Pay it Forward and Share in the Harvest

Kingston Church of the Nazarene Sermon 15 Sermon Series: The Mind of Christ Sermon Title: Paying It Forward and Share in the Harvest Sermon Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:1-18 Sermon Focus: “Whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.” (V. 10) INTRODUCTION [slide] Today, I want to talk about Pay It Forward and Share in the Harvest [slide] “Whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.” (V. 10) PAY IT FORWARD VIDEO CLIP HERE The Apostle Paul is a disciple-maker. Everything he does for the churches or individuals is to help them grow up in the faith and to become active disciples-makers themselves. So, Paul is declaring to the church in Corinth, we should be about blessing others rather than worrying about our own personal gain – material wealth or psychological comfort. Instead, we share in the harvest of souls when we serve the Kingdom of God, rather than what we believe we will receive as a result of service. If we do, we will reap a bountiful harvest of souls. It’s called the law of reciprocity. This law basically states: “When someone does something nice for you, you will have a deep-rooted psychological urge to do something nice in return. What does it take to be ready to “Pay it Forward”? Personal approach! [slide] (click mouse after each one is read.) · Have the Mind of Christ? (1 Corinthians 2:16) o Those who have the mind of Christ are able to discern spiritual things of the unbeliever. o Having the mind of Christ is the same as being indwelt by the Holy Spirit guiding you daily to ascertain the needs of others. · Be prepared in heart, mind, and soul (2 Tim. 2:4) o Know what to say! § “…be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. · Train like a pro athlete (1 Cor. 9:25) o Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. · Be willing to lay down your life (John 15:13) o Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. o If you’re not willing, you’re not ready to pay it forward. Once you’ve prepared yourself, now what? I’m about to share with you an invaluable resource to help you succeed in paying in forward, many will not be far enough along in the preparation part of your life to even engage in what can be the most exciting part of your personal ministry. However, I, like Paul, endeavor to set you up for success as your pastor, to equip the saints for works of service. (Eph. 4:12) As I’ve stated before, if you’ve spent your life in church and under the tutelage of a Sunday school teacher or pastor, you’ve been preparing to “pay it forward”, as in fact, you are already prepared! The best way to be prepared is to – [slide] (click mouse) 1. Gather Intel (intelligence) · Step 1: Demographic analysis i. Who lives in Kingston/Caldwell County? ii. How many households iii. Education iv. Economic status 2. Create a Plan: Find a need and fill it, find a hurt and heal it · Step 2: Find a need 3. Resource the plan · Step 3: What will it take to accomplish the plan? i. Financial ii. Man-power iii. Time 4. Implement the plan · Step 4: Execute the plan strategically 5. Evaluate the plan to make sure it’s working · Step 5: Did we meet our objectives? 6. Measure effectiveness of plan · Step 6: Did we reap a harvest? If so… 7. Do it all over again! Be careful! Guard your heart! (Proverbs 4:23) Be sure your motives in paying it forward are to bring God glory! We can have the right motive but the wrong heart when paying it forward. [slide – Newspaper] Here’s a news article I found in the The Kingstonian Christian newspaper. We shouldn’t be about how much credit or payment we receive for serving God, but what we do in response to God’s directive to help someone in need – to Pay It Forward. TRANSITION What does it take to Pay It Forward? We’ve prepared ourselves, gathered all the necessary resources, and know that we must guard our hearts, now what? [slide] POINT ONE: We make ourselves slaves to everyone, to win as many as possible. (V.19b) · By choice we make ourselves to be lower than those to reach those people. So… To the Jew, to those under the law, to the lawless, to the weak, we become all things to all men so that we might save some. (vs.20-22) How to you become all things to all people to win some to Christ? You’ve got to love the person where they are and how they are to win some to Christ. There is no race, religion, ethnicity, color, creed, economic status, special needs, or person on the face of this earth that God does not love, nor does he exclude any person from the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. When we see people through the eyes of God, we see broken hearts, bruised spirits, and pain-filled eyes. [slide- eye] The eyes are the window to the soul. When God looks at a person, he looks at their soul, not their exterior. Here’s where I’m going to lose most of you today! We must engage every person on a deep level in order to see their brokenness, to grasp their pain, to know their hurt. Everyone has a story of a broken heart. Some people’s pain is more apparent than others, but if you look into their eyes, you’ll see it too. The eye is the window to the soul! Until we truly and deeply ENGAGE WITH A PERSON ON THEIR LEVEL, we will never win some – or any for that matter. Will you consider stepping outside your comfort zone to engage the least, the lost, and the broken? TRANSITION Pay It Forward – example · Call one person to the stage · Call three people to the stage · Call nine people to the stage. If one person pays it forward to just three people, and those three people pay it forward to three people, then 12 initial people will be won to Christ. That’s what it means to win some. Let’s get practical for just a moment. Who are the “some” people you can have an impact in their lives? <CALL OUT FROM AUDIENCE> · Grocery store clerk · Lawn mower · Gas attendant · Cousin eddie · Aunt Matilda · Son Robby · Brother John · All the people of Caldwell, Davies, and Clay and Ray Counties WE DON’T LACK FOR PEOPLE TO REACH; WE LACK THE COURAGE TO REACH THESE PEOPLE. POINT TWO: WE MAY NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY WE DO “CHURCH” IN KINGSTON. We