The Harvest Has Come

Church We are continuing today in our Series authentic Jesus and we're looking at through the Book of Mark the words of Jesus, how does he describe himself because a lot of people try to give you an idea of who Jesus is but a lot of the pictures we get see very different and how do we know what Jesus stood for? How do we know what Jesus believed other than looking at the very life of Jesus The Book of Mark is so much fun and weave Dove right in and it's minute is action-packed is fast-paced and we're jumping in right around Mark chapter for today, but I didn't put on social media that we have a special announcement to make a huge gearing up for Easter and getting everything in place for that and you can look around as the church has been filling up the last few weeks. We normally for Easter can see our crowd double. You know how it is. A lot of people are interested to coming to church on Easter. A lot of people are willing when you ask them invite them they're willing to come and if our church were to double with the numbers that we've been running the last few weeks, we would not have room and we don't want to limit what God is doing so we have been working and talking with people and we just over the last few days got it cleared and approved that are Easter service is going to be at Bluefield High School this year in the auditorium, which gives us. Yeah. It's going to give us a ton of room a ton of opportunity. So I want to give you a little bit of an idea of what we're believing for this year. We we said that we can see at times Easter double. We're going to have a lot going on the Imani choir which many of y'all know are going to be in town for the two weeks leading up to Easter. They're going to be here on Easter Sunday morning. We're actually going to start a little early at 10:30 so that we have time for them to sing and dance for a while. But we are working with the local schools to have them out in the schools for the two weeks leading up. There's a good chance. We don't have any of the contract signed but there's a good chance that they'll be at Bluefield High School good chance that they'll be at Graham some of the intermediate schools. They've done in the past some of elementary schools. We're going to really try to get them out there to get them in the community and they always do such a tremendous job and we believe as they do that we'll be able to tell people that they're going to be here on Easter and that's going to help us bring some more folks in we require is working on some special things for that day and what we want. We want lots of people in the choir that morning. We want to pack it out. So if you don't normally sing in the choir, but you've ever thought about it. Would you would you consider doing it for one day? One day what we're going to be doing this every Sunday at 10. We're going to begin practice just for the choir special for Easter. So did everybody else all the musicians in choir gets here and they'll be practicing for an hour. And then if you can show up at 10, we will put you in I would love to have like 50 people in the choir. I'd love to just see it. Lots of energy with got a lot of good stuff going on. So I need you to be in the choir if you seen good. We need you if you're saying, okay. We need you. Piercing like me. It may be best to just stay in the congregation and raise your hands and worship with us, but we really do we would like to people from every generation is a part of it. So if you think that your kids would like to sing with you, you know, how we do the music before they leave their welcome to stay and sing. I would love to see kids up there. I'd love to see all of you up there and I believe as we take the steps as we are all the schools in the community leading up to Easter as we're working with the choir and getting lots of people involved and we're going to encourage the people that get involved to be inviting people to come with you. Our vision for this year for Easter. We are praying for 500 people to be present that morning and I'm believing for 30 people to give their heart to the Lord. And that's what it's all about. We want to reach people for the kingdom of God, and that's what we're talkin about today if you got your Bible open to Mark chapter 4. Skip around a little bit in the chapter but verses 26 through 29. He said the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. So what is the kingdom of God the kingdom of God is seen scattered on the ground. He sleeps and he rises night and day and the seed sprouts and grows. He knows not how.

Did the man make the seed grow? He didn't all the man did was throw it out? The seed sprouts and grows. He knows not how them the Earth produces by itself for the blade then the ear than the full grain in the year. But when the Green is right at once he puts in the sickle because the Harvest has come.

I want you to have those last few words in your mind as we go throughout the whole message today. The Harvest has come. We are believing we really see the way that God has been moving through our church and in the community we've often said that we don't care about being a big church. That's not what it's about. We want to be at church with influence in our community at church with a voice in our community. We are seeing that more and more everyday everywhere I go I talk to people in jail say, oh, I know Crossroads Church I've heard about I hear good things that are going on there when I was down at the school the other day it was because I get to the door and gym opens the door and he's the security guard before I got to the door calling and Sean or hollering out the window.

