A Farmers Guide to Evangelism - Mark 4:1-36

You're listening to the Christ Our Cornerstone

podcast, a ministry of Christ Our Cornerstone

Church in O 'Neill, Nebraska. I'm Pastor Logan

Merrick, and it's our prayer that this message

strengthens your faith and draws you closer to

Christ. Let's dive in. We are going to go to

Mark chapter four. The title of my sermon today

is A Farmer's Guide to Evangelism. I figured,

you know, that's an apt title. One, because of

what you'll see in the text, and two, well, because

of my audience so um we're going to unpack quite

a bit uh 34 verses and i'm gonna move as quick

as i can but making sure that we're thoroughly

working through it now you may be like pastor

logan before we had palm sunday and easter sunday

we skipped um some portions, some verses from

chapter three, and that is correct, but only

because as I was preparing that sermon, I realized

I basically preached it on Easter Sunday, not

realizing it. Because what is taking place, and

I'll just briefly sum it up, is essentially Lord,

liar, lunatic, because Jesus is called a liar

by the Pharisees. And he's called a lunatic by

his own family in that text. And so I already

pointed out last week why he is not those things.

So I thought, well, we'll continue moving on.

Is that okay with everybody? Or you guys want

me to go back and preach it again next week?

Or do you just want me to preach what I preached

last week? Okay. So the big idea this morning

that we're gonna unpack is effective evangelism

combines understanding our message. with insight

into the condition of the hearts we engage, leading

to the expansion of God's kingdom. Now, we're

gonna take this chunk by chunk. I'm not just

gonna read all 34 verses. We're gonna take this

chunk by chunk. But before we start in the verses,

let me ask you this. How many of you have ever

shared the gospel with someone? Okay, most everybody.

There's different ways we can do that, right?

We can go on missions trips, missions trips specifically.

Hopefully you're going on a missions trip to

share the gospel with someone. How many of you

would say, yeah, that's where I have shared the

gospel the most is on a missions trip? Couple,

all right. So then was it a conversation with

a friend, a family member, a neighbor? Okay.

I'm going somewhere with all this, so. Just hang

tight with me. How many of you guys would say,

um, I've shared the gospel in a way that was

not planned. I was not thinking about going up

to, uh, this person. It just, I was in line at

the bank or whatever and the Holy Spirit kind

of gave me the opportunity. I took it and after

I was done, I looked back and go, Whoa, kind

of blacked out there for a second. Anybody? You're

like, no, I'm not blacking out. What are you

talking about? It was a joke. OK. I've I've literally

shared the gospel in all those ways, whether

it was on a mission trip, whether it was with

friends, neighbors or just moments present themselves.

And the reason why I'm asking you guys this is

because that's what we're going to be unpacking

today. Now, let me ask you another question.

How many of you would say you love the idea of

sharing your faith? But when you actually think

about doing it, you start to freak out a little

bit. OK, yeah, that's good. I appreciate the

honesty, because it is a fair response to feel

this kind of anxiety. And there's a book. I can't

even remember the name of the author, but I just

remember the title of it was so good. And it

was How to Share Jesus Without Freaking Out.

And it was good. It's a decent little book. If

you are one of those people that's like, I kind

of freak out a little bit at the thought of it,

highly recommend it. But we're going to unpack

some of that today. But a lot of us live in the

tension of evangelism because we know that it

matters. We know that we should do it. But at

times, fear gets the best of us and we hesitate.

As a matter of fact, in my own house, we live

in that tension because my wife is one who would

say, I don't have the gift of evangelism, and

she doesn't necessarily live in this way that's

like, I've got to share the gospel with everybody.

Now, don't anyone look in her direction and be

like, how dare you as a pastor's wife? Because

I would point that finger and those eyes right

back at you. But she will do it if the opportunity

presents itself, but she is not going out of

the way. And she will tell you, like, I'm not

sharing anything that she's not, you know, willing

to share. But it sounds like most of you guys

are in the same kind of boat as her. Like it's

like, yeah, if the opportunity presents itself,

I'm going to take it. I'm probably going to step

all over myself, put my foot in my mouth a couple

of times, you know, whatever. But I've really

got to just trust that the Holy Spirit's moving

it right. Like I am not. I will say I there's

been times I've been uncomfortable to share the

gospel, but I am not that person. I love sharing

the gospel and I don't I don't say this is like

a look at me, I'm an all -star. That's not what

I mean. I know that one of the gifts of the spirit

that I have is evangelism. And so I can literally

bring Jesus into any and every conversation.

