Disciples Seek People for Christ and The Church

every generation of people Believe that, you know, the world is going to a bad place. I can remember sit around with my grandfather in the old grumpy men right talking about everything that is wrong from the stock market to work and I can catch myself in those conversations as well. Especially when you turn on Politics on TV everyone can get excited and upset and yelling at the TV and in south Louisiana, we of course got upset when the saints played and then do the play that we wanted them to and so every generation has wanted some type of Revival. I've always thought there was something wrong and so are the first one we're going to go to the next slide. Charles Spurgeon, the famous American preacher said every generation needs regeneration. Let's see if it's working. Thank you so much. I would have been struggling up here. I'm telling you. All right, so every generation needs regeneration. What does simply mean does every generation needs Revival needs change? So every place you go you see signs like this repent the time is near and some of you may have sold my email that I sent this past weekend and I kind of told the story, you know, I'm and then I were in St Louis and we were newlyweds and we decided to go down to the farmer's market and there was one of these guys repent the time is near now. I was a young college Bible College student who thought he knew everything. So, of course I engaged him in conversation, right? And you know, the truth is he had some point he had some point of what was going on in the world. And of course every Christian I have ran into loves the Book of Revelation. And as a pastor, I kind of avoided my last Church. They made me do a bible study on it the first month I was there and there are some interesting things in the butt. I love this kind of cartoon hear the near the end is near these days. That's probably a good thing.

So we have really three great Awakenings and these are really just notes for me. So the first one was in the 1730s and it's starting Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon and he was a horrible preacher and he would read looking down at his sermons and people would cringe the pews and leave marks a word that terrified and and and school when we were in high school. We read a book called sinners in the hands of an Angry God. I don't know if any of you have read that book. I don't know why it was allowed in public school, but we read that book and it talked about hell and talked about how God he hears the end quote. There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God. Play this new Revival in America in 1730, but it wasn't good enough. By 1790 we have the Second Great Awakening and that's why we're here this morning in this church, John Wesley George Whitefield. What kind of started the Baptist movement circuit-riding preachers

and Wesley famously said the world is my Parish. Talk a little bit more about that later. And then at 1855 yet. Again, the country is headed towards a bad place as they think. To the white Moody started an institution Chicago called The Moody Bible college with strange creatures all over and we have that YMCA was also found in that. Our most recent one is Billy Graham. 1960-1980 and we all at some point have been influenced by his ministry by the work of that Great Awakening even from the style of worship that we have today the modern worship Services done in churches Across America are a result of the fourth Great Awakening. The world is my Parish. I believe that were on this fifth Great Awakening here in America and I'll be honest. I'm going to give you a little bit about me. I don't like being in a building. I have a real hard time. And so I'm really struggling. I'm I'm in the office more than I have been in the past and part of that is Wesley was big he went out on Barnes and preach. Do you want to the barrooms? Did you know that the him know that we have today? Most of them were bartoons that they redid Christian Tunes to You know Wesley was out there in the world. And so we have to get out of our religious buildings Nationwide and into people's homes into the bars into the places where the centers and drink or whatever else they're doing. We have to be where they are my home pastor had a shirt that red bar Chaplin.

And I were methodists or we're not we don't really not really supposed to be in the barrooms supposably but he was there every weekend and he may not have been drinking but he sure was ministering to those people. The world is my Parish. I think we're on that fifth Great Awakening that social action is a must I was talking to somebody out here in front and we were talking about how to get young people right in the church. That's the big question today. and they said we must go where in fact little is about that but We go by getting involved young people including myself want to be involved and what's going on in the world? We want to help the needy in the poor and the widows. We want to live out the words of Jesus. That's what this Great Awakening is that we are in now. But we are called the smell like the Sheep. No, I don't have a farm. Yeah, I grew up in a small town does sheets smell or do they smell good? So gross. Okay good cuz that would have ruined my whole sermon here.

