Sermon
Harvest Now Part 3
Publisher transcript
Transcript
-
Come on, give him praise in his house.
-
Hallelujah. As you're being seated, Brother Mills is coming to introduce a special guest to us today.
-
I would just mess it all up if I tried to introduce him.
-
So I've got him coming to share with you just for a moment.
-
Thank you, Pastor. Good morning. Good to see all of you here today. Have a special friend with me today.
-
I could say a whole lot about this guy, but we don't have enough time.
-
This is Timothy Gabow, spelled G-B-O, but you just kind of roll past the G and get to the B real quick.
-
He has two other names, but I'm not going to try to say those.
-
I met Timothy several years ago when I went to West, well really before I went to West Africa.
-
We were on the African Council together for quite a while.
-
He was the overseer in the country of Togo. If you remember, you helped us go, my family to go
-
have a campaign in Togo a few months ago in January of this year, February.
-
And by the way, it was very successful. He still says, he told me they're still reaping the rewards.
-
In fact, on the grounds where we had, I got to share this, on the grounds where we have that,
-
they have 275 children meet there every week on those same grounds.
-
The parents won't let him walk to where his church is, so we're kind of praying for a way
-
that we can transport them over to the church and they can be a part of that congregation.
-
But Timothy, when he was appointed as the overseer of Togo, he had six churches.
-
They're solid churches, good churches, but that's all they had.
-
Since then, God has helped them and through his influence and through his leadership,
-
they have not just in the church of God, but even some outside all together,
-
about 125 churches now.
-
Just at this assembly, I just found out he's been the overseer of Togo and the regional
-
superintendent for the French speaking West Africa nations.
-
And he's been doing both of those, but now things have grown to the point where he's no longer the
-
overseer of Togo, they've appointed another man for that job and now he is the full-time
-
superintendent for the French speaking in West Africa.
-
I'm proud of this guy. I'm proud of this man. I saw him come from some young, we call it green days,
-
but now he's a seasoned veteran leading several nations. How many nations are you over now?
-
He's over eight nations now and leading those nations and most of those nations
-
are predominantly Muslim nations. Timothy, greet the people, tell them what's on your heart short.
-
You might even have to be shorter than me, but anyway.
-
Well, in Africa, when you say short, that means three hours.
-
Three hours.
-
Thank you very much, David, and thank you, Pastor.
-
God has given us grace and a part of what I can call the grace of God is
-
to have David Mears like a leader. When he's talking about those 120 plus churches that have
-
been planted in Lome, it's actually from a vision that he, God, and together the Africa Council call
-
that vision the firewall is a way in which we plant churches very rapidly.
-
Across the region, when David Mears was leading West Africa,
-
we planted over 400 churches within a very short time.
-
God used him to encourage us to raise leaders. I'm not the only one, but others are there,
-
and God did those things through David Mears. David Mears, thank you very much.
-
Greetings to you all from West Africa, Francophone countries, French-speaking countries,
-
and especially from Togo. And as he said, as we are standing here right now,
-
a great number of children are meeting on the ground on which we had the crusade.
-
And thank you for supporting that crusade. It has given us visibility, and I've just spoken with my
-
wife before we came here. Our church was packed again today, because many people heard about that
-
crusade, and they are asking about the church, and they kept coming. Thank you very much. God
-
bless you. I have a lot I can share with you, but I want to respect your time. May God bless you.
-
Well, hallelujah. You just saw a miracle before your very eyes. Two Church of God preachers,
-
full of the Holy Ghost, had a hold of a microphone, and in less than six minutes, they both let it go.
-
That's pretty good. Especially the missionaries, they got a lot to tell us. I am grateful,
-
Brother Mills, for your and Sister Sandra's presence here at the church, and I thank you for
-
that. I'm grateful for the people who are here today. I'm grateful for the people who are here
-
today. I'm grateful, Brother Mills, for your and Sister Sandra's presence here at the church, and I think for
-
such a time as this to reignite and to help fuel our vision for missions around the world.
-
And we're at a place where we can finally, really do something for the Kingdom. Amen? And we're doing
-
that, you're doing that, I say, you're doing that through your giving already, as we are embracing
-
the mission of the gospel to preach it around the world, to teach it. And don't forget, again,
-
the 11th, when we do things big, we do it around food.