You want to talk about the weather, buddy, I

will find a way to bring Jesus into that conversation.

And to give you an example of this, when we first

moved to Lincoln, I was literally sharing the

gospel with everybody, whether it was our Drunken

college student neighbors that we had I was trying

to hold a Bible study on our front porch with

those guys we had a guy come to install the internet

and That poor guy ended up getting a lot more

than he bargained for because by the time he

was done I had a date set up with him the next

day to sit down and talk about the Bible at the

coffee shop and we did do that and so it's just

there was, especially when we were trying to

plant the church and plant the gospel, it was

like, I took every opportunity. I felt like it

didn't matter who came in my path. Like God had

placed them there. And so I was going to share

the gospel with them. But like I said, there's

also those times where I will shrink back and

I'm really uncomfortable and I can get to the

place where I'm going. I shouldn't, I shouldn't.

say anything right now. Like those times do happen.

But for the most part, I do enjoy, I would say

80 % of the time taking advantage of talking

about Jesus. But here's something that we definitely

cannot miss. Evangelism is part of our calling

as believers. Would everybody agree with that?

Yes. It's not just about who has the gift of

evangelism. It is the job of everybody, which

is why we read Mark 16, 15, which was the call

to all of us of the Great Commission, go and

make disciples. So the next question becomes,

how do we actually do this well? And that's exactly

what Jesus helps us understand in Mark chapter

four, because what he does is he prepares his

disciples and us for what evangelism is really

going to look like. He tells us that when we

go out, we're going to encounter different kinds

of hearts. just like different kinds of soils,

and not all of them are going to respond the

same way. In fact, some won't respond at all,

but that part is beautifully not on you. What

is on you is to be faithful with the message

and to be light. So we're also going to see this,

the kingdom of God may start small, but it grows

with incredible power. So if we will be faithful

to sow the seed, we will see a harvest. So let's

go ahead and dive in. We're going to read verses

one through 20. If you do not have a Bible, would

love for you to grab one in the back and see

the verses for yourself. That is our gift to

you. If you don't have one or you can read it

right up here. So we're going to go ahead and

read. Verses one through 20, like I said. And

again, he began to teach, he being Jesus, beside

the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about

him so that he got into a boat and sat in it

on the sea. And the whole crowd was beside the

sea on the land. And he was teaching them many

things and parables. And in his teaching, he

said to them, listen, behold, a sower went out

to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along

the path and the birds came and devoured it.

Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did

not have much soil and immediately it sprang

up since it had no depth of soil. And when the

sun rose, it scorched it and since it had no

root, it withered away. Other seed fell among

the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked

it and it yielded no grain. and other seeds fell

into good soil and produced grain, growing up

and increasing and yielding 30 -fold and 60 -fold

and 100 -fold. And he said, he who has ears,

let him hear." I'm gonna pause for just a second.

I know he does not like when I call him out and

ask for his response, but I'm going to anyway.

LOL. Is 30 -fold, 60 -fold and 100 -fold really

good return? What about corn? A hundred fold?

Take it? Cool. All right. Well, just making sure

that's good. I felt like that was good, but you

guys know I'm not a farmer. So, and when he was

alone, those around him in the 12 asked him about

the parables. And he said to them, to you has

been given the secret of the kingdom of God,

but for those outside, everything is in parables.

