal for them to actually surrender 44:00 and commit their lives to Jesus. 44:04 Let me give you a somewhat embarrassing, 44:06 but hopefully providential illustration from my own life. 44:13 I have a beautiful wife named Emily. 44:15 And we now have three children. 44:16 So I can tell you now how the story ends. 44:19 But when I was ready to propose marriage to her, 44:24 and I was certain she would say yes. 44:26 But you don't wanna go in too early, 44:28 you wanna nail this down, right? 44:30 I went to her house and I said, 44:33 tonight, we're going out to dinner. 44:35 When you get back from class, I want you to be well dressed, 44:38 I'm gonna be dressed up, we're gonna hit the town. 44:41 It happened to be Valentine's Day is very... 44:44 I know what I'm doing. 44:47 She comes and while she was in school that day, 44:50 I went downtown. 44:51 And I went to the most expensive restaurant 44:53 I could find, we've never done that again. 44:57 And I looked at the menu to make sure 44:59 they had something would we want 45:01 and I put down my name on the reservation. 45:03 I even told them how to pronounce my name. 45:05 It's De Vasher, none of this De Washer, 45:07 Du Washer business. 45:08 It's De Vasher. 45:10 I wanted to come in. 45:11 Oh, Mr. De Vasher, your table's ready. 45:13 I wanted to look smooth. 45:15 And I did. 45:19 Go back to the table. 45:20 Man, we had a good time. 45:22 Beautiful meal. 45:24 And I knew she was expecting something. 45:29 And I didn't do anything. 45:31 I just sat there and let the meal go on. 45:35 They came and took our dishes. 45:37 And they said, "Well, you're ready to go." 45:41 And I could tell she was a little disappointed. 45:43 I was thrilled 'cause it was working. 45:46 She's like, "Yeah, okay, we can go, sure." 45:50 Did take her out and head to the car. 45:52 And I said, you know, before we head home, 45:54 there's one more stop I'd like to make. 45:57 And, of course, I had this planned out too. 45:59 There was a particular spot I had chosen 46:00 where I wanted the question to be asked, 46:02 well, I wanted the moment to occur. 46:05 We parked the car, we walked hand in hand, 46:07 I had a little gift for her. 46:10 I prepared a little speech, written it down and everything. 46:14 And I got down on my knee, 46:17 looking up into her eyes in the soft evening twilight, 46:20 it was perfect weather. 46:22 It was great. 46:24 And I read this, and I'm telling you, 46:27 I was moved within. I began to cry. 46:30 It was beautiful. 46:33 And I ended the speech saying this. 46:34 I said, "Emily, I would be honored 46:38 if you would be my wife." 46:45 And a second went by 46:48 and another second went by. 46:53 Things got a little awkward. 46:57 She wasn't saying anything. 46:59 She was just sitting there smiling. 47:01 And I was standing there with my knee down 47:03 and my face hanging out, right? 47:04 And I was like 47:08 and she mumbled some sort of. 47:11 Okay. 47:14 That would, that'd be good. 47:18 And I got up and I stood up and kind of gave her a hug. 47:20 And I said, "All right, good." 47:25 Hand in hand started walking towards the car. 47:29 And as we got in the car, I just kind of as I said, 47:31 the things get weird there for a minute, 47:33 what just happened? 47:35 And she said, "Well, 47:37 you never actually asked me anything. 47:43 You just declared what you would like, 47:47 but you never asked me the question." 47:50 I said, you're gonna hang this up on a technicality. 47:54 I said, "Will you marry me?" She said, "Yeah, fine." 47:56 Okay, and we got engaged in the car. 48:00 Because I said, I would love to have this 48:02 and it would be great. 48:03 I would be honored if this would happen. 48:04 And she was like, "Yeah, that sounds good." 48:07 So and I never actually asked her to be my wife. 48:16 Friends, a lot of times this happens 48:18 in presenting the Word to people, 48:19 we'll present the truth and will make it case 48:23 right from the Bible is very true 48:25 and it's convincing, it's convicting. 48:29 And then we'll say, well, thank you. 48:30 All right, have a good night. 48:32 We'll talk to you later next Tuesday at this time. 48:33 All right. Bye-bye. 48:35 And we never make an appeal. 48:39 Don't just present 48:40 that the seventh day is the Sabbath day, friend? 48:42 Do you want a covenant with the Lord 48:43 to keep His commandments? 48:46 And remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 48:50 Actually, ask the question, make earnest heartfelt appeal. 48:58 Review and Herald, April 24, 1883, 49:01 "The salvation of sinners requires 49:03 earnest, personal labor. 