We are called to smell like a sheep. So here we are in Luke 15 1 and 2 and all the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to listen to him and the Pharisees and legal experts rumbling saying this man Welcome Center I need with them. Now, can we imagine Jesus doing anything else but welcoming centers and eating with them? I mean, come on. There he is. There's Jesus. The Pope Francis said be Shepherds with a smell of your sheep in the midst of your people like Jesus the Good Shepherd.

Jesus Tells us this morning. It's part of our DNA the smell like the Sheep. Yeah, that's a pretty funny when I have here that says I love everyone no matter what what they have tattoos, even if they ask stupid questions. right Jesus tells us to love everyone. To get out of our churches to get out of our homes to the be with the people in our communities. I mean, I personally don't want to invite the IRS over to my house. Man being a pastor's tough with IRS, but you know what? I probably should have came over. I probably should at least invite him in for a cup of coffee.

Think about those other people there's a church called st. Matthew's are st. Marks in New Orleans. And so st. Marks was this dying white church with about 20 people on a Sunday morning Methodist Church. and I I don't know if I want to fully tell the whole story might get me in trouble.

There was a there was a fire that was set on purpose. and they killed about 40 people. And that was in the 70s. and none of the churches would do the funeral for these 40 people and I won't tell you why but they wouldn't And to St. Mark stepped up and said we will have the funeral. And now when you go to that church on a Sunday morning or so all they feed the Homeless every Sunday. Second of all, it smells really bad every Sunday. There are people that work on the streets to come to church or homeless people that work that they come to the church anybody you can imagine goes to that church on Sunday morning with the same 2230 elderly white people that were still there. The church has embraced diversity in a way that is amazing and a month among those people that smell and look different and have tattoos all over their arms are also the professionals doctors and lawyers and attorneys and Council men and women. It's a really cool place and I hope one day maybe we is a church I even that you can take a trip to New Orleans. And visit them they truly Embrace what it was a smell like a sheep. And so again, we as a church were doing some of that but how can I call us to do even more?

Work hard to look for the lost sheep verses 3 through 7 and Jesus told him this Parable suppose someone among you had 100 sheet and lost one of them. Wouldn't you leave the other 99 in the pasture and search for the lost one until he finds it? And when he finds it, he is thrilled and places it on his shoulders and when he arrives home because together his friends and neighbors saying to them celebrate with me because I've found my lost sheep. And the same way I tell you there'll be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life and over 99 righteous people that have no need to change our hearts and lives.

I think about it this way. You lose a dog now. I'm a dog lover. Maybe not as much as wanted to hear.

But if I lose my dog, I'm going to look all over for that. I'm going to have a cash reward. I'm going to look day and night until I even did it for a cat once but with realize the cats come back, you know.

so the dogs

Sam bleiweis, we lose a child which has got to be the most horrifying feeling you could ever go through an amber alert goes out like right now and Sunday morning. If a child went missing every cell phone in this church will go off.

I know we've all seen these we lose our elderly member of our family and a silver alert is blasted everywhere.

I think what Jesus is telling us is that sense of

finding the loss is what we need to have in our hearts. does a 93 80% of Christians who hit share their faith agreed that it was a responsibility, but today is just 64% or in to go over somewhere stats to

so this is what Americans kind of a believe today and what it tells us is that 26% of Christians of American Christians agree that we have responsibilities. Everyone else has below that and sharing our faith with others. So my thought is if Jesus truly changed our lives as Christians in America. Why do only 24 26% believe it is a responsibility?

26% And the second one there is pretty shocking. Is that good worse? result and getting to heaven now when you really think about that, what are people talking about? I had a lot of people parishioners good Christians kind of Tommy. Well, you know, I give money and time to the church. And so therefore I get to heaven when I die. True. only faith in Christ What else is here is that the landscape is changing 20% of Americans have no faith in anything. Not Jesus. Any other religion there. Just nothing 20% I'm glad that 73% are still believe in Christ. That's a good number. So, what's your estimate of Levy County? How many people are in the nuns category? Glad somebody shouted number out to me.

