Kingdom Investment

Introduction

Today we start a new series call “Own the Vision”

God is calling us to a world wide vision that we must understand and embrace.

Let me illustrate with a story.

A man asked his son to cut the grass while he was at work. The son pick up the house, make dinner for the family, fixed the leaky roof all in anticipation of his Father coming home.

When the Father arrived what do you think the first thing he noticed.

As the father came in the house the son was so excited. He said, “Dad, I had the best day today.” I cleaned the house I fixed the leaky roof, and I made dinner just for you.

The father said, “Those are all good things but the only thing I asked you to do was cut the grass. Why didn’t you do what I asked?

So it is with the Church. We have gotten good at so many things. We build beautiful buildings

What is the vision of Jesus?

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The vision of Jesus is making disciples that make disciples.

We say it this way, “Producing Jesus followers of faith that expand God’s kingdom.”

If we are not doing that we really are not making a kingdom investment.

I want to share 3 ways we can make a Kingdom Investment that will lead to the accomplishment of the vision of Christ.

1. Prayer

Pray for the Kingdom of God hear on Earth.

Matthew 6:9–10 ESV

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Pray for the harvest of the kingdom.

Luke 10:1–2 ESV

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

2. People

Since the beginning of time God has worked from a multiplication approach.

Imagine if there were just a few people in the world that could have babies. The world population would die out.

Now imagine if there are just a few people causing others to be born again. Christianity would not survive.

Jesus commands his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations.

Our Kingdom Investment is to reproduce ourselves in others.

2 Timothy 2:2 ESV

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

3. Passion for the Kingdom

The investment that God has made in you, you should be willing to make in others.

Before Jesus sent out the seventy he called and sent out the 12.

Matthew 10:5–8 ESV

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Passion is defined as that for which you are willing to suffer.

The word passion means suffering.

The passion of Christ is the love Christ showed us through the suffering and sacrifice of himself on the cross.

1 John 4:9–11 ESV

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

When you get passionate about the kingdom of God you will invest to the point of sacrifice that others may enter into the kingdom of Christ.

Let the passion of Christ drive you to sacrifice for others through your time talent and treasure.