The Rock Family Sermon of the Week
The Rock Family Worship Center is a multi-cultural non denominational church led by Pastors Scott & Britt Silcox.
The Rock Family Sermon of the Week
Believing For The Harvest - Pastor Scott Silcox
Pastor Scott continues in our series "Believing For The Impossible", challenging us to identify our personal responsibility to the harvest and to stop hiding behind excuses that prevent us from being effective witnesses for Christ.
• God doesn't need our help with generating a harvest - the problem is finding laborers willing to work
• When Jesus told disciples to pray for laborers, He was preparing to commission them as those laborers
• Being "Christian at work" isn't enough if we never speak about the gospel due to fear of rejection
• William Carey revolutionized missions by challenging the passive belief that "if God wants to save people, He'll do it without us"
• The Holy Spirit empowers believers specifically to be witnesses, not just for personal spiritual experiences
• Our commissioning progresses from local to global impact as we mature in faith and obedience
• God strategically positions His people like dealing new hands from the same deck of cards - same people, different assignments
• Complaining about others not meeting expectations reveals our hearts are set on pleasing people rather than God
• True compassion for the lost, not just desire for converts, should motivate our evangelism efforts
• We must overcome our humanity through faith and accept the impossibility of doing God's work in our own strength
If you've grown complacent in your witness, recommit today to being empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the good news without excuses or fear.
Welcome to the Rock Family Sermon of the Week. For more information about our church, please visit therockfamilytv Now. Join us for a message from Pastor Scott Silcox.
Speaker 2:If you don't know the idea of what this is's actually a series that really she prayed into this for a very long time, just believing that this was the next step for us in our church and the topic that we really needed to get into, and she did a fantastic job, kind of setting the stage with the idea what is impossible with man is what Possible with God. Right, and then the first place we see that language of something being impossible is really where we have to overcome our humanity and we literally have to lean into a faith for salvation. How many know that salvation has to be believed in? There's something on the other side of that. It's not just a loving Savior, but there's a step that we have to take into the possibility of being saved. Right, and that what the Lord says is impossible for us to do in our own strength. He graces us in that moment to do it.
Speaker 2:Now, for most of us you should know this is that you didn't come to salvation because you found Christ. Christ found you. Can I get a good amen? Yeah, christ found you. Christ pursued you. I will take it a step further. It's the Holy Spirit that drew you, even into himself. So this is the beauty of our God. He not only makes provision for you, he makes hunger in you through himself. So you just got to get your head wrapped around this. This is how much he loves us, how much he desires to be with us, how much he wants to know you. And can I tell you today, if you have not met Christ and you're in this room today, can I tell you don't go another minute, another second Life has and will continue. It's so much better with him. It's so much better with him. There's so much joy and there's, yeah, life happens. But Christ in us gives us the grace to walk out the things that come, and I'm just telling you, last week was an incredible foundation for that, like the idea of understanding that salvation A is valuable, important and is for everybody, and it's going to require us to overcome our humanity to do it, and the Lord provides a way. This week, I want to talk to you a little bit about the harvest, the harvest way.
Speaker 2:This week, I want to talk to you a little bit about the harvest, the harvest Now. Immediately. When I say the harvest, many of you will immediately go to the scripture of what Do you guys can recall? One right. The harvest is and the labors are few. We all know that. Isn't that amazing how easy we were able to pick that up in our little index there. So everybody knows this, everybody knows the scripture. But I want to just kind of set a stage for you.
Speaker 2:This is Matthew 9. And if you go back and look at Matthew 9, this is fascinating to me. Matthew 9, it starts with an entire like glossary of history that Christ is having. He's doing healings, I mean like massive healings he's having. He's neck deep in the demonic. This is chapter nine. Just go back and look at it Like it's. He's doing business with the people of Israel. He's shown up on the scene. He's anointed to preach the good news. He's anointed to do the work right. And in chapter nine he starts doing the work and in fact it's so overwhelming that there are people just dragging the sick to him Like he's just he's just camped out. I'm going'm gonna stay here.
Speaker 2:People are just saying like this guy's doing miraculous stuff and honestly I'm telling a family member I'm getting them here because they need a touch from Jesus. Now I would just stop right here to say, uh, that the thing that that hurts my heart most than anything is to see, uh, the of Christ and the church not be hungry enough to bring those that are lost and broken anymore. And it's oftentimes because we're struggling ourselves on our besetting and our cyclical sin cycle in our life that we don't want to bring other people into the middle of that. Till we get it right, can I tell you that that that'll take eternity. Come on, don't look at your neighbor right now. Right, come on, help me know that that that's going to be a, that's going to be a minute. So we can't, we can't just hold on on this message.
Speaker 2:But here's, here's a couple of facts here. Let's read through this scripture first, and it says this Matthew 9, verse 35 through 38. We're going to read these couple of scriptures and I'll read them to you, you can follow along with me. And it says 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 what Compassion for them. He had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. And then he said to his disciples here it is, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest.
