Thank you for that wonderful worship this morning.
Good morning, church.
Three things that were not in my notes, but I've got to mention them up front since Tim
actually said something about football.
I wasn't going to talk about football, but we will be having a tailgate over in Charlotte
later on this afternoon.
For those of you who are volunteer fans, I did graduate from University of Tennessee.
Anyway, we won't go there.
Sorry.
Finally.
The second thing I want to say, again, thank you for this invitation, Pastor Daniel and
Pastor Jeff.
I was in the back talking to Jeff before the service began, and I was really asking how
long the service was.
I said, well, how long do I have, an hour?
And he said, if you take an hour, they're going to walk out in the middle of it, so I'm watching
the time.
And secondly, thirdly, if my dates are correct, we've got a lot going on today with the missions
conference.
But I do believe, I saw on my iPhone, that today is Pastor Appreciation Day.
And if I'm wrong, you need to appreciate your pastor anyway when you've got a Bible believing,
fully proclaiming the whole counsel of God as you do in this pastor.
So can we praise God for our pastors here in this congregation?
Let me do the most important thing I can do this morning and read from God's Word, the
Word He's laid on my heart for this service this morning here at First Baptist Church of
Pickens.
a very familiar passage when we're talking about missions and about harvest time and going
out into the fields, which are so ripe for us to show the good news of Jesus Christ from
Matthew chapter 9, beginning with verse 35.
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming
the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
And when He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then He said to His disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Therefore, and this is a command, by the way, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send
out laborers into His harvest.
So I want us to begin this service in prayer and that we pray earnestly.
In the original language, this word for prayer basically means to beg, to cry out, to implore
upon Almighty God for the Lord to send out laborers into the harvest field.
A command from the Lord Jesus Christ, something that was on His heart, that only God can do it.
And my prayer this morning for this service, in which I'm going to share a very simple passage,
is that even today you will hear the call of God upon your life or upon those that you know
the call is up around in their life for Him to send out laborers into the harvest field.
It is harvest time if we've ever been in one in our entire lifetime.
For such a time as this, it's harvest time.
It doesn't require seminary.
It doesn't require any professional education other than the fact that God's call is on you
and you must go.
It has nothing to do with how old you are or how young you are.
Caleb really came into his own when he was 85 years old when he cried out,
Lord, give me my mountain.
So all of us senior citizens in here, if you've never answered the call, it's not too late.
This world needs a fresh anointing from God and the Holy Spirit to send the good news of Christ Jesus
to those who have never heard it.
As we were talking about the Afghanis even this morning, how could we forget that picture
of the last day our troops were in Afghanistan formally and the plane was taking off
and the crowds on the runway and even some who clung to the outside of the plane to try to escape that nation?
How can we fail to see the images of the homeless in our streets?
The desperate, the bullied, the lost, the forgotten, the refugees, the mentally ill,
those who have never heard the sweet news of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.
What sweet news for somebody today that our sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus.
What wonderful news that someone needs to hear.
If you know Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord, there is therefore now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.
No shame, no guilt, no fear.
Oh God, may we be that people that God uses in this hour of creation.
Father, I ask you to take these few moments and use them for your glory.
Lord of the harvest, I pray in the name of Jesus and by the conviction of the Holy Spirit
that even today, now, you bring forth harvesters for your glory.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Well, I bring you greetings from Dr. Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board.
I was with him and the trustees just a few weeks ago in Chicago,
and we heard the good news, hopefully you have as well,
that Annie Armstrong Easter offering surpassed all of our prognostications.
$68.6 million that our Southern Baptists have given for the mission work
to plant churches and to spread the gospel in North America.
So thank you for your giving.
You're part of 47, 46,000 churches, 16 million Southern Baptists
who have given sacrificially even during the pandemic.
We continue to give.
So thank you, thank you, thank you.
With that money, we've planted over 1,000 churches since 2010, the last 10 years.
With your prayers and your offerings,
yes, we have 3,720 endorsed Southern Baptist chaplains
who serve in places where the churches cannot often go,
1,500 chaplains in the armed services,
chaplains in hospitals and health care and hospices,
chaplains who are on disaster relief deployments
and corporate chaplains serving in Fortune 500 companies
and prison chaplains and law enforcement chaplains
and community service chaplains.
Let me just give you just a couple of quick stories.
Chaplain Captain Jose Rondon, a graduate of North Greenville University.