49:05 We are to bear to them the word of life, 49:07 not to wait for them to come to us. 49:09 With personal piety and a consistent course of life 49:12 our earnest heartfelt appeals will be, 49:17 through God as sharp arrows of the Almighty 49:19 to pierce the sin-hardened heart, 49:21 as sharp sickles to reap a precious harvest 49:24 for the heavenly garner. 49:26 If we are co-laborers with Christ, 49:29 we shall all have sheaves to bring to the Master, 49:32 souls saved through our instrumentality." 49:36 Friends, don't just tell them what the truth is, 49:37 appeal to them 49:39 to make a decision to follow Jesus. 49:44 That's the harvest phase. 49:47 Then there's the fifth and final phase, 49:49 the preservation phase. 49:51 If you are in the agricultural cycle 49:53 to think about it this way, 49:55 once the crop has been harvested, 49:57 the grain must be preserved. 50:01 Think about this, 50:02 if you plucked tomatoes off the vine, 50:03 you spend all the time of cultivating the soil 50:06 and you sow the seed 50:07 and you prepare the soil, you sow the seed, 50:09 you cultivated the crop, 50:11 and it was growing, you fertilized, 50:12 and watered, and cared, 50:13 for, doing all this kind of stuff, 50:15 kept all the pests away. 50:16 And right as it got ripe, 50:17 you did the right thing you harvest, 50:19 and you plucked, you reached and you made that appeal 50:20 and oh, you got one in your hand. 50:22 Now you go in the house, you set it on the counter, 50:26 and you walk away. 50:29 What happens? 50:33 If you don't do something, if you don't can it, 50:35 if you don't cut it, if you don't serve it, 50:37 it's not gonna do you any good. 50:38 It's gonna sit there and what? Rot. 50:44 We do this so many times with members of the church. 50:47 It's almost criminal. 50:50 We do all this work. 50:51 We're inviting them to the meetings, 50:52 and sharing your testimony, and giving us, 50:54 and all the hard work of cultivation, 50:57 may even make an appeal, 50:58 you have the stirring evangelist coming in 51:00 and be pour down that sit around, 51:01 they come to the front. 51:03 They make the decision for Christ 51:04 and they be baptized and all the church says amen. 51:09 Then the banners come down and the signs get taken away 51:14 and the new believers just kind of sit there. 51:19 They might have heard a prophetic message once now. 51:25 They might have mentally intellectually agreed 51:28 as an academic pursuit. 51:29 Yes, I see that it is true, 51:31 but they haven't woven it into their lives yet. 51:33 It's so new. 51:36 They don't know how to cook that clean food. 51:38 They don't know how to keep that Sabbath holy. 51:41 They don't know how to return a faithful tithe. 51:43 They don't know how to do all these things. 51:45 They just know it's true. 51:48 But they don't know what to do. 51:53 There's just as much work to be done 51:55 after the baptism as there is before the baptism. 52:03 When the evangelism cycle comes full circle, 52:05 it accomplishes its purpose of making disciples 52:07 who in turn make other disciples. 52:11 Listen to Isaiah 55:10-11. 52:14 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, 52:17 and do not return there, but water the earth, 52:19 and make it bring forth and bud, 52:21 that it may give seed to the sower 52:24 and bread to the eater." 52:25 What is the crop supposed to do? 52:27 It's supposed to be bread for your house 52:29 and seed for the next crop, right? 52:32 He says, "So shall," 52:34 in the same way and like manner, 52:36 "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth, 52:40 it shall not return to Me void, 52:41 but it shall accomplish what I please, 52:44 and it shall prosper in the thing 52:45 for which I sent it." 52:46 Friends, we must not be satisfied 52:48 with mere retention of new members. 52:51 Let me tell you a little pet peeve, 52:52 we always talk about closing the back door 52:54 and keeping the membership and retaining those interests. 52:57 Friends, there is something far higher of an ideal 53:00 that God has for us than merely keeping people in the pew. 53:04 We need to grow them into active disciple makers 53:08 for Jesus Christ. 53:10 We have again, well said, we have far too many members, 53:13 and far too few missionaries. 53:16 We're fantastic at making members 53:17 but we have to continue the work of cultivating 53:20 and preserving them 53:22 so that they will not only stay as bread in the church, 53:24 but also be seed for the next generation 53:26 that's gonna come in. 53:29 John 4:14, Jesus said to the woman at the well, 53:32 "Whoever drinks of the water 53:34 that I shall give him will never thirst. 