Reaching Our Community For Christ

Good. Alright good. I like that fine as frog's hair. That's what my that's what Martha said. The first time she ever met him. At Walt then and he said, Martha, how are you? She said, fine, as frog's hair. And he didn't quite get what she says that finding some frogs there. And the first time I met at Martha's parents. Her daddy asked me if I like groundhog sausage. That's what I like and come to find out that's what he liked to sew.

That's right. Jimmy Dean. Yeah. That's all right to all right. Well I hope everyone's had a good first part of the week. Nice weather out right now. If you're not in the sun, feels good out there. We got a little shower at our house this morning, not much, but a little bit so that helps also system number to completed the assimilation system. I hope you're still praying about that and tonight I want us to start our Outreach system. I'm going to Just kind of gas that this will probably take.

Maybe four weeks something like that. Maybe, maybe 3, I'm not sure. But this is a very important system here. It's one that a lot of churches, lack. A lot of churches really don't have. An Outreach system, you know, I'm back in the 70s and 80s used to have visitation. I think on one night a week or something like that, you go to church and and and the deacons would be there in the pasture and you get all. Get your cars and you go and you go visit people but you really don't want to do that now these days because people don't want you coming in their homes on announced that, you know, especially if you care to Bible in your hand. I remember when Martha and I we moved over here and I was going to Seminary, we visited Pleasant Grove Church and they, and a bunch of them come to our house one night to visit about four of them. And I didn't know I was a preacher or anything like that, you know, they just come in and, and three of them sitting there. There were two ladies and they both of them had their Bibles with them. And they were just putting, you know, chit chat in an all-in-one, iMac released at Walmart. What do you do? And I said, why go to Seminary? I'm a preacher. And those two ladies had to buy, will they put the bottle down like that? Like, they were trying to hide them? I thought you don't have to hide the Bible. You don't have to do that. You don't. So I guess that's all. He's probably saves, I guess. I don't look so. But anyway, a lot of people don't have a lot of churches. Don't have an Outreach system. So I've got this is are reaching our community for Christ, attracting more newcomer. So that's kind of what we're going to talk about the next 3 or 4 weeks. And when I say newcomers, I mean people that are unsaved is try a best of people that we're trying to reach if you reach people that are saved but they just don't go to church anymore. If you come across a person like that. Well, that's fine if they're not in church and they want to come to our church. That's fine, too. But predominantly what we're talkin about here? Are people who are unsaved So, this Outreach system before we really get into it. It's kind of going to show us in a public way and in a private way how to share Jesus. So, I'm just wondering how many of you in here. Has ever LED anyone to Christ that you shared the gospel with them and they accepted Christ. Anybody in here, ever LED anyone to Christ, okay, Martha has and John house. Okay. But you did it. Yeah.

Right. Yeah, okay, that's right. It is, you know, but he he uses people though, you know, he uses he uses people like all of us and so this is this is what we want to to get into. We want to be able We all want to be invited us and we all know someone that's not saved. I mean, you know, someone in your family, probably has not saved. You probably have neighbors that, I don't know how well, you know your neighbors, but you may have neighbors and, you know, they don't go to church and you may not be safe. And you know that how many of you out here? Know your neighbors really well, this route and okay, I'll leave y'all about it by halfway, okay?

I don't know our neighbors very well. I know the people that live beside me on both sides a little bit one specially cuz we kind of all been living there together about 18 years now, probably or something, but I really don't know the people across the street and down the road. I mean, I know someone's acting Sheriff, Granville County. I know him. We've talked a lot over the years.

But a lot of the other people in my neighborhood. I I just, I wouldn't, I don't know him, I speak to him sometime when I'm out working in the yard there, walking down the road and we, you know, sometimes they'll stop and talk and well, might as well. I don't call me my say what you got the pretty sure I so appreciate. I work all the time. In it, blah blah and he has a pretty yard. Now, I complement on his yard, but that's about as far as that goes. I really don't know. We live in a subdivision, I really don't know the people in that subdivision, like I should, you know, and some people can tell you everybody in their subdivision. Now we live about 20 minutes from here. And no, I'm going to try to get out and talk to people in my subdivision about what we're doing here and things like that. I don't know how many would be receptive or how many wouldn't drive that far, you know, to come to church? I don't know. But that's the people that I live around. That's, that's my little circle over there, so I should be talkin to them. But every person that wants to the church doors again, and I've said this before. Is a gift from God, everyone that comes through our door. So somebody somewhere has probably been praying for him and if not surely, if they're going to come to church, the Lord kind of tugging at your heart or the holy spirit is or something, you know, convicting them about something. So when when lost people come to our church, we want to make sure that they feel welcome. and, If you have lost people in your church, I mean, would y'all mind if we had 10 or 15 people show up every Sunday who didn't know Jesus, but they came to listen, would y'all mind if that happened? So you wouldn't Right. But but also