You may have heard of him in 2018.
He was at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Some of you veterans may have heard of that place.
And over an 18-month period of time,
God used him and his chaplaincy team
to lead over 2,000 young men and women
in the United States Army going through basic training
to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
My pharisaical robes got on me when I keep seeing these numbers rising.
And by the way, it's not about numbers.
But it is kind of interesting when you see thousands coming to Christ.
So I did what anybody else would do.
I sent a team to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri,
to see what was going on, to see if Jose was not,
maybe he didn't know how to count,
or maybe he was embellishing the numbers,
but it was true.
So then we have to ask collegiate ministers and others,
what's the reason that these young 18- to 24-year-olds
are going to the gospel as they hear it
and they're making Christ Savior and Lord?
It's because so many of them, first of all,
at least in the armed services,
have never held a Bible in their hands.
As an 18- to 24-year-old, we give them Bibles,
they begin reading the truth, the whole truth,
nothing but the truth, and that's what they are interested in.
They're not interested in relativism or secularism.
They're truly interested in truth,
and not just any truth, but the truth of God, spiritual truth.
They're interested in relationships,
meaningful relationships with people
who have found purpose and significance
in their lives through the gospel
and meeting Jesus as Savior and Lord,
and they're looking for community.
Oh, my goodness.
We're talking about the bride of Christ.
May our churches,
may First Baptist Church of Pickens
one day soon be filled with young people
that are flocking here from our public schools,
that are coming here to find that truth
in Jesus Christ alone.
I could tell you about Chris Rice,
a young chaplain down at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Every 11 weeks, we make soldiers
out of these young men and women.
Every 11 weeks, he'll baptize some 70,
some 100 young men and women
who have come to saving knowledge of faith
in Christ Jesus as their Lord and their Savior.
I could tell you about Michael Slaughter,
a young Navy lieutenant up in Chicago
with the regional training command
where every cycle of those basic trainees
as we make sailors out of these young men and women,
some 200, 250,
have made professions of faith in Christ Jesus,
and they come for believer's baptism.
That's great news,
but let me give you some bad news.
Can I just give you some bad news?
Baptisms are down in the Southern Baptist Convention.
According to Lifeway Research,
we have dipped to a level that we haven't seen
since 1918 and 1919.
After the influenza,
the Spanish flu that took so many people's lives.
Hey, let me tell you something else.
Church attendance is down.
I've heard a statistic once
that while we're meeting in this wonderful place,
about 11 churches close their doors
every week in our denomination.
Those answering the call to the gospel,
those answering the call to be laborers in the field
as pastors, as missionaries, as chaplains,
those numbers are down in our Baptist colleges
and our seminaries.
We so desperately need a harvest of laborers
who will go out into the field.
May we pray the Lord of the harvest
sends more laborers into the field.
That's what this passage is all about
in Matthew 9, verses 35 through 38.
Some refer to this as a turning point
in the gospel of the book of Matthew.
It's a key that needed to be understood.
If you read Matthew 3 through 9,
beginning with Jesus' baptism,
where he fully identified himself
as righteous before God,
he who was without sin was baptized,
going into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights,
preparing himself for his mission,
being tempted by the things
that we're all tempted about,
the lust of the eyes, the pride of life,
and the pride of this world.
And yet he committed himself
to serve Almighty God
with his mind, body, soul, spirit, and strength.
And then in Matthew 4, verse 17,
Jesus began to preach
the gospel of the kingdom.
Do you know what the gospel of the kingdom is?
Jesus put it this way
in his first public address
from the book of Isaiah.
The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty
to those who are captive,
to set free those who are oppressed,
and to proclaim the year,
the time, right now,
of the Lord's favor.
You read the following chapters
up to chapter 9, verse 35,
and you see that he healed the sick,
cleansed the leper,
cast out demons,
and raised the dead,
broke fevers,
with a word,
healing every disease,
every sickness.
Brothers and sisters,
I don't know where you come from.
I've been Southern Baptist all my life,
but I believe that we may see
in this dark and dying world
the day when God uses his labors
with a word
to heal the sick,
cleanse the leper,
yes, cast out demons,
and raise the dead.
I don't hear one amen in this room.
Look, this world needs some good news.
Does it not need some good news?
I read an article recently
that says that this pandemic
of 2020 and 2021
has done something to us psychologically,
and we have not paid
the price
and not really seen
how it has affected us
mentally
and emotionally
with the isolation
and the rolling traumas
and the loss
financially,
relationally,
and death.
We have not paid the price.
We've not caught our breath.
Do you see the crowds
that are struggling
with this world?
What did Jesus see?
The Scripture says
He saw the crowds.
I think one of the reasons
that we don't see the crowds
is that we don't pick our eyes up
off of our iPhones
or our Facebook pages
long enough to see
the people walk.
It's interesting
watching people cross the street
in Chicago and other places
and they got their hand
just like this.
That's very dangerous.
You know,
that's hazardous to your health.
But I think if we just took a moment
in the supermarket,
in the mall,
in public places
and just kind of
looked around
we'd see the crowd.
Jesus traveled
in His lifetime,
earthly lifetime,
over 200 towns and villages
in a 40-mile radius
of Galilee.
And the more He spoke
about the gospel
of the kingdom of God,
the bigger the audience.
That ought to tell us something.
The more we talk
about the good news
of Jesus Christ,
about one who has come
to set us free
from our sin,
who forgave us of our sin,
cleansed us of all of our
unrighteousness,
I think people want
and need to hear that.
Do you see
the crowd?
What crowd are you talking about?
How about the college?
Do you see
the 31 million
men and women
in our campuses,
universities,
colleges,
graduate schools?
33 million.
And Tim,
you may have to correct me,
but the last I saw,
it's less than 1%,
0.68%
of our collegiate students
have any kind of active faith
in Jesus Christ.
let's talk about
our veterans for a moment.
I spent 38 years
in uniform.
I know something
about that tribe.
How many veterans
we got in here?
Can I see the hands?
I got a few in here.
Thank you for your service.
Since 1775,
when Washington
stood up the Continental Army,
less than 1%
have ever put on
this uniform.
44 million Americans
since 1775
have worn the uniform.
What's interesting
is that 24 million veterans
are alive today.
It's a large group.
What are our issues?
Post-traumatic stress,
moral injury,
suicide.
You hear the news
about suicides.
23, 25 veterans
commit suicide
every day,
one every 65 minutes.
The news that's breaking now
is it actually
might be higher
because our veterans
are also overdosing.
Oxycodone,
fentanyl,
other drug-inducing
means to
dull the pain.
We haven't found
a solution yet.
our veterans
need our ministry
to them.
Our collegiate
young men and women
need our ministry
to them.
The Pew Forum
on Religion
and Public Life
says that
the Protestant religion
of Christianity
is no longer
the major denomination
in the United States.
We have lost
a number of our members
to the nuns.
And I don't mean
the Catholic variety.
I mean those
who have no
religious preference.
And then we have
the duns.
Those who are done
with church.
They're done
with something
they haven't seen
lived out in the lives
of those who profess it.
They say,
why would I want
to experience
the abundant life
in Christ?
Because as I look
at your countenance,
I hope it's not catching,
but I don't want it.
Look,
the kingdom of God
is about righteousness,
peace,
and joy
in the Holy Ghost.
And it has nothing
to do with our
current circumstances.
Does anybody know
what I'm talking about
in here?
I want the power
of the resurrection.
But the apostle Paul
says you've got to
also want something else.
You've got to
experience and want,
and you will experience
and want as a child
of God,
a joint heir
with Jesus Christ,
the fellowship
of his sufferings.
We can do all things
though through Christ
who strengthens us.
Do you see the crowds?
A crowded world
of almost 8 million people.
Do you see the crowded cities
where many of our
North American Mission Board
missionaries have gone
to these large cities,
giving it all up
and going to these huge cities
to share the gospel?
Cities that are infested
with extremist ideology
and secularism
and everything else.
Here's the good news.
The harvest is ripe.
I heard someone say recently
that the harvest always comes
at that darkest point
in time.
And how much darker
can it get
than we're living in right now,
brothers and sisters?
We should be expecting God
to break forth
and do something
because people are desperate
do you see
the crowds?
I spend a lot of time
in crowded airports.
It does not get any easier.
I don't care what level
of points you have
with Delta
or American Airlines.
I was in a Memphis airport
several years ago now,
but it's one of those visions
that I just can't get
off my mind.
I was at the baggage claim
waiting for my bag.
I saw a young man
in front of me.
Had a baseball cap on.
Go Army.
And so I tapped him
on his shoulder
to tell him,
thanks for your service.