53:35 But the water that I shall give him 53:37 will become in him a fountain of water 53:39 springing up into everlasting life." 53:41 It's not just good for you this message 53:43 but when you receive it, 53:44 you have an obligation to share it with others. 53:46 And in so growing and sharing you become more of a disciple, 53:51 you become more like Jesus Christ. 53:54 Christian Service, page 9. 53:56 "Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God 53:59 as a missionary. 54:02 He who drinks of the living water 54:03 becomes a fountain of life. 54:05 The receiver becomes a giver." 54:08 And listen to this from Review and Herald, December 3, 1908. 54:11 "It is an eternal law of Jehovah 54:15 that he who accepts the truth 54:17 is to make it his first work to proclaim the truth." 54:22 It's a law of Jehovah. 54:25 "But who is it 54:26 that makes the burden of perishing sinners his own?" 54:28 She asked rhetorically. 54:30 "Among God's people today 54:32 there is a fearful lack of sympathy 54:35 that should be felt for souls unsaved. 54:38 We talk of Christian missions, 54:41 the sound of our voice is heard, 54:44 but do we feel Christ's tender heart-longing 54:48 for those outside the fold?" 54:51 Friends, it's one thing to say amen 54:53 to the vision video or spotlight testimony. 54:57 But it's another thing 54:58 to roll up your sleeves and say, 55:00 here am I, send me. 55:05 Maybe end it with this encouraging note. 55:08 It is not uncommon for Christians 55:10 to express disappointment at meager results 55:12 from their efforts to win souls. 55:13 Oftentimes, however, 55:15 the problem lies not in realizing 55:16 that the growing cycle is a process 55:18 involving multiple steps, 55:20 each of which demands careful planning and hard work. 55:25 There are no shortcuts 55:26 when it comes to winning souls for Christ. 55:28 If even one step 55:29 in the evangelism cycle is overlooked, 55:31 results will suffer. 55:33 We must prepare the soil of the heart, 55:35 plant the seed of God's Word, 55:37 cultivate spiritual interest with ongoing Bible studies, 55:40 harvest decisions to follow Christ 55:42 through personal appeals and preserve those decisions 55:47 through systematic discipleship. 55:50 Yet even our best efforts will fail 55:52 without the power of God to produce results. 55:57 In 1 Corinthians 3:5-7, 56:01 "Who then is Paul, 56:03 and who is Apollos, 56:05 but ministers through whom you believed, 56:06 as the Lord gave to each one? 56:08 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 56:14 So then neither he who plants is anything, 56:16 neither he who waters, 56:18 but God who gives the increase." 56:19 We must understand that there is no such thing 56:21 as natural church development. 56:24 There is only supernatural soul winning 56:27 according to God's principles. 56:29 That's how it works. 56:31 In Heavenly Places, page 331, 56:33 "We are individually to work 56:35 as though a great responsibility rested upon us. 56:38 We are to manifest untiring energy 56:41 and tact and zeal in this work 56:43 and take the burden, feeling the peril 56:45 in which our neighbors and friends are placed. 56:48 We are to work as Christ worked. 56:50 We are to present the truth as it is in Jesus, 56:53 that the blood of souls shall not be upon our garments. 56:56 At the time we are to feel 56:59 entire dependence and trust in God, 57:01 for we know we cannot do anything 57:03 without His grace and power to help. 57:06 A Paul may plant, and an Apollos may water, 57:08 but God alone can give the increase. 57:11 Then we are indeed to go forward to the work, 57:14 weeping, sowing the precious seeds of truth 57:17 and trusting in God to give the increase." 57:21 Friends, this is a work of God's 57:22 own appointment. 57:24 And we need to be about our Father's business. 57:26 Let's bow our heads for word of prayer. 57:28 Heavenly Father, thank You so much, 57:31 that in Your infinite wisdom, 57:33 You have decided to use us as co-laborers in Your field. 57:39 Lord, teach us to work the way that Jesus worked. 57:43 Help us to have that cycle of evangelism 57:47 as part of our DNA. 57:49 It's not just an event 57:50 but, Lord, let it be an ongoing process 57:52 that individually and corporately 57:53 as local church bodies that we work like Jesus, 57:58 for we want to see Jesus. 58:00 And we pray it in Jesus' name. 58:01 Amen. |
Revised 2019-07-12