Just One: Prayer
Just ONE • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Just One: Prayer
Our city has invited us bless them again. But much bigger this time.
Just ONE series and our primary focus for 2025: The mandate from Jesus to all Christ followers.
(Slide Only)
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.”
Aiming for everyone, gets you no one. But God has placed ppl in your life that He wants you to reach and it can start by reaching just one.
Just ONE: Prayer, Good Deed, Invite, Life changed forever.
How are we going to reach Just ONE?
Identify your 8-15 (Oikos Cards) Oikos card in the lobby at welcome desk.
Pray for them daily (Prayer White Ball)
Do ONE good deed a month for ONE of your oikos (Good Deed Orange Ball)
Invite ONE of your oikos to: A meal, Event, or Church (Invite Green Ball)
See ONE life changed forever (Red Ball)
(Bulletin & Slide)
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
(Slide Only)
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
Jesus was proclaiming the good news. That a Savior has come to change their lives and have a relationship with them.
Then the switch from Jesus proclaiming the good news.
38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Send out workers (others). I pray weekly over this verse, that God would send us these workers.
I never saw this before: Who are these workers to send out? Just 5 verses later we see this.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
He sent his disciples out / are you not His disciple (follower of Jesus)?
We always think it is for someone else. Who me? If you are a Christ follower, remember it is our mandate.
Then Jesus points out there is a lot of work to be done.
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Riverside: 318,858 / 55% or 175,371 designated as “None” - no religious affiliation
38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Ask: Pray, beg / to send out workers / Ask God to use you and open doors for you.
We first have to see, then we have a burden for those far from God.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Saw: See, pay attention to, concern oneself with, understand.
Our Oikos card helps us to see, pay attention, concern oneself with.
Compassion: Deep empathy / Empathy is different than sympathy:
Empathy is the ability to share another person's situation, while sympathy is feeling sorry for someone else's situation. (Slide only)
Compassion in the original language: it's gut-wrenching, heart melting, heart breaking, in its core, love that hurts deeply.
As we “GO” about life do we have that same deep empathy for those around us that don’t know the saving grace and the abundant life that Jesus gave us?
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Have you ever noticed the people that don’t have a relationship with Jesus yet, and how they have little to no hope?
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
There's a link between the shepherding heart of Jesus and the prayer of his disciples for
workers in the harvest.
Jesus says, I'm the shepherd deeply burdened for the sheep. Here is the pattern of Jesus.
Jesus frequently prayed and after prayer, came back with a sense of compassion.
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Jesus prays, comes back with compassion for people who are hurting. Don't miss this pattern because
there is no mistake here. Matthew is not haphazardly writing his gospel.
He is helping us to see the link between prayer, compassion and action.
Compassion is so identifying with the needs of others that you must act.
Prayer pushes us towards that compassion.
Who is in your Oikos that you don’t have a burden for yet? (Barber shop I go to)
Pray that God will give you a burden for them.
Who in your Oikos (8-15 ppl) you have a burden or broken heart over that does not know Jesus yet?
White Ball: Write the name of each of your Oikos you want to see come to Jesus on one ball. You can start with one or all 8-15 from your list.
Before or after the service, place that ball in the Just One case. (A visual for us all to see and to pray over)
What does a burdened Oikos prayer sound like?
Pray that each would sense God’s presence in their lives and be open to His love. And that God would show you how to love them, serve them, and invite them into a relationship with Him.
