Know the Possibilities!

36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

--Matthew 9

To see videos related to this series, go to bit.ly/FBCKFlake

Encounter the plentiful

There are several passages in the Bible (almost all of them) that contain more information and inspiration than we’ll ever be able to comprehend. This verse is one of them, found in the first six words of verse 36. “But when He saw the multitudes…”

Jesus saw the multitudes and loved the people. He was moved with compassion for them. We drive around our neighborhoods and businesses, but do we really see the people. And if we see them, do we truly love them? Are we moved with compassion for others?

As our population grows, we have more possibilities than we can fathom and more work to be accomplished than we can actually do. Do you see those weary and scattered people? You see people that your pastor, your shepherd, never has the opportunity to see, and even if he did, he cannot minister to them the way you can.

Equip the prayerful

When Jesus saw the people, he turned to the disciples and asked them to pray. There was much work to be done, and still is, but our Lord did not say, “Get to work boys!” but rather “Get to praying!” There is a bountiful harvest waiting, but it does no good if there are no harvesters. 

Another little verse packed with power and punch is in John 4:2, and in my version, it is even in parentheses, almost a throw-away line: (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),

 

(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),

(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),

Why didn’t Jesus baptize? He wanted to equip the disciples to do the labor. We need to pray (King James says “beseech” which always put me in the mind of “beg”). Implore the Lord of the harvest to send workers and may every day that you go to your field of service, you begin with praying for laborers, beginning with yourself.

Engage the purposeful

Early in the gospel of Mark, Jesus is recorded as rising early to pray, while the people were seeking Him to preach. “Everyone is looking for You,” the disciples said. His response was to go to the next town to preach, “for this purpose I have come,” He said.

Have you engaged in your purpose? We begin with prayer, but we cannot stay in prayer. It is as though the disciples had to rouse Jesus from His devotional time with His Father to bring Him back to his purpose.

Do you know what your purpose is? You undoubtedly have many purposes, but ultimately we have simply one, and we can see that in another purpose statement Jesus proclaimed in John 12:27-28,  “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

Our ultimate purpose is to glorify God. Paul said it this way, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Embrace the possible

We know that all things are possible with God. Look around our area and dream, “What is possible for our church, with God?” This passage has a parallel in John, following the encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well. The disciples had no idea what lay ahead of them while they went to get food, and suddenly just because of one woman, the entire village came out to see Jesus. While they were worried about Jesus getting enough to eat, Jesus was pointing to the disciples that the harvest was already “white unto harvest” (John 4:35). They needed to know what was possible.

Is your vision for the future too small? Are you worrying about the temporal things of this world (like the disciples were); concerned about “today’s meal”; meanwhile, God wants you to see what is possible to impact eternity? “Gather fruit for eternal life!” Jesus said. The disciples were about to gather from the labors of others, namely His witness and the woman’s testimony. And, they didn’t even have to lift a finger but were ready for the harvest. 

I believe there is a harvest on the horizon. Look around! The possibilities are endless for what God has for you.

Disciples In Training

Click here for the first video.

This book, Building a Disciple-Making Ministry, is available from Lifeway
and will be distributed to all adult LifeGoup leaders

     At a previous church where I worked, a person said to me, “Don't tell me you believe that antiquated myth that Sunday School is the way to make disciples, do you?” He was not a member of our church, and certainly not a Sunday School member, but rather he went to a church where Sunday School was more of a Social Hour.

     My response is still the same: “As a matter of fact I do still believe that Sunday School (most of us at FBC Killeen call it “LifeGroup”, but it’s still the same) is the best place to make disciples.”

     One hundred years ago, following a pandemic called the Spanish Flu, a Belton, Texas, native was hired by the Baptist Sunday School Board (now called “Lifeway”) to come up with a formula to reinvigorate the church for discipleship.

     His name was Arthur Flake and his system has been studied and implemented for more than a century now. It’s called “Flake's Formula” and a new book has been issued to help in this century following this pandemic. I purchased enough books for our teachers to have and see why this tried and true method still works today.

     For the next five weeks, I will outline the basics of Building a Disciple-Making Ministry. This week is the overview of Flake’s Formula for a new generation.

1.  Know Your Possibilities: Next week, I will write on why we need to notice people, members, and prospects and know our limitless possibilities in reaching all three through LifeGroup Leadership.

2.  Enlarge the Organization: Flake knew that growth was a sign of life and a failure to grow was a formula that leads to death. On Aug. 4, I will expand on the “how come” and the “how to” of growth.

3.  Enlist and Train Workers: On Aug. 11, we’ll see that the driving force in Flake’s Formula was leadership and training. If you believe that our world has problems, and that Jesus is the Answer, then our church needs to be a part of the solution to our world’s woes.

4.  Provide Space and Resources. I have seen our church run out of space before, and while that is a “good problem to have”, my response was always, “but it is still a PROBLEM”. On Aug. 18 we will see some resources we have right now (even without building a new building, which we will do, Lord willing).

5.  Go After People. Flake was no fluke! His formula was rooted in the Bible and the Great Commission. My compadres in education and evangelism ministry are in total agreement: People are hungry for God! I will share in the Aug. 25 newsletter why this is the best time to go after people for Christ.

    Flake may have lived and worked a hundred years ago, but his principles of making disciples through the church are still the same. A quote from the book sums it up well:

Methods are many,

Principles are few;

Methods may change,

Principles never do!

Looking Up!

    Like many of you, I watch the news and am horrified. Not only by the senseless crimes, tragedies, and natural disasters, but by those who intentionally do things that are against what I would say is sound judgment. It seems to be a fulfillment of the prophecy that says, “God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie,” (2 Thessalonians 2:11, KJV).

    Elsewhere the Bible says that “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done,” (Romans 1:28, NLT). What’s more, they are not only convinced in their belief, but also think that those who think differently are the ones who are deceived.

    Today, I woke up early and walked out to see the sunrise and, according to a reading plan I am on, I read Psalm 113. “From the rising of the sun to its setting, let the name of the LORD be praised,” (v. 3, CSB). As a lover of sunrises and sunsets, I know that verse well, but as I sat on the bench overlooking the Harker Heights baseball complex, I kept reading the passage over and over.

    Psalm 113 begins with a Hallelujah, as it is transliterated. Verses 1 and 9 use one of seven Hebrew words for praise, “Hallel”, followed by the abbreviation for Yahweh, “Yah”. “Praise the Lord” is how most translate it, but the CSB is correct in rendering it “Hallelujah”.

    Verse 4 says God is so far above the nations and His glory is so far above even the heavens, and yet He “humbles” Himself (KJV) to stoop down (CSB) to look and see both the heavens and earth. His ultimate “stoop down” came through Christ, Who humbled Himself to the point of death at the cross (Philippians 2:8).

     The psalmist then thinks about Hannah, the barren wife who finally was able to give birth, and quotes her song found in 1 Samuel 2:7-8. She was overjoyed that God lifted her up from her impoverishment, along with all who are low and needy in order to sit with the high and mighty. Paul also acknowledged that we are risen, seated, and “hidden” (or already “departed secretly”) with Christ Who is at the right hand of God.

    Psalm 113 ends by carrying forward that thought of the joy of a woman who, though childless, is given a family and a home and again refrains with the “Praise the LORD” or in Hebrew, “Hallelujah!”.

    Maybe you also can’t “feel at home in this world anymore.” Well, join the heavenly crowd! Just as the Lord looks down on this world, we need to do what Pastor Randy often says, “look up” to our heavenly destination.

    Or as Jesus said in Luke 21:28, “When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”             

Blessings in Him!