And I walk in and we just keep running into people that have came to our church or say they've been invited and they're planning on coming even the principal. Mr. Collins had said that they normally charge an administration fee to rent out the auditorium, but he's there and they're planning on being there with her family and we're seeing just tremendous influence in lots of different ways. And we're believing that God is continuing to do that. But what we've been saying is we've been throwing seed for a while. And we don't know how it comes up and we don't know what God's going to use if we don't know what his plan is all the way out, but we believed as we've been faithful to throw out see that something's happening under the surface and what we've seen over the last last couple months as we begin to see above the surface surface some of what was going on below the surface. We begin to see the shoots come up. Will you begin to see the ear begin to form and we believe that God honestly believe that God is saying that the Harvest is coming. The Harvest is coming. Now. I want you to skip back and work checked your for just a few verses 2 verse 3 and it tells you about a story about a soldier who goes out the so how many of y'all are planning on putting out a garden this year maybe flowers maybe raising some food a few hands went up. You know how it goes. When you go to put out a guard there's a lot of preparation work that's in place. You've got to till the ground. You got to break it up. You got to get it prepared. You've got to get it ready, but there's is wild thing that goes on in this story. You see this so we're going out. It says listen behold A sower went out to sow to imagine a guy and he's got a bag full of seats. It's going out to plan this garden and it doesn't seem that he has anything planned. It doesn't seem that everything is quite ready. But if some fell along the path.

I've always wondered in that. Why would why would he be sowing seed on the road? Then if you skip down just a little bit it says other seed fell on the Rocky Get Around. Why is he sewing seed up in the rocks? And you skip down a little.

It says other seed fell among Thorns. Why is he throwing the seed into the weeds? Another so other seeds fell on good soil. You know, I told you it just a minute ago that the kingdom of God is like seeds that have been sown.

and we see in this picture somebody going out to sow seeds and it doesn't do it like a normal farmer would He comes and goes out with the big bag and he's just getting handfuls and he just starts throwing it. He's throwing the sea just everywhere. Some of the scenes landing on the road some landing on the rock some Landing in the weeds some Landing everywhere. And he begins to tell us what happens as it tries to come up and all these places. But what I want you to see today is that if the kingdom of God is like seed and we're supposed to be with us or going forth. I just want to challenge you to just throw the seat. Today, I want to challenge you to begin reaching out to people in your community. I want you to notice that the seller here wasn't going out and expecting the soil before he sowed in it. It looks like I mean there were some soil that produce much better than other soil, but the seller was just throwing. We're going to need you involved in your community in your school in your place of work. Wherever you are your sphere of influence to be going out and throw and seat. Through and see that and not checking the ground force. How many of y'all have ever done this? I would invite that person to church. But I know him.

I know his story and I know there's no way in the world or I would invite that person, but I know she wouldn't come. They actually did a survey a few years ago that said, I believe the number that they came to was 82% of the people that they interviewed that did not go to church say that they would be willing to go if someone ask them. They actually did the survey just last year in New York City New York. One of the only about 5% of the people in New York City. Go to church. What's incredible is that number is up from 1% just a few years ago. It's actually multiplied five times a number of people in New York City there really beginning to see Revival there, but they ask in New York City where you would think that the people would be least likely to go and they found that 63% of the people that don't go to church in New York City said if someone asked me I would go 63 / 5% of the people in the city go to church. 63 percenter waiting on someone to ask them to go.

Let me tell you something about Bluefield we think of Bluefield as well, you know, everybody goes to church one of the things they will that you'll notice when you go and you start talking to people. You'll say do you go to church and a lot of times you'll get this answer from? Yeah. Yeah, I go I go down so it's so I mean we haven't been since I was a kid. But that's where I go to church or you begin to talk to people and I've talked to so many people over the last few weeks that say, you know what we were involved in church for a long time, but we've been disconnected. We've been out. We've not been apart of anything.

WGN to tell me how at one time they felt connected at one time. It felt like home, but it just doesn't feel like home anymore and they're looking for a place where they could connect. We are beginning to see more and more people in Bluefield who that's not their story their story is they've never been to church. We've had folks come here that don't know any of the stories of the Bible that just never heard them. They haven't been raised in church, and we're seeing that more and more but I believe that Inter-Community there is an openness.

