Series: Sharing the Harvest PT 2! (SPIRITUAL)
Testimony Illustration:
• Brock – Sharing my faith with others!
• Ann – Mentoring others spiritually!
Thesis: The Bible teaches us that we need to share the harvest financially, physically by discipling and mentoring others for the Kingdom of Heaven. But in the process of discipleship we share the harvest spiritually as well. We should desire to invest our time. talents, spiritual wisdom and knowledge into another person for the Lord. Especially since we have been blessed by God to bless others!
Scripture:
Matthew 16:24-27 - New International Version
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life (soul) will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul (life)? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul (life)? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
Matthew 28:18-20 - New International Version
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 9:35-38: The Workers Are Few
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
This has been my prayer over the last few months that God would send us workers for the harvest here at CHC! If we understand the importance that our lives are to count for eternity! Then we should desire to invest in others spiritually!
Summary of the series:
For those in Biblical times, the harvest was the most important event. The gathering of things planted, a natural time of reaping in joy what has been sown and produced during the year. In addition to the literal use of the word referring to the harvesting of crops, the Bible uses the same term when referring to the rescuing of the remains of Israel, the resurrection of believers from the earth and leading people into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
God did make guidelines for bringing in the Harvest in the Bible:
In the Bible it was expected of those who follow God to provide for the poor, the needy and even for the foreigners. They were reminded repeatedly that it is God who sends the rains and the sun at the right time to bring in the abundant harvest they are reaping. Because the Lord brought these blessing’s they needed to share their harvest with others.
For example: listen to Leviticus 23:22: “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’”
Deut. 24:19-22: “19When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 21When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 22Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.”
Sharing the Harvest is a Command of the Lord – it is not just a nice suggestion, or an option but it’s to be an action we do to honor God! It also is to be done to acknowledge we too were in the position of need once and God blessed us! So, Scripture tells us we too must pass the blessings from God onto others so they too can be blessed by the Kingdom of Heaven.
This sermon is inspired, quoted and gleamed from Mark Batterson’s book, “Double Blessing” Multnomah, 2019.
Introduction to Sermon:
Last week I shared about how as a Carpenter Apprentice I was mentored by Master Carpenters.
I did share a little bit how Pastor Nate discipled me along with Bill and Jill, and Rufus and Diane – by teaching me – by spending time with me – by counseling me, by investing in me – by showing me how to preach and teach by the leading of the Holy Spirit. There was also Bobby Jo – Roland and many others investing time and energy into my life and heart. They inserted into me spiritual knowledge, insight into the things of God, how to hear the voice of God.
Pastor Nate taught me to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit more than anyone else in my life – do you understand how important this is? To learn to discern and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit who is the ultimate teacher and dispenser of spiritual wisdom and knowledge. Pastor taught me to preach with the anointing of the Holy Spirit – not just share information but be inspired and lead by the Holy Spirit in my messages. He modeled for me what it means to be passionate for Jesus! He invested in me the importance of working through hardship and staying committed and passionate for Jesus. He taught me to pray! He would hold all night prayer meetings at church and pray each week and before services. He mentored me spiritually – calling out the calling on my life – the first person to do so. Then he set things in motion for me to step out in faith and pursue my call.
The other pastors at Outreach Church who invested in me where Jill/Bill and Diane/Rufus all helped me grow spiritually in different ways by spending time with me in bible study and prayer. They introduced me to the infilling of the Holy Spirit. They too pushed me to follow the call of God to preach, teach, and pastor and gave me the opportunity to do these things. They invested spiritually in me over meals, prayer and social events! Teaching me through their lives what it meant to serve the Lord with your whole heart, mind and soul.
They challenged me to memorize Scripture the first verse I memorized was James 1:22 “Be a doer of the word of God and not just a hearer only.”