-
I'm looking at you, you like to eat like I do, and it's better when we eat together. And on the 11th,
-
we'll be having a spaghetti dinner fundraiser and just fellowship.
-
Brother Mills will be speaking on that day, sharing some of the vision he's had,
-
and what they're going to be doing in Zambia, which is in September, which is just around the
-
corner. He, Pastor Brian, and Brother Randy are going to Zambia and going to be down there for
-
several days. So they're going to break that down, and we're going to have an opportunity to bless
-
and to send. Isn't that wonderful? To bless and to send, and then we'll all have part of the fruit
-
of that results. I told Pastor Brian, just sitting on the steps there, I said, I was kindly glad
-
for the time, because I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do this morning.
-
I would have cared, Brother Mills, this time if you'd have took two or three more minutes,
-
because I'm just trying to discern the Spirit of the Lord for this morning.
-
I know I'm not the only one. How many of you have your discerning shoes on this morning?
-
Am I by myself? I know I'm not. I know Pastor Brian's already
-
discerned it as well. Has anybody discerned the atmosphere this morning as you've come in?
-
If you've got it figured out, I'd be glad to know.
-
I do know there is a stirring. Amen? There is a stirring in the atmosphere
-
as to what degree we'll discover together. So we're going to attempt to get back to the Harvest Now
-
series. I had in my mind to try to complete that this morning, but I don't know that that's going to
-
happen. So if you'll just, where you are, if you pray for me, I'll pray for you, and then we'll ask
-
the Lord together to help us the rest of this morning. I don't want to miss. I'm not so tied to
-
an agenda that I just don't want to miss God, what God may be saying, what God may be wanting to do
-
in our midst this morning. For those of you who may not have gotten an update on Sister Shea,
-
for those of you who may not have gotten an update on Sister Shelley before they left, she was very
-
responsive, knew her name, knew the date and time and everything. So praise the Lord for that. Amen,
-
and hopefully get some answers. They will just a little bit later on. So just keep praying for
-
Sister Gail, Brother Jeff, and Sister Shelley. And a lot of you don't know what's happening,
-
that's because you weren't here for Sunday school. Did you see how I did that? Did you see how that
-
worked out? I mean, thank you Lord. But for those of you that were here for Sunday school, you know,
-
that was, you got to admit, that was pretty good.
-
John's Gospel, the fourth chapter, we've been reading
-
for the past three weeks from this text, beginning at verse 34.
-
Where Jesus said unto them, My need is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.
-
Say not ye there yet four months and then cometh harvest. Behold I say unto you, lift up your eyes
-
and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages and
-
gather fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
-
And herein is that saying true, one sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that
-
I sent you to reap that whereon you bestowed no labor. Other men labored and you are entered in
-
to their labors. And again, you'll remember and take note of Matthew 9 35 through 38, where Jesus
-
again is addressing the harvest. He's going about all their synagogues and he's preaching and he's
-
teaching the gospel, making men aware of the kingdom's nearness and he being the kingdom of God
-
and personification walking among them that they may know him, accept him and receive him. Father,
-
I love you today. I need your help this morning in a special way. Lord, as we are here, unbeknownst
-
still your will but here to operate in it. So speak to our hearts and minds. I pray for each of us.
-
We that have ears to hear, may we hear what the spirit would say to the church.
-
Lord, speak to my heart and mind that I may know what to speak to the church this morning.
-
For truly, Lord, this is your house and we have come to worship you in spirit and in truth.
-
And your word is life and your word is light, light and illuminate our lives and pathways as we walk
-
and according to your will, you'd be praised forever in Christ's lovely name. And the church said,
-
amen and amen. We began this series as a
-
follow-up from the assembly concerning the message that the Lord laid upon the heart of our
-
newly elected general overseer. And the more I listen to and the more that I dig into the
-
simplicity of what looked like it only took 30 or 40 minutes on the Friday night of general assembly,
-
the more I get into that, it's just loaded. I mean, it's absolutely loaded.
-
Jesus, as he began the harvest now thought, we can't say we're going to wait and then go out and
-
try to win the laws. We cannot procrastinate the harvest. Jesus shares with us the urgency of the
-
harvest. I think whether he returns today or tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, next
-
week, next week, next year, next year, next year, next year, next year, next year, next year, next
-
week, next year, next year, next year, next year, next year. He is, I think is irrelevant to the
-
point that men are dying every day. Humanities leaving this world every day.