And when he turned around,
his face
was
almost inhuman looking.
Terribly scarred.
Burned.
It was hard to look him
in the eye.
I thanked him
for his service.
And as I was walking away,
his mother
tapped me on the shoulder
and she said,
please pray for my son.
I said,
well, I'm so sorry.
Was the wound
from an improvised
explosive device?
Did something happen
while he was in Iraq
or Afghanistan?
She said, no.
She said,
he came back from the war
with these war wounds
and he's tried
so many self-destructive things
and he continues
to jump in a fire.
An open fire.
And that's what happened to him
as he is just
almost burned
beyond recognition.
Do you see the crowds?
Do you see the desperate?
The scripture says
that we need
to have the eyes of Jesus
and see what he saw.
He saw the crowds.
He saw an opportunity
with the crowds.
A time that was
pregnant with opportunity
to take the gospel.
The second thing is
when he saw the crowds,
notice what happened.
He had compassion.
If you see the crowds,
there has to be a response
in today's world.
You hear the stories
of these refugees
who have escaped
with their very life
and something has
to happen internally.
Someone once said,
we'll never have a heart
for the harvest
of the gospel
unless we see
the Lord's heart
for the harvest.
as the crowd
thronged around Jesus
and brought him
their physical needs
and their issues
and their sacred stories
and their diseases
and their burdens
and their brokenness.
The scripture said
he had compassion.
I love studying languages.
This word in the Greek
for compassion,
which means pity.
It means your gut
turns splint,
nitsomai.
Boy, now that sounds terrible,
but actually,
a splint, nitsa,
is actually some kind
of a medical procedure.
A splint to me.
I can't even spell that.
I'll just say it.
But Jesus' internal,
his intestines churned
by what he saw.
Has that ever happened to you?
No.
2004,
I was at the Assassin's Gate.
Nice place to be
in Baghdad.
And there was an explosion.
A Volkswagen van
exploded
with about 500 pounds
of C4 explosive material.
And I can't tell you
what that did
to a crowded marketplace.
But you can only imagine.
Without getting too graphic.
It's one of those
combat memories
I hate to look at.
I feel like it's a stack
of photos
and I don't want to go too deep
and stay too long.
But I mean,
literally,
our troops
were helping the Iraqis
pick
a body
remains
out of trees.
And I remember
walking by
a young Iraqi
soldier
on his knees
in tears.
He was
in tears
just weeping.
I don't speak
a lick of
the Iraqi language
of Arabic.
But my gut
churned for him
as he was
kneeling and weeping
over
part of human remains.
I remember
touching my chest,
my heart,
a term of endearment
in the Islamic world
and I prayed in English
for that brother
and we both wept.
My heart churned
at what happens
in war,
the devastating
effects of war.
My heart churns
for young troops,
16,
18 to 24 year olds
who we send to war
and they see things
that human beings
should not see.
They come back
differently.
Losing
their innocence
and a
part of their humanity.
I see their faces
even now.
Do you have
compassion?
Do you allow
the things of this world
to go so deep
that you churn
with pity
and mercy
for them?
The thing
that Jesus saw,
he said he saw
people who were faint,
harassed,
other words.
They were worn out.
They were exhausted.
They were beaten up.
They were battered
and ripped
and torn.
One translation,
they felt like
they were skinned alive.
They were bullied.
That's what he saw.
The harassed
and the helpless.
Those who were thrown down.
Those who were
thrown aside.
Those who were
lifeless,
immobilized,
ready to quit,
tired and weary,
prostrate.
The man at the pool
of Bethesda,
there's your picture,
John chapter 5.
His excuse
when Jesus says,
do you want to be healed?
He didn't say,
yes, Lord.
He said,
Lord,
I've been here
for decades.
I haven't been healed.
Helpless,
hapless,
like sheep
without a shepherd.
Brothers and sisters,
the religious leaders
of that day
were uncaring,
unconcerned.
They didn't lead
anybody to pasture.
They didn't tend
or bind wounds.
They didn't rescue.
They just gave you
more law,
more this or that,
more heavy burdens.
But Jesus came along
and he identified
with the crowd.
Isn't that wonderful
that our Lord
identified with us?
He was wounded
for our transgressions.
He was bruised
for our iniquities.
The scripture says,
the chastisement
of our peace
with God
was upon him
and with his stripes
were healed.
He was the God-man.