When God called me to Bible college at NCBC in Mpls. the Lord sent me another mentor – yes a spiritual mentor – her name was Kathy. We had met the summer before I started Bible College and we started dating – Kathy had just graduated NCBC and had a deeper spiritual walk with the Lord than I had and she knew her Bible. I sadly did not! So, I want to acknowledge how Kathy mentored me spiritually in my walk with the Lord, in writing and preaching:
I was asked to preach at her home church in Karlstad, Mn – I was so excited to preach for her and at her home church – to make her proud – So, I decided I would teach on “Malachi” – the Italian prophet of the Old Testament – as I was preaching she is in the front row saying – it’s “Malachi” not “Malachi” he is not an Italian prophet – I thought really – I kind of ignored her - I thought know what I am doing babe! Here is the background on my lack of knowledge, I grew up with a lot of Italians friends in Pittsburgh and I knew how to pronounce this name! So, I thought! I learned afterwards to always check pronunciations with her!
Kathy also implanted spiritual depth in my writing papers and sermons. The truth was my English was horrible – I really had no clue how to write papers, frame paragraphs or even sentences – she was honest with me about my writing and thought process. Did I mention my typing skills yet – I was the one finger master typist! So, God sent Kathy into my life to teach me how write, pronounce and to challenge me on sentence structure, learning how to clearly make my points! She saved my GPA at NCBC giving me spiritual insight on theological papers and proper English. She taught me to how to trim down my papers which were excessive in length – not to procrastinate ever in getting my papers down with plenty of time for her to type them – share story of the last minute paper – by the way she taught me more is not always better!
Story: I had started preaching long before I went to Bible College – But I want you to know God calls and equips us for ministry – but Bible College made me a better and more rooted and balanced minister of the Gospel – and it taught me the Bible.
Some my teachers who invested time and energy into me were Dr. David Nichols, Dr. Howard Young all challenged me in my writing, preaching and making sure I heard from the Holy Spirit. They also spent time with me outside school fishing and hunting and over meals. They taught theological balance and exegesis and use of the Hebrew and Greek.
I also want to talk about Pastor Rich Doebler. who taught me how to write out sermons and do sermons with good content and spiritual depth. He instructed and showed me how to research every sermon, in other words to make sure I do my homework with the help of the Holy Spirit. He taught me to put my heart and soul into it. To read books and keep growing spiritually to feed my Spirit and soul! I needed to feed my spirit – no one else was responsible to do this – I had to do this!
Under Pastor Rich’s mentoring I grew spiritually and pastorally. He gave me time and guidance and yes, even correction. He allowed me to be apart of Crossroads Community Church which was a church plant as his intern pastor. He also challenged to write out my sermons and write for Christian magazines which I did and still do. He helped edit many of my articles and showed me how to write better. Rich worked for Christianity Today and developed Your Church Magazine, wrote for Leadership, was the editor of The Quest Study Bible too.
I want to share with you the result of Rich investing in me as a young minister and writer – What I am about to say is - I am not bragging on myself – please here me - but I am thanking the Lord for sending Rich into my life – I am telling you what could happen if you invest in other people spiritually and with time like Rich did me.
Sermoncentral.com publishes my written sermons weekly as I submit them and have been doing this since 2000 – I have to date on their website 829 written sermons, with 5,843,557 views in total over this 22 year time frame. I also have 751 written illustrations posted on sermoncentral.com with 1,344,772 views over the last 22 years. My sermons average 2000 views per week and have reached in the last 180 days 182 different countries across the world.
Rich helped me develop and he never discouraged me – Illustration of this!
I recall preaching one Sunday right after Tiffany’s birth and my sermon disaster. I had some how switched my chapter and verses around in my sermon. So nothing was lining up when I spoke. But while I was speaking Pastor Rich figured it out and let the congregation know what I had done. I was embarrassed and flustered by it all and exhausted because of being up all night with Tiffany’s birth. So it became a place of humor and a learning curve for me. To bring the humor into this failure on my part was Rich - so the next time I preached he placed a sign on the pulpit which said, “Caution Student Preacher!”
Jesus gave us the model in how to disciple others – just read the Gospels and observe his interaction with His disciples!
