Good morning Cross Pointe Church!
Now that we are in a new year, I’d like us to consider as a church, for OUTREACH to be our focus this year.
Did you learn something new in Gods Word this past week?
Did you read a familiar passage with new eyes?
I hope you did.
I also pray that something happens for you in church today that causes you to dig deeper in Gods Word and get clarity for His purpose in your life.
BODY
Years ago, my family and I watched a comedy series called “Psych”. We still watch the re-runs.
Although I don’t think any of us had been to a Red Robin Restaurant, we knew about Red Robin because it was mentioned in a few episodes.
The jingle for Red Robin is “Reeed Robin”… “yum”.
So, oftentimes out of the blue, one of us would say “Reeed Robin”, and someone else would reply “yum”.
One day we were playing “hide and seek”, I was “it” and the kids scattered.
So, as I was trying to find them, for whatever reason, I said “Reeeed Robin”, and Moriah, while in hiding, replied “yuuummm”.
The title of todays’ message is “Scattered”.
I’d like us to take a look at:
• The scattering of nations
• The scattering of churches
• The scattering of groups of people
• And the scattering of individuals
for the purpose of “outreach” in building Gods Kingdom
Our two key passages are found in:
Acts 8:1-40
Matthew 13:1-23
Let’s begin by looking at:
The scattering of nations found in Genesis 11:1-9
(read from my bible)
One definition of scatter is:
“to cause to separate widely”
• God scattered them because they were glorifying themselves. (refer as “self-glory”) in closing remarks.
• What I found interesting is that the rationalization that the people used was “so that we won’t be scattered all over the world” was EXACTLY what God did, because they built the tower!
Now lets examine:
The scattering of groups of people:
Mark 14:27
Then Jesus said to them, “all of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:
“I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered”.
(We find that in Jeremiah 23:1)
• Another definition of scatter is: to separate and move off quickly in different directions.
v.50 “then they all forsook Him and fled”. They moved off quickly in different directions.
-sometimes we are scattered out of fear-
Let’s look at a 3rd illustration of scattered:
We’ve looked at a couple of biblical examples of the negative side of being scattered,
Let’s look at a couple of positive illustrations of being scattered.
The scattering of the church: beginning in Acts 8:1
(Stand with me as we honor God by reading His Word)
Acts 8:1-3
Really positive and uplifting stuff, right?
But let’s look at Philip for a minute beginning in v4:
This is an incredible story of outreach!
v.1 the church scattered:
• Here’s a third definition of scattered:
o To divide into ineffectual small portions
Also v.1 “except the apostles”
Here’s a cool thing. In Mark 14, they are called “disciples”
At this point they were mere students. They fled!
In Acts 8:1 it is recorded “except the apostles”.
• Now they are followers.
• Never again will they scatter out of fear!
• They are filled with the Holy Spirit, and the best I can tell
• Fear and the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in the same vessel!
NOW, let’s get to Philip.
v.4 read it
• They scattered to preach the word
v.5 read it
• I don’t know if y’all recall this, but the Jews and the Samaritans weren’t on the best of terms with each other.
• But Philip went there anyway?
• Where’s your Samaria? Is it a family member? A co-worker? A neighbor across the street?
v.26 read it
verse ends with “this is desert”.
Throughout the bible, we see a lot of powerful things happen in the desert, don’t we!
• What desert have you been sent in to, to glorify God?
v.29 Then the Spirit said to Philip “go near and overtake this chariot”. Wait, what? Now I have to run in the desert?
But it gets good starting in:
v.30 read 30-40
• remarks:
o v30-31 “do you understand…?
? I’m confident in saying I feel there are people in this church that read scripture to other people almost daily, to help them understand God’s Word.
o v.34-35 read again
o v.36-38 Philip baptized the Eunuch.
o v.39-40 THIS is the scattering we are called to do!
Scattering the seed, which is the Word of God
Which brings us to:
The scattering of individuals
Matthew 13:1-23 repeat and begin reading.
• Remarks:
o I know I often talk about the sales world, but that has been a vast part of my life.
It’s a numbers game!
Rick the gravedigger…
• It’s not our job to find the perfect soil. It is our job to scatter the seed!
o Apple illustration
We scatter the seed, reap the harvest, disciple the harvest and scatter the harvest!
And we do that over and over, and over again.
One final definition of scatter:
To sow by casting in all directions
We don’t scatter because of fear as the disciples did.
We don’t scatter because of shame as Adam and Eve did.
We don’t scatter because of self-glory as they did in with the Towel of Babel
We scatter to build Gods Kingdom!
CLOSING
It is my belief that the measure of the church is in it’s ability to win souls for Christ.
-Call Ashley up-
We are not called to be the perfect church!
You know the one I’m talking about:
• The church with only the good soil
• The church with children from good homes
• The church where everybody dresses like a million $
• The church with only people in it who make the church look good.
I once had a Christian man ask me “do you want your daughter sitting next to a drug addict in church?”
• There were so many things wrong with that question…I can’t even.
o I do know this:
I’m going to love on that drug addict as Jesus did with the sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes and all the other imperfect people.
I am going to praise God that that drug addict is sitting in church, seeking Him.
I’m going to give my very best to him, just as I would my daughter!
God is calling you to scatter seeds. Will you answer His call?
-Bid online viewers farewell-
Altar call
