Missions Series

Intro: Everybody but Sam had signed up for a new company pension plan that called for a small employee contribution. The company was paying the rest. Unfortunately, 100% employee participation was needed; otherwise the plan was off. Sam’s boss and his fellow workers pleaded w/him to sign the new pension plan, but he wouldn’t do it.

-Finally, the company president called Sam into his office and said, “Sam, here’ s a copy of the new pension plan and here’s a pen. I want you to sign the papers. I’m sorry, but if you don’t sign, you’re fired. As of right now.”

-Sam quickly grabbed the pen and signed the papers. The boss looked at him and said, “Would you mind telling me why you didn’t sign up earlier?” He simply replied, “Well, sir, nobody explained it to me quite so clearly before.”

-There’s no doubt motivation is an important tool in life; it’s an important tool in helping us get things done. I was talking to a man who just had open heart surgery a few weeks ago. And I knew he used to smoke, but while we were talking he told me he’d quit.

-I was surprised and I said, “When did you quit?” He told me when he found out he was going to have open heart surgery. Motivation’s a pretty powerful tool! Today we’re continuing our series “DNA: the genetic makeup of VillageChurch”. And we’re going to see that missions are an important piece of our genetic makeup. Now when I say “missions”, the big question is “What exactly is missions?”

-Most of the time we think it means being a missionary to Africa. We think it means living in some hut in a foreign country where we’re very uncomfortable and we have to wear weird clothes.

-Now that can be missions. But missions can also mean sharing life and your faith w/your next door neighbor. I can involve helping new churches start. But regardless of where it is, our mission is to share Jesus.

- Jesus gave us our mission in Matt. 28: 19-20 when He said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HS, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am w/you always, to the very end of the age.”

Sermon Idea: Today in our passage of Scripture we’re going to see Jesus sharing w/us what our motivation should be to fulfill his mission. I know a lot of people who have certain things they say they’d like to achieve, but what is it that’ll motivate them to do it?

-And that’s the question I hope to answer for us today. What’s VillageChurch’s motivation of fulfilling our mission to introduce others to Christ?

TEXT: LUKE 10: 2

Bckgrd: Jesus was well known at this time for His miracles and great teaching. In other words, He wasn’t having a hard time getting the attention of people. But He didn’t want to just get their attention. He wanted something more from them. Jesus knew it was much easier to say all the right “religious” things and yet not do a whole lot.

-So what we see in this text is Jesus sharing some motivations for us to be actively involved in reaching others, to be actively involved in missions. That’s why He had 72 of His followers and sent them into every town He was @ to go to, to prepare them for His ministry. It was like they were greasing the wheels before Jesus came to town so they’d be ready to receive Him.

-VillageChurch, we have the same calling. We’re to prepare people to meet Jesus. But the question is “What’s going to motivate us to do that?” VillageChurch’s first motivation is:

DIV. 1: THE HARVEST (v. 2)

Exp: When I was in seminary I pastored a small country church way that was @ 3 years shy of having black and white TV! When we’d go to the big town of Scotland Neck to eat at a diner, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Fonzi came out and told me to “Sit on it.”

A. But the town we lived in was a farming community. And every spring we’d watch the farmers go out and start tilling up the land and planting their crops. They’d plant peanuts, cotton, tobacco, corn, and just @ everything else you can think of.

1. But one thing I noticed is that when they did all that, they didn’t just plant and then there work was done. They patiently waited for the big day. They patiently waited and worked in the fields so they’d be ready for the harvest.

a. You know what the “harvest” is? It’s when you go out and gather up your crops. It’s when your crops have matured and are ready to be brought in. In city terms the harvest would be when you CASH in on all your hard work for that year! Very simply put, the harvest is the reason why the farmer goes out and works in the field. The harvest is the future reward he’s looking forward to.