Mark Batterson states in his book Double Blessing this thought about Sharing the Harvest:
“Simply put, ‘We are blessed to bless!’” Did you hear this eternal principle and statement? I pray you let this statement resonate in your hearts and minds today – it really is the truth of God and echoes the words and the heartbeat of God.
Mark states, “God doesn't bless us to raise our standard of living. God blesses us to raise our standard of giving, and that's where true joy is found.”
Mark says he made this discovery doing a simple experiment. Whenever Mark Batterson received a blessing, he would give a similar blessing away to some else. If someone paid him a compliment or gave him a gift or went out of their way to help him, he would return the favor by doing something similar for someone else.
The Challenge: Would you be willing to commit doing this over the next month?
Imagine with me for a moment if we all chose to do this? Are you imagining it – how it would change our church – our families – our school – our community?
Mark writes in His book Double Blessing that we should be willing to flip the blessing given to us by blessing others in the way God has blessed us. Imagine the possibilities the lives that could be touched? The impact would be noticeable and eternal!
Mark reiterates in his book that this is how the blessing becomes a double blessing.
Question: Are you willing to try this eternal principle and put it into practice? If you do you will discover it turns giving into another “Blessing” Here is the best part about doing this we can’t out give God because God will always out bless us! It’s His nature!
Mark notes, “It’s an ancient truth found within the Abrahamic covenant: “I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing.”
Yes, the way a double blessing works is the first step is we receive a blessing, but it doesn’t end there. The second part of the blessing is giving it away! That’s the double blessing. And that’s where double joy is found. Double blessings lead to double joy – joy on top of joy! Who wants more joy? Who wants more blessings? Who wants to live a life that will have eternal value?
But we need to explore how to get the blessing and how to give the blessing. There is an art and a science to both receiving a blessing and giving a blessing.
Mark notes – no he shouts it out, “But make no mistake—the endgame is not getting but giving!” He passionately adds to that thought,” God doesn’t bless us to raise our standard of living. God blesses us to raise our standard of giving.”
In the words of Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
So today I parallel the thoughts of Mark Batterson by researching and focusing on Blessings – Sharing the Harvest with Others!
Question: “What is the blessing of God? It’s God connecting to you and me in life changing ways through His personal touch of love – through miracles – through provision - through grace – and mercy!
Outline of sermon:
• I believe “The Blessing of God” starts by God showing us that He is for us!
o People today need to understand that God is for us (yes for them) not against us (them)!
o Many people think that God is working against them seeking to hurt them – to knock them down with sickness, financial crisis, pain and suffering.
? Illustrations of people you know!
o Many think the hardship of life is coming from God who is just punishing them for their wrong doing and he loves to inflict pain on them.
o Mark states, “God for us is His favor, the X factor between the best we can do, and the best God can do.”
• Then “The Blessing of God” comes to us as He reveals to you and me that He is with us!
o He is not just for us (from a distance) but with us right by our side as we progress through the valleys of life!
? Psalm 23
o Mark describes this step this way, “God with us is joy unspeakable and the peace that surpasses understanding.”
• The third progression of “The Blessing of God” is that God literally comes inside us.
o When we realize God is for us and He is with us – we see that with Him comes blessing on blessing and then The Lord invites us to ask Him to come into our Hearts as Lord and Savior and – you know what God sets up residence in us with the Holy Spirit – who leads us from blessing to blessing.
o Mark describes this progression in our relationship with God this way, “And God in us is power, (His) resurrection power” (given to us to do the impossible and to change the world around us for the Kingdom of Heaven).
To reduce “The Blessing of God” to anything less dishonors God and devalues the blessings He consistently bestows on us. The Blessings of God come through the progression of our relationship with God!
T.S. - So that in a nutshell is where we are going today and next week as we explore “The Blessings of God and the eternal principle of Double Blessings.”