Speaker 2:Now, this is like a quintessential. This is like you learned this at the earliest age. Possible, because this is what we usually teach when we want people to get up and do something. Possible, because this is what we usually teach when we want people to get up and do something Right. This is the motivation. It's like when it's time to do evangelism, micah, this is the scripture I'm giving you. When it's time to get out and do Huntsville Dream Center, this is it. Hey, the laborers are few, the harvest is plenty. Don't sit on your hands, come on, come on, son, let's do this Right. That's typically how we would use it, but can I tell you, I think it's a misuse of the Scripture altogether. I actually don't think it's the best use of the Scripture, and I want to just point out a couple of things that I think are interesting.
Speaker 2:And again, today, our whole goal is to identify this idea of what is my responsibility to the harvest. Shaquan and Lindsay are here today. Look at this. Shaky making an appearance on Sunday morning. Thank you for bringing lovely. That's really all we wanted to see. So I'm just saying that is the most beautiful child I've ever seen. I love her, sorry, side note Question is Tommy is like what's my responsibility to the harvest? What's my responsibility, what's my job to it?
Speaker 2:I want to just start by this and recognize a couple of things right out of the gate. How many know that Christ is in a unique posture when he is concerned about the harvest. First and foremost, he is under a demand on what he carries. Just go back and read chapter 9. There's a demand on what he's carrying at the moment. There's deliverance, there's healing, there's power in him and there are people that are drawing on it. But it says this he finally gets to the points where he has compassion for them.
Speaker 2:I would just say this if any time we endeavor to step out and to be his witnesses and we endeavor to step out and proclaim the name of Jesus in our communities, if you're doing it without a heart of compassion, it's in the wrong motive right out of the gate. If it's in the motive of salvation alone, it's even the wrong motive. Careful, that's hard, that's hard to hear. But the truth is, if I'm just getting out there just to make converts, I got to get converts, and I'll do whatever it takes to get converts the truth is, if your motive isn't rooted in compassion in fact, it's compassion that makes you passionate about souls and about salvation. It should be compassion that compels us into the highway and the byway. It should be compassion, joe, that gets you excited about doing what you do.
Speaker 2:And here's what's sad about the Western approach. What we do is we tell ourselves that when we're at our workplace, we're doing God you do. And here's what's sad about the Western approach. What we do is we tell ourselves that when we're at our workplace, we're doing God's work. Because we're Christian at God's work at this work, because I'm Christian at this job, then I'm really doing the hard work of going after the harvest. Folks, this is real. This is a lie that we'll tell ourselves. We'll just be convinced we're totally at work with the kingdom of God. We're partnered with what Christ is doing because we're Christian at work.
Speaker 2:What does that mean to you, christian at work? Most of the time? Most of the time, it just means you quietly have a devotion to the Lord and you think of me. Just being in place is me taking ground for the kingdom? And I have. I've got terrible news for somebody in here. This ain't it. This is what we tell ourselves, so that we actually don't have to do the hard work of actually speaking about the gospel. I don't actually want to have to say anything because I might get rejected. There's a fear of rejection, a fear of failure, a fear that I actually don't know what I'm talking about and I'll get in a conversation and they'll find out I'm a fraud, and so what we do is we sit on our hands and then we just decide I'll tell you what we will do. We will just be devoted, quiet Christians at work and claim the kingdom of God, and then we get in our Christian circles and we let everybody know we're advancing the kingdom.
Speaker 2:I was persecuted this week at work and most of you think you were persecuted because you got asked to do work. It's like crazy, like that, like they actually want me to do something for this money. If I had known that. It's just funny the way we are. Our humanity feels like we, by claiming Christ, we deserve something else. But the truth is is that there's got to be a motivation in us, and this is what's happening.
Speaker 2:Do you know that these three passages right, these three verses are actually a pivot point in the dialogue of what Matthew's doing. Matthew has laid out all this demand on Christ, and it was Christ through compassion. Isn't it interesting that he says right here, he says he had compassion for them. Why? Because they were what Harassed and helpless. Did anyone notice that he doesn't have compassion on them, that they're lost? Doesn't have compassion because they're lost. He has compassion because they're harassed. He has compassion on them simply because they're helpless. Why? Because Jesus is in the physical form present to deliver Israel and they can't see him. Salvation is at hand. But the thing that frustrates him is this what makes his heart break is they don't even know that I'm right here and I'm only one person and I've got to get more people involved in this thing.
Speaker 2:And this is the cool part, because he pivots and then he asks the disciples. This is who he's asking, by the way. It's the disciples. He's saying hey guys, I need you to pray, I need you to pray for laborers. Now you just have to imagine Put yourself there for a second, like one of the disciples. You're following Christ, you've been chosen, you're an understudy right, an under-shepherd right, which is what I am, what our pastors are what we're doing right. This isn't our church. This is his church, right? This isn't what I am, what our pastors are what we're doing, right? This isn't our church. This is his church. Right? This isn't what I want. This is what he wants. Right? We're under shepherds, right? We're not the shepherd, we're the under shepherd.