-
And look take a look at what's going on around you
-
You've got to see that men are dying every day. The harvest is being taken in every day
-
you can't just wait for my return you got to be busy and
-
Here's the thing folks at the return. That's for those who are already believing
-
The lost are condemned at his return
-
So
-
We've got to be about as Jesus would say our father's business and
-
He tells us directly that the business is the harvest
-
Look take a good look around you people. We know we dearly love we dearly care for are going to die lost and
-
They may die before Christ come and we cannot wait three four months to begin to try to win them
-
To Christ. Oh, I know how it works families the hardest people in the world to win
-
Hello, they don't they want to hear what you got to say they matter of fact we
-
We're just rub them raw when we're in their presence and that's okay as long as it's the love of Christ
-
That they see in us you have to understand that's always going to be contrary
-
To the will and the love of God the way the world sees you and I
-
I
-
Wasn't going to mention a whole lot about the
-
Opening ceremonies of the Olympics and I know many of you are as disgusted as I am about all of that mess
-
I wasn't watching it when it happened not gonna watch it now
-
Wasn't gonna watch it anyway, so it really doesn't disturb my world too much
-
Because you see I've learned some things and and
-
People are really blown out of shape about that and rightly so it was blasphemous
-
I don't care what they say they intended for it to mean it looked like what it looked like and it meant what it
-
meant
-
Right, so it was blasphemous
-
wasn't it and
-
repulsive and
-
Then you you've got folks who don't say well, that's just the French. Well, no, no, it's just the attitude of the world
-
All right
-
so what I'm here to remind us just a little bit before we get going further is don't be so surprised and get so bent out
-
of shape that the world's acting like the world and
-
Sinners are acting like sinners matter of fact Paul's told the church at Galatia
-
He told him this in six and seven be not deceived. God is not mocked for whatsoever a man
-
So with that shall he also reap that and and you and I are not the ones that do the reaping
-
It's God right and another passage scripture
-
I want you to look at is a second Corinthians three or second Timothy three about verse 13
-
Look what Paul writes to Timothy what he tells him. He said but evil men as a dozer shall acts worse and worse seducing
-
And being seduced but here listen to the instruction that follow and I think this is where we come in
-
I gave you those other two to let you know God will take care of God's business
-
God will take care of his business
-
It is very offensive. It is very blasphemous
-
But it's God who will get the last say and all of that what you and I have to do is be mindful
-
That evil is going to grow worse and worse the so the the more near we get to the return of Jesus Christ
-
You'd remember what Jesus said all these things are going to happen all these things are going to come to pass
-
So don't be alarmed. Don't be so easily moved. Don't be so easily shake when I see that mess
-
I just say yep. It ain't gonna be long. I say yep
-
It's not gonna be long. It repulses me and and I'll do all I can to stand against all that mess
-
But inside of me, there's joy bouncing up and down. There's something on the inside of me starting to get really excited
-
Why because it's no longer in secret. They're doing all this stuff. It's getting publicized now
-
It's flooding the media and I saw one one post one brother said just think how many people have
-
Googled the true Lord Supper and looked at that
-
I'm telling you what the enemy meant for evil you meant it for good
-
Yeah, come on now you and I have got to see beyond the the principles of what's going on
-
Yes, the devil thought he may give Christianity a black eye
-
but countless millions of people searched out the truth of the Lord Supper and they
-
They come to understand the sacrifice. They saw it they read it and now the seed is planted up
-
The seed is there and what we're good
-
What we're gonna do is begin to water the seed of prayer Lord forever
-
Heathen that looked it up let the truth of the glorious gospel of your sacrifice
-
You see we get we get we get we get just all distorted like a pretzel
-
When we've got to have better sense than to see the immediate and look beyond it what God can do with what evil
-
tries to do
-
so
-
But evil men and seducers shall wex worse and worse deceiving and being deceived
-
But this what Paul told Timothy
-
continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and
-
Has been assured of
-
Knowing of whom thou hast learned them
-
And that from a child that has known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise
-
under salvation
-
Through faith which is in Christ Jesus
-
All scripture listen is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof
-
for correction and for instruction in righteousness
-
that a man of God
-
May be perfect thoroughly furnished under all good works
-
Chapter 4 I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ
-
Who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom?
-
Preach the word isn't that what we talked about last week
-
Amen this harvest now theme the declaration we are the church of God and we have a declaration of
-
declaration of faith that we're going to stand by that we're going to live by that we're going to live out and
-
Then we talked about we go we take that word the word of God and we take the commission
-
To go into all the world because we've been mandated to lift our eyes and look beyond ourselves
-
To lift our eyes and look beyond ourselves and look upon the fields
-
They're white and already to harvest and to engage ourselves in Matthew 9
-
Jesus said pray you therefore the Lord that it's in forth the labors into the harvest
-
Why because the Harvard is great and he needs more people out there bringing in the shoes
-
I love the psalmist when he said we shall come
-
Rejoicing bringing our sheaves with us
-
What will be a sad day is if you just barely make it to heaven and you don't have one shock of sheaves to rejoice over
-
We've got to be about the Father's business winning people to the Lord
-
I charge you therefore by God and
-
The Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick in the dead at his appearing preach the word
-
Instant in season out of season reprieve rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine
-
For the time will come
-
Are you hearing me for the time will come
-
Are you hearing me for the time will come when they who are they?
-
It's that bunch. It's always out there they
-
You know, they're in every church. They're in every town. They're in every city they them
-
For they will not endure sound doctrine
-
But after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears that they shall turn away
-
Their ears from the truth and shall be turned
-
Undefiable but watch thou in all things endure affliction
-
Do the work of an evangelist and make full proof of my ministry
-
That's what you and I are mandated after the events of a Friday night
-
Debacle you and I are to remember the truth hold to the truth
-
Proclaim the truth not be seduced not be easily easily moved away from the truth not to get so
-
Distorted that we become more and outrage over the idiocy of some who do not know God
-
But yet to fall on our knees to pray that they come to know him
-
Wouldn't that be the wonderful thing that the band that they're lauding so and
-
Praising so much for all of this stuff that came out wouldn't it be wonderful about two three months down the road
-
We get a testimony we see him when he would stand before a television audience and say I should not have done that
-
I come to know Christ is my Lord and Savior wouldn't it be wonderful if the Lord saved that man radically
-
What a great testimony that would be that's mine your responsibility
-
Not so to get been out of shape because the world's acting like the world sinners are acting like sinners
-
But that saints are so distorted by the work of the enemy that we fail to remember that God is able to save
-
to the uttermost and
-
And I can say how many of them have searched out the Lord's Supper and read the story and
-
The thing about it. They can't get away from it now
-
If they didn't know they do now
-
So we engage into the realm of harvest now
-
We are the church
-
We remain to be the church. We remain to be a Pentecostal church
-
That's our distinctive
-
We are Pentecostal in our core of who we are because we believe in
-
the power of the Holy Ghost and
-
We still believe that he's poured it out upon all who will seek him and it's a free gift. Amen
-
We still believe that wonderful doctrine of being saved being sanctified and being baptized
-
And the Holy Ghost and the fire amen and that we speak in other tongues as the spirit gives us the utterance
-
That's what we believe and we take that message and we go with it
-
Why because Jesus said I've given you power and authority over all devils that you can lay your hands on the sick and they shall
-
Recover hallelujah that you can take up serpent and it'll not bite you you take the serpent. I'll take the street nine
-
You can drink any deadly thing and it won't harm you I'm not fooling no serpents
-
Lord don't ever make me
-
I just happen to think oh
-
Lord don't ever think I'm your favorite
-
Don't ever make me do that my Lord
-
Oh
-
Lord
-
Never say never and I'm not saying never Lord. I'm just saying I don't want to
-
Please don't make me
-
Jesus said that authority has been given unto you
-
You and I we have that authority born-again blood-bought
-
sanctified Holy Ghost field believers you have the authority of Christ that works in you
-
Never failed to understand that we are in a harvest and you can't be lazy about it
-
And I hate to tell you but some of us have got lazy about it
-
I almost said let me see your sheaves
-
I
-
Don't embarrass nobody you may not even have a sheave but every believer ought to at least reproduce themselves in the kingdom of God
-
What does that mean you need to find somebody and lead them to Jesus because he saved you if nothing else
-
Don't be like that guy that was given the talent and he just buried it in the ground
-
When the master come in and he looked at the guy with five and he turned it to ten and man
-
He got a great blessing the other guy got the tune he he multiplied his and he looked at the guy with one and he said
-
Where's my where's my talent? Well, let me go dig it up
-
He goes things it up brings it back to the master and he said what'd you do it? Well, I hit it because I knew you
