Sermon Tone Analysis

How to Build a Church That Can Feed the Masses

 

/~*The Lord spoke to me and said that He is positioning His church to feed the masses./

*The Power of the Seed:*

The other day I was at home with one of my daughters.

She had not been feeling well and my wife and I took turns keeping an eye on her.

Sitting in our living room, she watched as I ate an apple.

She looked on with perplexity wondering how I could eat the apple without peeling it (she doesn’t like the skin).

As I attempted to explain it to her an apple seed fell from the apple into my hand.

At that moment God began to speak to me.

He brought the John chapter 12 to my remembrance and so I got my bible and began to read.

/John 12:20-28/

/20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast.

21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request.

"Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

/

/23 Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

*24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.

But if it dies, it produces many seeds.*

25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.

My Father will honor the one who serves me./

/27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say?

'Father, save me from this hour'?

No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.

28 Father, glorify your name!"  NIV/

Ø  The seed has potential.

Ø  The power of perpetual life is in the seed.

Ø  The seed has to be planted in order for the life to be released.

Ø  The power of multiplication is in the seed.

In order to understand the power and purpose of the seed we have to go back to where it all began.

/Gen 1:26-30/

/26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and /let them rule /over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, *"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.*

Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

*29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.

They will be yours for food.*

30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground — everything that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food."

And it was so.

NIV/

Ø  God released two key things to man: *DOMINION & SEED*

Ø  There was a commission given, authority was delegated

Ø  God always delivers in package form: Vision & Provision (providing for the vision)

Ø  Provision is given in the form of the seed

The New Testament church was birthed based upon the same principle.

The commission was given by Jesus who had just regained dominion in heaven and on earth.

He delegated His authority to the Church and then sent the Holy Spirit to empower it for service.

*Producing Fruit:*

God desires to meet people’s needs both in the natural and in the spiritual realms.

The Church of Jesus Christ carries that same mandate.

There are churches that are financially prosperous but they lack the ability to meet the spiritual needs of people.

There are churches that are blessed spiritually but lack the finances to really have a major impact.

Balance must be achieved in order for the church to have maximum effect in the earth.

Here are some examples from scripture:

/James 2:14-17/

/14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?

Can such faith save him?

15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

NIV/

Ø  Good intentions (faith) but lacking the ability to physically meet the need

/Rev 3:14-18/

/14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.

15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.

I wish you were either one or the other!

16 So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'

But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

NIV/

Ø  This church had the physical things, but they were lacking in the spiritual things

Jesus modeled the way that it should be done.

Through His example we have the pattern by which to build.

/ /

/ /

/ /

/Matt 14:13-21/

/13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.

Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.

14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and *healed their sick*.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late.

Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."

16 Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away.

*You give them something to eat.*"  17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

18 "Bring them here to me," he said.

19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.

Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

NIV/

Ø  Jesus was nearing the end of a supernatural healing service, spiritual needs were being met

Ø  The people also had physical needs, they needed food

Ø  Notice Jesus’ response to His disciples: “You give them something to eat”

*Meeting Spiritual Needs:*

 A carnal Christian does possess the capacity to meet the spiritual needs of another person.

In order for us to be able to meet the spiritual needs of the people that God places around us we have to be fruitful in the Spirit.

Simply put, we cannot impart what we do not have ourselves.

Ø  Carnal Peter versus spiritual Peter

Ø  What did Jesus say to Peter in their first encounter after Peter had denied Him?

/John 21:15-18/

/15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"  "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "*Feed my lambs*."