Speaker 2:And so he's got a band of misfits that he's traveling around with and they're sitting on the sidelines seeing the most miraculous things I'm talking about, like people that are lame, getting up and walking away and the whole community being like what is going on? This is crazy. Nobody's doing this stuff Everything you can imagine. Right? The Pharisees are close and all they want to do is make sure that everyone knows he's operating from a devil. He's a devil, he's praying to the devil, he's using devil black magic to raise these people up, because when the church can't control the narrative, it makes its own narrative up, when it can't control the outcomes, because our systems failed, but the power of God overrides our system, and this is. The Pharisees are confronted with this, and so they have to start some other narrative. Yeah, to cut this man down. Got to cut this. He's getting too much influence, but it's too late because, how many know, you can't compete against the miraculous power of God.
Speaker 2:Look, my family member is lame, is now walking. Can I tell you, I don't care what you say, but that guy is delivering on his word Right, and yet we lack the confidence to talk about it. We're in here clapping it up right now. Yeah well, we believe in this. Until you get to lunch today and somebody takes a half a set longer to get you your food, and then the spirit of hangry comes upon you. Huh, you start snapping at family members, you tear through the rolls on the table. Come on, we could shout all about this, but we're talking about there's work to be done. I say there's work to be done. I say there's work to be done. Sorry, that's a anyway For those that know. No, brother Barry, he's in here.
Speaker 2:Three verses, he pivots. He tells them I want you to pray, pray for laborers, because the harvest is plenty. This isn't a harvest problem. See, we're constantly trying to help the Lord with a harvest problem. We keep trying to drum up more hunger. And he said hunger ain't their problem. Who will go is the problem. So this is the fascinating part. This is what he does. Have you guys ever.
Speaker 2:Chase knows what I'm talking about when I say this, and basketball players know, but there's a move in basketball called the pivot. It's a pivot. It's where you're anchored on one side but you're pivoting. You're able to move, but your one foot stays steady. This is Christ pivots right here.
Speaker 2:Matthew, really, in documenting it, is the one who pivots in writing. But he's basically saying here's a problem, here's a thing, here's what the need is, here's Christ's compassion for it. And then pivot is hey, I want you to pray into something. And then, just a verse later, we get this Chapter 10, verse 1 through 7, but we'll start at 5. It says these 12 Jesus sent out instructing them go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and do what Proclaim as you go, saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons. Now, here's the pivot, did you see it? I want you to pray, julie, for laborers. And then two, three, four verses later, boom, prayers are answered. Y'all are the ones I'm talking about. You are empowered. You got to go, do Like.
Speaker 2:You know those disciples. They're kind of like a oh, I'm trying to be nice. You know there's people in your life that are, that are just to-do list people. You can't, they don't, they're not gonna piece it together until you lay it out. Melinda knows what I'm talking about. She gives me lists all the time, like she knows I'm that way here at work, like I need you to do this, this and this. If she's waiting for me to dream up what that is, I'll do all the other things, except for the things that are on the list. Right, am I right? Yes, anybody got somebody in their family like that that you know you better give the exact task to, or it ain't going to happen. The disciples are like this. They're all over the place.
Speaker 2:So you know, when Jesus pivots and he says, hey, this is what I want you to do, I want you to pray. So you know, when Jesus pivots and he says, hey, this is what I want you to do, I want you to pray. You know they're right there. Yes, lord, shut up. We need more laborers. Bring them in from the highways and send them in, lord, we need laborers. And Jesus is like and stop, let me just put my hands on you. You were commissioned. Get out of here and go do something with your life. Can anybody relate? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sort of like what we do every week. Sort of like what we do.
Speaker 2:We come in here praying for other people to come in here that we won't go get. Huh, we just, we're so good at it Remember, this church is so good at this. We know how to pray, we know how to intercede. We'll come together. We're praying for the lost, but we're not going to tell anybody about the kingdom, like that's for them to find out. See, that's how we're partnering with the Lord. See, this is how you justify. We're partnering with the Lord. He's doing the work. We're just here. We're just here. We're intercessing, we're intercessing, we're intercessing. We've got holes in our jeans, but we can't just open our mouth.
Speaker 2:I'm talking about when, you know, jesus swooped in and saved your soul. I mean, no, it don't take much for me to be compassionate. You know what I'll show you, give you an example. You know, it don't take much for me to be compassionate. You know what? I'll give you an example. When someone messes up their Achilles, right compassion Because I ruptured mine and it's like, as soon as I hear it. I get sympathy pains, leg starts, throbbing. I immediately do whatever. What can I do for you? How can I serve you? You don't even know what's coming to you. It's going to be terrible. Come on, I mean, you know like you can connect to somebody. You've gone through similar trauma with right. There's a compassion there.