It can get a little messy, if you got a lot of lost people in your church, whether there, you know, surely, they won't be members, but if they come, he can get a little messy but they can and we can stir stuff. Because we can say the wrong thing. that can come across as even though it's the truth, it can come across as Well, we're banging them over the head with the Bible. I know what type of life you live and it's not right. So when you have lost people in your church and I'm certainly not saying that you compromised the message and my preaching wouldn't change at all but you just have to be careful of how you interact with them when you first meet them, And that's, that's why Jesus. And I think this is the first I use John 1:14. It was one of the verses I used in my daily devotion today. That we are to speak with Grace and Truth. But I want you to know this. What comes first Grace? You always have to show people grace before. You can tell them a better way. so, if two people come in here who were lesbians

And there's some in our neighborhood. if two people come in here, who were lesbian, How would we treat them as far as how would you show them Grace first? Well, you would just love them like you. Would anyone else? That's just what you have to do? You just have to love people and you introduce yourself in and you you get to know him and you what did Jesus do this past Sunday. The Pharisees asking, why do you do, what? Why do you eat with Sinners? What are you have to sit down with him and talk to him? Not time for truth yet. People need to know that people. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. so if you show people, you care about him and you're not judgmental, Being, and you could, you'll be able to get to the point where you can speak truth in their life. You're right and say okay now look we don't believe like this or whatever it is. This is what I believe and but they'll listen to you if they trust you. And if you've been nice to him they'll listen to you but if you hadn't if it they think it's just judgment and things like that. You're probably going to lose them. So I just say that because he can kind of get messy sometime in a church. If you have, you know, a lot of lost people coming, but we need them to come to hear the gospel. And so we show them Grace and then later, we speak truth. I have a scripture. I want to show you ask chapter 50.

The passage here, say the verse 19. Therefore, I judge that. We should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God. So he saying that some of the Gentiles are turning to God and he's talking to the Jews and he said, look, don't trouble them, don't don't speak truth before you show Grace. Don't tell them, he's got to become a Jew. You got to get circumcised and things like that. Don't do that, he says here. Don't trouble those who are turning to God. And I read that and I thought to myself, what you don't want to trouble, anyone who may be right on the verge of turning the god. You don't know what their heart is, like, if they're here, they're here for some reason, nobody's going to force them to come. So, you know, we don't want to trouble though. So the purpose kind of these lessons that we're going to look at. It's just it's going to help us as a church to Bella up a kind of a comprehensive Outreach system. Better, that attracts people to Christ. And and the church. It will take advantage of Our Own Strength In These in this congregation. but there's something else will take it bandaged up and it's, it's a little bit odd, but the seasons of the year, In other words will maybe we can have like a banjola stick. Things going on. Easter or Christmas or Mother's Day. Something like that, you'll be surprised. And I'm going to give you some stats here in a few minutes, but the results of most Church's Outreach system. Kind of always follows the, what they are have been conditioned to do. So if you are a runner, say, you run marathons, if you run. Well, it's probably because you've conditioned yourself to run. Well, I mean, you're not just going to go out and run at the Boston. Marathon, if you've never ran before in your life, I mean, you won't make it a block probably, you know, but but you know, any type of athlete, whatever it is. But the church. Is the same way we can dish in ourselves and what we're getting out of our Outreach system. If what we have conditioned ourselves to get So, if you're not getting anything out of your Outreach system, well, then it's a good thing to begin one. And to start one, you know, every church has certain aspects where they're really good at. I mean some Churches have good preaching and they have good discipleship and maybe good programs or Ministry. But their Outreach just doesn't have it or they may have a good Outreach but the preacher is he just need just Rambles and he's not a good preacher. And the discipleship is not good but but they are, they are on fire for the loss and they bring people in. But, you know, there's other areas, that's not that good. But fortunately, in the ministry, if you can do a little conditioning, you should be doing well at all. Now, some church growth experts will say where y'all to just do what you do. Well and just concentrate on a few things. But I I kind of disagree with that because If we want to be healthy, if a church wants to be a healthy Church, you ought to do all things as well as you can good as you can and everything in alter the flow. So I don't think that it has to be. Well we're just you know we just do these couple things well but we we really don't have an Outreach and we really don't have worship that much you know but we're good. Disciple didn't know. We ought to be good at everything that we can be and we also have the systems in place a body with a weak heart. But really strong lungs is still weak. You know, that it's still weak and eventually the lungs will match the heart in its Fitness level. But I think one of the biggest reasons that churches aren't growing is because they concentrate a lot of their resources. Mainly on worship in discipleship systems to the detriment of the Outreach system. A lot of people will say this, you know, I told you, you know, it's going to cost a little money when we start Outreach cuz we going to do a few things that's not real expensive, but it'll cost a little bit of money. But, you know, I've heard a lot of people say in church as well, we don't have the money to send out postcards to be assigned to this ZIP code, here you, and you imagine how much that's going to cost, that's going to be three or four hundred dollars. We don't have money to do that. We need more money for whatever Sunday school, small group benevolence, the building fund, that's what we need more money from, but really, what keeps your church going? Is people coming in, we need a good Outreach system, so if you going to be fruitful, yes, your worship and discipleship systems need to be good and effective, but if we're going to attract more newcomers, our Outreach system has to be engaging and effective as well. It just has to be