So that They may indeed see, but not perceive,

and may indeed hear, but not understand, lest

they should turn and be forgiven." That's a hard

text, by the way. And he said to them, do you

not understand this parable? How then would you

understand all parables? The sower sows the word,

and these are the ones along the path. Where

the word is sown, when they hear, Satan immediately

comes and takes away the word that is sown in

them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground,

and the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately

receive it with joy. And when they have no root,

and they have no root in themselves, and they

will endure for a while, then when the tribulation

and persecution arises on account of the word,

immediately they fall away. And others are the

ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear

the word, but the cares of the world and the

deceitfulness of riches and the desires of the

other things enter in and choke it out, and it

proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on

the good soil are the ones who hear the word,

accept it and bear fruit 30 fold, 60 fold and

100 fold. So if you are taking notes, my first

point is so generously entrust the spirit. So

as we look at Mark one through 20, we look at

sowing generously and trusting the Spirit. So

in these first 20 verses, we come to some really

important things to understand. First, we're

going to experience different types of soil.

Those soils, hopefully you understood, represents

hearts, spirits. And so second, Jesus speaks

in parables for a reason. So these are the two

things we're going to unpack at some points inside

of this first point. So let's start with the

soils. As you guys know, as I've already said,

National Hogan is no farmer. Every year, my wife

and my daughter are committed, committed to starting

a garden. And every year, well, let's just say

it's like the Hunger Games. Those plants better

produce something on their own because we don't

have green thumbs. And this year, My wife is

like, oh, we're doing it right. We're doing it

up this year. We're getting it done. OK, we pastor

a church of farmers and ranchers. Somebody is

going to help us. We're going to get this done.

Right. But it doesn't take a farmer and someone

who does isn't good at farming to understand

that soil is a big deal. Right. Like understanding.

your soils is a big deal, it's a part of it.

And so there was a time where we had decided

we were gonna, like I said, we're gonna grow

a small vegetable garden. And let's just say,

like I said, it did not go well. It always starts

out strong, but it never finished as well. And

there are a lot of reasons for that, but one

of the main reasons is the soil where we live.

It's hard, it's compact, and grass barely grows

in our backyard. It's mostly weeds and dirt in

our backyard. And our chickens that we had did

not help that, by the way. They scratched that

stuff all up for their little dirt baths. But

I remember this one time where we were trying,

we're trying it again this year. I'll let you

know how it goes. Hopefully it's better, but

we're trying to get grass to grow in our backyard.

And so, but when I tried to prepare the ground,

like I said, it is really, really, really hard.

And so I tried to prepare the ground. I scratched

it all up. I even do a little hoeing and I'm

doing like I'm doing it up. Right. And I'm waiting.

I put the seed down. And I kid you not, the very

next morning I look out and all that seed that

I had just laid was being eaten by Blue Jays

and Blue Jays are jerks. If you did not know

that, they are jerks, man. They will attack you

for no reason. And so they ate up. Most of my

seed and what seed did actually get into the

ground because it's so dry, even though we tried

to water it and even though our ground is hard,

like we did all the things. We got little bits

of grass and then it just when it got like dead

summer, it just burned. And so I feel like I

understand this parable so well. So. Now sure,

you could blame me for some of the reasons why

the grass died or burnt, but the point is still

the condition of the soil matters. And Jesus

says that's exactly what it's like with people's

hearts. They're going to be the hearts that are

hard. People who have been through things, people

who have built walls, and people who want nothing

to do with God or the message of hope. And when

you share, it feels like seed just hits on the

surface and gets taken away. How many of you

guys have ever shared the gospel with someone

like that? Yeah, I have. I definitely have. I've

had many conversations on the campus of UNL with

kids and others, and it's just like it bounces

off of them. But, let me ask you this, does that

mean that we just skip over those people? If

we know them and it's like, ah, they're hard

to it, they're just gonna, they're just, doesn't

matter my words, I'm just wasting my time, do

we just avoid those people? No, absolutely not.

Does it say that the sower looked at the ground

and was like, this is hard, so I'm not going

to sow seed there? Nope. We still sow. Write

this down. Because in the parable, the sower

is throwing seed everywhere. He's not being selective.

He is being generous. And we have to trust that

the Holy Spirit will use our obedience in his

message to do what only he can do. Now I can

already hear but pastor Logan, why would I spend

time sharing with someone who I know is going

to reject it? What do you think my answer is

to that? You don't know I know many a hard person

that I thought was absolutely no way are they

gonna come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ

and guess what? They did because it's not me

who does the saving, it's the Holy Spirit, I

am just entering into this with him and wanting

to be obedient. So you don't know who might be

the next Paul. You don't know what God might

do in a moment or over time or through a conversation

that didn't seem to go anywhere. Our job is not

to determine our outcomes. Our job is to be faithful

sewers. I told you guys before about my neighbor.