Speaker 2:Here's what's disturbing Is that? Why isn't the church moved to compassion over those that are broken and lost Because they don't have what? What are we missing in the relationship with Christ? That doesn't compel me to tell others about his good news. What is it that's holding me back? What is the thing? And so here's interesting to me is that the disciples are going to get a couple of commissionings. This is their first one.
Speaker 2:Oftentimes, we don't talk about this commissioning, do we? We usually talk about which one. Come on, you got this, matthew 28. You're all over it. Somebody said it. I don't know where you were at. There you go, girl. Let's call my girl Butler grad, matthew 28. We usually talk about that commissioning, but this commissioning is one that's important. Young people, listen to me, just listen to me for a second. Rico, right, this is what we're talking about. This commissioning is important because he limits their ability. You realize at this point, he did not commission them to minister to the Gentiles, which is you and me. He commissioned them to the work that he was there to do. Now, I'm just saying this as a side note to the work that he was there to do. Now, I'm just saying this as a side note.
Speaker 2:Young person, when you're asked to partner in a season, don't get so easily frustrated and itchy to get out of learning how to do the ministry at the local level. Don't be duped into believing you're just waiting for your big platform. Your social media is gonna blow up. You're going to be the next, whatever. No, no, no, no, no. What the invitation is is to partner in the direction of where the leadership is going, because in that place, you're learning how to then what Be commissioned to the world. It's a phase, it's a step that we want to bypass all the time, because we're waiting for worldwide success.
Speaker 2:This wasn't even about success for you. This is about learning how to be discipled. It's about learning how to learn for what Christ is doing and do the work he's given you to do today. Stop waiting on your next opportunity and do the work today. Yeah, about three of y'all are like yeah, that sounds good, sounds good. My neighbor loves to hear that they need that today. That's my other favorite part about being in church. We always like believe the message is for the person you're sitting next to, or someone in the room like this is perfect for them. No, this is for you, girl, like this is for you.
Speaker 2:Lord's trying to get your attention, trying to shake you out of your comfort zone, right, trying to get you compassion about the lost. Why? Because the laborers are few. The harvest isn't the problem. It's you being mobilized, yeah, but I don't like my few. The harvest isn't the problem. It's you being mobilized, yeah, but I don't like my assignment. My assignment ain't good. That's why you there it is. It's why you're there, yeah, but you don't know it's hard. Yeah, yeah, right, yeah, it's hard. It's hard, it's meant to be hard, it's meant to shape you, it's meant to form you, right? We don't want to bypass those, right? All right, so a couple of things that I just want to mention to you because I think they're interesting.
Speaker 2:There's an interesting dynamic that happens over 1,800 years and there's a guy that shows up on the scene in England and he starts, as a young person to preach pretty radical teaching. Now this is fast forward, by the way, I'll go back to it at the end. But the first commissioning, obviously getting disciples focused on the job at hand hey, you're released to do the work, but there's an era that kind of mirrors this. That I think is pretty interesting. There's a guy by the name of William Carey. I don't know if you know William Carey or not, but he's the father of modern missions. He's a young guy. He doesn't look young here. Obviously I was like that's some guys out here that look like this guy. When he was young he was radical.
Speaker 2:William Carey was a radical preacher, revivalist. Something interesting about William Carey that I think is to note is he did not have an education, but he studied and learned and actually became super successful, became a professor. He was fluent in German and two other languages Latin, I think, is what it was, another one that he was fluent in. But the idea is that he was studied. And this is interesting too is that he was a map maker. He would create maps, so he was a reader and so he understood geography and he would create maps. Rick isn't here today, but he was also a shoemaker. He made shoes. That's how he was doing it. He was young, he was making shoes. He's living his life, he's trying to be smart, but he gets anointed and I use that word, specifically anointed, to advance the idea of what missions is supposed to look like.
Speaker 2:William Carey is known for this statement right here In I think it was 1792, he has a message to a room full of ministers and this is what it's basically been boiled down to Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God. To expect great things from God, attempt great things for God. It's an incredible phrase and it's important for you to pay attention to exactly how it's written, because oftentimes I've read this a lot of times actually, and I've looked over it, but there's actually order to it you realize that you really can't do the attempt great things for God first. This is a fundamental problem in the church today. We don't mind attempting some things, but this one up here expecting it first. What are you expecting from God?
Speaker 2:I think most times, before we step out and do anything, we've got to change our expectation of what's possible. Do you hear? Can I say it again? We have to change our expectation of what's possible. Do you hear. Can I say it again? We have to change our expectation of what's possible With God. All things See. We just learned that With God, not with me, with me, no, no, no, with me, it's impossible. With God, all things are possible.
Speaker 2:So my level of expectation, bruce, remember when we used to come into church and we used to come in expecting God to transform lives. It wasn't like a I hope he shows up. We knew he would show up. So you guys, some of y'all, don't even remember that. You ain't even been in church long enough to know this. But there was an era and a day where we walked into service and it was like electricity running through your body Because you're just like. You don't know what's going to happen. I know this. I don't know how it will take place, but God is going to mess somebody up in this place today.
