10:45 Team Meeting March 29, 2025

Harvesting the Nations: Our Calling as Laborers, Now and Forever

Bible Passage: Acts 17:24–26, John 17, 1 John 4:7,Acts 2:42, Revelation 7:9

Summary: Today we are exploring our God-given calling to labor for the kingdom, by highlighting His sovereignty over all of us, the unity of believers, and the importance of Christ like love in our mission.

Teaching: I pray you leave this building today seeing that each of us has a vital role as a laborer in God's harvest, by collaborating together, loving everyone, built on unity in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Big Idea: We are called to be active participants in God's mission, reflecting His love as we engage with the world around us, knowing that our labor is not in vain but we are apart of the grand narrative of God's redemptive work to share the good news.

Where we are heading:

We will be opening the Word and taking a look at how the Lord has all sovereignty, and that our daily communion with Jesus propels us to cultivate a love filled mission, engage in a growing collaborative discipleship communities by trusting the promise of the final gathering in revelation.

Pray

Acknowledge God's Sovereign Placement

Acts 17:24–26

We are going to begin our time In acts chapter 17 the author paints a clear picture for us as believers that God is the creator and sustainer of all nations. This particular passage takes place when Paul is in Athens on a missionary journey and see’s the idols of the people all around him. Starting in verse 24:

Acts 17:24–26 “The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth—does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.”

My friends, this sets the foundation for understanding our calling to labor in His harvest. God does not need us, He is all powerful and all knowing, yet He choses us to be his hands and feet to bring the Gospel to all the nations.

The Lord is sovereign over all: the placement of people, and nations, He is in control of all and we are challenged to see ourselves as part of a divinely orchestrated mission.

Paul in Romans 10:13 says “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” and follows up right away in verses Romans 10:14-15

Romans 10:14–15 CSB

How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.

Romans 10:17 CSB

So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.

Therefore, every believer's work in the gospel is significant and purposeful. God has placed you right where He wants you and then invites each of us to participate in the work He has laid before us.

Faith comes from what is heard and the message is of Christ. Each of us gets to share that message in our exact contexts.

We must recognize God’s Sovereignty in our placement each and every day and see the Work He is doing through us.

In the Lord’s Sovereignty we were given a passage in John 17 on the way to commune with our savior.

Communing with Christ

John 17

Earlier you reflected on some questions with your devotional life, specifically with how you commune with the Lord.

Communing is where we share our most intimate thoughts or feelings with another, in this case with Jesus.

Our time with the Lord transforms our outlook on life, the way we see ourselves, others and the world around us. John MacArthur says this about our devotional life:

If you are truly a Christian, you will also revere God in your devotional life and obediently persevere in His will daily. You will rejoice and be aware of God in every detail of life.

John F. MacArthur (strength for today)

The reason I say devotional life is because it encompasses more than just a daily Bible reading, but also going before Jesus in prayer, trusting in His promises, and seeking the Spirit for guidance. Go ahead and turn to John 17 with me.

This passage takes place immediately following a conversation where Jesus shares with His disciples that He would be leaving them soon, giving them the Holy Spirit or the Counselor so that they can carry on His will of sharing the Gospel to all people.

John chapter 17 Jesus shows us a clear depiction of this act of communing with God. Broken into three sections Jesus prays for Himself, He prays for His Disciples and then prays for all believers. I would like to point out a few verses for us to specifically look at.

Could someone please read verses 1-3

John 17:1–3 CSB

Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ.

Jesus makes it clear that all authority belongs to Him, He is sovereign, He had demonstrated His power, and was given everything in Heaven and Earth to rule.

In verse 4 Jesus proclaims the work done, or completed in the past tense.

reference if needed: John 17:4 “I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

He had taught His disciples the Father’s plan for salvation to all who believe in Him and that they are to go with the message of the Gospel.

Jesus then transitions to a bold statement

John 17:6-8 “I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, because I have given them the words you gave me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me.

Throughout His ministry Jesus taught His disciples all the wisdom of the Father and the scriptures, now as Jesus is about to go away he prays for them.

Call on someone to read

John 17:13–19 CSB

Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them. I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus prays for His disciples for not only their physical protection but also for their sanctification by the Word of Truth as He sends them into the world to proclaim the Gospel and continue the Work He had left them with.

In the last part of His prayer Jesus prayer shifts to unity among believers, highlighting the necessity of love and togetherness in our calling as laborers.

Someone please read

John 17:20–23 CSB

“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

Jesus is praying for how the disciples whom the Father had given Him will then go out and share the Word and testimony to others.

He prays that all believers would have communal unity to reinforce our witness to the world, whether that be here on the campus, at home or to the nations demonstrating the transformative power of Christ's love.

Today we want to encourage you to pursue unity together, sharing the good and the bad not only with one another but most importantly with Jesus.

As we continue to witness the gospel on campus we pray that we would align with the mission of Christ and His prayer for all believers.

I would like to leave you with three ways of how we commune well with Jesus and others while recognizing the Lords Sovereign hand at work. 1) Cultivating a Love-Fueled Mission, 2) Engaging in Collaborative Discipleship Community and 3) Trusting in the Future Promise.

1. Cultivate Love-Fueled Mission

Please turn with me 1 John 4:7–8

Love as the core of our mission, as God is love, and this love drives us into His harvest field. It motivates us to work from a place of compassion and dedication, reflecting God's character in all interactions. This call to love not only guides our actions but also sustains us through challenges and enhances our impact in kingdom work.

In 1 John 4:7-8 the apostle writes that we know God by His love for us, and that love is the fuel that continues pushing our mission forward.

Could someone please read

1 John 4:7–8 CSB

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Those who are outside of a relationship with God do not truly comprehend love as God does. We put cheap labels on love, whereas we see what true love is in 1 John 4:9-10

1 John 4:9–10 CSB

(that) God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

I would like you to consider how you have reflected on the Gospel truth that we are saved because of God’s deep love for each of us, to cover the sins that we commit against Him, and that because of His great love we are called to share the gospel.

Our mission is to love those around us, especially the people who are hard to love.

Furthermore this love is also intended for us to express to the believers around us that’s why we engage in collaborative discipleship community.

2. Engage in Collaborative Discipleship Community

Acts 2:42

So often I think we put labels on what discipleship is, but my friends I hope you hear me when I say that discipleship is not just about an hour long chat once a week it is the continued growth and formation in our walk of faith toward Jesus in sanctification. The early church knew this well and you can study this further in Acts 2

In Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”

The followers of Jesus committed themselves to community with one another, fellowship in worship, sharing all their food and resources and going before the Lord in prayer.

Their commitment to teaching, fellowship, and communal living, exemplifies the collaborative aspect of our calling.

We as believers are to engage actively with our communities (whoever that may be for you) fostering growth and mission effectiveness through shared efforts. It also underscores the importance of spiritual nurturing in fulfilling the Great Commission.

This community, this team, it is more than just fellowship but rather a place where discipleship, growth of the mind and spirit is had. As Oswald Chambers puts it

2831 Our Lord’s conception of discipleship is not that we work for God, but that God works through us; he uses us as he likes; he allots our work where he chooses.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

Let us continue growing and supporting one another in this community by being discipled by Jesus and continuing to use His work in us to pass it on to the next person.

3. Trust in the Future Promise

The third and final aspect I want us to reflect on, is the trust we have in the future promise.

I want you to take a moment and close your eyes, take a deep breath. Now listen to the eternal promise we have from God in Revelation 7 starting in verse 9.

Revelation 7:9–10 CSB

After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!

—now I want you to imagine heaven, imagine the throne room of God and where Jesus is sat—now slowly turn your view to what you imagine the multitudes of people from every nation—every people—every tongue worshipping before God.

What does it look like?

How does it sound?

That is the fulfillment of His promise and our ultimate goal as laborers. You can open your eyes now.

Our lives our not our own they were bought at a price, let us continue embracing Christ like love in our mission, relentlessly pursuing unity together through communing with Jesus and others.

Remember that our laboring for the Lord has an eternal impact because He is working through us.

Let us go forward for these last few weeks on campus, with a boldness of the Gospel supported by the community around us.

Pray

Questions:

In what ways can you personally cultivate a love-fueled mission in your daily interactions?

What steps can you take to become more involved in collaborative discipleship within your Bible Studies, church or peers?

How does recognizing God's sovereignty affect the way you share His message on campus and to those around you?