Dirt #5 (Organic Outreach)

Recap:

Our love must be genuine

Justice, Mercy, & Grace

Essential Truths

Grow your temperature by 1 degree today

Intro

Tee Ball Video

Everyone plays, everyone wins.

I am a great armchair quarterback. I know what the Packers should have done and do every single play. I am very good at giving my opinion about football players, plays, and franchises even though I’VE NEVER PLAYED A DOWN OF FOOTBALL IN MY LIFE. Do you think i’d be a good coach? Do you think anyone would hire me as a coach? Could I QB the Packers better than Aaron Rodgers? Why? Because I don’t have the experience or the whole perspective.

If I spend time around football players, and play in some recreational leagues. If I learn about football coaching and spend time as an assistant coach could I be a good coach?

What happens when everyone plays:

A deep sense of team

No competition when everyone gets to play because you know you’ll see the field.

For followers of Christ, when we are all participating in outreach we find partnerships with others.

The joy of being part of a team

Finding out what you can do

Instead of thinking we can’t do this or that, we find that we could we were just apprehensive.

Some think they’ll be happier on the sidelines.

But time and attempt brings them out of their comfort zones and into a new space.

We can be driven by a sense of duty to outreach and end with a sense of enthusiasm. When we engage in outreach regularly we start to see a passion for it.

There is no plan B for spreading the gospel.

Acts 1:

Acts 1:6–8 NIV

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Matthew 28:18–20 NIV

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.”

Acts 1:1–8 NIV

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We are God’s plan. If we don’t share the gospel it doesn’t go anywhere! His Holy Spirit leads, fills, and empowers us, we become His messengers.

Matthew 5:13–16 NIV

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Finding our way

Just because we don’t have the “gift of evangelism” doesn’t mean we aren’t called to outreach. It means we have to find where our gifting and sharing the gospel intersect. It WILL happen. We are going to spend some time this year finding out what that is for us individually and corporately!

Challenge

Try something new this week. Understand that you don’t know it all, even about yourself! You WILL fail, that is a good thing.

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” ~ Wayne Gretzky