Speaker 2:Used to walk into church expecting hey, I am eager for worship because I'm not going to miss an opportunity to engage. And now we begrudgingly get in here or we come two songs late. Oh, they're just going to sing one of those fast songs I don't know the words to, as if we're curating worship for you. We're curating an atmosphere for him. Dude, all your kids got baptized today. That's so awesome, by the way, golly, kids got baptized today. It's so awesome, by the way, golly, I just love it. I just love it. Just want to run up there and hug all of them. I see y'all up there. So good. I mean, we can't get tired of that stuff. This is that public declaration of those who have given their lives to Christ. Right, william Carey?
Speaker 2:This guy coins this phrase and you have to think about what's he facing in this hour. You know, at this hour he's facing something that's really interesting. It's the Industrial Revolution is here. I want you to just think what he's facing. Something that's really interesting. It's the Industrial Revolution is here. I want you to just think what he's facing. There's this machinery, there's this stuff happening. There's all of this like progress that's happening all around him. There's this sense of empire that is taking control over Great Britain. What it is is there's this strength that's brewing and growing, and now they're branching out. The business is booming. It's worldwide. Now, right, they're shipping stuff all over. They're exploring and finding new worlds and new ways to do business. All of this is happening and William Carey is finally at a place where he can use his voice, he realizes nobody from the church is moving, we're stagnant.
Speaker 2:How can we, 1800 years later, after the Great Commission, after the empowerment, still be in a place where we should be at the razor's edge, at the tip of the spear, to bring impact through what God's done in our life, and nobody's doing anything? It's said that he stood up and began to make declaration. He began to put a demand on the church to get up and go and then he started to get rebuked. Sit down, young man. It's recorded. Sit down, young man. You're an enthusiast, you're just getting all worked up. And this is what they said If it's God's will for those people to be saved, if it's his will, then he'll do it. Now we look back at that and say, gosh, what a missed opportunity. And yet, and yet, here we are again, as if we didn't learn, as if we didn't pay attention.
Speaker 2:Can I give you a scripture, lily? Hebrews 13. I want you to go to Hebrews 13. I want you to look at it, read it. Hebrews 13 is interesting, the chapter 13. I wasn't even going to go there, I wasn't even going to say it, but you know, here I am, I'm out here now, so I think it's. I'll have to look. I don't have my phone looking on my Bible on my app real quick. Well, this is an inopportune time for it to update. I mean, are you serious right now, like what are we doing? You're going to give thanks, bud, thank you. Are you serious right now, like what are we doing? Thanks, bud, thank you. Watch it. Update on this one too. Then we know it's the prophet. If it's the Lord's will so be it. I want to give you this because I think it's important. It's important, I can paraphrase it for you, but I don't want to give you this because I think it's important. It's important, I can paraphrase it for you, but I don't want to All right, you guys got it.
Speaker 1:Hebrews 13? All right.
Speaker 2:I got to find it here. It is Verse 17. This is interesting. Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Listen to this. Their work is to watch over your souls and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. I want to give this to you because I want you to read the whole chapter to you, and this is important for our young people because there's this idea in here is that there's a path that's set from history for us to follow. It's for every one of us, and the Bible talks about this. It's like there's a way to do life and we're not paying attention.
Speaker 2:When you hear people like William Carey, who set out a course to start a missions movement, by the way he ends up in India and he ends up doing amazing work. By the way he ends up going and just created the first seminary there. He's an incredible lead. He's thousands of kids that he brought through the ministry. He's an incredible sacrifice. He motivated the Baptists to get out and do something. He was up against the Calvinists, though that's who he's up against. That's his battle. His battle's against the Calvinist, though that's who he's up against. That's his battle, his battle's against the Calvinist right, because they're just saying, hey, look, if God wants to save him, he'll save him, that's fine. And he's saying, no, we have to stir ourselves to the commission of Christ again, and this morning I'm encouraging us to stop and to think. What is your responsibility to the harvest? He has not asked you to pray for laborers so that you can look to somebody else. He's asked you to pray for laborers so that you can identify yourself. He's not asked you to pray for laborers so you can identify someone else. He has identified you. He's looking for you to pray so that you can see your potential.
Speaker 2:I was reading about a church the other day that. Do you guys remember when churches used to put like the flags of the nations? Do you remember that? I love that. My dad was big about that. He loved the flags of the nations. It was awesome. This particular church would put the flags up and underneath it they would put like names of the missionaries, so that when we would pray, we'd pray over those missionaries. But then you get to a flag that didn't have a missionary and there was a little mirror underneath it. We're going to do that again. That didn't have a missionary and there was a little mirror underneath it. Ha ha, ha, ha ha. Ah, we gotta do that again. We gotta do that again. Why, why? Why? Because the call is why not you?
Speaker 2:The real prayer is are you praying about how is God gonna use me? How is he transforming me? Am I the one? That's what essentially. You get there and you face the heart for a country, but then you have to face am I the guy to go? Am I the girl to go? God, if you're sending me, let me confront me. This morning, I want you to look in a mirror with me. What keeps me from being the witness that he called me to be? What is it holding you back from sharing the good news with the people around you? Can I just take this a step further?
