Seeds #4 (Organic Outreach 9)

Recap

Pray FOR

Pray WITH

Close Proximity

Intro

There is no formula for successful outreach.

If you build it, congrats you’ve built it.

The enormity of the task to outreach relationally can feel overwhelming. Where do we start? How do we change our perspective?

Scripture:

Matthew 13:3–9 NIV

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Christians who are waiting to scatter seed when the soil looks rich, the conditions are perfect, and success is guaranteed may end up waiting a long time or never harvest.

The point is to sow the seed. At some point you have to sow if you want to harvest.

Effective outreach is messy and risky.

Of course some general rules, principles, and approaches can be helpful. But locking yourself into an inflexible program can be counterproductive.

Obstacles

Obstacles are normal. Soil isn’t always perfect. Here are some approaches that can be helpful when sowing seed in an obstacle ridden culture:

Come Walk With Me

Invite people to join you in the regular activities of your life.

Host a Matthew party

Too many Christians compartmentalize their lives and subconsciously separate their “church friends” from their “other friends.” Make space for those two worlds to collide outside the walls of the church.

Learn Together

There are some people you will encounter who tend to think their way through life instead of feeling their way around issues. These folks love to learn and might be open to exploring the questions of faith if you are willing to take time to dig in with them.

Provide solid resources

Some people don’t want to sit and talk, but they’d watch a movie, read a book, or listen to a podcast/radio program/CD. If you have a need for a resource, talk to me!

Inviting others to Church-based gatherings

Some people are turned off by a service, but they’d love to be around loving people. We will look to create these opportunities in the future.

Serving together

Find an organization/person you love in the community and invite someone to serve/volunteer with you.

The thirty-seconds rule

Take 30 seconds to center yourself when you transition from one part of your day to the next. Kind of like a more frequent 1 degree rule.

Emphasis

We have all we need to plant seeds. We have the spirit of God and there is soil ready for planting. We want a harvest ahead of us, we hope for life change, so lets sow the seed and be ready to walk with others as they grow.

Challenge

Try the 30 second rule this week

Who could you invite with you in a regular activity this week?

Put a Matthew party on the calendar