Let's open up our Bibles this morning to the book of Mark.
The book of Mark.
If you're just joining us for the first time or first time in a while,
you should know that our normal practice as a church is to walk through books of the Bible.
And we've been in a bigger series going through the book of Genesis.
And we're actually going to pick back up next week, Lord willing,
right where we left off in the book of Genesis.
I'm excited to get back into that.
But here in the month of January, what we're doing, really,
this is a month of kind of sharpening our focus together as a church
and reminding ourselves what are we here to be about and what are we here to do.
And so we've reminded ourselves this month of our mission and then our ministry priorities.
It's our mission at Seaweed Bay that we exist to magnify the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We want to make a really big deal about the gospel of Jesus Christ
because we believe that that's where the glory of God is seen most clearly.
God's mission is God's glory.
And so God's mission, God's glory is our mission as well.
And then the how of how we plan to go about that.
We've seen that over the past couple of weeks.
We plan to enjoy God together as we worship him and delight in him.
We plan to equip the saints for the work of ministry by speaking the truth and love to one another.
And then this morning, we see our last kind of ministry emphasis.
We plan to evangelize the lost.
Every member engaged in the work of personal evangelism.
And so Mark chapter 4, our passage this morning is verses 26 through 29.
Mark 4 verses 26 through 29.
If you don't have a Bible of your own, that's okay.
There should be one somewhere nearby and a seat back close to you.
But I would encourage you to have your Bibles open this morning as we look at the passage together.
So when you found it, Mark 4 verses 26 through 29,
let's stand together in honor of the reading of the word of God.
And he said,
Father, we praise you, God, that you've given us such a clear, such a simple mission.
And we simply pray for your strength to do it.
That we would each leave here encouraged and equipped to open up our mouths and share the good news of the gospel with others around us.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You may be seated.
One of my favorite pictures is from June of 2024.
It was summertime.
Our family, our boys were home from school.
They were outside playing in the backyard.
They were soaking wet.
There had been water games of all sorts happening that day.
And they posed for a picture standing outside.
And right behind them were these tall, towering sunflowers.
And we had them stand right in front of them for scale.
And you could tell in the picture that the flowers are at least twice their size.
They were just these huge, beautiful, towering sunflowers that gave the backdrop for our picture.
But, of course, they didn't start off that way.
They didn't start off as tall, towering, seven-foot-tall sunflowers.
Earlier that year, Amanda wanted a garden for her birthday.
And so my role in this, I'm not a gardener at all.
My role was to clear out the soil, bring in the mulch, build the beds, and give her a blank canvas
that she could turn into this beautiful, flourishing garden.
And what she chose to plant that year were a bunch of wildflowers and several sunflowers.
And so surely, slowly but surely, time went on.
And steadily, not all at once, but over time, the seeds that she had scattered there in the soil grew.
And what started off as just a blank patch of dirt out in our backyard
became, over time, this beautiful, flourishing garden.
In our passage this morning, here in Mark chapter 4,
Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is a little bit like this.
The kingdom of God is like, he says, a man scattering seed on the ground,
and then all over time, watching that seed steadily, slowly but surely,
he knows not how, as he sleeps, as he rises.
He says, steadily, he watches that seed turn into a harvest.
You know, this is important for us to grasp,
because as we think about the mission of our church here in the month of January,
this task of evangelism, it is all tied up with the growth of the kingdom.
We want to see the kingdom of God grow.
And we believe that the way that that happens is by each and every one of us
scattering the seed of the gospel.
And so let's take a look at the text this morning.
And what I want to do is I want to ask two questions this morning.
We'll spend most of our time on the second question,
but two questions this morning.
This will be our outline if you're taking notes.
Question number one, what is the kingdom of God?
We need to understand what that is, what we're trying to grow,
what we're aiming to see grow.
And then second, I want to ask, well, how does it grow?
How does it grow?
So what is the kingdom of God, first?
And second, how does the kingdom of God grow?
So first question, what is the kingdom of God?
And we'll, again, spend most of our time on that next question,
but we need to be on the same page here with what it is that we're trying to grow.
