INTRODUCTION
I want to ask you an important question this morning. Raise your hand if you would like to see the Auburn Christian Church reach the lost people of our community.
Reaching the community for Christ is the reason that we exist as a church. It should be the goal of each one of us to make one to make one. What that means is that we want to take people who do not know Christ, help them to become a disciple of Jesus and then get them to the point where they can go make disciples of others. The goal is spiritual reproduction.
We have to understand that our job as a church does not stop once we put someone under the water. That is when we are to carry out the second part of the Great Commission, to teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded.
One of the ways we can judge how we are doing, as a church is look at how many lost people are we winning to Christ. The other one is, are we helping people grow in their faith or in other words are we helping them to mature. All that we do should be focused in some way on those two areas.
I talk a lot about church growth, but maybe I need to use a different term that better expresses what we are called to do, that would be Kingdom Growth.
When I talk about growing the church, it can be misunderstood to mean that all I am out for is a large church. If that is how we see it, then one way we can make the church larger is to try to get people from other churches to come to our church. If people want to do that, that is fine, but that is not real kingdom growth and that should not be the focus of what we do.
What that is in essence is moving fish from one bowl to the next.
The real issue for us as a church is the issue of Kingdom growth. As a church are we helping the Kingdom of God to get larger and are we helping it to mature.
We can grow in number without expanding the Kingdom any, but that is not what we want. We want to see new souls added to God’s family.
Today as we take a final look at Jesus encounter with the woman at the well, we are going to look at Kingdom Growth, Jesus Style!
We will look at the process of kingdom growth, the focus needed for kingdom growth to happen and the rewards of kingdom growth.
This message today really goes to the heart of what each and every one of us who are Christians need to be doing.
SERMON
Kingdom growth, Jesus style:
I. INVOLVES A CHAIN-REACTION 27-30, 39-42
Kingdom growth involves a domino effect. This is what I call, “make one to make one”.
1. It starts with planting a seed by telling another person about the kingdom of God. V 27.
In this whole story that we have been looking at we see that Jesus took the time to speak with this woman about the Kingdom. Jesus planted a seed in this woman that germinated very quickly.
We are called to do a couple things in the kingdom growth process, we are to plant seeds and we are to water the seeds that other people have planted.
If you are a farmer, you need to eventually put some seed in the ground if you want to have a harvest. You do want to spend the proper time preparing the ground, but at some point, you have to drop the seed in the ground.
As far as kingdom growth is concerned, God only holds us responsible for planting and watering. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, we see that God gives the increase.
If we plant and water all of our lives and not one seed blooms, God will bless us for the effort. God does not hold us accountable for how other people respond. If He did, Noah would have been in bog trouble after 120 years of preaching to no avail!
We cannot discriminate as to who we will tell about Jesus and who we wouldn’t.
The disciples we shocked that Jesus would be speaking with this woman who was not a Jew. Our church should be a haven of salvation for ALL people in the community no matter who they are or where they live.
If you know a lost person, they are someone with which a seed needs to be planted.
2. Once a person accepts the message, their life and priorities change v 28
Notice what happened with this woman. Jesus offered her the living water of the gospel, she wanted to accept it. Once she did her life and priorities were forever changed.
This woman left her water pot and went to the city and told others about Jesus.
When you accept the living water of the Gospel, your life and priorities should change. Your life will be about serving Jesus and trying to reach other people.
3. The person, who receives the message, then shares it with other people. V29
In verse 29, the woman gets into town and starts telling other people about Jesus. She asks them if they thought He was the Messiah. She was not asking as if she doubted it, but she was going to let others judge for themselves.
This is a good point for us. As we share Jesus, we are to present the evidence of who Jesus is and tell them what He has done for us. Then we let them come to a decision. If we try to force a decision on a person, we will not get a commitment to Jesus from them.
4. The people they share the gospel with respond. V30, v 39-42
In verse 30 we see that the people with whom she shared the gospel with wanted to investigate it for themselves.
We need to welcome that investigation from people we are sharing with.
In verse 39 we see that many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of what the woman had told them.