And so, I want you to look at your hand out here. And on the first page, it says, designing a church with the loss than mine. I just wrote something down here that you know, that we will probably need to think about maybe some of more than other maybe, you know, some of them not at all. But just look at some of these. Number one, what do we need to believe in order to be on a focus mission to seek and save the lost? Well, we need to believe that Outreach has important. We can't just pray, Lord, send all the loss to our church. Well, he may do that. But most likely, if we if we just pray Lord, send them in the door, he may be up to it and, you know, in heaven thinking, okay? Well whenever you, you know, whenever you get together and start putting together something going out and seeing people, then I'll bless you. Then, you know, it's just not all him, he's the big part, but we have to do our part as well. So we need to believe that Outreach system is important and we need to believe that. That there's people out there that lost in these Jesus. That's why we're praying or not. I need a prayer. We pray that so day, we can have the Lord heart concerning the loss that we learn this past Sunday, how he sees the lost, you know, and we need to see the loss the same way. He does, what do we need to do in order to be a place that values and welcomes lost people? Again, I've already talked a little bit about that, it can get messy when you have lost. People going in your church. They was a pastor. I was talking to when I was in seminary and he said, they had some lost people to come in his church and he says, in our Sunday service, a lot of times I'll say, what kind of like I do, Brother, David closes in prayer brother, Lewis. They want a lot of people come up to a Max Church said, can I ask you something said? Yes she said everybody in this church related and he said would know there's 150 people in this church. She said, would you call them all either brother or sister? She didn't, she didn't know. She thought brother-sister they might be related or something. Now about goes for our church when all I'm saying is you have to be careful. It's as a pastor if you use Church, speak. with lot of people, cuz a lot of more understand it, Right. I mean brother and sent what is this or if we had an event one time and we have five or six lost people here and I said, glad you're here. Baba getting ready to start my message and I said, I'd turn to Leviticus