And you should know, surprise, surprise,
Christians have a lot of different ideas of what the kingdom of God is.
But what's absolutely clear as you read through the gospels
is that the kingdom of God is a central part of Jesus' message.
In Mark chapter one, you open it up, it says,
Jesus, at the very beginning of his ministry,
he came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God
and saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe the gospel.
It's a major theme.
In fact, we see the phrase, the kingdom of God,
come up 13 times in Mark's 16 chapters,
32 times in Luke's 24 chapters,
only five times in Matthew's 28,
but that's just because he prefers the title kingdom of heaven,
which shows up 32 times in his 28 chapters.
It is all over the place.
But even still, it's not so simple to define
because Jesus tells us what the kingdom is like,
but he never just explicitly tells us what it is.
So, for example,
he says things like,
the kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed.
It's small, but then it flourishes
and it grows to be the biggest tree in the land.
Or, the kingdom of heaven is like leaven
that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour
until it was all leavened.
He describes it in this way.
Or in our passage this morning,
the kingdom of God is like
as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.
He uses these parables to describe it,
but never just to explicitly define it.
So, here's my best take, okay?
And you have probably heard this before from me.
What is the kingdom of God?
The kingdom of God
is the redemptive reign of God.
The kingdom of God
is the redemptive reign of God.
It is his saving rule.
Now, of course, in a general way,
if we're talking generally,
of course, God reigns and rules over all the earth.
He's king over all of his creation.
But when we're talking about the kingdom of God,
we're talking more specifically
about his redemptive reign
over his redeemed people.
Those who have been redeemed,
purchased, and brought into the kingdom
by the blood of the king himself,
Jesus Christ.
In other words, church,
if you are a Christian,
you are in the kingdom.
If you are in Christ,
you are in the kingdom of God right now.
The kingdom of God is here now.
Now, we live in this incredibly unique period of time here
in between the two comings of Christ.
We live in between the inauguration of the kingdom
at his first coming
and the consummation of the kingdom
at his second coming.
Think about what Christ has done.
At the first coming of Christ,
Christ our king defeated the enemy at the cross
and at the empty tomb.
And when he comes again,
he is coming to finish what he started.
So at the first coming of Christ,
sin and death were defeated at the cross,
at the empty tomb.
Satan was decisively,
effectively defeated at the cross of Christ.
But there remains a time
when Christ comes again,
when these things will be finally dealt with for good.
And where are we?
We live here in the in-between.
But it's absolutely incredible, isn't it?
There is incredible blessing to enjoy
right now through faith in Christ
if you are in him
because you are presently in the kingdom.
So all the blessings of the kingdom to come,
peace,
love,
joy,
victory over sin,
fellowship with God,
fellowship with one another,
all of this we can experience right now
because we are in the kingdom right now.
And yet,
there is an incredible,
certain hope ahead of us
that we will experience all these things
in full when Christ returns.
Free from sin,
free from shame,
free from the enemies,
free from grace,
free from suffering,
free from guilt,
free from the curse.
So the kingdom is here
and it is coming.
We live in the in-between.
And what is it doing here in the in-between?
What's the kingdom doing
in between the two comings of Christ?
The kingdom of God is growing.
It is expanding.
We live in the age of the ever-expanding kingdom of God.
God's redemptive reign and rule
is expanding within us,
in His people,
and it is expanding through His people
to the ends of the earth.
And by God's grace,
we get to be a part of it.
We get to be a part of seeing
God's redemptive reign expand.
And that's the mission of the church.
That is why we labor,
why we're so eager
to plant
and to strengthen
and to revitalize
and support
other gospel-preaching churches.
I wonder,
do you see this overlap
between the growth of the kingdom
and the growth of the church?
You see that?
The mission of the kingdom
on one hand
and the mission of the church
on the other.
Why is that?
You ever think about that?
It's not because the church
is the kingdom,
as some people believe,
but because,
think about it,
where do we see
the redemptive reign
and rule of God
most clearly
here in the present age?
It is in the local church.