I. God is for us! “The Blessing of God”
a. Mark states, “God for us is His favor, the X factor between the best we can do, and the best God can do.”
i. No good thing does [God] withhold from those who walk uprightly. PSALM 84:11, ESV
1. Quick definition of the X factor:
a. The Cambridge dictionary defines X factor as “a quality that you cannot describe that makes someone very special.”
b. The Oxford dictionary defines it as “a variable in a given situation that could have the most significant impact on the outcome.”
c. Mark notes, “The burning bush represents the blessing of favor. It gave Moses the courage to confront Pharaoh and say, “Let my people go.” It was the X factor that turned his staff into a snake, parted the Red Sea, and provided manna every morning… Would you be bold enough to ask God for “the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush”? To ask God for the X factor? And not just thirty times or sixty times, but one hundred times. You have not because you ask not. Of course, with great blessing comes great responsibility. The blessing usually comes with a Pharaoh to confront and a people to deliver. It won’t make your life easier, but it will help you do hard things. And God will accomplish things you won’t be able to take credit for!
i. Batterson, Mark. Double Blessing (p. 40-41). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
b. The Lord wants to pour out His blessings on us – no really He does! – You may be thinking, “Why would God care about me and do something like this?” The answer is easy He wants to have a relationship with you - so He can bless you and so you in turn you can bless others!
i. The Lord wants you to invest your time and talent into a blessing for others!
c. We need to be reminded that God is for us – The Lord wants us to bless others by investing in them personally thru the use of our time, talents, knowledge, wisdom, life experience and spiritual insights.
i. We need to understand that God is for us – He is not seeking to take you out with a lightening bolt – He is moving mountains for us – He is not out to get us – we can all invest, mentor, disciple other people because the Lord is for us – he wants us doing this consistently and intentional and he will bless us more as we seek to pass on the blessings to others.
d. Yes, the Bible tells us God is for us – He is not against us!
i. The Word of God tells us:
1. We are the Apple of God’s eye! See Zachariah 2:8
2. We are the objects of His divine affection! See John 3:16-21
3. We discover from the book of Job – That He is bragging about you behind your back!
4. We discover in Romans – That he is interceding for you at the right hand of the Father.
5. We discover in Psalms – His mercy and goodness follow you all the days of your life.
6. We discover in Exodus – His faithfulness is unfailing!
7. We discover in Jeremiah – His kindness is unending!
8. We discover in Song of Songs – His love is unrelenting!
9. We discover in Zephaniah – He is rejoicing over you with singing!
a. The above from Mark Batterson, Double Blessing page 55.
ii. When Jesus came and showed the people that God was for them not out to strike them down like the religious leaders taught - it changed people’s perception of the Lord. Here is Jesus, “The Son of God” and He is spending time with his disciples, showing the outcasts that God was for them too. In observing this reality, we discover that the heart beat of the Lord is to love on people, forgive people, cheer for people and as Jesus does this He is mentoring and discipling people into the Kingdom of Heaven.
1. Jesus’ role modeled for us the importance of discipling other people – investing in them – just read the Gospels. Jesus was intentional in his investing in his disciples!
a. He picked them and invested His time. Talents, wisdom, insight, knowledge and spirit into them.
i. It changed them! Just read where the disciples started in the Gospels and how they end up in the book of Acts and the New Testament.
b. Reality Check: There is no other way to grow a person into a mature Christian – discipleship is the way – it takes time and commitment – it’s the Jesus way to transform a life!
2. So, in looking at the life of Jesus we see that discipleship must be an intentional process – we must invest our life into others – and stay committed to discipleship.
a. The following information from http://www.examiner.com/christian-apologetics-in-national/george-barna-s-new-book-maximum-faith-offers-insight-for-spiritual-maturity
b. Barna reminds of the current state of the church: “What are some of the more specific findings from his latest research? About 80% of Americans say that they are Christian, but only about 67% say further that they are “religious or spiritual.” Of all professed Christians, only 20% say that the most important decision they’ve ever made was to invite Jesus to be their savior. Even fewer (14%) make their relationship with God their highest life priority. What can explain the lack of importance placed on eternity by so many professed Christians? Jesus, quoting Deuteronomy and Joshua, said to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). So why is this generally not happening amongst American Christians?”
i. My simple answer is few are following Jesus example of mentoring or discipling other people today – we are too busy amusing the crowd, with work, social events, Tv, movies, games, sports, dance recitals, recreation, and a list of other things that may be good but communicate to us “I don’t have time to mentor others!”