He is very hard, very antagonistic to the gospel.

And even more so, like I've had so many conversations

with him. And one time I really felt like the

Lord wanted me to give him a Bible. And so I

wrote a little note to him. I sat the Bible on

his front porch because he never comes to his

front door. And about an hour later, I found

that that Bible back on my porch with a note

back to me that said, thanks, but no, thanks.

He's still not a believer, but I'm still going

to keep sowing seed. It's just how it goes. So

Jesus talks to us about another kind of soil.

This is the person who receives the message quickly

and even joyfully. This is what I call the camp

high Christian. How many of you guys have ever

met somebody that get really excited about faith?

You've shared the gospel with them, they come

to know Jesus and they're really excited about

it and then they quickly fall away. Have you

guys ever experienced this person before? Nobody,

just me, got it, okay. I guess in youth ministry,

you see it all the time. The camp high Christian,

you know, you go to camp, you get whisked away

from all your friends and your phones and all

the stuff and the music's just right and the

lighting's just right and Pastor Logan's preaching

just right and sweating away with the gospel

and then all of a sudden they come to know Jesus

and all their friends come to know Jesus and

they're crying and snot's flowing all over the

altars and then they get back with their phones

and their friends and they go back to school

and then they're not believers. You guys catching

it now? So Bible says, Jesus is saying, yeah,

that's a real thing too. When we get back to

real life, when following Jesus actually costs

something, when it means dying to self, that

sense of excitement and emotion, it fades. The

root never goes deep enough and it doesn't last.

And then there's a soil that gets choked out.

This is the person who tries to add God into

a life that is already full of other things.

You know what's interesting is John MacArthur

in his commentary on this passage, he says that

the thorns and the brambles with which Jesus

is talking about are the very thorns that pierce

his head. They grow all along the sides of the

road and it gets choked out. And I thought that

was very ironic. And so John MacArthur calls

this the rich man's soil. It's a heart that wants

God, but also wants money, success, comfort and

control. And when the pressure comes and when

life gets hard, those other things win and they

run right back to the smaller gods that never

truly satisfy. So what do we do with those people?

Do we just stop sharing the gospel with them?

No. We continue to sow. Because every once in

a while, the seed lands in good soil, and when

it does, it changes everything. A life is transformed,

and a heart is made new, and that is something

only God can do. Now, let's look at the second

part. Like I told you, there's a second sub part.

Why does Jesus speak in parables? He tells us.

He says, he who has ears, let them hear. What

does that even mean, though? What does that mean?

It means not everyone is going to understand.

Jesus uses parables in a way that reveals truth

to those who are ready to receive it. And at

the same time, it conceals it from those who

are hardened, especially the religious leaders

who had already rejected him. He purposely hides

the gospel in the story. And here's why that

matters for us. It shows us that Jesus is in

control of how the message is received. He is

working in ways we cannot see. He is the one

opening ears, softening hearts and drawing people

to himself. We are not responsible for that part.

We sow the seed, the spirit does the work, but

the seed still has to be sown. And that's our

role and that's our calling. Let's go to 21 and

25. And he said to them, is a lamp brought in

to be under a basket? or under a bed and not

on a stand. For nothing is hidden except to be

made manifest, nor is anything secret except

to come to light. If anyone has ears, let them

hear. And he said to them, pay attention to what

you hear. With the measure you use, it will be

measured to you and still more will be added

to you. For to the one who has more will be given

and for the one who has not, even what he has

will be taken away. That is a hard thing to hear

at the end. Let's see why. So if you're taking

notes, my second point is shine openly and illuminate

the darkness. So last Sunday, I talked about

the danger of creating Christian ghettos. What

I meant by that, if I wasn't clear on it, is

these are the places where we isolate ourselves.