The local church
is where the redemptive reign
and rule of God,
His authority
as Lord and Savior,
His blessing
to His people
as their God and King,
is realized
and experienced
most clearly
on this side
of eternity.
Church,
we are a kingdom people
who share
kingdom values
and a kingdom mission
to go and to make disciples
of all nations,
baptizing them
in the name of the Father
and the Son
and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them
to obey
all that Jesus
has commanded.
You may have heard it
said like this,
and I hope you have
because I've said it
like this a few times.
The local church
is an embassy
of the kingdom of God
and we are
His ambassadors.
The local church
is an embassy
of the kingdom of God
and its members
are ambassadors.
We have a mission.
What is it?
It is to represent
the kingdom of God
here on earth.
It is to proclaim
verbally
the glories
of the kingdom
and in so doing
it is to see
the kingdom of God
expand.
Church,
we want our neighbors,
we want our family members,
we want our co-workers,
we want our friends
to come into the kingdom,
don't we?
And to come under
the glorious redemptive reign
of God
through faith in Christ,
how will that happen?
They must hear
the gospel
from our lips.
Charles Spurgeon
says it like this.
He says,
we ought to regard
the Christian church
not as a luxurious hostelry
where Christians may
each one dwell at ease
in his own inn,
but as barracks
in which soldiers
are gathered together
to be drilled
and trained for war.
We should regard
the Christian church
not as an association
for mutual admiration
and comfort,
but as an army
with banners
marching to the fray
to achieve victories
for Christ,
to storm the strongholds
of the foe
and to add province
after province
to the Redeemer's kingdom.
Church,
we are citizens
and saints
of the eternal kingdom
of God
bought by the blood
of the king himself
and now we are commissioned
to join him
in his work
of kingdom growth
until he comes again.
So second question then.
How does it grow?
How does the kingdom grow?
Three ways.
And now let's look
to our passage here.
We'll see all three.
Until it comes in full
at the return of Christ,
the kingdom of God
now it grows
in three ways.
By scattering,
by resting,
and by expecting.
We'll see all three.
First, verse 26.
Look there with me.
Jesus says in this parable,
he says the kingdom of God
grows first
through scattering.
He says the kingdom of God
is as if a man
should scatter seed
on the ground.
And if we wonder
what in the world
is he talking about here,
we can just look up
a few verses
in the immediate context
to the beginning
of chapter 4
where he tells another parable
about, guess what?
Scattering seed.
You're all familiar
with this parable,
I'm sure.
It's the parable
of the sower.
And what does he say?
Look, verse 14.
He tells us very clearly
that in this parable
the seed represents
the word of God.
So, in verse 26 here,
we don't have to guess
at what he means.
He says the kingdom of God
is as if a man
should scatter the word.
He scatters the word
and goes to sleep
and rises night and day
and does it again
and again
and over time
that seed of the word
sprouts and grows.
Now, I wonder
if you were here last week
if you are noticing
a pattern yet.
Are you noticing a theme?
What is the church's ministry
internally to one another,
to the members of the church?
How do we grow up
in maturity together?
How is it?
It is by the ministry
of the word.
It is by each member
speaking the truth
in love to one another.
That's the internal mission
of discipleship.
So, when we go out
of these doors
and we think about
our external mission,
what is it?
Well, our primary mission
to the outside world
is guess what?
Speaking the truth.
Only now
as to those
who don't yet believe it
as to those
who are not yet
in the kingdom.
This is what we call
evangelism.
And just like we saw
last week,
that's not the ministry
of a few.
This is the ministry
of the whole church
together.
Every member
of the church
is called to be active
in the work
of evangelism.
This is how we aim
to see the kingdom grow.
We have to focus
in here
and make sure
that we're on the same page
because again,
just like we saw
last week,
we can easily
make the mistake
of getting a little bit
preoccupied
with other things.
Good things,
even.
But things that are not
the ultimate things.
We have to make sure
we're on the same page
here because
our methodology
of church growth,
it needs to match
God's methodology
of kingdom growth.
You hear that?
Our approach
to growing the church
needs to be
a 100% overlap
with God's approach
to growing the kingdom.
