SOWING - 4 Stages/4 Steps of Fruitful Ministry Ministry/Discipleship
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SOWING - 4 Stages/4 Steps of Fruitful Ministry/Discipleship
SOWING - 4 Stages/4 Steps of Fruitful Ministry/Discipleship
When asked why they exist, the responses of most congregations an those who make up those evangelical congregations would be fairly predictable.
Worship, Word of God, Obedience, Evangelism and Making Disciples
We who are Bethel describe ourselves this way ion our bulletin, “We are a body of believers in Jesus Christ committed individually and collectively to glorifying God through worship and the making of disciples in obedience to the Word of God through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are asking God to make us a church characterized by meaningful worship, passionate evangelism and complete obedience.”
Our statement accurately mentions all that we should be working towards. Other very good conservative evangelical church express it in similar ways and with equally honorable intentions. But the reality is that with the Scriptures as their point of reference, a comparatively few churches have thought through how to realize their goals and how to define progress and when they are getting closer to a moving target.
How and who defines meaningful worship?
What are the characteristics of individuals, a church that passionate about evangelism/evangelizing?
How we pray might allow us to see ourselves in the mirror. In our prayer times do we pray equally for those with whom we are sharing the Gospel as for those who have physical challenges?
When we affirm the need to make disciples in obedience to the word, does how we invest our time and resources reflect that progressive discipleship or might we be tending to keeping the saints gathered comfortable?
To what extent have we and all connected and to be connected with Bethel been taught not only all but to observe all that Christ commanded - read/study/learn/do
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.
- And while we are looking at all corners of the spiritual mirror provided by the Scriptures, how do we define complete obedience?
Please do think that I am in any way suggesting that in and of themselves worship, prayer, evangelism and discipleship are not crucial. They are essential, absolutely essential. In fact they are so essential that we be repeatedly asking our Lord to show us by His word and the the Holy Spirit if we are touching all of the foundational bases that the more visible expressions of those goals are being realized.
In other words when it comes to worship, the Scriptural portion on which we will focus and our Lord Jesus would remind us that,
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
“True worshippers are those everywhere who worship God through the Son, from the heart.” (MacArthur Study Bible)
It is noteworthy that this barometer of true worship was part of Jesus going and sowing.
SOWING - Jn 4:1-43 - the word of God, the word of the kingdom on good soil
Christ’s sowing was His pattern not the exception:
Nicodemus - Jn 3:1-21 - “Whoever believes in the Son of Man has life.” - Jn 3:15 -
Assumed that the signs that Jesus did indicated that God was with Him.
Assumes another kingdom, not of this world but of God
Only those who are born again can see the kingdom of God
Nicodemus, a religious teacher did not know that.
Being born again begins with receiving God’s testimony of our sin - serpent in the wilderness.
Rather than condemn us for our, the Father gave His Son that those who look to Him, recognize and confess their sin will be born again.
For religious good living people:
Do they recognize being part of God’s kingdom comes not with what we know BUT accepting what the Father offers in Christ?
John the Baptist - “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” - Jn 3:36 -
He who believes in the Son/obeys the Son has life. He who does not believe has not.
John’s message was of sin and repentance. Those who believed/repented were baptized.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
This is the message that we share in the past tense. Salvation is only about Jesus.
Healed an official’s son - “And he believed and his household. “ - Jn 4:53 -
Sowing the seed should not be limited to present perceived comfortable parameters but through those open doors of need through Christ can open hearts to the Gospel.
Would not expect someone who was probably attached to serve King Herod Antipas
Official’s son at the point of death
Jesus - Is this about the signs that you see as a bridge to believing - like cleansing the temple - 2:23; 3:2 ?
So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.
No, this is about my son.
Go, your son will. The fever left when Jesus said it would.
The official and his household believed. We are not told more but in the wider context, we are justified in assuming that “believing” as it was used here by John was not focused on the healing, signs and wonders, but on Jesus,
Illustration: Ernie Keefe - “God in the Midst of Events that Shook Quebec”
Served as a missionary pastor/founder of what was to become a Baptist Church in Asbestos, Quebec. - 11,000 people in that one industry town, French speaking, Catholic - 1956-1967
In towns like that in that day, the Catholic church and the priest directly or indirectly controlled everything - education, local government, the cemetery, police, local radio & newspaper, business. All were more less closed to Protestants.
During his years there, that we eventually comparatively fruitful spiritually, Ernie visited every home in Asbestos and the surrounding rural area.
Ernie left the comfort of his safe home, his dear wife Betty and 2 sons. He continued to go, to knock on doors and hearts of those who did not have Bibles and therefore had not read them and did not know Christ.
Those to whom Ernie talked would have said they believed in God. They were sincere but did not know Him in truth as defined by the NT.
Jesus’ PATTERN was that of GOING to other towns and village and SOWING the word.
Samaritan woman at the well (Jacob’s) - Jn 4:1-43 -
Going to better soil - misunderstanding and misrepresentation - Judea and Jerusalem - in general .
Most including the disciples would not have thought that any place in Samaria and a woman who had so seemingly disregarded what the word said about marriage might be responsive to the Gospel. But we never know, until we ask the right question that the Holy Spirit can use to graciously nudge at the heart.
Sowing in a new way in a new house/field - - 4:1-6-
Well - near Sychar - well near the field that Jacob gave his son Joseph - about 1800 years before
6th hour - probably noon according to Jewish time began day at 6:00 am , rather than 6:00 pm under reckoning under time that began the day at 12:00 pm - plus with what we learn about the woman who came to the well, she probably the other women who would have come in the cool of the morning or the evening
Woman:
Jewish men did not speak to a woman in public
A teacher/rabbi would not have spoken to a woman whose character some would have questioned.
WITHOUT COMPROMISING OUR INTEGRITY OR THE INTEGRITY OF THE GOSPEL, IN WHAT NEW WAYS IN NEW FIELDS ARE WE WE SOWING?
Gentle request and transition from physical need to understood spiritual need - 4:7-15 -
Because most whom we meet have no understanding of the Gospel or they need to the Gospel. That gentle but sincere request should naturally flow where we are or what we are doing. And if possible, that segue works best when we are new to the area and are sincerely interested in real expressed needs.
And it should pick up on an already expressed need.
Offering to pray for the person in the next hospital bed or followup of Gospel from patient in next bed.
Jesus asked because of a real/true need. He was thirsty. What was not more natural than asking when the woman drew some water, if would she give him a drink.
Women’s question as to why a Jew, a man would have anything to do with her?
“People don’t care how much we know, until they know how much we care.” (Theodore Roosevelt)
Although we do not have all the insights that Jesus had, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and rather than a rote one size/one method fits all knocking on the door approach, we need to keep our eyes, ears and heart open.
One way or another when people are wondering why we care for them, we should be able to relate to and explain a time when someone explained that someone cared for me because God cared for them and me.
Young man at Tim Hortons - Downsview
Ultimately, we are praying that our gentle sincere question will result in the person acknowledging a real need that with our Lord’s help we can meet.
Transition from general to specific sense of sin - 4:16-26 -
At this point we move always move into uncharted territory.
We need to be careful not to disregard generally accepted norms. It was one to ask for ask for some water, it was another thing to be seen
Marital status
Misunderstanding re where and who we worship
The Father is seeking true worshippers
While the disciples marvelled, the woman’s message/testimony
The Father’s will - sowing and reaping
Many believed because of the woman’s testimony. More believed because of His word.