But I believe that there's a lack of seat. I believe there's a lack of people asking and many times were were doing like what we would probably do in this. Well, I only want to sow the seed into good soil. So if I see that God's up to something in their life if I can see that they're a pretty good person. If I can see that they would be a good fit then I'll throw a seed there. I want to challenge you today that if in New York City 63% of all the people there are waiting on an invitation. I don't believe that we could look around and figure out which 63% those are so I believe that we just began throwing seed. We're just beginning biting. We just begin talking to people now. This is where it comes up. Everybody says, well, you know, I'm so scared of somebody like saying no, I'm so scared that maybe they won't want to come maybe they'll get offended that I asked him. How many of y'all before you got married or if you're single did you ever ask somebody out and they said no. It happens. It happens from time to time, but you didn't give up. You got back on the horse you tried again. You just stayed in the game. You kept playing you kept asking you kept going because you recognize. But this was important it was something that you cared about. Just we begin to ask people. You say well 63% and I'm going with the load number. I would say that it's closer to the 82% in Bluefield that would go if you ask them, but let's say 63% I mean five people to people tell you no. And three people are in church with you on Sunday.

Three people have a chance to find Jesus. I hope that he gives now you say I don't know. I don't know how to do this. I'm going to give you a few. Different ways this is from a book called Contagious Christian.

one way that you can invite people to church if the testimonial You find this with the blind man in John chapter 9. The Pharisees show up after Jesus has healed of God blindness, and he's telling him about Jesus and they start asking him questions. They start saying well. You know that he really shouldn't be healing on the Sabbath. You know that he broke this law Lori broke that law. Do you realize that he was out of line here and he was out of line there. Sometimes you will get people that will try to quiz you a little bit about the Christian faith when you invite on the church. Well, what what do you think about this touchpoint issue? What do you think about this thing? What do you think about that thing? And I love this guy's response and John chapter 9, you know what his response is. I don't know about any of that. But a few minutes ago, I couldn't see and now I can. And that's all I know about Jesus and if you want to go with me, I'm going to see Jesus again. That was my testimony for a long time when I was young. I was in high school when I really started going to church. I had a person invite me to church. My family didn't go my family was hurt really bad in church when I was very young and I hardly remembered going to church at all. And when I was around 15 years old, I was working at a summer camp 4-H Camp and I was a counselor there and they had told us at the end of the day the kids were going home. They said there's a little bit of a mess out in the yard with y'all go pick up the trash. And you know how it is as a 15 year old guy who was there to be a counselor? You feel like you're in charge you're the boss and now they're telling you to go pick up litter and I was upset I didn't want to do it. I was getting an attitude and the lady that was picking up litter beside of me. I was just complaining away to her y'all ever had one of those days. You're just complaining nothing. I think it's crazy that we're out here doing this. They should have made these kids pick this up. Why are we out here doing this and she looks at me and she says, but it doesn't really bother me. It doesn't bother you. What do you mean? It doesn't bother you and she said well, I just look around here and man it is so beautiful. And I think it's incredible that God gave us such a beautiful world. And you know if I can pick up a little trash and keep it pretty I don't mind to pick up a little trash. And I thought to myself this lady's crazy. She is insane and then is where out there picking up trash. She just tells me a little bit about God and then she invites me to go to church with her when we get back home and it wasn't long before I had my driver's license and one of the things that have been playing in the back of my mind for a couple months was her invited me to church and I showed up at that little church because she had invited me to come and my life was forever changed. You say when I was when I was that age what I was kind of in middle school. There have been a couple things that happened in my life that I was so embarrassed about I don't know what it was, but I carried around a lot of shame. I done a couple things that was just it was humiliating to me. It was it was just it was just awful terrible things. I need to be in like a couple years since I had really had those those times of going through that but I would lay down in bed at night. I need to start trying to go to sleep and it was just like that. Shane would just sneak back in and it would start coming up. Do you remember what you did? Do you know what that makes you do? You understand how ugly than his. Do you understand how disgraceful than he is If people really knew you if they knew what your if they had seen you humiliate yourself like then if they had seen that and I can't tell you how many nights I would lay in bed and not be able to sleep because I would just hear that. It was just like it was on the tape just playing over and over accusing and condemning over and over. And when I went to church and I gave my life to Jesus the wildest thing about it was going to bed at night. And just being able to lay down and go to sleep.