1. We hear a lot about the need of “Me time” but there is no place in spirit filled Christians lives to invest in others.
c. Barna got more practical and listed eight reasons why American Christians are not making God their priority, which reflects a lack of transformation into new creations (Galatians 6:15).
i. American Christians follow the cultural norm of comfort and security.
1. Discipleship of others – investing in others takes time and commitment.
ii. Churches measure attendance and maintain tradition rather than focus on individual transformation.
1. We cater to the crowd and Sunday service and neglect investing personally in others.
iii. Successful faith bears fruit but what “American Christians and their churches measure is . . . knowledge, activity, and emotion”
1. Relationship with others seems to be at the bottom of the list for most Christians.
2. I have even heard many Pastors say, “I am tired of people!”
iv. We don’t give ourselves up to become servants and to let God control our lives.
1. Few Christians invest in other people – they just focus on themselves!
v. There are few Christian role models, and those who have been models in more recent times aren’t really viewed as “normal.”
1. I see this more today than ever before – no one wants to be role model – they want to do their own thing and neglect the instructions of Scripture to die to self.
vi. There are a great many “distractions and distortions” in our culture, and we want to conform.
1. I have shared these above but let me add one more Social media – Facebook – always having your face in a phone and not connecting with those around you.
2. Challenge – leave you phone at home for a week and start connecting with other people.
vii. Church leaders are not addressing the spiritual battle in Christians’ lives.
1. The lack of relational connection, the crisis of loneliness, and disconnection of people to each other.
viii. American Christians allow their children to “embrace the objectives of the society we are called to shape” – parents and churches do not really focus on godly transformation.
1. Discipleship – personal connection with others is the crisis impacting the church today – youth do not connect with each other – even some youth pastors are more concerned about the crowd then connecting one on one with the kids in their youth group.
d. What is needed to change this?
i. Motivation –Motivation-Motivation! The realization that God is for us and wants what is best for us! We wants us connecting with Him and with each other – He wants us investing in other people – to mentor them and encourage them and help them grow in Him.
1. The Bible calls us to participate in our own transformation by being living sacrifices.
a. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2).
b. “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:13-14).
T.S. – Scripture tells us God is for us through Jesus and the Holy Spirit and if He is for us He wants us to pass on the blessings we received to others: these can be talents, wisdom, insight, knowledge, time, teaching, mentoring, discipling of others. It’s the model Jesus gave us! God is for this type of lifestyle as a Christian and He is also with us in the process of discipling others. He will help us to do this – we need to ask the Lord to open our eyes to who is around us that we can mentor!
II. God is with us: “The Blessing of God” – point: If God is with us (which is a huge blessing – would you agree?) Then we will want to pass on our blessings to others like Elijah did in 2 Kings 2:9!
a. In 2 Kings 2:9 we find the following phrase – a request from a student to his teacher: “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.”
i. Batterson notes, “Toward the end of his ministry, the prophet Elijah knew his days were numbered. So he said to his apprentice, Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” I suppose Elisha could have asked for any number of things, including Elijah’s estate. But Elisha made no bones about what he really wanted: Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit. Is it any coincidence that Elisha’s curriculum vitae includes twenty-eight miracles, exactly twice as many as his prophetic mentor? I think not…”
ii. Batterson points to Scripture, “There are half a dozen “double promises” in Scripture like the story of Elijah and Elisha:
1. The prophet Isaiah promised a double portion of joy or prosperity, depending on your translation of choice.
2. The apostle Paul conferred double honor on those who lead well.
3. And as we’ve just explored, a double portion of Elijah’s spirit netted twice as many miracles in the ministry of Elisha.