10% 15

how much? 50

so I'm here to tell you that 52.4% of Levy County. I have no faith in anything. That's kind of a shock a number and that's in 2010. So I don't know what 2019 brings but almost 53% now you guys are in good shape has 90% But we're already more than double the national average of people that have no faith. There's only 20 200 people and Chiefland. Unless you know those numbers wrong this 18 churches again, there could be more. And so it's really concerning to me. We have 18 churches and we have 53% of the population. That's just cheap when that's the county. And so what are we doing? What are we not doing this that we need to Jesus tells us here and Matthew 9 3538 then Jesus when he went to all the towns Villages teaching in their synagogues preaching the Good News of the Kingdom in healing every disease every type of sickness. When he saw the crowds, he left compassion for them. He felt compassion for them because they were weary and worn out. And like sheep without a Shepherd then he said to them as disciples. The Harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. And therefore pray to Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into the Harvest. You sure I'm not.

Okay. As we continue to the next verse here Matthew 28 16 through 20. I'm really just going to focus on that first 16th. And now the 11 disciples went to golly to the mountain where Jesus told them to go and when they saw them they worshipped him but some doubted and Jesus came near and spoke to them. I received all authority in heaven and on Earth therefore go and make disciples of all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. so The Great Commission. Let's just be really clear on what the Great Commission is it according to this survey 51% of the church today has no idea. What the Great Commission. All right, 17% knows what it means what it is and what it means.

What is the Great Commission has no reflection on our church, maybe 100% of everyone in this room knows exactly what it means and that would be wonderful. But I can tell you're working in the church's sometimes I'm shocked. The Great Commission is clear. We are to go out into the world. Proclaiming who Jesus Christ Our Savior the savior of the world who he is what he did for us and the baptized people in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. That's what the Great Commission is. To make disciples. What do Disciples do? Phone number one we preach the word. We proclaim the word and we came out after the Protestant Reformation. So we believe in the priesthood of all believers so in our bulletins this morning, It says right there on the front ministers the congregation. At each of us. We have a call and a responsibility. Visions 4 says that my job as the pastor the preacher, whatever you want to call me. Is to equip the Saints for the ministry of the church. But I'm not equipping I'm not doing my job. My job is to equip. That's why we're here on Sunday morning. That's why we have Bible studies while we have small groups. That's my role. And your role is to go out into the four corners of the earth proclaiming Jesus Christ. And so this kind of brings us to our second our last Point here.

We can try on that I skip it and we are. I want to change that 52% What's a high number of people that don't know Christ and maybe? Maybe they just don't want to fill out the survey. I don't know. But I can guarantee you there are people in this County. And this city that don't know Jesus. Or at least haven't walked through the church and a very long time. People have been hurt by the church people a loved one passes away and they stop going I can tell you that that's what happened to my family my aunt died at 33 of ovarian cancer. We are attending the Presbyterian church and all of a sudden we all stopped. You know what happens and so our job as a church is to bring. Peace. to proclaim the good news Elastic we are called to find joy in the Lost.

Or what woman if she owns 10 silver coins loses one of them. Won't light a lamp and sweep the house searching her home carefully until she finds it. And when she finds it, she calls together friends and neighbors saying celebrate with me because I found my lost coin. In the same way. I tell you Joy breaks out in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who changes both heart and life and we saw that in the previous Parable as well. So I have a picture of Saint Anthony I grew up in Catholic country. So when you lost something you are a Saint Anthony to help you out, right? That's what comes of my mind but second of all Amanda is going to come over here. You can't talk to her about it. So when I was a teenager, I was Notorious for losing my wallet nobody else. So now it was really a good idea. I have my wallet and a phone in one so I can't lose it but I wouldn't lose one time we were at her mama's house. It was like Christmas and I swore I lost my wallet and it was in this spot in the back of the house and had been there the whole time but I searched and searched something. I don't care if it's 2 in the morning if if I've lost something I want to know where it's at. bothers me, right it bothers me until I find that wallet that lost item car key. Is there another one? Who has ever lost your car keys you haven't while you know. I'm not always good at keeping track of my stuff. And I lose things now getting better may be in as you get older things like that improve. I hope

Goodnight. I'm in big trouble.