Speaker 2:The first commissioning that he gives to the disciples he gives so that he could teach them how to do the work. The second time we see it there's a bridge. What was a pivot in the scripture, for Matthew was like to pivot. I want you to pray. Pivot, you're the person. That's it right. Pivot, you're the guy Acts, does a totally different thing.
Speaker 2:There's no longer a pivot. It's a bridge. The bridge is the cross. The cross then brings salvation and through that he then empowers us, like this right Acts 1, 6 through 8.
Speaker 2:So when they had come together, they asked him Lord, will you, at this time, restore the kingdom to Israel? Now, stop right here. Now, this is post-cross right. We've already done the cross. They're seeing the Lord. Is this the time, lord? Look, peter's already been forgiven. He's been restored. They're focused, he's ascending. Tell us, lord, is this a time where we're going to? Israel will be great and we overthrow the rest of the world? This is just fascinating about disciples to Christ that self like they just want that so bad, don't they? They just want that so bad, don't they? Do we get to be the kings and the leaders? Do we get to? Just we get to go to war? Is this it? He says it's not for you to know the times or seasons that the father has fixed by his own authority.
Speaker 2:Some of us have spent too much time trying to predict when he's coming back and less time telling people about the message and for the people he's returning for, we have more blog posts, websites, books, ministries, full-on ministries dedicated to predicting when he'll come back While the world is dying and going to hell. I don't know about you, but I read stories of these revivalists and I just start to wake. I start to wake up again and realize I'm getting too comfortable. I'm getting too comfortable. I'm getting too comfortable If you are not in this room and you are not in this church and you're not seeing the things that's happening around here and getting a little uncomfortable. Can I tell you that's the right thing to feel right now and where we're resisting it as though it's a problem. I'm trying to tell you. It's what you should be feeling right now. You should be feeling a little uncomfortable. It's stretching me a little too much.
Speaker 2:They're asking me to take another weekend and do freedom what they want me to go through next steps. Oh, don't they know how busy I am being a Christian at work. No, no, this sense of what's happening. Let me tell you why we're feeling uncomfortable. I'm going to tell you also why. You see this giant wave of chaos, don't you feel it? It happens in our communities. You're feeling uncomfortable. I'm going to tell you also why. You see this giant wave of chaos that don't you feel it? It happens in our communities. You're seeing it. But can I tell you, it's so that we'll pause to learn how to pray, that we can become laborers in the harvest. That's the tension is for me to be felt, so that I embrace the job.
Speaker 2:He's calling you to something. He needs us. Can I just say this I'm just going to go out on a limb and tell you this because I know it's true, but we don't want to hear it. It's a requirement. It's a requirement. I'm going to say it again. I'm going to say it again. I'm going to say it softer. It's a requirement. I tried, I really tried right there. I really tried to give my best. It's a requirement. It's a requirement.
Speaker 2:How is the kingdom going to advance, jenny? Just because we wanted it to. Then why are we here? It is to advance through us and he's calling us to it and he's commissioning us, and this is what he says. He looked hey, stop worrying about when I'm coming. That is on my timeframe.
Speaker 2:Here's what he didn't ask us to do. I'm empowering you, equipping you to care about when I come back. It's not mentioned. What I need you to do is to write more books and predict a lot of false times so that when I do it right, it has more power. This is nothing. This is not the goal. This he says.
Speaker 2:But you will receive what? Power? Power, power In a world so hungry for power. We get the invitation for power, but we don't receive it. You can have supernatural power and power to do the work Christ through the cross, and power through the spirit to be what? But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and Anybody see a graduation of responsibility had nothing to do that God was turning his back on Israel. For those people that believe that you're crazy, no, he was not turning his back on Israel. He was enhancing responsibility for the believers. He was expanding that work, saying no, it's not just them. Now we're gonna go ahead and go to the world with this thing, because I died for all of them. And here's the beauty. I will empower you to do the work With you. It's not possible. With God, all things are possible. What is possible is that we can see massive revival in our community. You can see massive revival in our community. You can see massive revival in your home. You can see a complete turnaround in generational curse on your life just by receiving the power of God to do what.
Speaker 2:I got to stop here and I got to say it. I, I gotta say it, I got to say it, I'm compelled to say it. Okay, good, you said it. He did not give you the power to just manifest with tongues. It is not just so that we have this supernatural communication with him. What good is it if you don't use it anyway? What good is that if it doesn't empower you to witness? What good is that gift? So you can hide away. We don't need anyone to know, it's a mystery away. We don't want anyone to know. It's a mystery. Don't tell anybody.
Speaker 2:I'm filled with a spirit and most people are like does that mean you do the thing? Do you do that? And Paul says I do it more than all of you. We like Paul, don't we? Well, we reference all of his writings and we think he's amazing, but he's not here to answer for that tongues thing. So we can trust him. He's dead. We can trust him, he's dead. I'm just saying like it's not scary, it's a gift he gives, but for this purpose. The infilling of the Spirit on your life is so that you will be his witness. So so here's the challenge for us as a church.