from the world because we're afraid to be influenced

or contaminated by it. We try to shut ourselves

away from the world because we're afraid that

in some way we might become evil if we are to

interact with it at all. So if we're not careful,

we can drift into a mindset that says the physical

world out there is bad and the safest thing we

can do is just stay away from it, keep to ourselves,

and stay in our bubble. Do you know what that's

called, brothers and sisters? Isolation, but

there is a literal theological belief. It's called

Gnosticism, which means that the physical material

things, my physical body is evil, but my spirit

is not. If you've ever heard of Christian science,

if you guys heard of the Christian science, that's

what they believe. It's really just dressed up

Gnosticism. Mary Baker Eddy is the creator of

it. It's really like there's nothing new under

the sun. It's been around. The Greeks were big

into it. Augustine was a Gnostic before he became

a Christian. And so again, if we're not careful,

We can be easily brought into a Gnostic way of

thinking just by going, no, the world is the

world is bad. Yes, the world is bad, but it's

not going to contaminate you. You are sealed

by the Holy Spirit. So that is not how the kingdom

works. We're not called to retreat from the world.

We are called to go into it. Actually had an

interaction this week. Check this out. This was

an interesting thing. I actually had an interaction

this week on Twitter X, whatever you want to

call it now. You guys know who Brandon Lake is?

Brandon Lake's a famous worship leader, he's

written a lot of songs. He was being interviewed

by Rolling Stone this week and in the editor

on this interview, it was videotaped. In this

interview, the editor says to him, I'm a Christian

Buddhist and I've met a Christian Buddhist I'm

a Christian Buddhist before. He says, I'm a Christian

Buddhist. And he looks at Brandon Lake and he

says, do you think that someone like me and my

beliefs is welcomed into the church, like the

overall church? So here's Brandon Lake with an

amazing opportunity. It's literally handed to

him. And Brandon Lake does what many in the Christian

music world, I've seen do, when they're giving

a big platform, all of a sudden, and this is

the moment to share the gospel, they shrink back.

And so his response is, I'm sure, yes, and I'm

sure that Jesus would love to have a conversation

with you. And so I had commented, and I said,

on the Rolling Stone article, I commented and

just said, yes, Brandon, Jesus was ready to have

the conversation and you missed it. So then a

guy responds back to me and he says, except a

true Christian wouldn't be talking to Rolling

Stone in the first place. And I responded back

and said, have you completely missed the gospel

and what Jesus does? That's exactly where I want

to be. I want to be in front of Rolling Stone.

Now, listen, I understand that we as Christians

get taken out of context all the time. I understand

that the media lies all the time about the things

that we believe and the things that we say, yada,

yada, yada. But when it's videotaped and I'm

asked a question straight up front, that is the

moment to share the gospel. And so, if you believe

like this guy who responded to me that... Well,

no, because you would not be having that conversation

if you're really a Christian, then I would say

you're not actually believing the Bible. Because

here's the thing, brothers and sisters, this

is not in my notes, but I don't know if I've

ever said it to you guys. The best thing about

playing sports is scoring. Yeah. I know that

we're Husker fans, so we don't get to score touchdowns

a lot, but at least our basketball team does.

It's fun to play offense, but it seems like as

Christians, we're always playing defense and

we're never playing offense. So if you live like

this, what I'm saying that shut away, hide your

lamp under a bed, then you're constantly playing

defense and you're never playing offense. So

I get what Brandon was trying to do. I understand

that he was trying to be gracious, but in that

moment, he clearly missed a chance to speak the

truth. and instead he played it safe and he let

the tone of the room shape his response. So,

I love how Jesus doesn't avoid what's going on.

He says, Jesus didn't avoid the world. He stepped

right into it. He sat with sinners. He had conversations

with people far from God. He brought light into

dark places and that's exactly what He's getting

at in this passage. He uses the image of a lamp.

You don't light a lamp and then hide it. You

don't cover it up. You don't tuck it away where

no one can see it. The whole purpose of the lamp

is to give light to the room. And if you are

in Christ, you have been given that light, not

to hide it and not to keep it to yourself, but

to let it shine. And that means we live in a

way that is visible. It's tangible. It's real.

Our faith is not something we keep locked inside

these walls. It's it shows up in our conversations,

in our decisions and how we treat people and

how we respond when we're even given the opportunity.

