Sermon Tone Analysis

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

It is a question that we have to ask ourselves every so often especially as we go through the different stages of life.

There are sacrifices to be made along the way because it is not what we want but what He wants.

In the meantime, this world calls out to follow it – and the choice is stark and daily – the way of the world or the way of Christ?

When we remember how much he cares for us then the choice is made easier.

The thing is, we can be all too satisfied about our walk with the Lord and where we are as a Church, the same desires that we have for natural things does not translate to the spiritual – we like the status quo when it comes to Church and change is seen as a threat - but the fact is that we should never be content with our spirituality but we, individually and as a Church, should be constantly transformed as God’s Word permeates us.

Then Jesus says to His disciples; “pray to the Lord of the harvest for workers” and by the very act of praying we are saying we also want to be part of the labour force – the harvest is ready but we are not.

This was made very clear at the BMS Prayer Meeting on Friday.

The amount of work needing to be done is overwhelming - a number of the present missionaries were saying there is not enough people to do the work.

And surely that is also true of Mansleton, Swansea and Wales.

If I was to ask you what is your passion as far as the Church is concerned what would you say?

· Would you say Evangelism,

· would you say paperwork,

· would you say discipleship,

· would you say worship,

· would you say intercession,

· or would you say your passion is youth

· or creativity

· or old people,

· or is your passion Websites,

· visitation,

· giving,

· finance,

· hospitality,

· perhaps it’s preaching?

What is your passion?

What do you think your gifting is, thinking in more spiritual terms rather than natural ones.

I think that there are exciting times ahead – and it can be exciting all the time because I think that the decisions we make as a church can lead to church growth on a scale that other churches haven’t seen.

We know, of course, that it is God who builds His church and He has given us the tools to make it happen.

He has given us intellect, he has given wisdom (because we asked for it, of course); we know that only God can save but we need to be obedient to the vision; we need to be participants working together for the glory of God and I believe this will lead to blessing as well as many difficulties and opposition.

And through it all our dependence upon God will grow.

So many times the Scripture says to be bold and of good courage because He is with us.

Our confidence is in the Lord not in ourselves.

Is this not what we said last week?

He is with us.

He has given us the power through the Spirit to achieve reaching this world with the Gospel.

Now our responsibility is to be faithful; we are to be workers in the harvest field because the harvest is ready.

Now saying that when Jesus sent out the 70 disciples He said that you are going to get mixed results.

Some will receive and others will not.

In fact, it would appear that whole towns and villages will simply reject Jesus but this should not stop us telling them the Gospel that one can have peace with God.

Yes, shake off the dust, move on, but still be gracious in the midst of it.

Tell them again that the Kingdom of God is near to them.

As preachers of the Gospel we are speaking as if it is God Himself.

When we speak His Word God is speaking.

That should add gravitas to our message.

Even so, some here are afraid of telling others about the Gospel being not sure what to say.

Should this be so.

Hear what God said to Moses:

In verse Luke 10:4 Jesus said do not speak with anyone on the road - this simply meant that there was no time for a gossip and a chitchat - get to the mission and its message directly.

In my younger Christian days I was not known for my small talk - now I have mastered it all too well and miss saying the more important things.

I should be more direct with you all about your spiritual lives…what has God been speaking with you?

What have you learned from Scripture today?

How is your relationship with God and with others?

Get to the nub - the more important things.

Yes, the weather is all good and fine but how are you really, not just physically but spiritually?

And there is something we all can do though some have a special calling in it.

It doesn’t even matter at what stage of life we are we can still be in God’s service through prayer.

This is a work of God – when we read the stories of past revivals we find that many of them started as a result of an older generation praying.

Where have the prayer meetings for revival gone?

Some of you have heard me tell this before:

Irena and I were in Macedonia in September 2011 and went a Thursday Service…I prayed, Lord speak to me…though I was expecting the whole service to be in Macedonian and I have difficulty following because of the speed of what is being said.

But at the end of the worship an American was invited to say something.

He started off by saying that we should be praying for Macedonia.

Pray for Macedonia!

Then, oddly, he spoke about a woman who went to a particular church called Moriah…this church was where Evan Roberts was based for the Welsh revival of 1904…and whilst this woman was in the church she had a vision.

This vision was of an angel.

And that angel was sleeping.

So she prayed and asked why the angel was sleeping.

And the answer was that this angel is the angel of revival and it was sleeping because no one was praying for revival anymore.

His whole sermon was about praying for Macedonia – and he was talking about Wales!

And here I am, a Pastor in a church in Wales but here I was in Macedonia and he is talking about Wales – the coincidences could not have been more obvious.

Could it be that the reason we do not have revival in Wales is because we are not praying for it?

Our vision is too small – in 1904 1 in 15 people became Christians – today only half of that number claim to be Christians and every week 3 or 4 churches in Wales are closing their doors for the last time.

What is going to turn this around?

My friends, you and I both know that not only are we to make sure that

1. we are caring for each other and serving one another.

For Jesus came to serve…not just as an example to us of service…but to actually serve…and because of his service and laying down his life in service for us we respond by serving each other in the way that Christ has also served them.

2. We are to make sure we do what we were born to do.

Jesus was born to die: his whole purpose was this.

What is your purpose?

What has God called you to?

What comes across your path is what He has called you to do:

But we are also to be doing our duty in prayer, in Scripture, in witnessing.

There are things that are expected of all of us: We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Following Jesus does not guarantee health or wealth for we read in the previous chapter in Luke 9 that Jesus still had no room in the inn.

Following Jesus may mean hardships, He guarantees that we will be persecuted and hated by the world.

Who wants to claim this promise!?

But Jesus has his eye on a greater purpose – for He came to seek and save the lost – and he sees that the harvest is great…

a. but the workers are at home watching TV, the drug with a plug…

b. the harvest is great but the workers are content and lazy and are not satisfied with what they have been already given…

c. the harvest is great but the workers do not care that their neighbours, colleagues, friends, family and others who are going to hell…

d. the harvest is great but the workers are…not to be seen?

Workers have to have a plan to produce work that is pleasing to our master – not that the work that has been produced has been rubbish because that may or may not be the case - but we are looking forward

e. the harvest is great and Jesus asks us to pray for workers for He so desires people to know Him.

The work is massive and it cannot be done by a few individuals.

He wants us to have the same passion He has for the saving of people’s souls so much so that all we can do is pray and tell them.

Let’s ask God to wake up the contented and to revitalise the Church.

Most here are retired – but there is no retirement in the Kingdom of God.

We get to the age when we are looking back more and more over our lives – the good, the bad and the ugly but we should be looking forward...because there is more time ahead of us than is behind...one day we will meet with Jesus, the lover of our souls...but it won’t end there...what do you think is in store for the next 100 trillion, trillion, trillion years?

It is not going to be a life of being on a cloud with a harp, lounging about, sleeping, and getting bored.