What would they think? What's Leviticus? What is that or hot in the most time? I say if you have your Bibles turn to Leviticus. So I'm going to have to make sure when if we get to the point where we have lost people visiting but I want we're going to have to put all of our scripture that we use up on the screen cuz they're not going to be able to find in the Bible. I mean, you know, I tell John to wait before he starts playing so we can get the page on the hymnal. If you waited for them to find, it would be here all day. They're not going to be able to find it. So we don't have to start putting, you know, if this comes to fruition will have to start putting vs up on the screen as well. Number 3, really, don't not going to affect us. What kind of music will we play? John will be playing and he'll be playing hymns. And things like that. We're not going to play country music just cause we think we're going to have some lost people here or something like that. We're not we're not going to do that. What should we say from the stage to make everyone feel welcome? Well, I kind of already talked about that we have to be, you know, careful brother this brother that or assuming even when I preach, how many times have I use the word? God is sovereign. Well, most of y'all know what that means. Lost person. Don't know what that means. Or if I say, oh yeah, he's our propitiation. Well, most of y'all probably don't know what that means. I lost persons not going to know from peachy, ain't you? What, what is it? What is that mean? So a lot of theological terms that I like to use when I preach and I use them and then I try to explain them.

I'm just saying you have to be careful. They're not going to understand what you're saying. You have to make it very clear. I don't mean, I'm going to dumb down my sermons, I don't mean that, but you just have to be aware of who you're preaching to what types of sermons need to be preached. That can reach the lost. Well, I think one like a priest. This last Sunday would have been a good one to reach the lofts Des sermons. Like that. What type of service can be priests at both reached the loss and build the save. So when I'm up here preaching, yes, I want to make it simple and not get so deep that they don't understand. And I don't want to use all these what we would call Bible words that they wouldn't understand. But I also understand that we have Christians here who need to mature and they're fake and they need to be pushed a little bit and we need to go a little deeper. so, how do you determine how to do that? You want to reach the lost? But you also want to build the save at the same time, there's a fine line there. I'm telling you, there's a fine line and doing that. What kind of small groups do we need to offer in order to meet the needs of not yet? Save people. Well, if our church grow, some certainly, we will start having small groups, but wonder if you do have some people that come to church this, they come kind of regularly but they're not safe. What? What kind of group you going to put them in your not going to put them in a Biblical theology class. Although that's what they need, but stay all. You probably not going to do that. You need something more simple for them, and what kind of groups when we offer to brand new Believers, someone accept Christ what you going to do with them, you just going to say, okay with good, that's great. Come back next Sunday or no, Somebody's got to take them under their wing. Somebody's got to disciple them and teach them and I'm in the process of trying to get a matter fact, I already have some literature on if an adult is say what we would go through with them. But somebody's going to have to go through this. You can't just leave them to the side. I mean many years ago Church. Somebody come down and get save, yeah, they'd vote on him. Right then and there and then they vote, say, yeah, we accept them and he'd be a church member and then he's just forgotten. He just sits over there every week, never learn and never growing. So we have to take these people once they're saying and we have to something you can just next steps class, something like that. Next steps. As a Christian, just very simple but we have to do that. That those are things. You have to think about So what is your Outreach system, your Church's Outreach system, involves how you think about pray for plan for and what you do to bring lost people into the church and into relationship with Jesus? I must kind of our main point right there. Okay, the purpose of your Outreach system. Do y'all have some Blanks on that one? Ok. Google eyes as many as possible.

Within the natural. Footprint of your church.

You say what, what in the world are you talking about the natural footprint of your Churchwell? The natural footprint is the area around your church. That is within natural. Or normal driving distance for a person. Now, we don't live in a while mean. I kind of look at it that we do, but you wouldn't call this. A rural area is more Suburban I think.

An area that's rule. Those people will drive 20, 30, 40 minutes to go to church cuz I have to I mean that's what they will do. But Church, these folks have done studies Church. Growth studies, And the study showed that people would drive to church. In the same direction that they drive regularly like going to work or going shopping or something. So, I just want you to think about our church where it's located

most people who go shopping in this area say,

I can't just say a 10 Mi radius up 50, that way, that way, 98 to Durham to Wake Forest. Most people who go shopping in that area in this area Which way would they normally go? They wouldn't go. 50 North toward Creedmoor? There's no shopping there. But if you go 50 South you run into W Crabtree and all like that down in there.

Highway 70, is that about 10 miles but it's it's interesting to know that I go off.

Show me, use this. Can I use this? Okay. All right. So it's interesting that people are used to driving to get to work or to play or eat or the shop or something like that because that's fine that natural if they go in Worship in that direction. And they found that a lot of people that even if a worship house, was 60 miles away, the other direction, they just wouldn't consider it because they never go that way you, you, you yourself, probably travel the same roads all the time and you go, when you go to eat, or when you go to shop, you go to the same direction, probably every time And it says that people they like to go in the direction that they're used to going in.

so I would say, around here Suburban, let's just say

A 10-minute Drive. Maybe 15, I don't know. Can you go, can you go, how many miles in 10 minutes? Can you go 10 miles in 10 minutes? Maybe something like that. Let's just say a 10 Mi radius around the church. Because anything further than that, those who are not saved is going to consider that a trip. I'm going on a trip. If it's any any farther than that and you have to choose to make a trip. Now, you could you could get Christian people to come 20, 30 minutes, if I can find Christian people in my neighborhood, they would probably come 20 minutes to come to church here but if you invite lost people to come to church and they may come one time but then they're going to say look, it was good and all but I can't make this trip I've ever ever Sunday. I just don't and specially. If you do with the way gas prices are the only exception as I said before. Is if you live in a rural area and I grew up in a rural area When we went to the grocery store, we had to travel 20 to 25 minutes to get there. And I'm talkin about a Food Lion. A real grocery store. Not a little convenience store, we had to travel 20 minutes to get there when I went to work at Nortel, I drove an hour and 20 minutes one way. Things like I know where I did that, but I did it for 18 years and 10 of those years was on third shift, but it didn't bother me, why? Because I was used to traveling a long distance to go anywhere. If I wanted something to eat, if I want to go to the grocery store. So I traveled an hour and 20 minutes, one way to go to work. See, if you're in a rural area, people will will do that. but, so all I'm saying is the church footprint let's just say is a 10 Mi radius around my church say 10 miles so you're saying up to Durham to Wake Forest North Raleigh that's our churches footprint and you know if we can just kind of sketch a map of the natural footprint of our church, You know in stablish kind of a mental footprint. Then the process of reaching those people is simple but it's not easy. But the process is simple. And so we need to to remember

As we lead, try to lead people to Christ. Jesus didn't ask his disciples to make decisions. He told his disciples to make. Disciples is what he thought. So let me show you a about three scriptures that I want us to look at number one is I didn't put them in their data.

Okay, pull up. Matthew 28:19 and 20

Matthew 28:19 and 20, this is what Jesus said to his disciples. I'm sorry, I should have put those in there.

Go therefore and make disciples not decisions Disciples of all.

All the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son, Holy Spirit, teaching them, to observe, all things that I commanded you and lo, I Am With You Always even to the End of the Age. Amen. Well, that's what we called. The Great Commission. And what Jesus is saying is that you go to all the nations, baptizing them teaching them to observe all things. Now, lot of preachers use this on this and a lot of, look at that first word, you say what here is what he's doing? Is he can, he's commanding us to go Witness But actually the word go, there is not in the imperative, the imperative is in the teaching and baptizing. That's a participle. The first word actually, what that says is as you're going. He just assumes that we're going, he's not commanding us to go. He says as you're going going about your business everyday, Make Disciples of all Nations all that's your impaired that's the command right? They're teaching and baptizing and making disciples so he just assumes that a church or Christians you're automatically going to be going. and that's the way that it should be asked 18 Vicky

Acts 1:8. And this is the course at Pentecost.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria. And to the end of the Earth, just in the region around your house, where your church is and we got International missionaries and all sharing the gospel to the end and we support them, sharing the gospel to the end of the Earth. And you don't have to turn to this one. It's in Matthew 4. But when Jesus called Peter to be a disciple, he said, come and I'll make you Fishers of Men. He told a fisherman that I'm going to make you a fisher of men. You ain't talkin to construction workers. Play Jesus knew what he was doing when he talked to people, he knew their background. And so he would give them an analogy that they would understand you fish for a living. Let me come. I'm going to make you fish for me. Know, they're ready to go, when you said that? Oh yeah, we fish anyway. You know, we're ready to go, you know, as far as that goes. So Jesus didn't ask his disciple to make decision. He said you go out and make disciples loud. So we got a few more minutes, maybe about 5 more minutes and

He said if you'll come and follow me, I'll make you Fishers of Men now, they were on the Sea of Galilee. Well, the Sea of Galilee is really not a seed. It's a lake is 8 miles, wide and 12 miles long. Called to see a Galilee but it's actually a lake. In the man that Jesus called were fishermen, they had grown up on that Lake. Even before they understood what it would mean to fish. Now that have been construction workers like I said, he probably said, you know something I'm only teach you to be Constructors of men but he didn't do that. He said I'm going to teach you to be Fishers. Hey, they were going to fish for people. Well, what do you think fishermen think about every morning when they get up?