It was like those voices had stopped. It was like something that happened at the shame that I had carried for years was now gone, you know, the Bible says that when Jesus was on the cross, he not only God for your sin, but he died for your shame that meant something to me. He took my shape. He made me a new person that even if people would bring up some of them stuff I could say that's not me that's not me anymore and the shame was dealt with and it was gone. And so when I would talk to people in school, they would ask me these questions and I was a really raised in church and they might would say what what do you believe about Evolution? I don't know. I haven't even taken Biology, but I know this I used to not be able to sleep at night and now I lay down and I can go to sleep because Jesus Took the hurt and he took the pain and now I'm clean. You know, I don't I don't know all the answers. I don't know what I didn't know. What apologetics was. I thought apologetics was because you were sorry that you were a Christian. I didn't know what it meant. And I didn't need to know what it meant because I knew what he had done in my life. I would have loved to have seen the Pharisees trying to argue with the blind man. No, let me tell you who Jesus is not good like you tell that to somebody that wasn't blind and got healed you take gun case to somebody else because I've seen what he can do in my life. There's another way that you can do and it's the Invitational approaching. This is the woman at the well, you know the story of the woman at the well Jesus is there at the whale she shows up he begins to talk to her and he begins to offer her water that she would never thirst again, and then he begins to tell her her sins.

And I don't know how Jesus does this. He's the only one that can have a conversation with you and tell you all your sins and you run to tell people to come meeting. He has a way of working in our lives that we can understand. But Jesus says I know you I see you. I know everything that you've been and I All For You Life water that will never run out. And you know what happened she returns to her City. And it says she went to her City and began hollering out to everyone that would listen. I met the Messiah. I'm at the one that knows everything about me come with me. Let me take you to Jesus. There's this incredible picture. Jesus was at the well alone because he had told the disciples that he was tired and hungry and he said would you care to go and get me some food? How many talks to this lady and she runs to her City? And you see in the the playoff the first people to return it if it has ipl's and they returned with lunch and then the lady returns with her whole city. What kind of a life would it be to return with your whole city bringing them to Jesus? You know what her invitation was it wasn't that I've got it all figured out. It was why don't you come with me? Come and see the one in my life.

Everyone of us here are able to do that come and see. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Somebody says why should I go and say I don't just come just come check it out know what you'll find as we go through these is that different people fit different ones. It's kind of like a personality test. How many of y'all never done like the Myers-Briggs or different ones of those you like doing personality test. Those are always a lot of fun like tell me more about me. I really like this. But you'll notice in these you'll find one of these that you feel like it's easier for you and there's no right way and there's no wrong way. The Bible actually gives us tons of ways that you can invite somebody. This is one we probably not Feel as much towards maybe some of you do it's kind of the confrontational approach is he Peter next chapter 2 he just goes out on the street and starts preaching. Do we have any Street Preachers here? intra megaphone head out to the red light star just laying it out to everybody that carry razor and I could see some of that.

There are times in my life that I wonder if those people are the only ones that really good at. Cuz I so believe that you need to hear in her willing to be laughed at and spit upon.