4. But perhaps the most unique binary blessing in the Bible is declared by the prophet Zechariah: “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.” The prophet Zechariah declared this double blessing to Jewish prisoners of war, but he called them prisoners of hope.
iii. Mark notes: “Legacy isn’t measured by what we accomplish in our lifetimes. It’s measured by our coaching tree, our mentoring chain. It’s measured by the fruit we grow on other people’s trees. It’s measured by the investments we make in others that are still earning compound interest twenty years later. It’s measured by every blessing we bestow. The relationship between Elijah and Elisha prototypes what the double blessing is all about. After receiving Elijah’s mantle, Elisha flips the blessing by turning it into twenty-eight miracles for others! In the process, Elisha becomes Elijah’s legacy. Elijah was Elisha’s double portion. And Elisha was Elijah’s double blessing. Whose double portion are you? And who is your double blessing?”
iv. How are you using the blessings the Lord has given to you?
1. To accumulate more and more stuff?
2. To rent more and more storage units?
3. To buy bigger homes to put your stuff in?
4. To spend time pursuing the temporal things of life or on the eternal things of life?
5. Do you work all the time but never invest in other people?
6. Like your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews?
7. Like kids at church or school?
8. Like kids at risk because of broken homes?
9. Like kids in your community?
10. Like prisoners or half-way home residents?
b. Question to ask yourself today, “Who are you mentoring or investing in with the blessings God has given you?” Because if God is for you and with you it should change you – trust me if I know anything about the Lord – I know this - He is encouraging you to pass the blessings on from Him to others! But the real question is are you hearing His voice over the other voices around you? Can you hear Him saying it, “Michael invest in _____________!”
i. I am talking time, knowledge, wisdom, insight and talent here – the intentionally of speaking into other’s lives with acts of love, with the passing on of Bible knowledge, with sharing spiritual insights with others and with helping others be all God wants to be! It’s crucial to Revival breaking out in America! To a changed culture that is not self-centered!
1. Can I say it real loud --- “It does not get any better than this according to the Word of God!”
ii. Parents this should be any easy answer for you – it should be your children – but I am not just talking about meeting their physical needs, like supporting them in sports, or helping them to grow academically by helping them with their education or just by meeting their physical needs especially when they go through the emotional ups and downs of life, but I am asking the most important question “How are you investing into the spiritual development of your children?
1. To me this includes physically praying for them. Laying hands on them. Praying for them at night and at meals!
2. To me this means teaching them to pray and read the Bible – yes you actually showing them how to do this.
3. To me this means taking them to church, kids ministry, youth group and bible study.
4. To me this means talking to them about the Lord – giving testimonies to them and talking about what the Lord has done for you.
5. To me this means doing devotions with them – exciting ones by the way.
6. To me this means we do what Deut. 6, says to do:
a. 1These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,
2so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
10When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied,12be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
i. Why do these things, so our children, even others grow in their relationship with Jesus.”
ii. This Scripture describes how discipleship works – with our children or with anyone else!
c. Definition of a Disciple - from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciple_(Christianity):
i. A disciple is a pupil of a teacher or an apprentice to a master craftsman. A disciple is one who learns from a teacher or from another and they are students.
ii. But discipleship is more than just a teacher student relationship it is a mentoring relationship for the purpose of helping another person grow and mature in the faith of Jesus. Discipleship is about a relationship with another where you speak into their lives and be there as a guide for the other person in the spiritual and physical dimension of the realm of life.
1. Listen to these following thoughts on discipleship:
a. Quote: Discipleship is the process of learning about the teachings of another, internalizing them and then acting upon them... (So) What Makes Christian Discipleship Different?... You and Jesus!
b. Since you want to be a Christian disciple you are a student of the teachings of Jesus. But in Christianity a lot of the focus is also on following Christ's teachings, not just learning them. This is a very important distinction... a student is someone who just learns theories while a follower is someone who learns and then does. To be a disciple of Jesus you have to learn what Jesus taught. But more importantly you have to do what He taught. That is how you can determine if you have really committed your life to Christ, you start taking seriously His commands and actually doing them. And once you have learned Christ's teachings, you have to pass them on to others. You have to become a discipler.