-
were a just man
-
And I didn't want to risk losing it. He said well at least you could have done was deposited at the bank got me about 3.5
-
percent
-
And he cast him out. I don't want to be that guy
-
You don't want to be that person either. He's giving you a talent. He's giving you a gift. You have something
-
It's called the salvation of your soul. It's the salvation of our soul
-
It's the salvation of our soul. So we go we preach a man
-
We tell them about Jesus and we care what I think the church has lost is the ability to care
-
Beyond the four walls. We again have to rediscover a passion not just a desire
-
But I mean a sincere God-given passion for the harvest field
-
That's reason I was thinking brother David and the Lord drawing him to us. He's renewed my passion
-
He's renewed my desire to see the the lost one. Amen. He's got a vision
-
He's old man, but got not done with him yet. Hallelujah. He's retired, but he's not quit
-
Hallelujah, and so the Lord sent him our way because he's still got a work. He wants to do there's still a fertile land
-
He wants to do it in and by the grace of God
-
We've been gifted a wonderful gift the ability to help him get it done
-
I may never step foot on an African soil, but he's going Randy's going Brian's going
-
We're gonna send them for the glory of the kingdom. We're gonna make sure that it happens and we're gonna have a harvest in the world
-
Hallelujah, but what about the world around us? I think these past few weeks are just to stir us
-
To the nearness of the harvest
-
It's not global south. It's not
-
West it's not on all of the other continents of the world. It's right here around us
-
It's around you
-
You don't have to go far to find a heathen
-
Hello
-
You don't
-
You don't have to go very far to find someone who really don't know who Jesus is I
-
Know that sounds absurd to us that surely everybody in Bradley County knows who Jesus is no
-
or Polk County either
-
You can find people who do not know who Jesus Christ is they don't know what Easter means
-
They don't know what Christmas week. They don't know what all the fuss is. They really don't care
-
You can find someone that needs Jesus and they're around us the world in which we live and we have to embrace
-
The harvest not just embrace it but become passionate about it. We must care again about the lost and dying
-
I
-
Forget exactly how the
-
story the illustration goes exactly which of angels it was but it's one of the early
-
Early advantage just standing in a hotel window looking out over a very busy
-
City street and he asked the person in the room with him. What do you see?
-
When you look out the window a
-
Couple different answers come on
-
Never was the right answer
-
The answer was I see the lost I
-
See those who may need Christ not every person you see is lost. Hallelujah every now and then you get a hold of a good
-
testimony, right
-
This past week sister Kathy and I we went up to
-
The mounts for a few days and we're walking around the D wall to store greatest place. She loves it
-
All kind of great things in the D wall store
-
We're walking around there. We come across a gentleman just struck up a conversation with him. He had on his Vietnam cap. So I
-
Thanked him for his service for our country and our nation always starts a conversation
-
Didn't take very long
-
Well, I think it was his response to us. He said well, it's either jail or military. I
-
Didn't really take him serious. He said no seriously judge said either go to jail or go to the army
-
He said so I went to the army
-
Well, okay and
-
Time rolls on conversation goes on old gentleman loved to talk
-
So I eventually got him around to Jesus. I don't go to church. I thought well I can tell
-
He said but I tell you what I do that most Christians won't I said well, what's that sir? I'm curious now. He's got me
-
He said I'll stop and help an old person change a flat tire and people church edgars drive right on by
-
He said I won't pass nobody up
-
I said well, let me tell you something best thing it is is as long as you know
-
The Lord Jesus Christ is your personal Savior so that seed he just kind of looked at me had one eye about half
-
Should I just kind of looked at me out of the other eye and talked about something else and we parted ways, but I sowed the seed
-
Right, that's that's fine. Your responsibility
-
in it
-
some so some water
-
Somebody else will get the increase
-
You know what Jesus said there to John in our text
-
Let them know that I'm sending them to reap
-
Let them know that I'm sending them to reap wherein they bestowed no labor
-
In other words someone else had plowed somebody had busted up the clods somebody else had already sold
-
someone else had already hold the ground and pull the weeds and and now and
-
Watered and watered and watered and he said I'm sending you to reap a harvest wherein you bestowed no labor
-
Come on somebody they're hearing the gospel from somebody
-
Somewhere down the road I pray that someone reached the harvest of that old man's soul
-
Amen, because a seed been sown it had been watered
-
Maybe somebody else had already sold not as adding a little water to it the other day
-
But eventually if he don't leave this world off
-
Eventually, he's gonna have a stirring and somebody's gonna come along and recap everything that he's heard and they're gonna reap that old man's soul
-
Right into the kingdom of heaven. What are you saying pastor either water or harvest?