Our mission
as a church
has to have
a 100% overlap
overlap
with God's mission.
What do I mean?
Well,
for example,
our mission
as a church
is not
primarily
political.
If you define
the kingdom of God
in terms of
kingdoms of this world,
earthly politics,
then inevitably
the way that you
will try to see
the kingdom come
is through
political activism.
And so success
looks like
political victory
or advancing
towards your idea
of what a Christian
nation might look like.
And while I am
thankful that
Christians can be
engaged politically,
we need to understand
that's not the kingdom
we're trying to advance.
That's not the way
that we're going
to advance it.
If you want to support
a certain party
or a certain politician,
please go for it.
If you want to post
a political hot take
on your social media feed,
good luck to you.
Use wisdom.
But ask yourself,
am I at least
that passionate
about the kingdom of God?
Am I at least
that excited
to talk about
the glories of Christ?
Am I willing
to risk a negative
comment on Facebook
for posting about
the glories
of King Jesus?
Another example.
Our mission
is not primarily
to do social good
in our community
or in our nation.
And if you define
the kingdom
in terms of
social progress,
social justice,
mercy ministries,
then the way
that you'll seek
to grow the kingdom
will be through
social justice
and mercy ministries.
And success
will look like
a church that's
just very busy
with that sort of thing,
helping the poor
or feeding the hungry.
And again,
please hear me,
good things.
The things that
Christians ought
to care deeply
about,
but not the way
the kingdom of God
advances
and not the primary
mission of the church.
If we feed
a thousand hungry
people a day
but never open
up our mouths
to share the good
news of Christ,
we have not
advanced the kingdom
of God
one inch.
Now,
that doesn't mean
that we don't care
about these things.
Please,
let me be clear.
That doesn't mean
we don't care
about these things.
Far from it.
You all know
our family
is fostering.
Okay?
That is a social
mercy ministry,
isn't it?
And a big reason
why is because
we believe
this is one way
as individuals,
as a family,
this is one way
that we can be
engaged with
caring for orphans
as James calls
us to do,
but simply
welcoming children
into our home
is not by itself
expanding the kingdom.
Anyone can do that.
Atheists
can do that
sort of work.
But it's as we
pray for them
and share the gospel
with them
and pray that
they would hear
the word of God
and that God
would cause that seed
to grow in them,
that scattering seed
that the Lord
would use it
as he sees fit
to grow the kingdom
of God.
One more.
And this is
common for a lot
of church planters.
If your vision
for kingdom impact
is visible,
tangible results,
and then success
means simply
drawing a crowd
and filling the room
and your mission
is just,
well, get as many people
into the room
as possible
and that's what leads
to either pragmatism
a whatever works
approach to ministry
on one hand
or attractionalism
where the main concern
is, well,
what will get people here?
What do the people want
rather than
what has God said?
And again,
we saw this last week,
didn't we?
Just having more people
in the room
does not necessarily
mean
that more people
are in the kingdom.
So,
more people in the room
is not the primary goal.
What's the goal?
The goal is that
the lost would hear
the good news
of the gospel of Christ
and by God's grace
believe.
And what's the mechanism
for achieving that goal?
It is each one of you
leaving this place
and opening your mouths
to proclaim
the glories of Christ.
Jesus tells us here
the kingdom of God
comes not by
political power,
not by feeding
the hungry,
not by drawing
a crowd,
not by making church
a lot of fun.
The kingdom of God
comes by
faithfully scattering
the seed
of the word
of God.
And what word
is that?
It's the word
of the gospel.
We are ambassadors
for Christ,
Paul tells us
in 2 Corinthians
chapter 5.
God making
his appeal
through us.
So we implore you
on behalf of Christ
be reconciled
to God.
We have to share
this message.
It starts
with bad news.
This is not
popular news
where we start
this gospel message.
But we have
to share
the bad news
that we are
at odds
with a holy God.
We are sinners
in need
of reconciliation.
We are dead
in the trespasses
and sins
in which we all
walk.
It's not just you,
it's me,
it's all of us.
We are dead
in our sins.
But here's the good news
for sinners like us.