Speaker 2:First question who are you Guiding and leading in this season? Who are you being a witness to? And I'm going to help you? You can't say yourself I am a witness here. I'm going to take it a step further, although it's true, through action. This is not what I mean, but I need to say it. Guess what? It's not your spouse, I am a witness to them. Well, hallelujah, that's like a 60-year work. You're on right there. 60 years you've been working on that. You'd think you'd made more progress at this point. No, no, no. Who are you witness to?
Speaker 2:I would love to give everyone a get-out-of-jail card. I would love to give everyone a get out of jail card. I would love to say, hey, listen, let's just get on board with what these guys were saying. Right, if God wants to save them, he'll save them. I'm so happy somebody didn't say that when they witnessed to me. I'm so happy they didn't just be like well, we'll just see. If God wants to do with you, man, good luck. Anybody else? Thankful that somebody didn't just come up short.
Speaker 2:So right now I was telling my wife this man, there's so much talk about this giant harvest that's coming into the kingdom. All right, I don't know if you've read up on this man. People are talking about it's like a billion souls. I love it. We just trillion wasn't a good? Million, no good Billions and billions, and whatever it is, I'm good with it.
Speaker 2:Here's my question. It's like will I accept the assignment? And here's the next piece that assignment, that assignment can't be accomplished outside of the Spirit, and I just need you to hear what I'm saying there. There's no way we will be able to advance and we will be able to partner with the Father when we choose not to do it with Him. The doing it with Him, the partnership. That's why, like Joe, what you guys are doing is amazing, because it's good, it's good food, it's good atmosphere, good people. What's going to make it different is the influence you have on your employees and the people that walk in. So when they walk in, they're like wait, hold on. What is this? What's this feeling? Oh man, we're excited to be in here today, excited to serve you today.
Speaker 1:Why do?
Speaker 2:you like to serve people.
Speaker 2:You know what are we doing. It's like, oh, this is what we were made to do. I wake up every day excited about serving you right. Why? Because I'm so thankful I was served right. You can live something out.
Speaker 2:This is how you're not just a Christian at work, you're not just hidden at work. You recognize, listen, you're at work, you're on the business, you're on the job. Yes, you're doing the work, but there's something more right, justin? We've talked about this like the way hold on. There's more to this the way I live and the way I operate and what I have the opportunity, and how many know that you need the discernment of the Holy Spirit to do that? How many know you can't just be willy-nilly, but how many know the Spirit will guide you to help you be the witness? All right, stand up. I can tell we need to witness to your tiredness of being seated this long. Are your bellies that are grumbling and they're hungry? I hope you can hear me. This morning there is a harvest and I'm not going to sit here and pray today for more harvest. I'm also not going to sit here and pray, john, for other laborers to show up here and do the work. My prayer today is what is my responsibility? And I'm going to full on take hold of that responsibility. And I'm going to full on take hold of that responsibility.
Speaker 2:Platforms that you have they're not so that we have a better America. I don't even know where we got that as believers, that that was like the number one priority. I know it's not popular, I get it. And no, I'm not a communist. Somebody in here is like, hey, he's a commie, I knew it. No, no, what I'm saying is when I read the Bible, when I read the Bible, the Bible he pulls us in salvation, in sonship, in adoption, pulls me into a kingdom narrative. That's totally different. It reorients my priorities, my value systems, everything that I do, and then he puts me to work. He doesn't just bring me in to lead me, he actually empowers me through the Spirit to partner with his work.
Speaker 2:And this is the commissioning that we've been waiting for. This is the commissioning you've been praying for, man, I just wish I could use my gift. You can Like. Today, we encourage it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I was thinking you were going to let me do it on the platform. It's like yeah, you got one of those. You walk around with it every day. You got it every day. You got it every day. You got it every day.
Speaker 2:Things that you can't neglect, things that you can't neglect Intimacy with the Father, intimacy in the Spirit. You can't be His witness if I don't have the strategy of heaven for today. Can I just give you an analogy, real quick. Deck of cards Alright Track with me on this Deck of cards, cam. We got a deck of cards. We dole them out Uno cards, because I was getting some resistance. I could feel it in the spirit. It's like he's a commie and he gambles Like none of that. Uno cards Same day, like we deal them up and we play the game. But I want you to just notice something. We deal them up and we play the game, but I want you to just notice something. It's that the hand that I get plays different every time. Same deck, new hand Plays different. We are constantly looking around like we're a bunch of trading cards. In here there were people that come and people that go, but in the kingdom of God he is constantly moving people to and fro. He's outfitting parts of the nation.
Speaker 2:Reason why you came back from Iceland. You didn't come back. You did come back because I'm great. You didn't come back. You did come back because I'm great. No, we all know you didn't. You came back because assignment. He repositions you here and then there's people like I don't know why they came back.