i. From Read more: http://www.christian-discipleship.com/christian-discipleship/chrisitan-discipleship-definition.html#ixzz1sOwLACdi
c. Quote: Biblical discipleship is a model of how Christians could and should live their lives in reflection to Jesus' example and His mission. It involves not only a personal faith with God, but sharing that faith with other people, and building up more disciples.
iii. Who are you investing in physically and spiritually – yes as a spirit filled believer – who are you mentoring/discipling – I could also word it this way, “Who are you passing the blessing of God onto which He has blessed you with?”
1. Reminds me of the movie “Pay it forward!”
a. Summary of movie.
d. Question when you get to the end of your life – what will matter the most “How big you bank account is or how many lives you invested in with the blessings God has given you?”
i. Stories of peoples end of life regrets:
1. 12 Things People Regret the Most Before They Die: from https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/12-things-people-regret-the-most-before-they-die.html:
a. I wish I had spent more time with the people I love.
i. It's easy to let that time slip away, but once it's gone you can never get it back.
b. I wish I had worried less.
i. Worry is just using your imagination to create the things you don't want.
c. I wish I had forgiven more.
i. It takes a strong person to say "I'm sorry," and an even stronger person to forgive. Forgive and let go--free yourself from grudges and enjoy happiness instead of wasting it.
d. I wish I had stood up for myself.
i. Never allow yourself to be bullied or silenced. No one is more important in this world than you are.
e. I wish I had lived my own life.
i. Spend your time now working on the things you want to accomplish--or even try. Build a business, cultivate a great career, build a family, run a marathon. The greatest success lies in living your life in your own way.
f. I wish I had been more honest.
i. If you don't own up to your own elemental truth, falsehood will ultimately end up owning you. Honesty is the clearest path.
g. I wish I had worked less.
i. Working constantly for something you don't passionately care about adds nothing but stress to your life. And even if the passion is there, keep your workload in balance with the rest of your life.
h. I wish I had cared less about what other people think.
i. Stop wasting your moments on other people's opinions. Ultimately they are just opinions from those who don't fully share your reality.
i. I wish I had lived up to my full potential.
i. Live up to your own aspirations, not down to others' expectations. There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
j. I wish I had faced my fears.
i. Life is found in the distance between your deepest desire and your greatest fear. Remember, fear is only temporary, but regret lasts forever.
k. I wish I'd stopped chasing the wrong things.
i. When you let the wrong things go, you can give the right things a chance to catch you.
l. I wish I'd lived more in the moment.
i. Make a difference today. Make it a day worth remembering.
2. Time for evaluation: Take a few moments now and then and revisit your business, your life, your relationships, your family, your leadership, your time used to invest in others.
a. Ask yourself if there is anything that you might regret later. And if there is, take action – change it now.
i. Later will be now before you know it. Who knows you may not have enough time to fix the problem if you wait!
e. How do you pass on a double blessing on to others or share the harvest with others?
i. Example of the Card of encouragement you received – read
1. Share about what the Lord was speaking to you in prayer meeting and wondering were the verse was found for the phrase which was going through your heart and mind
2. I discovered it was Numbers 6:24-26 (How? After the prayer meeting, I picked up this card of encouragement in my box and there it was – the Scripture I was looking for):
a. The Priestly Blessing: 22The LORD said to Moses,
b. 23“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
i. 24“‘“The LORD bless you and keep you;
ii. 25the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
iii. 26the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’
iv. 27“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
f. We are to live is such away that God is able to give us His blessing-blessing beyond our ability to ask or imagine.
i. Mark notes “If you don’t hold out on God, He is not going to hold out on you. If you give God the glory, there is no good thing He will withhold. Why? He’s a good, good Father!” (page 38)
T.S. – We have discovered that God is for us and He desires us to be for others also by investing in them. We then learned and hopefully realized God is also with us - traveling with us through the valley of life as believers! (What a blessing) We also discovered He blesses us to pass the blessings on to others. But the best news which should compel us to disciple others is that God is in us as Spirit filled believers to help us mentor and disciple others into mature Christians of the Kingdom of Heaven.