He suffered
everything that you
and I will ever suffer
yet without sin.
He never allowed
their circumstances
to take away
the gospel of the kingdom
about the fact
that we can do
all things through Christ
who gives us the strength.
Let me tell you
very quickly,
I know my time is,
I know the Methodists
are going to be out there
somewhere with their,
of course,
we're going to eat here.
I don't know
if they're going to join us.
I don't,
I can't speak
for the pastor
but I remember
Mondays are a good time
when a lot of pastors
decide they're going
to resign
from the ministry.
So pray for your pastor
especially on Mondays.
I had a situation
as a chaplain
that I just couldn't
get fixed.
It was awful
and I lost sleep over it.
You ever lost sleep
over problems?
I'm not going to ask
that question.
I remember waking up
in the night
and said,
Lord,
I quit.
I've been in the ministry
20 years.
I've been preaching
by the way
since I was 14 years old
similar to your pastor
who called at a young age.
I didn't have a chance.
My mother named me
after a general,
Douglas MacArthur
and a Baptist preacher,
Forrest Lanier.
But I quit.
Lord,
I'm not who you,
I'm probably
in basic Christianity.
I'm not ready
for the advanced course
or the war college
in Christianity.
I quit.
I feel weak,
helpless,
ignorant,
like I'm starting
all over again.
I quit.
And you know what
the Lord said to me?
Congratulations,
I've just recommissioned you.
You're exactly
what I need
in your brokenness.
Because when you
are willing to admit
that you are weak,
God says in 2 Corinthians 12,
then I'm going to be strong.
For my grace is made
perfect in your weakness.
So brothers and sisters,
if you've been called
to the harvest,
don't blame it
on the fact
that you're too weak
to testify
about the goodness
of God in your heart.
That you're exactly
the person
that God wants
instead of one
who has some slick
evangelistic tool
that they can use
and they've memorized it.
But if anybody's
going to be brought
to the kingdom,
it's by God's power
through the Holy Spirit
who convicts.
The wind that blows
as it will.
I've got to bring
this to a close.
Jesus saw the crowds.
He was moved
by what he saw.
And then he said something.
The harvest is plentiful
but the laborers are few.
Here is a command.
Pray, beg, plead with God,
the Lord of the harvest,
to send out laborers
into the harvest.
Now, why would God
not answer
the prayer of his son
and the prayer
for the good news
to be carried
by people
into the harvest field?
The harvest is ripe,
it's full,
it's ready.
There's an urgency
with that kind of praying.
Brothers and sisters,
there's an urgency.
Do you realize
how many people
right now
on this globe
are dying
and going
to a real hell
because they've never
heard the gospel?
or they've never
accepted it?
The harvest is ripe,
the laborers are few.
Send out the laborers
into the harvest.
Well, what kind of,
what's a harvester
supposed to look like?
So I'm going to give you
a job description
for a harvester.
One,
God is looking
for that person
who says,
Jesus Christ
is sufficient
for all my needs
and he's proved
himself
over and over
and over again.
He's taken
the rough edges
of my life
and he's smoothed
them out
through the furnace
of affliction.
These temporary
things that are
doing nothing more
than making me
stronger to serve him
so that I have
a testimony
to share
of the goodness
of God.
I met,
I met a harvester
last night.
I don't know
if she's here.
I walked
into the hotel
where I stayed
and spoke
to this woman
who was sitting
there folding towels.
Boy, let me tell you,
she's had it hard
here this last
year or so.
She's had three
or four recent
surgeries.
Her house just burned.
Her husband
just left her
and I saw
the countenance
of God
on her life
who continued
to tell me
how much
God had blessed
her and kept
her and strengthened
her through it all.
I can't see
in the back row
right now
but I'll tell you
what,
she had a smile
of an angel
on her face.
That's what
you and I
need to be.
If you want
to be a harvester,
we've got to look
like we're harvesting
souls for the glory
of God.
We've got to be able
to tell people
that Jesus' grace
is sufficient
for all of our needs.
We might be weak
but he's going
to be strong.
The one who
began a good work
in us,
he's going to
bring it to completion.
Yes,
in this world
you're going
to have troubles
but brothers
and sisters,
be of good cheer.
I have overcome
the world.
That's what Jesus said.
That's who
he's looking for.
Individuals who say,
I know in whom
I have believed.
Though he slay me,
I'm going to trust him
and then I'm going
to tell somebody
about his faithfulness.
I can't keep this fire.
It's like a fire
inside my bones.
I've got to let it out.
Is that your testimony?
Because if it is,
the Lord,
he's recruiting you
right now.
Secondly,
he's looking for those
who are fully submitted
to Jesus
where you say
without reservation,
Lord,
I'll go everywhere
to everyone
with the gospel
of Jesus.
No strings attached.
Wherever,
Lord,
you lead,
I will go.
I can confess
to you
that I've had
my list
of those places
that I don't think
I could go
and I said,
Lord,
send me anywhere
but I'm not going
to fill in the blanks
but you know
what I'm talking about.
The Lord is looking
for those
who are fully submissive
to his plan.
And then last of all,
if you really recognize
that Jesus is sufficient
for your life,
he's proven it
and that you've submitted
to him,
there's only one other thing
you've got to do.
You step out
on God's word
and you serve his purposes
for his glory.
A few years ago,
I had a dear saint
in my life,
one of my prayer warriors.
She'd been in and out
on morphine
from the cancer
and she was under
hospice care.
I went to visit
this little 84-year-old woman
who'd not even
recognized her family.
They asked me
to come see her
because she was dying
and when I walked
into her bedroom,
she woke up
and she said,
Doug Carver,
you stand firm.
Don't you quit.
Don't you let go.
Don't you throw in the towel.
You stand firm
in the word of God.
I mean,
the way she said it,
I almost started apologizing.
Like,
hey,
what's going on here?
What's she reading
in my mail?
Does she know
my devotional life
because it's not the greatest?
That's what the Lord
is looking for,
to stand firm
in his word.
Brothers and sisters,
where this world is going,
I believe that
it's going to be
a challenge for you.
You're going to be challenged
maybe even with your life
should you choose
to believe
everything in this book
from Genesis to Revelation,
the whole counsel of God.
I close with this last story.
I promise.
I know you harvesters
are getting ready
to come down the aisle.
The pastor's ready.
Brother,
you need to come on up
so I know to quit.
A few years ago,
20 years ago,
30 years ago,
I had the opportunity
to meet
Richard Vermehron.
You may have never heard of him.
Founder of Voice of the Martyrs.
He spent time in one of the worst jails
in the world.
Underground.
About 12 feet underground.
For six years.
Can you imagine that?
They had to carry him in
because while he was in prison,
the guards tried to get him
to renounce Jesus.
He continued to profess Christ
as Savior and Lord.
He even witnessed to the guards.
He was a harvester
in this prison.
The guards had taken
hard rubber hoses
and beaten
the soles of his feet
so he no longer could feel.
He couldn't walk.
All the nerve damage
was so tremendous.
But you know,
as he stood up
to speak to us,
he had the look
of that little lady
I saw last night
at the hotel.
He had the look
of an angel.
He said,
you know,
really the guards
were pretty nice
to us in there.
He said,
they gave us
musical instruments.
Musical instruments
in a prison
12 feet underground
for six years?
He said,
yeah.
They gave us
steel handcuffs.
And he said,
we could sing with them.
This is the day.
Clink, clink.
This is the day
that the Lord
hath made.
And I thought to myself,
I'm never, ever
going to allow
the rocks
and the trees
and the hills
to outshout
my praise
to a God
who can do that
with a prisoner
for his faith.
All right.
The message
has been proclaimed.
It's harvest time.
I know,
I know that I know
that I know
God is calling
somebody,
not just somebody,
some people
in this room
to step out in faith
and say,
I'm going to be,
God is calling me
to be one of those
harvesters
in these days
in which I live.
As we stand
and sing here
in just a moment,
I want you to step out
with the very first
word we sing.
Your pastor
will be down here
and make this a day
where you are committing
or recommitting yourself
to be a harvester.
Maybe there's somebody
in this place
that has never heard
the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
The good news
that God
so loved the world
that he sent his son
to a broken world
full of sin
and corruption
and sinful people
and he died
on a cross
for our sins
to set us free,
to redeem us
from the slavery
to our flesh
and to forgive us
of our sins
and to give us
the promise
of eternity
in heaven forever.
If you've never
repented
and accepted
and turned to Jesus
as the author
and finisher
of your faith,
as your redeemer,
as your savior,
would you make
this day,
that day of salvation.
Father,
take this service now.
Use it for your glory.
Come Holy Spirit.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
All right,
let's go.