For our sake,
he made him
who knew no sin
to become sin
for us
so that in him
we might become
the righteousness
of God.
God,
the gospel
is our sin
in exchange
for his righteousness.
That he took
our place
on the cross
and that his
victory over the grave
is our victory
over the grave
if we are united
to him
by faith.
That's the gospel.
Now,
this word
is the ministry
of the church.
We don't have
to complicate it.
This word
is how the church
builds itself
up in love
as we speak
this word
to one another
and apply it
to one another's lives.
This word
is how the kingdom
grows externally
as we bring it
to the lost
and share the hope
of the gospel
with those who have
no hope outside of it.
It is through this word
that the church
is built.
It is through this word
that believers grow
in Christlikeness.
It is through this word
that the saints
are equipped
for the work
of ministry.
It is through
this word
alone
that the kingdom
grows.
That's why
our mission statement
again,
why our mission
as a church,
we exist
to magnify
the glory
of God
in what?
There's nowhere else.
It is in the gospel
as we enjoy him
together,
as we equip
the saints
for the work
of ministry
together,
as we evangelize
the lost
together.
That is our
big ministry
plan.
And that is our
how.
We desire
to see every
single member
of this church
to be engaged
with faithfully
sharing the gospel
with others
around them.
Why?
Because we believe
the kingdom of God
grows
through faithfully
scattering
the word
of God.
God.
Just imagine
somebody
has this vision,
has this idea,
they want to see
this town
filled with
sunflowers.
What does he do?
He comes
to get some
seed,
of course.
But then what?
He fills
his pockets.
He takes
them out
with him
and wherever
he goes
he drops
a little here,
he drops
a little there
and everywhere
he goes
he's just
scattering seed
and over time
guess what
happens?
The whole
town is
flourishing.
That's what
we want to
see happen
here.
So come
here
and gather
your seed
fill up
your pockets
and then
go.
Who will
you see
this week?
Think about
it.
Who will
you interact
with this
week?
How can
you scatter
the seed
of the
gospel
in your
conversations
this week
over the
fence
with your
neighbor
at the
pickup
line
at school
in your
conversations
at work?
You take
the seed
of the
gospel
with you
as you
go
because the
kingdom of
God comes
through
scattering.
Not only
this,
second way,
the kingdom
grows through
resting.
Resting.
Now that
second step,
it might be a
little surprising
for some
because some
of us are
looking for
more,
right?
So we
scatter
the
word
and we
preach
the
word
and we
share
the
gospel.
Then what?
Right?
What do we
do?
What's the
next step?
Well,
verse 27
says,
go to
sleep.
He
sleeps
and he
rises
night and
day and
the seed
sprouts and
grows.
I love
this.
He doesn't
even know
how.
The earth
just produces
by itself.
First the
blade,
then the
ear,
then the
full grain
in the
ear.
It is
amazing
when you
embrace
God's
definition
of the
kingdom
and you
commit to
God's
methodology
for kingdom
growth,
guess what?
You can
sleep well.
He can
sleep well.
Whatever the
immediate
visible result
may be.
even.
Of course,
this laborer,
he's not
doing nothing.
He's not
just sitting
on his
hands.
He's getting
up day
and night,
probably rising
up early.
He labors
hard and
he rests
well because
he's worked
hard.
But at the
end of the
day,
how much
of that
growth is
because of
him?
How much
did he
manufacture?
How much
was he able
to wrangle
up by his
own effort?
The earth
produces
by itself,
it says.
While he
sleeps,
he knows
not how.
This is the
sleep of
somebody who
has worked
hard out
in the
garden,
scattering the
seed,
but it's
also at the
same time,
it's the
sweet rest
of someone
who knows
that the
results are
out of his
hands.
It's not
up to him,
is it?
The point
here,
and we have
to understand
this,
church,
as we go
out to
share the
gospel,
we are
called to
faithfully
scatter that
seed,
to work
hard at
scattering the
seed of
the gospel,
but all
the while
recognizing
that the
coming of
the kingdom
of God
is not
dependent
on us.
Do you
hear that?
It is not
dependent
on you.