But we find Roy think about it when you find that lost thing how excited you. Are you found your wallet and a case of car keys now you can leave the house. You lost your only key to the car. And they're not as easy as I used to be. I had a 94 Mustang. It's kind of what I started driving with and I can just go to Ace and make a copy of the key. No, not anymore. You know, it's a couple hundred dollars. You lose that key. So I'm excited now. I post the same question. We should be that excited when we find somebody that we're talkin to that does not know Christ. That does not know Jesus. for themselves to bring that excitement of losing your loss thing your wallet your keys and whatever else it could be. And finding that person. for the first time to share Jesus with Man every week we should be we should be. Excited. We should be fine and somebody there's 52% of people that we can go reach out to. And so this morning we kind of have, you know a couple takeaways. First we must smell like the Sheep. Now, I think it would be really great. We could bring in some sheep on a Sunday morning. We can know what they smell like. We're going to have Amy is going to bring some pets for the Trunk or Treat. I don't know if there's going to be any street, but I'm sure we can we can all go over there and really understand this for ourselves.

We have to look for the Sheep. We have to really embrace the road is my Parish. You know, that's what I really love about our church and our history is that while some Churches sat around waiting for railroads to be built across this country. We were on Horseback risking Our Lives to preach the gospel. I often wonder what happened. And all we have every opportunity today to proclaim the word of Jesus Christ everyone, but we don't always see you.

And we have to find joy and finding that no matter what. And sometimes it might be somebody looks completely different than you. sometimes no, it's an irritation. Maybe it's a family member that you really don't get along with. I mean we have to start with our families, right we want our families to know Christ. I want to see my family members when I get to go to heaven one day. But God tells us to find joy in ministering to those lost people. And so, you know, I'm I'm really excited and I keep bringing up that Trunk or Treat. I really hope that we have a thousand kids. Come to that truck and you're giving out free candy. So that's a that's a plus for every child. It's an opportunity through your witness of who we are as a church to share Jesus. I don't support what we call fear evangelism where we go out. We tell people you're going to hell if you don't believe in Jesus, Now some people need it they do. I preached to Upper appreciative Church in Bayou Blue, Louisiana, and those kids needed some fire and brimstone preaching and I gave it to him it has. But that's a rarity that is not the normal. The normal is sitting down with people and sharing life with them right this church, which I found out from our listening post. Was founded as a small group on a porch, right? We kind of invented the whole small group idea. We have the congregation. We as a denomination. So let's do that. Let's have small groups. Let's meet homes and really invest in our neighbors. And so I'm just really excited. I continue to be excited to be here the 52% for me. It's exciting. One it's a lot easier than 90% Yes. But also there are people that need Jesus. And so we can preach Beyond adjust religious people. That's me, too. I mean, I'm the the staple of religious people. I went to Seminary and did all that stuff and paid for so we can go out until the world does 52% Let's start in our County and work our way out. And maybe just maybe this church will be the beacon of light. There's a there's a church called gigans Berg United Methodist Church in Ohio Tipp City, Ohio. It's a small little town out in middle of nowhere and the pastor when he started it had about 25 people. The first year is an appointment there in seminary. He preached at half empty that 10 people by the time they they finish the first year and now it is one of the fastest-growing churches in the country. They have about 10 campuses. They have a few thousand on Sunday. They were never really there still in a small building. I really appreciate that about them. They have to bring in water trucks to the church because they don't have public water and they're in a small town. But you never know what God will do. So I'll let us pray and I guess I just I'm excited and thank you so much for the opportunity to be here this morning with you that we thank you for who you are. the savior of the world

Yeah, we know it is nothing to do with us this morning. It is all you.

Thought you died for us. And you chose us? one across two thousand years ago before we even knew what life was about

God we pray for great Revival. In this country as it has been done the last four times.

That whatever that is be at your will. Got to weed commission the Ministers of the church with everyone here this morning. To Proclaim your good news to the nation's. To Proclaim your love and mercy and forgiveness. Help us have an impact on that 52%

help us reach those lost people. By whatever means necessary.

Help us be a church continue to be a church of Love & Mercy. That when people walk through these doors they feel who Jesus is by our very actions. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen.