Harvest? Where? Who?

Your leadership team met two Sundays ago.

Prayer and vision casting.

20 years anniversary coming up.

A testimony to the prayers, vision, and faith of those that started this church plant.

More so, a testimony to the faithfulness of God to carry them through thick and thin.

Celebrate probably early September.

What does God have in store for us for the next 20 years?

Not everyone was able to stay for the congregational meeting last week, but I mentioned last Sunday that I’d share some of the vision casting in detail in the weeks to come.

It will also include a few details into how this church is run and our philosophy of ministry.

Read Luke 10:1-20

Appointed - vs 1

72 Others - 2x2

Different than the 12 disciples.

Larger body of Christ followers, not the leaders.

The beginning of Luke 9 describes the sending of the 12 in a similar fashion.

Leaders are to be examples.

Church follows.

Jesus sent them in pairs.

We Are Not Lone Rangers

Accountability, confirmation, encouragement and support

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 NASB95

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

Ecclesiastes 4:12–13 NASB95

And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction.

We need each other.

This does not mean that we can’t ever do ministry on our own...

How often in Scripture do you see Jesus do solo ministry?

The woman at the well. Nicodemus.

But most of it is with others.

Even the Apostle Paul almost always had companions traveling with him.

Ministry teams vs. Committees

We don’t have committees perse.

All committees are appointed just like the Lord appointed.

We’d rather think of the groups as ministry teams.

Philosophical shift.

Groups doing ministry rather than groups talking about ministry.

If you have an idea for a ministry, let us know.

Elders provide oversight, direction, resources, and support.

But, we can’t do every good idea that comes our way.

Or support every ministry that comes through our doors.

This is part of the vision casting and discernment. Listening to God’s voice.

Jesus knew where He was going.

Jesus already has places He wants to go and ministry He wants to do in those places.

Better for us to seek Him for where that is, or we’ll be ministering in the wrong areas.

We don’t want to miss the wave.

Placed - vs 2

The harvest is ripe for the picking.

But there’s no one to glean the fields.

2 Implications

Everyone is to be praying about it, but not everyone will be sent.

Not everyone’s ministry is the same.

Some will Go

Some will Stay

Some are on IR

Some are in Time Out

Some are not ready

But some need to be elevated from the practice squad.

That being said, you need to be open and willing to be the worker that God wants to send.

Be Samuel first - Speak Lord, your servant is listening.

Be open to it like Isaiah - Here Am I, Lord, Send Me.

Either way we pray for God to send the workers out and be ready if He says, “OK. You go.”

Mathew West’s Song - Do Something - He shook His fist at Heaven and said to God, “When are you going to do something about all this poverty and child slavery?” God said, “I did, I created you.”

Chorus: “If not us then who. If not now, then when.”

This Is God’s Harvest Field.

The Kingdom Of God has come near you. (vs 9)

We have to remember we are building God’s Kingdom through God’s Church with God’s People

We aren’t building our kingdom.

The Lighthouse is God’s Church.

The harvest fields are God’s to bring in.

We have to ask, “Which field do you want us to harvest?”

Just like farmers often have multiple fields, the question is, “Which field is the first priority?

Which one is the one God wants us to harvest, now?

That might mean changing the area of ministry you have been serving in.

Or is it just to continue to work on the field you are in.

Again, you won’t know unless you ask Him.

Protected - (vs 3)

In the Midst of Wolves.

This is dependent on which field God asks you to harvest.

Some will have to deal with the devil himself.

Others with his workers and his workers are flesh and blood in addition to spiritual.

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 NASB95

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

Still others may be safe, but need to pray for the safety of those who may be in danger.

Lambs - defenseless and dependent on God alone.

Our Good Shepherd will lead us.

God is our shield and fortress

This is all only possible because of God.

We are protected in whatever we do that God has called us to do.

vs. 18 - Remember Satan is a defeated foe.

He still has power and we take him seriously, but He is on the way to the Lake of Fire.

vs 19 - Nothing will injure you.

This is not to test God with careless foolishness.

But within the boundaries God has set for us, we are protected like Daniel in the lion’s den.

Equipped And Focused - vs. 4

This is a mission based on faith.

Sometimes we over-plan and complicate things.

Sometimes we don’t trust God enough to provide enough.

He will equip us with what we need.

He’ll use leaders to help in the equipping process.