Those who
give themselves
to God's
mission with
God's
methods can
rest well
knowing God
does not
need us
and all
of our
wisdom
and all
of our
methods
and all
of our
labors
to expand
his
kingdom.
He is
far more
committed to
this work
than we
are,
but he's
pleased to
use weak
vessels like
us to do
it.
We can
work hard
and sleep
well knowing
that the
kingdom of
God does
not depend
on our
efforts.
R.T.
France.
says it
like this.
He says
the kingdom
of God
does not
depend on
human effort
to achieve
it and
human insight
will not
be able
to explain
it.
Again,
it's
kindness.
God is
pleased to
use us
to work
through us.
Can you
believe that?
If we
would simply
open up
our mouths
and share
the good
news of
the gospel
and trust
that the
word will
do the
work.
you
all know
the
Protestant
Reformation
took place
a little
over 500
years ago
and Martin
Luther and
his
contemporaries
took on
the Catholic
Church and
they wrote
and they
wrote and
they wrote
and they
wrote books
upon books
commenting on
the Bible
exposing lies.
I mean these
guys, if
anybody worked
hard, right,
it was these
guys.
They got up
day and
night like
faithful farmers
scattering the
seed of the
word.
But how
did the
Reformation
happen?
Luther
later
answered that
question.
He said,
it happened
while I
slept
or drank
Wittenberg
beer with
my friends
Philip and
Amsdorf.
The word
so greatly
weakened the
papacy that
no prince or
emperor ever
inflicted such
losses upon
it.
I did
nothing.
The word
did
everything.
The kingdom
of God
grows as
we scatter
the seed
of the
word and
then rest
as laborers
who work
hard but
know ultimately
the results
are out of
our hands.
God brings
the growth.
Lastly,
one more.
The kingdom
of God
grows through
expecting,
through
expecting.
Look there
to verse
29.
The farmer
scatters the
seed.
He gets
up night
and day.
The earth
produces the
crop.
It comes
up slowly,
sometimes
painfully
slowly,
but he
scatters that
seed in
hope,
in confident
expectation
that when
the grain is
ripe at
once,
he puts
in the
sickle
because the
harvest has
come.
farmers
plant seed
in expectation
of a crop.
They scatter
seed in
expectation
that through
that faithful
labor,
through his
constant day
and night
sharing of
the word
of God,
in the
end,
there will
be a
harvest.
I wonder,
do you
approach
evangelism in
that way?
Do you
expect there
to be a
harvest?
Or do you
expect nothing
but rejection?
Do you
expect God
to take
that seed
of the
gospel and
bring the
results that
he intends
to bring?
Or do you
expect nothing?
I think the
enemy would
have us
expect nothing.
You know,
one day,
the Lord
Jesus will
return.
That second
coming will
come.
And all
who have
believed in
him will
be saved
from the
judgment to
come.
All who
have put
their faith
in him
will be
with him.
This
harvest is
the harvest
of God's
people at
the end
of the
age when
the kingdom
comes in
full.
Can you
just imagine
that harvest?
As the
Lord comes
to gather
his people
to himself,
just imagine
the joy of
that day
for those
who believe
in Christ.
Can you
picture it?
This
coming day
is going
to be a
day of
rejoicing
for those
who are
in the
kingdom
now.
At the
same time
it's going
to be a
day of
sadness
and terror
for those
who are
not in
his kingdom
now.
Those who
are in
Christ now
by faith
have nothing
to fear
and everything
to look
forward to
on that
day.
But don't
you understand
not everyone
knows the
good news
of the
gospel.
Not everyone
that you
know has
the hope
of Christ.
Christ.
Not everybody
that you
know has
confidence in
the face
of death.
Not everybody
that you
know knows
that the
blood of
Christ is
available to
them to
wash them
clean from
their sin,
to atone
for their
sin,
to reconcile
them to
God if they
would only
turn from
their sin
and put
their faith
in Christ.
Not everyone
knows that
judgment is
coming.
not all of
your neighbors
know,
not all of
your family
members know,
not all of
this town
knows.
Some have
heard and
have rejected
it.