-
but do something
-
Our churches across the land should be multiplying weekly
-
87% of people who do not attend church who eventually came to church were asked. How did you come to church?
-
The percentage is very very small single digits the pastor and other things
-
86 or 87 percent of people say they came to church because a friend invited them
-
Now I know I'm a little bit to get used to you may have to warn them a little bit before you bring them
-
But everything up to the time I get here is really good
-
But then and it's okay for you to tell him now our pastor he's a little out there
-
Don't tell him what you're gonna get
-
But you'll hear the word or at least I hope that's what you can tell them if you're looking for the word
-
You can bring them to whole well church of God. Well, they'll hear the truth of their need for a Savior
-
To redeem them of their sin and they'll hear the truth preached to them that by his stripes you are healed
-
Hallelujah that you'll hear the truth that you may and must live
-
It's possible to live a sanctified life from the sin of this world. You can live separate
-
And you can be empowered
-
By the wonderful gift of God
-
If that's something you're interested in come on we eat a lot
-
We pray we laugh
-
We cry
-
But our concern is you our concern is you
-
We must care again. We must care
-
You we must care again. We must find our way back to Matthew 25
-
Where Jesus said
-
You cared for me and they said well Lord, when did we care for you?
-
He said when I was hungry
-
You fed me right
-
Was a stranger you took me and when I was thirsty you gave me something to read when I was in prison you visited me there
-
They said well Lord you ain't ever been in that shape
-
Have we done that to you said when you do it under the least of these
-
You're doing it to me
-
We ever stop consider those people
-
That are around you you minister to them. You're actually
-
ministering to Christ
-
How so he died for them?
-
I love to cut up and tell you that I'm his favorite and I really believe that
-
But I think we all are aren't we?
-
He would have died for you as Christ
-
He died for you as quickly as he died for me matter of fact he did
-
From the foundations of the world
-
Christ was slain
-
By his grace that we are who we are
-
I'm gonna close this morning. There's no sense to keep going. Just stand with this morning. It's a little different today.
-
I don't really know how to
-
I don't know how to close us out I
-
Think we need to find ourselves
-
the character of Luke 10
-
You'd know him as the Good Samaritan
-
I
-
Think we're losing some of our goodness because of the perverseness of the world
-
Right how many of you I'm gonna raise my hand first
-
How many of you don't reach out like you used to because?
-
the uncertainty of those that you're reaching out to
-
Right there with you
-
You know there was a time when we seemed to be much kinder
-
That we let our compassion flow more than we do now
-
Because of the unknown of the culture
-
I'm having to pray the Lord help forgive me
-
I
-
Drive by and see people with signs
-
Lord you gotta help me
-
Wanting handouts
-
Asking for help
-
I just drive right on by
-
Say to myself and at times out loud my lord get a job people begging for people to work
-
You remember when you do this these all this going this way Lord's eating my lunch right now
-
You remember when you do this these all this going this way Lord's eating my lunch right now
-
I've got to renew my sense of care
-
His compassion the Good Samaritan I read that again this morning and
-
Convicted
-
The priests come by
-
There's a man beaten and stripped and robbed and left naked in the street wounded
-
Priests come by and cross the street and went the other way
-
Oh you could say if he'd went and touched him he would have become unholy he would have
-
It had only cost him seven days and an offering
-
Huh
-
Wouldn't it cost the priests much the Levite the same way
-
You know the temple worker the custodian
-
The Levites
-
He crossed the street went the other way
-
But the most disdained
-
Nationality
-
To the Hebrew nation the Samaritan
-
Came saw the man
-
Picked him up took him to the end
-
Washed him cleaned him
-
Said I can't stay
-
But here's two days wages
-
Take care of him if it's more than that when I come back through I'll settle up with you
-
Which in a sense gives you some understanding that possibly the innkeeper and the Samaritan
-
He did frequent business there
-
I'll be back
-
Because they had some type of relationship obviously or hopefully
-
Because if it's just two strangers one trusting another that much
-
I'm not going to be able to do that
-
Because if it's just two strangers one trusting another that much
-
I'm gonna feel even worse time I get finished
-
And he took care of him
-
I had sister Robin look up before service