So here's I'm going to ask you, you don't have

to raise your hands to this, but I want to ask

you. Last week, we I gave a challenge for Easter.

Every day, there was a different, simple way.

to shine the light of Jesus with someone. It's

ways to just be simply intentional. So my question

is, did anybody take me up on it? Because it's

those things that matter. Because it's not just

a nice idea. This is stewardship. You can write

this down. What do you mean, Pastor Logan, by

stewardship? Jesus goes on to say that what we've

been given is being measured. So I want you to

think about that. Our time, our homes, our families,

our talents, our careers, our church, our neighbors,

all of it has been entrusted to us. So the question

is, what are we doing with it? Are we using what

God has given us to shine his light, or are we

stepping into opportunities, or are we shrinking

back when things get uncomfortable? You can write

this down too. What up, Gus? Hey! Through Christ,

you have been given light. You don't have to

manufacture it, you don't have to force it, but

you're called to reflect it. Think of it like

a mirror. You're reflecting the light. And when

you live openly like that, when your faith is

visible and not hidden, it creates opportunities.

People notice conversations happen and seeds

get planted. So here's the question you need

to wrestle with. Where am I hiding my light?

Where am I choosing comfort over calling? Where

am I staying silent when I should be speaking?

Because the world around you is not lacking darkness.

What it is lacking though is light. So shine

openly and illuminate the darkness. Let's read

verses 26 through 34. And he said, the kingdom

of God is as if a man should scatter seed on

the ground. He sleeps and rises and rises night

and day and the seed sprouts and grows and he

knows not how. The earth produces by itself First

the blade, then the ear, then full of grain in

the ear. But when the grain is ripe at once,

he puts the sickle to it because the harvest

has come. And he said, with what we can compare

the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we

use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed,

which when it is sown in the ground is the smallest

of all seeds on the earth. Yet when it is sown,

it grows up. and becomes larger than all the

garden plants and puts out large branches so

that the birds of the air can make their nest

in its shade. With many such parables, he spoke

the word to them, and as they were able to hear

it, he did not speak to them without a parable,

but privately to his own disciples, he explained

everything. Have you ever seen a mustard seed

before? Holy moly, I've never seen one until

I looked it up. It's like the size of a grain

of sand. Very, very, very tiny. So one of the

most encouraging things about this passage is

that Jesus reminds us that there is a mystery

to how the kingdom of God grows. He tells another

parable about a man who scatters seed on the

ground. And then what happens? The man goes to

sleep, he wakes up and days go by, but somehow

the seed begins to grow. He doesn't know how

it happens. That's the point. There is a part

of this process that is completely outside of

our control. We can plant the seed, we can water

it, we can be faithful to speak, to live, to

shine, but the actual growth, the transformation

of the heart, the moment where someone goes from

death to life, that is the work of God. Vicki

May, I'm gonna speak to you now, because I know

that lol is hiding somewhere. You have a nice

garden and you do really well with it. Are you,

with your garden, once you've planted the seed,

are you going out there each day and doing something

inside the ground to make that seed do all of

its work? Are you just letting the environment

do what it's supposed to do and the laws of what

God has put in place? It's taking care of everything.

You're just doing your part to care for and steward

it, right? Or am I wrong? Do you have some magical

thing that you're doing? So that's what Jesus

is saying with this. He's like, hey, the mystery

lies with me. You just have to be a good steward

of it. And that, brothers and sisters, should

be incredibly freeing, should it not? To know

that it all rests on Him. I just have to be obedient

and do the little thing. Because some of you

carry a weight. That evangelism is like it all

depends on you, like you if you say something

wrong or if you miss a moment or you don't see

results you think you failed and that's not what

Jesus is teaching. He's saying you be faithful

with what I've given you, you sow the seed, you

trust me with the growth. Some of you have had

conversations with people and you walked away

thinking nothing happened, no response, no visible

change, it felt like it just fell flat. but you

had no idea what God is actually doing beneath

the surface. Just because you can't see it doesn't

mean he's not working. Growth in the kingdom

is often slow. It's often hidden and it rarely

happens on our timeline. Which means we have

to learn patience. We have to trust that God

is at work even when we don't see immediate results.

