Your Problem Is Your Harvest

When did you get saved?

Do you remember how it happened?

Were you in a service and heard someone preach Hell so hot that you felt like your seat was on fire?

Or did they preach about the love of God with such passion that you were enveloped in the arms of God?

Did you read about God’s redemption in your hotel room where a Gideon Bible was in reach?

Did you have a neighbor who exemplified the love of God in front of you that made you want to run after the Lord with your whole heart?

Here’s another question…is your example one that would cause other people to want to live for Christ?

We have what the world needs

• And yet, we can easily become self absorbed with hectic schedules, family commitments, church volunteerism, school events, etc…and FORGET why we’re here on earth for.

Serving as a Pastor of a growing church is very demanding.

• If I don’t set my schedule it will be set for me with a plethora of activity.
• Meetings, training, planning, vision casting, administration, counseling, arbitrating, study, devotion, reading, prayer, returning emails, serving my leaders, serving my fellowship, being an available husband and father, etc.
• I know what I’m called to do…Primary FEEDER, LEADER & VISIONARY
• Honestly, even though I know what I’m supposed to do, if I do not stay focused I can lose focus very easily.

There is no difference in the church. The church is called to do certain things.

• We can easily get sidetracked into doing MANY things.
• If we were to narrow down a list of essentials for the church, this is what it might look like.

1. Reach Up

• The church is called to reach up to Christ. This is fulfilled when our focus on worship is personally lived.
• When we live a lifestyle of worship in private it will show up in our public gatherings.
• There is nothing like being engulfed in private prayer and praise.
• Reaching up prepares us to reach out.

2. Reach In

• The church is called to reach in through relational fellowship. In other words, we are to connect with one another through intimate fellowship.
• Fellowship equips us by building us, renewing us and firing us up for outreach.

3. Reach Out

• The church is called to reach out and share God’s love.
• Those three things don’t sound too hard.

Look at Matthew 28:18 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

• Jesus speaks these words to a group of leaders He had been training for 3 ½ years.
• His Disciples.
• Those He was INVESTING in.

His words “All power is given unto me two places” (Heaven & Earth) set the stage/entrance for what we affectionately refer to today as “The Great Commission.”

• Heaven & Earth – representing the encompassing power of kingdoms, dominions and worlds that were under His authority.

The THEME of the Great Commission was GO MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL NATIONS!

• Basically…REACH OUT.
• But isn’t that just for EVANGELISTS?
• Isn’t that just for the people who operate in the Grace Gift of Ephesians 4:11-12 with the title “Evangelist?”

Evangelism can be RAW!

• It can cause you to get nervous…the shear thought of going door-to-door and asking people about their relationship with God or where they are going to spend eternity can cause your palms to sweat and your blood pressure to rise.
• And yet…Jesus called the church to REACH OUT!

If we’re called to REACH OUT like an Evangelist, than why is the word Evangelist only mentioned twice in Scripture? (Acts 21:8; 2 Timothy 4:5)

• Studies show that only 2-3% of the Body of Christ are evangelists.

Allow me to make this observation: There is a difference between a GIFT and a ROLE.

• The gift of an evangelist is a gift from God where you’re anointed to BE and DO something.
• The role of an evangelist requires us to perform an expected function.

With that being said, how do we “do” evangelism? What if my personality isn’t “cut out” for it? Truthfully, we can all perform this role by simply INVESTING and INVITING.

• Investing our time in others. Spending time with them.
• Inviting them to do something. Come to church…attend a fellowship event…enjoy a concert together…join a Life Group…etc.

Isn’t that basically what Jesus did?

• He invested His time into a woman at the well of Samaria.
• We are doing that every time we offer a sports opportunity, whether it be basketball, football or aerobics.
• Those types of events have the ability to DRAW people…and people with problems and needs will come.

Our problem
can become our harvest.

Look at the life of Apostle Paul.

• Before he was ever known as PAUL he was Saul of Tarsus.
• Persecutor of the church.
• He was wreaking havoc against the cause of Christ.
• He was becoming a REAL PROBLEM.
• Yet he encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus and that ONE ENCOUNTER turned the PROBLEM INTO A HARVEST.
• Now Paul is doing all he can do mend fences and promote the cause of Christ!

I believe Jesus spent His whole life INVESTING in others.

• We know for sure that He did in the 3 ½ years of public ministry that has been recorded.
• Investing in people who aren’t saved yet is what the church is called to do.
• We each have someone in our life that we can INVEST in.
• It will take INTENTIONALITY and EFFORT.
• It will involve our TIME.

Sure…we can do an outreach event once a month or even once a quarter and it may work. But what works the majority of the time is when people find GENUINE love and concern.


APPLICATION

• What would happen if we began to INVEST in the relationships we ALREADY have?
• You know…the ones that are already pretty good….
• What would happen if we started paying attention to the people where we LIVE, SHOP, PLAY and EAT?

THIS WILL MAKE YOU SWEAT

• When was the last time you invited someone to church?
• When was the last time you sat down with someone that doesn’t go to church, had a coffee and mentioned God?
• Do you even know anyone who doesn’t go to church?
• Sweating yet?

WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD

• People have to know that they matter.

We have to show people

that we’re NORMAL people…

not crazy Christians who

just stepped off the mother ship.

• We’re not only normal…we’re building families, having babies, overcoming struggles and just REAL.
• They have to see it…if they’re going to take us serious.
• Unfortunately, the world has had to deal with weirdo’s and quacks that have given Christians a bad name.
• That weirdo at school, or at their job, or in their family, etc.
• You know those people…they act crazy and in turn their actions are so bizarre that God is not honored and people are not loved in the process.
• Friends…the world needs to see JESUS!

What made the woman at the well LISTEN to what Jesus had to say?

What made her run back into the city and TELL everyone about this man who had told her everything she ever did?

Her witness of Jesus caused those people to RUN to see Jesus.

John 4:35 Say not ye, There are 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.

• Jesus tells His disciples in this passage to STOP WAITING.
• And immediately… John 4:39-40 the Samaritans start running towards them!
• And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

HERE CAME THEIR HARVEST!

• A FLOOD of men running towards them that were enemies of JEWS.
• THEY WERE THE HARVEST!
• Perhaps the DISCIPLES saw them as problems…

In order to SEE OUR HARVEST we have to do what JESUS said to do….”LIFT UP OUR EYES”


Today I want to challenge you to find that person in your life that is

• OVERLOOKED
• UNDER APPRECIATED
• HURTING and
• REJECTED

Today, lets INVEST & INVITE as we view our potential problems as our HARVEST!