Catching fish. That's what a fish. Remember, think about thinking about, where's the fish going to be? Where would they buy it today? What time of year is it? What equipment do? I need to know these big fish moon is on the bass or the Provost or whatever, they got, all these everything on their boat. They know seem like they got underwater cameras, they know exactly where the fish are, you know, and there's no telling how much money they spent in fisherman. Also know, the market price of fish and they know that they didn't catch that fish and they couldn't support their family. So Jesus disciples. They were really motivated to fish. In friends. If we can have a congregation in a church, to be Fishers of Men and we're motivated to be Fishers of Men. We will have an effective Evangelistic Church. That's what we'll have. If you're just motivated to be Fishers of Men, that's all it takes. You don't need education. You don't have to have. I got to memorize Romans road, or is it whatever we going to use or whatever? I got it? No, you don't do that. You don't, you don't need to do that. If you are, if you have a desire to beat Fisher for men, you will build relationships with these neighbors and co-workers, and your hair stylist, or whatever, and the Lord will do the work. And he will use you in that. That's why we're praying. This 90-day prayer. We want to get motivated. To see and to have the heart for the loss that the Lord has. So when do the target fish, who live New York near your church? When do they bite best, where do they bite best? How do they bite best? So I'm just going to give you the stat and then will close.

When do people bite? Best in other words, when are people saved, the people who come to Christ in America, more people come to Christ, I'm guess what? Day of the week? Sunday. More people in America come to Christ on Sunday, then any other day of the week. So that tells us that where people B best, if we need to be motivated to go out and Reach people and have them in our church on Sunday. Now, yeah, they can accept price on a Monday morning. I did. 1 Monday morning about 6 a.m. Front seat of my daddy's pickup. That's when I did it. But more people do it on Sunday. Now. Are some Sundays better than others. Are people open to the gospel on some Sundays more? So then on others, guess guess which Sunday is the biggest Easter? Easter Sunday is the biggest. So if you want to catch fish at your church, what you going to do on the Easter Sunday, you better plan something and have something that lost people would be here because that's when they bite best. Now, you're never going to guess this one will close. We'll close with this. Guess what? The second largest day is that people get saved in America and it's it's not Sunday guess when it is. Good choice, but it's not. Nope. The Second Sunday of December.

The Second Sunday, I don't, I don't know, but I read what pastors wrote On One. Pastor said that he found out about that. And he said for the next five years in his church, he looked at that. And he looked at that second Sunday in December. And he said, sure enough, they had more people saved on that Sunday than any other time except Easter. The Second Sunday in December. Well, you know, if it falls within an appropriate like a sermon series that you're doing and the gospel is presented for some reason. People come to Christ, more readily on that day. Maybe they're getting prepared for Christmas. I don't know what it is, but the second Sunday in December. But if that's the case, but I also put my preaching calendar around the Second Sunday of December, when I'm going to be doing something there. And then, others is a course, Christmas Eve. The house is Christmas or Christmas Eve.

Info, but that's just interesting. Okay, we'll close it down right there for the night, and we will will start filling in those blanks next Wednesday. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank and praise you. And love you tonight. Lord. Lord we can start studying about this Outreach system and what we want to do and how we want to do it. Lord I pray that you would make each one of us in here in viders. I pray that you would give each one in here, your heart for the loss and that we may have your eyes for the Lost. Lord. And we know that if we take this seriously and if we get motivated to be Fishers of Men that we will indeed have an effective Evangelistic system in our church. Lord, we know that is through you in the power of the holy spirit that we can witness and whatever we do. But Lord help us also to understand that you expect us to get out and do the things that we can do to meet people and to greet people and to show them Grace Lord, as we go throughout our community and with our neighbors lure weed is pray that you'll continue to bless this teaching and bless the vision 2020 for the Dynamic Church initiative. Force in Christ's name I pray. Amen.