Man, I don't want that so does not fit my personality, but I am thankful for the people that are willing to just go and just say it. There's another approach that you see Paul use in Acts 17. Peter when he was preaching the next to almost everybody there knew the basics of the Bible, they knew the Old Testament. He didn't have to build a case from nothing he begins with basically the gospel and he tells them but Paul and X17 he finds himself in a place that they know nothing of God. They don't know the Jewish scriptures. They don't know anyting and so he goes into the marketplace and he just begins to preach to them. But he does it in a way that he's using quotes from Modern philosophers up their day. He's using poetry that they would have read books with speeches that they would have taken serious and actually the philosophers of the day comes from and said, why don't you come here and it was the most Public Square in the city where all the philosophers of the day would get together and just argue their philosophies that they put Paul right in the middle of that. I think God for people that are able and will intellectually engaging our culture they're willing to have the hard conversations in the stand in there. I believe we need more of that today than what we're saying. There was a time when people always turn to the church when they needed an answer and now it seems like they turned to the scientist or the psychiatrist. And I believe that we need Christian people of an elected of high stature that are able to go out into the middle of hostile crowds. engage the culture that's opening up doors for us to do them as well. This month is is incredibly busy on my schedule. We have a writers conference coming up this weekend that I've been working to put on and people are coming in literally from across the country and I got a registration. I believe it was Friday from a person from France who's coming in for the writers conference and where we're going to begin to engage people and challenge them in their thinking and push them to write and share their story. I've got the opportunity later this month to be at the I won't actually be able to attend but I've got to write a speech and they're going to be delivering it at the Appalachian studies Summit that's going to be a Nashville and this is these are all high-level haven't academics from universities across the country and most of it. I was looking through a lot of the schedule. Most of it would be very anti-christianity be anti some of the things that we believe in but I'm writing a 10-minute speech that they're going to stand and read talkin about the importance of churches in communities like a or to build trust and restore social capital. And I am struggling with it using the you know, trying to find good references, but it is going to be engaging a hostile crowd. About the importance of what we do here on Sunday. I work later this month. I'll be in DC with health and human services in the league of cities, which is the Mayors from across the country talking about ways that churches are vital to cities. It's incredible opportunities that I love that name the league of cities. It makes me think. I'm going to be with superheroes. Superman and Batman, I don't really know what it'll be like, but we are having tremendous opportunity to engage the culture intellectually philosophically. There's another way to share your faith to sow seed and its end up serving. This is Tabitha. She's mentioned by two different names. The other name is Dorcas. And so I choose to color Tabitha. I think she would appreciate that.

But Tabitha was known in her community when she died everybody showed up with the blankets the quilts the clothes that she had made for everybody in the community.

It said they all showed up carrying what she had made them. Some of you you may say I'm not much of a talker. I'm not much of a public person. I'm not much of an out front person. But you know what I can do. I can do something kind for somebody. I can sew on a little quilt. I can I can make them a scarf I can I can get a little gift for them. We have people like that in their church that I so appreciate as we have visitors coming people start getting plugged into the church. They will tell me of some lady in the church whose quiet and doesn't say much but she walked up to him one Sunday and gave them something that she had bought on her that she had made them and that means so much to somebody when they feel that kind of love. You can also be just opening up your house. Then you know what I'm not going to preach at anybody. But how about you sit down and eat with me? How about I buy you a meal? When you're out you just feel like God's pushing you to just reach over and tell the table beside of you that you're going to take care of it. And you're not real outspoken, but your life just begins to accumulate and accumulate and accumulate before you know it that everybody in the community knows you as a witness to the life of Jesus Christ, even when you've hardly said a word. You just showed up in their need and you've shown them love.

There's another one that you can see is signs and wonders. This is when God just super naturally shows up. I've been around people. I wonder if any of y'all know people like that. I've been around people and when I'm around them. will be going out to dinner and they'll be sitting there and they'll say hold on just a minute. I feel like God wants me to tell this person over at this table something and they'll go over and they'll start talking to him and I'll see you on just tears running down the people's faces and they're just having the best time and I'm you know, just sitting over eating my food by myself everywhere. They go. It seems like God just uses them in incredible ways. I joked with Jess my wife. Water sounds will be having conversations with families or couples and I talk a lot if you haven't noticed and if if there's any silence, I feel like I have to fill it with my voice. And so I just I just ramble sometimes and Jess is very quiet and she just sits there and we'll be with these people and then there'll be a moment of quiet and I'll turn and look at Jess and Jess will say two or three words and then you just see the people just just tear start to flow or just their whole countenance changes her whole face changes and I get a little annoyed because I'm like, how do you do that?