And Jesus gives us one more picture. He talks

about the mustard seed, this tiny, insignificant

looking seed, something that at first glance

doesn't look like nothing much at all. But when

it grows, it becomes something large, something

strong, something that provides shelter and life.

And that's what the kingdom of God looks like,

brothers and sisters. It starts small. It's a

conversation. It's a moment of obedience. It's

a simple act of faith. Something that feels almost

insignificant at the time, but in the hands of

God, it grows into something far greater than

we could ever imagine. So here's what I want

you to hear me say. Don't despise small beginnings.

Don't overlook the simple opportunities. Don't

think that because it felt ordinary, it wasn't

meaningful. God specializes in taking small faithful

acts and producing massive kingdom impact. Here's

a quote from William Carey. He was a famous missionary.

I wouldn't live my life, by the way, by what

William Carey did. He left his wife and kids

behind. When his wife was going, I don't think

we're called to go to India. And he goes, see

you later. Have fun taking care of the kids.

I'm gonna go share the gospel. I don't think

that that's how that works, by the way. He sowed

for nine years, never saw a single convert. Guess

what? Then his wife goes and joins him years

later and all of a sudden converts start happening.

All I'm saying, man, is sometimes our ladies

hear the Holy Spirit much better than we do.

But he does have a very good quote. He says,

expect great things from God, attempt great things

for God. So that's the posture. We step out in

faith, we take the opportunities in front of

us and we share, we serve, we speak, we shine,

and at the same time we trust God to do what

only he can do. Because at the end of the day,

this is his kingdom. And he has already established

that it will grow, it will expand, it will reach

far beyond what we could ever imagine. And so

we must be faithful in the small things. Trust

him with the results. and expect that God will

do more than you can ever think possible through

obedience. And I'm closing with this. Many of

you have come to me over this last year and you've

said to me why, and not like I'm doing something

wrong. You just legitimately care because you

care for our church, but you've... I've gotten

the question many times from different people,

why isn't our church growing? Why does it feel

like our church is actually shrinking? So if

you look around on a Sunday morning, we're pretty

consistent in the mid -80s. If everyone is here,

we're pushing closer to 100. But many have asked,

where did everyone go? My answer is always the

same, I don't know. But I'll tell you this, I'm

not worried about it. I used to, as a church

planter, stress myself out every single week,

hoping and praying that people would show up.

You have no idea what it's like as a pastor who

every week for four straight years is doing all

the things I'm supposed to do with sharing the

gospel. And Easter comes, we're really excited,

we're really... We've done all the things. I

literally went door knocking to over 500 houses

one Easter. You want to know how many people

came to church? Me, my family and my staff. And

I would get so been out of shape and so anxious,

and I just felt like I was a failure. And so

now I look at this congregation and I go, I'm

not doing that. I'm gonna be faithful. I'm gonna

preach the gospel. I'm gonna love you all to

the best of my ability. I'm going to counsel

you, strengthen you, encourage you, and I'm gonna

trust the Holy Spirit with the rest of it. But

some of you, and this is where it's gonna sting

a little bit, some of you look as if this church

is a cruise ship. And I want to tell you it's

a battleship. But it's not a modern one with

engines. Instead, it's an old pirate ship. I

should have got an eye patch to preach this.

The kind where everyone rose. And when I say

everyone, I mean everyone. pulling in the same

direction, moving with purpose, and working together.

So let me ask you, do you have an oar? Are you

rowing? Are you stepping into the mission? Are

you sharing the gospel? Are you serving? Are

you shining where God has placed you? Or have

you just settled into thinking that this is a

cruise ship, where everyone else will do the

work, someone else will share the message, someone

else will serve, someone else will fill the seat

next to you? Brothers and sisters, that's not

what we've been called to. This church has been

entrusted to us. This message has been entrusted

to us, and we are called to sow the seed, to

shine the light, and to trust God with the growth.

But that calling is not just for a few people,

it's for all of us. So I ask you to pick up an

oar and row. Let's be faithful together. Let's

trust that as we do, God will bring a harvest.

I will no longer stress about who God saves.

I'm just gonna continue to just be faithful and

I hope you will enjoy it. Let's pray.