Others needed to spend a couple of with Jesus when they said the following in verse 42. READ VERSE 42
The key to kingdom growth is not in demographic studies (which can be helpful), a special program or special calling programs from the 1950’s, but it is simply each one of us telling other people about Jesus.
Kingdom growth, Jesus style:
II. INVOLVES PROPER FOCUS 31-35
We have to decide whether we are going to focus on physical needs or spiritual needs.
1. The disciples concern. V31-33 READ
Notice that when the disciples return, their focus in on the physical needs of Jesus. They are focused on the fact that Jesus is speaking to a woman with whom He shouldn’t be speaking to.
The disciples paid no attention to the spiritual needs of the woman that Jesus was speaking to.
They were encouraging Him to eat and He told them that He had food to eat. The disciples had no clue what He was speaking of. Have you ever gotten so wrapped up in what you were doing that you forgot to eat? (I had that happen once I think).
As a church we have to be careful that we do not get so focused on the physical that we forget about the big picture. Also as Christian’s we have to guard against being so focused on taking care of our physical needs that we forget to take care of the spiritual needs.
Father’s do not neglect your children and family’s spiritual needs to take care of their physical needs.
2. Jesus’ concern. V34
In verse 34 we see where Jesus’ focus is. His focus in on doing what God wants Him to do. Jesus will not let His physical needs go unmet, but His focus is on doing what God called Him to do.
Our concern needs to be where Jesus’ is.
In MATTHEW 6:31-33 Jesus tells us, "Do not worry then, saying, ’What will we eat?’ or ’What will we drink?’ or ’What will we wear for clothing?’ "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
3. Jesus’ challenge. V 35
The challenge that Jesus gives to us still today is focus on the harvest.
If you can picture the scene. Jesus is talking to the disciples, the woman has left to go into the city to share the good news about Jesus. The city came out in mass. They were heading towards Jesus and the disciples.
He is speaking to them about the harvest and all the sudden all these people are approaching them.
How many times have we missed the harvest because we have not been watching the fields.
My father-in-law is a farmer. He spends a lot of time driving through the fields looking at the crop wait for the proper time to harvest it. Jesus is says that the fields are ready to harvest. Be ready to reap the harvest. Focus on the field.
Kingdom growth, Jesus style:
III. INVOLVES REWARDS 36-38, 39-42
Jesus wants us to know that there are rewards that we receive when we labor for the Lord as we try to reach people for Him.
1. When we labor for Jesus, we will receive wages is gathering fruit for eternal life. V36 (39-42)
JOHN 6:27 says, "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."
The work that we do for God will be everlasting.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:10-15 tells us, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
What else can you do right now that will pay you now and for eternity?
2. We will be able to rejoice whether we reaped or sowed the harvest. V36
If you have ever been a part of winning a person to Christ, it will be one of the most exciting things that you will ever do. You are helping a person receive eternal life with God! You are saving them from the pits if hell!
Many times the harvest that we reap will happen because of the seeds that someone else planted and they never saw come to harvest.
At my first church there were people who came into the Kingdom of God after I left. I could rejoice along with the other preachers who had a hand in planting seeds.
3. We have the privilege of serving with other Christians. V37, 38
4. We have the privilege of serving for and with Jesus. V38
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 says, I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
The seeds that Jesus planted with this woman may have also opened the door for Phillip to preacher the Gospel in Samaria later on in Acts 8:5-8.
There is nothing greater than serving Jesus.
CONCLUSION
As a church our focus needs to be on Kingdom growth. As the kingdom grows, so will the church.
For the kingdom to grow we need to understand the process. The kingdom will not grow if you just expect the preacher to do it, or if you expect the Elders to make it happen.
Kingdom growth will happen when all of us who belong to Jesus get out and share the message of the gospel with people around us.
We need to maintain a proper focus and we also need to realize that there will be rewards for our labor for the Lord.
God wants us to reach as many people for Him as we can. God has blessed up in a big way. Now we have to ask ourselves, what are we going to do with what God has blessed this church with? Are we going to reach out or are we going to focus on ourselves? Are we going to do what we need to bring in new souls to the kingdom, breaking down whatever barriers there are, or are we going to please ourselves?
Do we want to see Auburn Christian Church reach the lost? Whether that happens is in our hands!
Let’s win the world for Christ!