Probably part of that is being willing to be quiet and listen for the voice of God. To believe that God is present in every situation and believe that God cares about the people that were talking to believe that God wants those people to be reached by the life of his son to believe that God is interceding on our behalf. Believe that God loved us so much that he sent his son to die for us. He cares. As a priest incomes. I want you to look back over these. Which one do you think is most describes you?

I don't want to tell you one other story from Mark chapter 2 and we had kind of skipped over it here on Sundays.

But it's the story of a paralyzed man. Who's friends found out that Jesus is coming into town? And his friends decide that they're going to take him to Jesus.

Should I put him on a mat and then pick him up?

This paralyzed man his only hope of being healed and set free was to get to Jesus. But he could not get there by himself. What would have happened if the paralyzed man that tried really hard to get to Jesus? He would have still been right where he was.

He didn't have the ability to get to Jesus. He had to have friends. And they strand said we're going to get him there and they went and they picked up his mat and they began to carry the mat.

Am I get to the house and they can't get in because it's so crowded. There's people all around and they can't get the mat through and they said well, we don't care where there's a window and they get to the window in the window in school and they can't get through and his friends and we're not giving up this easy. And I climb to the roof of the house and begin to break open the roof of the house. American to lower their friend down to the feet of Jesus

Do you know what the first thing that Jesus says he is and I can't reconcile this in my theology. Like I don't know how it fits. All I know is that when we get serious about bringing people to Jesus good things happen, but I tell you what, Jesus said when the man gets lowered down the paralyzed guy comes down. Jesus says his sins are forgiven because of your faith.

And I don't even make sense to me.

I'll tell you this there are people around you. They need you to become serious about carrying them to the feet of Jesus.

There are people around you that need you to have the tenacity not to stop when the door is crowded or when the window is full. There are people around you that need you to so believe that Jesus wants to reach them that you would break open the roof to lower them down that you literally carry people to the feet of Jesus and their sins are forgiven. because of the faith that you had

there was a concert.

20 some thirty years ago in Bluefield that lots of people came to him. We've got a handful of men in their Church. But when you ask them their testimony their testimony sounds exactly the same. Somebody invited me to go and I went and I gave my life to Jesus and I've been forever changed. I believe that was a moment that change Bluefield. I believe that Easter this year is going to be another moment that many people when they're asked whether testimony is they will say there was a day when these these people from Crossroads Church invited me to go. It wouldn't hardly take no for an answer. It was like they picked me up and carried me there. And They Carried me to the very feet of Jesus. When I was there I received life I was able to lay down my sand and lay down my shame. I was cleaning that was made a whole I was I'm believing God for 30 people whose testimony would be missed Easter. They asked me and I went. If that's going to happen, it's going to take lots and lots of seed. from lots of people and you're included

you're up there somewhere. What could you do? How could you ask how could you serve let's pray right now? Lord I Thank you that you didn't wait until my soil was going to throw a seed in it. But I sent you that it was in the middle of a prideful. egotistical teenager full of s*** wrecked with sin

lettuce seed was sown in the shed. I believe in a God who loves us and God. I'm so glad But Denise Cochran carried me to the feet of Jesus.

Got up, right right now if there's anyone in here at your feet that you would say that you would forgive them that you would you say. I'm not accepted Jesus as my savior. I'm not going to embarrass you. I promise I won't call you out. You don't have to walk down to the front. But you say I want to accept Jesus this morning and slip your hand up. Let me see it. I want to give my life to Jesus this morning. I want to be forgiven event you would you just slip your hand up. The Bible says that the Angels rejoice.

I tell you we're setting up a party for Angels or set up a time that they're going to dance and they're going to throw down.

I want to right now if you would be willing. Nobody's looking around. This is a commitment between you and God would you be willing to say I'm going to throw some seed? I'm going to throw some seed event. You would do this raise your hand. I'm going to throw some shade. I want to buy some people. I'm going to believe God that he can change some lives. I'm going to carry some people to the Jesus hands going up all around the room. Wow, anybody else? I'm going to throw some seed. I want to invite. I'm going to ask I'm going to bring a man hands all over the room. Can we stand together and just begin to think what you begin to pray right now is we sing? God bless people on my mind.