Ephesians 4:11–12 NASB95

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

Like making the decision that if God is behind this addition and remodel, He will supply and we are not going to take out a loan.

Sometimes we get distracted by people.

Don’t be rude, but there is a focus to the mission that must be keenly kept.

Don’t sweat some of the details

Highlights the single-mindedness, urgency, and focus of the mission.

Men’s Retreat - Don’t waste our time on things that don’t matter.

We need to make the most of every opportunity - intentional and purposeful living for the glory of God.

Empowered - vss. 5-11, 18-19

This is a Holy Spirit thing.

Acts 1:8 NASB95

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

vs 18 - 19 - I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy

Satan is a defeated foe; he might win some battles, but he’s already lost the war.

When the disciples exorcise demons, the forces of evil are shaken, symbolizing the defeat of Satan himself.

Our Motivation: Peace - Holy Spirit Thing. (vs 5-11)

Peace of mind and tranquility of soul arising from reconciliation with God and a sense of divine favor.

Equivalent to the Hebrew word shalom.

We want to be agents of peace wherever we go.

We want to bring peace to whatever we do.

Sometimes that’s not possible. (vs 10-11)

Romans 12:18 NASB95

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Don’t waste your time if you see no receptivity.

He wants us to come from a “base” operation of peace.

It’s like He knows we’re going out to war and need to return from the battle to a place of peace and safety.

When you find a place of peace, set up shop!

Church every Sunday...

Don’t Miss The Point - Vs. 9, 17-20

First of all, that “spectacular” stuff is great, but you shouldn’t be surprised.

I told you to do it and I gave you power and authority to do so.

It ties into James 5 and elders praying over people.

The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.

In simple obedience and faith, we do what James tells us.

Two examples...

Secondly, the point is is not that you did supernatural things.

Sometimes we chase after the supernatural as if the experience or the miracle is the end in itself.

That’s why Jesus chastised the Jews for craving miraculous signs calling them an adulterous generation.

It’d be akin to making the gift more important than the giver of the gift.

The point is that you are fulfilling my mission delegated to you, it just happened to include supernatural things.

Luke 4:18–19 NASB95

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Thirdly, better to rejoice that you’re names are written in Heaven.

The point is not supernatural preeminence, but salvation.

Better than casting a demon out of someone is that their name is written in Heaven.

The point of getting the demons out of people is so that they might be saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Parable of house swept clean...It’s not really helpful to tell the demons to back off, if you don’t prevent them from ever coming back.

A demon bound now is not necessarily a demon bound tomorrow, so what good did you do if they didn’t get saved?

Why? Because the goal is the Gospel!

vs 9 - Heal the sick and say: The Kingdom of God has come near to you.

The two are linked and this is a biblical pattern.

The purpose of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit is always to attest to the power of and veracity of God being able to provide the salvation He claims.

Matthew 9:6 NASB95

“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”

1 Corinthians 2:4–5 NASB95

and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

20/20 Vision

Our mission has not changed.

This is the 20 years of what God has done and will continue to do.

We are a Lighthouse shining God’s Gospel of Grace into the darkness.

We want to be a safe harbor in a storm tossed world.

We believe it was God’s will for us to build this addition, the kitchen, and phase 3, the foyer, but not for the sake of building it, but for the greater purpose of more people getting saved and discipled.

But, we believe God is calling us into a new season of seeking Him for what new fields we are supposed to be working.

This is the next 20 years of growth.

We built believing that God would fill this church and I don’t think He’s done, but this is only the beginning of what God wants to do through this body of believers.

This vision is collectively first, what does God want us to do as a church.

And individually second, what might God be calling you to do.

Specifics

That being said,

One field we felt like God was leading us to invest in was the young couples and young families.

childcare provided.

It could be peer led group or it could be an older couple mentoring the youngers.

Right now media

One field we felt like God was wanting us to keep tilling was our men’s and women’s ministry.

EMAW

Holy Beauty

In addition...women’s monthly and men’s monthly...We may add a once a month Saturday morning men’s prayer breakfast.

Another field we felt we were suppose to keep harvesting was AWANA and youth.

A final area, that still remains undefined at the moment is evangelism and outreach.

PRAY!

God, to which field(s) are you wanting us to go?

Who do you want to go there?

Closing Song: Build Your Kingdom Here