-
But where we are and just the benevolence we've done this year
-
Not all of its
-
Counted the way we give it and do it there's others out there some almost two thousand dollars in benevolence
-
a little over 18 little over 18,000 in missions
-
Already for about the half so we're about 20,000 into missions and benevolence
-
This year already
-
And we're 30 shy of our 50 gold
-
But we're gonna get closer here by September
-
So it's not that we're not doing we are
-
And you know as well as how we can always do more
-
Right we can always do better
-
But as I look this morning my thought was this
-
We care Lord, but we can't do it all
-
Can't do it all
-
Thankfully, we don't have to
-
So I think that's where the importance of
-
Nowering down vision
-
pinpointing vision
-
And having the spirit of the Lord speak into the areas of care
-
That we really focus on
-
And make a difference there
-
right
-
We're doing okay with our
-
Homeless drive, but I'm telling you after about week three you've lost your passion for it
-
But they're they're still getting out of jail
-
They still don't have places to go some of them
-
And I think we need to renew
-
A little care
-
I mean that's just one instance that we have before us that's people right here in Bradley County
-
right here
-
So pastor you kind of getting almost a little just a little
-
I read it to you reprove rebuke
-
With all long-suffering, right?
-
I think we can do better
-
That's corporately as a body, but then I think where it really gets
-
Is individually folks. I know I do
-
I know pastor Cliffs got some pray and he's had to do and got some more to do
-
To renew my sense of care
-
I care, but I need to care
-
That makes sense. How many of you care?
-
We care
-
But I think we need to really care and by really caring we we involve ourselves
-
At whatever level that you're comfortable with but a greater level than what we currently are
-
I just don't think the Lord would have just blistered me with this this morning
-
How that we get how that we get all twisted up about
-
Images
-
And God says I'm not gonna be mocked I'll take care of it Vincenzo's is mine, but all of a sudden we get
-
We get our badge of honor
-
I'll take care of it Vincenzo's is mine, but all of a sudden we get we get our badge of God police
-
You pray for him this morning there I sang about this morning
-
Yeah, you know we don't have to defend him we just have to serve him
-
Not a one of us have been called to defend him Vincenzo's is mine
-
Sayeth the Lord and what the enemy meant for evil
-
He'll turn it to good
-
Here's
-
Before I came up there's two scripture coming my mind one that of Joseph
-
When he told his brothers when he had their fate in his hands
-
Remember they didn't recognize him
-
and he turned with tears and
-
He told him said what you you meant for evil against me when you sold me God had a plan
-
And today is the fulfillment of that plan I'm gonna take care of you and dad and everybody go get them and bring them in right
-
And then you think about Job
-
I
-
Promise I'm trying to quit you think about Job through all of his trial and everything that he lost
-
When Job prayed for his friends you remember we talked about those friends last week
-
When Job prayed for his friends
-
Things turned for Job to the good I
-
Think if we would get as upset
-
About some of the things we're not doing in and for the kingdom as
-
Some of God's business that he'll take care of I
-
Think will grow the kingdom
-
Now don't get me wrong did that upset me yes, and I'm still upset today
-
Thought it was very
-
Disrespectful
-
But the Lord let me know I'm not I'm not his police officer
-
I'm
-
He said I'm big enough and I'll take care of it. I thought
-
Okay, because I was going to approach it totally different
-
You talking about a check
-
We need to care
-
We need to care about their soul more than we get angered about their ignorance
-
We need to care we need to care about their soul more than we get angered about their ignorance
-
And that what that Romans turns it after Jesus was crucified we didn't know what we done and they killed him
-
What have we done truly truly?
-
This was the Son of God
-
Father I love you today
-
Lord, I don't know how to end this other than for us just together to pray to help us care
-
To help us care if you're here this morning. You don't know Christ the Savior. I invite you to come to know him
-
Free pardon of sin you need help
-
You need peace of mind you need a healing in your body. I invite you to come for he is all of that for us today and more
-
He's all of that and more father. I pray that you help each of us as we go as we are going as we are moving about the world
-
As we're going about
-
Help us engage the harvest
-
And to sow and to water and to help and to teach
-
And to sow and to water and to help and to teach