must face the reality that most people who step into our church will step in a time warp of the church of their grandparents. Although it’s a comfortable place for you and me, but it’s not the church of Jesus Christ – a transformative, life-altering, community. We know how to do “church.” But this church isn’t about knowing how to do church, but to see people’s lives radically transformed from lost to saved. Most of you can’t imagine doing church differently because it makes you uncomfortable. Let me tell you about Jesus’ ministry. Jesus said, “Am I not to be about my Father’s business?” Jesus’ business was to seek and save the lost from the grips of Hell. He wasn’t building a church but filling Heaven. Jesus said to Peter, “On this rock (peter) I will build my church.” He wasn’t talking about a physical building, but putting the church in the heart of every person, a place to invite people to transform them. People don’t get saved in a church; they get saved in their hearts. The building is just a tool to invite them to heart transformation. So what would it look like to turn our focus from our comfortable place in the church to a salvific approach? Kingston Church of the Nazarene is just a tool in God’s tool belt to be used for His purpose. It’s not about you or me, or our comfort or our peace and rest; our likes and dislikes, or our preferences. This church should be a church for the orphan and the widow. I know what some of you are saying, “We already use our building for the community.” And you are right; we do use it for the community. However, we unlock the doors but we don’t engage the users. We don’t offer to make coffee or set up or tear down the tables and chairs. We don’t help hang their coats or provide an umbrella when it’s raining. STORY: KINGSTON SCHOOL GRAD. Recently, the Kingston school used our building for their graduation. They used the fellowship hall and the sanctuary for their event. And it’s great! But not one person from our church showed up to help or volunteer their time so that parents could see our church in action loving our community. I was here! I opened and closed the building. I cleaned off the platform, and even took out the trash before they arrived. And, some of you would say, “Well, that’s your job.” But it’s not in my job description to do this. However, I chose to be like the Jew, the Lawless, the weak, and the community citizen in order to win some. So, while I was here, I shook the hands of as many parents as I could of those students who attend our church on Wednesday night. I gave them my card, and I thanked them for allowing their child to be a part of our church. If we believe in “winning some” for the Kingdom, then we need to pay it forward by being the church of Jesus Christ to our community. TRANSITION – ON-RAMPS Evangelism takes time, effort and community. I don’t just evangelize, we evangelize together. So I want to invite us to begin to look for on-ramps to serve our community. [slide - Map] Last year the City of Overland Park reconstructed a new on-ramp and bridge system to ease the flow of traffic, especially around the holiday because it leads to the Oak Park Mall. It was obvious that the current ramp and bridge system wasn’t effective or efficient anymore, and they took the initiative to make it better. Two points - · One the old ramp was fine but inefficient · Two, the new system, much like the old one was reimagined and works better. It still has on-ramps and a bridge, but they are more capable of handling the traffic due to the growth of Kansas City. QUESTION: What are some of our identified on ramps in Kingston? Before you answer, here are some stats to consider: · Median household income below state average. · Median house value significantly below state average. · Estimated median household income in 2015: $26,444 o Kingston: $26,444 o MO: $50,238 § Ergo: Residence of Kingston make less than half of those who live in Missouri While this information isn’t conclusive, it can help us perhaps identify some potential on-ramps to ministry - · Students need school supplies – Kingston Nazarene buys · Many have no running water – we could put in a laundry mat free of charge · Many don’t have good transportation – we could create a ride share program · Many don’t have access to food – we could start a small pantry or a community garden · Many have never learned how to interview – we could teach classes on interviewing and dressing for success and start a small thrift store · Many don’t have access to entertainment – we could have a movie night with free popcorn in the fellowship hall · Many don’t have daily necessities – we could put together Crisis Care Kits for our own community. You get the picture. TRANSITION POINT THREE: UTILIZE THE TOOLS PROVIDED TO YOU TO REACH THE LOST It’s all good and well, Pastor, but who are my neighbors? I’m glad you asked. Francis Bacon once said, “Knowledge is power!” If this is true, then technology is our friend to gain the knowledge we need to serve our community. [slide - Logo] BLESS EVERY HOME [slide – MAP] 40 Homes to pray, care, share, disciple We know the names and addresses of 40 adopted homes where we are the light to them simply by praying, caring, sharing, and discipling them. These are those in the scope of our influence, and we can add more! Because technology has made it possible to know who our neighbors are, we now have an on-ramp to start reaching out to them – to Pay It Forward, if you will. [slide] The real question is: will you join the mission of the Church of the Nazarene “To Make Christlike Disciples in the Nations”, one person at a time in Kingston? CONCLUSION Sitting in our pews on Sunday morning worshiping God is what we need to do as the community of Christ to build us up to serve Jesus and his mission every day. We need to be here and do this. But, just like the Apostle Paul is declaring to the church in Corinth, we should be about blessing others rather than worrying about our own personal gain. If we do, we will reap a bountiful harvest of souls. [slide] I’m calling the church to “Pay it Forward and Share in the Harvest.” SONG: Love Lifted Me PRAYER AND DISMISS 9