Some have
heard and
don't fully
understand.
They're blinded.
But we know
with certainty
there will be
a harvest.
When Christ
returns,
there will be
a harvest.
what will
the harvest
be like
here in
this place?
In the
town of
Allendall and
McClellanville
and Hugee
and Mount
Pleasant and
Charleston,
what will the
harvest be
like?
I want you
to think for
just a minute
here with me
as we close
and would
you just
think of a
non-believer
that you know?
Maybe just
one or two
and I just
want you to
get them
in your
mind.
Okay?
Now there
is no
guarantee
that God
will certainly
save those
that we share
the gospel
with.
But here's
a guarantee.
They must
hear the
gospel to
be saved.
The only
way to
be saved
is by
faith in
Christ.
And the
only way
that they're
going to put
their faith
in Him
is if they
hear about
Him.
The only
way that
they're
going to
hear about
Him is
if somebody
opens their
mouth and
tells them
about Christ
and wouldn't
you have it?
Look at what
God's done.
He's put you
right there
with them.
A Christian
who knows
the gospel,
who hears it
week in and
week out at
church,
who has their
pockets full
of seed.
And God's
providence,
He has put you
in contact
with them.
What would
it look like?
Just strategize
for a minute.
What would
it look like
for you just
to go scatter
some seed
this week?
Are you
scared to
do it?
Maybe you
don't feel
ready.
Maybe you
don't feel
qualified.
Maybe you
fear rejection.
Maybe you
don't think
you have all
the answers.
Guess what?
you don't.
Neither do
I.
It is
worth
risking a
little bit
of humiliation
for the
harvest.
It is
worth risking
a little bit
of rejection
for the
harvest.
It is
worth risking
a little bit
of discomfort,
loss of
friends,
broken
relationships
for the
harvest,
for the
sake of
God's
glory
and the
salvation
of the
lost.
What if I
don't have
all the
answers?
So what?
What if
God has
prepared for
them to
believe?
And what
if they
do repent
of their
sins and
put their
faith in
Christ?
And what
if that
soil has
been primed
and prepped
and is
ready to
receive that
planting of
the seed of
the word
of God?
What if
the spirit
is ready to
move and
bring that
person to
salvation in
Christ?
What if
all of a
sudden they
just suddenly
desire to
know the
Lord and
to walk
with him
and we
get to
be a
part of
it?
What if,
just imagine
it,
what would
it look
like if
every member
of this
church went
out,
faithfully
scattering the
seed of
the gospel?
Could you
imagine the
harvest that
would come?
Do you
expect it?
We read
earlier from
Isaiah 55,
God promises,
as the rain
and snow
come down
from heaven
and do not
return there
but water
the earth,
making it
bring forth
and sprout,
giving seed
to the sower
and bread
to the eater,
so shall
my word
be that
goes out
from my
mouth,
it shall
not return
to me
empty,
but it
shall
accomplish
that which
I purpose,
it shall
succeed
in the
thing
for which
I
sent it.
As you
go out
of here
and go
scatter the
seed of the
word of
God,
we do
so in
confidence,
church,
in
expectation,
that God
will do
exactly
what He
wants to
do.
God
will bring
in
exactly
the harvest
that He
intends to
bring.
His
word
will
accomplish
all
His
purpose.
Will we
go?
Will you
go?
Will you
share?
will you
think about
those who
don't know
Him this
week?
Will you
open your
mouths and
proclaim the
glories of
Christ?
Will you
scatter the
seed so
that through
you the
kingdom might
grow?
Father,
we praise
you for
this simple,
clear directive
from the
mouth of
the King
that we
are to
go and
make
disciples
of all
nations.
Father,
this is
our
ministry to
the lost
and dying
world.
So we
pray,
God,
that you
would mobilize
us.
Father,
you've placed
us in
position,
you've put
others around
us,
you have
given us
spheres of
influence,
Father,
that are
unique to
us,
God.
Opportunities
to share
the gospel.
Would you
lead us to
be faithful
with those
opportunities?
And would
you bring
the harvest,
we pray,
in Christ's
name.
Amen.