The Harvest Is Plentiful!

“THE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL” Matthew 9:35-38

FBCF – 11/9/25

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Article: 5 yrs ago, Penny was a 1 yr-old chihuahua that belonged to the Taylor family here in MS something happened & Penny went missing. As a dog-lover, I know that was a sad tragedy for that family. But after 5 long years, Penny was found in Deland, FL, hundreds of miles from her true home. Someone picked her up, took her to the county animal shelter, & a quick scan of the microchip that had been implanted 5 yrs earlier changed everything for Penny & for the Taylors. A road trip to FL reunited the slightly fatter dog w/ her overjoyed family. She was lost, but now she’s found! What wonderful words!

Over 250 yrs ago, there was an Englishman named Isaac Newton. Had lived a hard life – mother died when he was 6 yrs old – didn’t have any type of religious convictions growing up – pressed into service in the Royal Navy, from which he tried to desert – abandoned by his crew in West Africa & forced to be a servant to a slave trader, but was rescued. On his voyage back to England, a violent storm hit & the ship nearly sank. It was during this storm that Newton cried out to the Lord to save him. Became a slave trader himself, but soon realized that this brutal profession was not something he should be involved in. So he walked away from it & wholeheartedly committed himself to serving the Lord & became an Anglican priest & tirelessly worked to abolish the African slave trade. Became a very popular preacher & hymn writer – wrote over 280. And one of them says this:

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now am found

Was blind but now I see.”

What wonderful words! Lost, but found!

It’s our desire that those words will describe lots & lots of people in this church today & in the days to come. For that to happen, there must be an atmosphere of evangelism in this place.

- Must have a heart for evangelism, a passion to see lost people saved

- Must have a true desire to see our vision statement lived out all the time.

“First Baptist Flora is making much of Jesus by being a people & a place of GRACE where anyone can meet Jesus & grow in their relationship with Him.”

- Must TRULY make much of JESUS!

- Must TRULY be a people & a place of GRACE!

- Must TRULY desire for ANYONE to come here & meet Jesus & grow in their relationship w/ Him!

We can’t just talk about it. We can’t just recite it at the end of our worship services. We can’t just agree w/ it mentally, but not do anything about it experientially. Our lives individually & corporately must be MARKED by a deep-seated, Biblically-based, Spirit-driven passion to see the lost saved, baptized, & discipled – children, youth, college students, adults of all ages, people from all walks of life – the ANYONES of our community & world coming to Jesus in this place!

- Blaze Christian Fellowship last Sunday AM: All types of people – some wearing baseball caps, at least 2 men wearing cowboy hats, a lady weaing a cowboy hat on front row, some people drinking coffee (church has a coffee bar in foyer), a girl w/ her midriff showing, 3 teenage girls sitting right in front of me: one w/ green hair, one w/ brown & black, & one w/ pink & orange (cut up all during service), older folks, younger folks, blacks, whites, Hispanics, native Americans, some wearing ripped blue jeans, some wearing “church clothes,” a Chicago Bears sweatshirt.

Why are we building a 700-seat sanctuary? Not so we will be more comfortable – not so we can brag about having a brand-new paid-off building – not so folks will “ooh” & “aah” about how beautiful the building will be – We are building that sanctuary b/c we believe that there are hundreds & thousands more people who need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ & be saved – people who are lost & need to be found! Imagine 2 yrs from now, 3 yrs from now, 5 yrs from now seeing 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2000 people gathering on this campus each weekend in multiple services, worshiping Jesus, hearing the Gospel proclaimed, trusting Jesus as their Savior, & being eternally transformed from being lost to being found! Don’t you want to be a part of a church like that? A church that is passionately making much of JESUS, prioritizing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, & purposefully making disciples of those who were lost but now are found.