III. God in us – The Blessing of God – truth: If God is really in us as a spirit filled believer, then we should want to invest in others!
a. The idea of sharing the harvest of blessings we have received from the Lord is core to the teachings of Scripture. But be careful about getting a misconception of the Blessings of God!
i. Mark Batterson states, “I would be doing a disservice to double blessing if I didn’t address a few common misconceptions about the blessing of God. Some people treat the blessing like a lottery ticket, hoping they’ll get lucky. Of course, that’s nothing more than a well-camouflaged get-rich-quick scheme. Others trivialize the blessing by turning it into some sort of magic trick. They reduce God to a formula: if you do X, God will do Y. The problem with this is that God is predictably unpredictable! The blessing of God is not good luck; it’s hard work. The blessing of God is not a magic trick; it’s long obedience in the same direction. And while we’re on the subject, it’s not a dog or pony show either. God is not impressed with religious showboating. Praying in King James English doesn’t make it any more effective, I promise thee that. The blessing of God cannot be earned any more than our salvation. It’s part of the package deal procured at Calvary’s cross. If you are in Christ, every blessing in the Bible belongs to you. But once you’ve been on the receiving end of God’s grace, you want to give God everything you’ve got.”
1. Batterson, Mark. Double Blessing (pp. 64-65). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
b. I am not focusing on money here Vernon did that last week – but I am focusing on physically – connecting with others, spending time with others so they can grow spiritually! It’s the idea of investing into the lives of others.
i. Reality Check: You perception of others especially people in the church tells me if God is really in you!
1. God in us means He is directing my actions and my life.
a. So, I do not look at people as threats!
b. I have been reading the latest studies coming out about what Covid has done to many people!
i. People now look at people as threats – as contagious – so they need to be avoided at all costs!
ii. People are not looked at as a blessings but as a curse to be avoided.
c. How do I mentor or disciple a person? Invest in another person?
i. So, you may be thinking: How can I grow as a believer? and how can I be disciple so I can disciple? There are several ways to grow and to be disciples – See our list of small groups starting up (See list). Be faithful to services, to prayer, Bible reading, make a connection with a mature Christian and start meeting with them.
ii. Question: How do you disciple someone?
1. First you have to have a personal relationship with them!
2. You need to make sure they have a relationship with Jesus.
3. You need to help them renew their minds with truth and even correction.
4. You need to be willing to provide information for the one you are discipling using the Bible.
5. You need to teach them were to find wisdom for decisions in life- The Bible.
6. You need to promote specific skills and effective behaviors from the Bible.
7. You need to be willing to provide feedback to the one you disciple.
8. You need to coach them through stages of crisis, growth and life situations.
9. You allow the disciple to ask questions and you become a sounding board for them.
10. You need to be willing to be a safe person for your disciple.
11. You need to be willing to assist the disciple in devising their plan for life.
12. You need to nurture curiosity, possibilities and opportunities with your disciple.
Conclusion:
Matthew 9:35-38: The Workers Are Few
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Challenge: We need to commit as the church of Jesus Christ - as a body of believers that we are going to start to disciple 1 person this next year and meet with them at least 12 times this next year. We also need to be intentional about making friends with 12 others who do not know Jesus so that possibly a discipleship relationship could be developed in the future.
If God is for us: We should bless others because He loved us when we did not deserve His love! This act of grace should compel us to want to pass on His blessings of grace and mercy to others so they discover the Love of God and we help mature in there faith.
If God is with us: Like Jesus was with His disciple we should learn from His example the importance of spending time with others to help them grow in their faith. We should be willing to pass on our talents, knowledge, insight to them and watch the Lord grow them.
If God is in us: We have the resource to help mentor others – to help disciple others – God promises to give us wisdom in helping others become mature Christian in the faith making a difference in this world.
Close with this:
“‘“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