Speaker 2:Let God be God. He does this really cool thing, kelly. He'll move you somewhere. He'll opportunity will come. But it's because same deck, new hand and what he's trying to do in our community, in our family, in our churches, where we're all worried about who's where and who gets what. The truth is he's saying it's the same deck, it's the same pack of cards, it's the same. I'm working with my people and I'll put them here and I'll put them there and I'll send them across the world. And when they get there, you'll be shocked that you play a little different in every season. You're in, yeah, but I was this here. But see, I'm in a new hand, in a new way. He's using me. You see, this is what it means to be used in the kingdom of God. Or you can distance yourself and just pick apart the game. Just pick apart let's. This can be better, that can be better. Why don't we do this? We should have been doing that, and yet none of those complaints involve you doing anything. This is a fascinating part about complaining it's never complaining about ourselves, but on what somebody else didn't do. They didn't meet expectation. They disappointed me at that church. They didn't let.
Speaker 2:That means your heart is set on pleasing men, and God has commissioned you to please him and to advance the kingdom of God today, and he wants to empower you to do it because he loves you. He loves you, but he loves you too much to see you sit on your hands. He wants you to be a witness. You need fresh eyes today. Some of you need to look in the mirror today. Some of you need to just just put yourself in a place where you can just look in the mirror of life. Who am I? What am I doing? What am I doing? What are you doing with this thing? Am I just sitting around waiting for it to happen? Nobody knows when he's coming, so we need to be at work. Heavenly Father, we love you today. God, I thank you for your people. I thank you for God. What you're saying to us today, god? We're asking you for a fresh empowerment of the spirit today.
Speaker 2:Come on church, if that's you today, and you say, hey, listen, pastor Scott, this is right on with me right now. I've gotten complacent. I've just kind of gotten like I'm just, life is right on with me right now. I've gotten complacent. I've just kind of gotten like I'm just, life is just happening around me and I'm just kind of okay with it. I'm just building a good life for me, man and my kids, and that's good enough for us. But you're reminded today that God has actually ordained you, called you, put you on mission. He wants to empower you to do the work.
Speaker 2:And if you're here today and you say I'm not in that space but I want to be, I want you to lift up your hands and I want you to receive this prayer that I'm praying over you today. Yeah, I'm seeing hands all over the place. This is good. Open-handed like that, that's great. Just open it. Hey, hey, tap me in. I'm good, I'm ready.
Speaker 2:Tired of sitting on the sideline, tired of making excuses, I want, in, heavenly Father, we pray for the hands that are lifted in this room. Those who are saying again, renew in me a fresh commitment to follow you, to serve you. God, we just received the power of the Holy Spirit in our life to be your witnesses, god. We thank you today, god, that we have tried to do it in our own strength and it has come up short. God, we thank you today, god, that we have tried to do it in our own strength and it has come up short. But today we're asking for a renewed sense of anointing on our life to lead, to speak, to be your witness.
Speaker 2:God, we are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God, it was this message that transformed us. It's this message that we'll give our life away to it. Like William Carey, god, we'll stand up and declare God, you're worthy of sacrifice, you're worthy of getting on a boat and going across the country, not because we're afraid of the outcomes, not because we're concerned, but that we're so afraid that somebody might not know the name of Jesus. God, would you move in our hearts today a deeper compassion for the lost? Forgive us, god, that we put all of our attention on recognizing what kind of hardness we have and not actually committing to be the laborers ourselves. God, I thank you for the years and the months of understudy. I thank you for those that have been here in this congregation, have been trained and taught.
Speaker 2:But, god, we're asking you for now that second commissioning. Fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit, not so that we can have all of the gifts, but that you can be glorified through the testimony of our life, that we would witness that. We would witness that, we would witness that, we would witness God. That's our desire. That we would share the gospel, the good news that breaks off the chains and the bondage. God, the sin nature can be overcome by the presence of the Lord, and we get to carry that message. God, we thank you today that we don't carry it alone. You carry it with us, god, you've empowered us to carry such powerful message. God, go with us, anoint us afresh and anew. God, the way we live, the way we talk.
Speaker 2:We don't want to be people who are Christian at work. We want to be people who are Christian on mission. We want to be on mission. We're recommitting ourselves to that today. Father, we love you, we thank you for what you're doing in this community, what you're, what you're doing in this community, what you're going to be doing in the communities of those that will leave this place today, god, fresh, equipped, ready to advance the kingdom. We take responsibility today and we just say to you we're not going to take any. There are no more days where we excuse ourselves from the mission. We are not going to give any more excuses about why we don't serve. We're not going to give any excuses why we don't tell people about the good news. God, we're asking you to empower us again to be your witness, to share the gospel. We love you today. We thank you for all these things and more, in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1:Everybody said we hope and pray this message was encouraging and impactful. Join us live on our website or Facebook on Sundays at 9 and 11 am. You can stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram at the Rock Family. Have a Jesus-filled week.