What is the harvest?

Bringing people into God's Kingdom - Mat 3:2; 4:17

Leading people to the new birth - John 2:23 - 3:8; 1Pet 1:23

Water Baptism - Mat 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-41

Making disciples - Mat 28:18-20; 2Tim 2:2

Who reaps the harvest?

People who want it

Looking for a city - Heb 11:8-16

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness - Mat 5:6

People who pray

Keep praying - Luke 18:1-8

People who want to look good to God rather than to men

Saul

Israel wanted a king like the other nations had - 1Sam 8:1-8

Saul looked good on the outside - 1Sam 9:2; 1Sam 10:17-24

Saul cared more about how he looked to people than to God

David

David was tending sheep when he was chosen. - 1Sam 16:1-13

He was overlooked by his father but remembered by God.

People who are part of the covenant

Canaan Milestones

Crossing the Jordan River

New Boston Pilot Middle School is our Jordan - not our Jericho

All we had to do was "step in the water" and the flow stopped.

Circumcision at Gilgal

The Israelites hadn't been circumcised since their failure to enter Canaan the first time

Eating the produce of the land

End of the Manna

Conquering Jericho

Circumcision

God's covenant with Abraham - Gen 17

After Ishmael was about 13

God changes Abram's name to Abraham

God promises to make Abraham the father of many nations

Every male in Abraham's household must be circumcised

God changes Sarai's name to Sarah

God confirms that Sarah will bear a son named Isaac

God will bless all of Abraham's descendants

God will establish his covenant with Isaac and Isaac's descendants

Circumcision touches the "fathering" organ

The organ with which Abraham would father nations had to be cut

Anyone who wanted to "roll" with Abraham had to have his organ cut

The Israelites had to be circumcised before they could move on to Jericho

Baptism is the New Testament analog of circumcision - Col 2:6-15

Our "flesh" or "sinful nature" is figuratively a "foreskin"

Baptism is our sign of our covenant with God

We must confirm our covenant before moving forward

Covenant People

What does it really mean to be a Christian?

The believers were first called Christians at Antioch - Acts 11:26

Paul at Mars Hill - Acts 17:15-34

Confess with your mouth / believe in your heart - Rom 10:9-10

Repent and be baptized - Acts 2:38

What does it mean for Jesus to be Lord?

Jesus is boss, CEO, president, etc.

We must do what he says - Luke 6:46-49

Not my will but God's will

We must be "covenant sensitive"

We must share our testimonies with one another

We must ask other people about their experience with Jesus

How did your relationship with Jesus begin?

Who is Jesus to you?

Note "works" type responses:

"I'm trying to get my life together"

"I'm trying to be positive"

"I hope I'll make it to heaven"

Don't "fake the funk" - Acts 4:32 - 5:14

Vision For Harvest

Summary of Life Church Vision and Mission

Life Church is a growing community of Christians.

We gather together on Sundays for worship and instruction and we meet together in small groups on a weekly basis for fellowship and support.

We take time to love and to get to know God and each other.

We take time to fulfill God’s mission for our lives.

We live rich and balanced lives together.

We develop mature believers and effective leaders who extend God’s Kingdom wherever they go.

This is the vision that God gave me for Life Church

You're here because God has called you to this vision

The harvest portion of the vision

Developing mature believers and effective leaders

Extending God's Kingdom

This doesn't happen by itself - you must be actively involved

Jesus - The Lord Of the Harvest

No foundation but Jesus - 1Cor 3:10-12

Jesus is the Christ - Mat 16:13-19; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21

Christ is the center - 2Cor 5:17; Gal 2:20

God got my attention through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus

No other Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible

The gospels are the historical record of Jesus' life on earth

Mat 1:1,18; Mat 28:18-20

Mark 1:1; Mark 16:14-20

Luke 1:1-4; Luke 1:26-33; Luke 24:36-53

John 1:1-18; John 20:26-31; John 21:25

Acts 1:1-11; Acts 28:30-31

Pauline letters begin by referring to "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ

Heb 1:1-4

Peter and James refer to Jesus at the beginning of their letters

1John 1:1-4; 2John 1:1-3; 3John does not mention Jesus by name

Rev 1:1; Rev 22:1:6-21

No other historical document supercedes these

Not the Koran

Not the Kebra Nagast or the Holy Piby

Noone supercedes Jesus

I am the way, the truth, and the life - John 14:6 (context vs. 1-14)

Jesus return will be visible to everyone - Mat 24:15-31

In these last days God has spoken by his Son - Heb 1:1-4

Noone

Not Buddha - 500 BC

Not Mohammed - 500 AD

Not Haile Selassie

Our Roots

God's Word

Inspiration - Acts 20:32; 2Tim 3:15-17; 1Thes 2:13; 2Pet 1:20-21

Focus on it - Josh 1:8;

Hear it, Read it, Study it, Memorize it, Meditate on it

One Year Bible

Prayer - Eph 6:18; Phil 4:6-7

The Lord's Prayer - Mat 6:9-13

Prayer Components

Worship - John 4:23-24; Heb 12:28; Heb 13:15

Receiving Guidance - James 1:5

Making Requests - Phil 4:6-7

Maintaining a Defensive Hedge - Ezek 22:23-31; Eph 6:10-18; Col 4:12; James 5:14-18

Ministry of confession as antidote to shame - James 5:14-18

Offensive Warfare - Dan 10:1-14; 2Cor 1:11; Phil 1:19; 1Tim 2:1

You need all of these components

Reinforce prayer partnerships

Misc

Teach the Word in a manner that produces faith for applying it.

Consecrate the source of my creativity

Believe God for a healthy lifestyle as a stepping-stone to receiving healing.

Our Roots (continued)

Charismatic Worship

We must be worshippers

Taking Jericho - Josh 5:13 - 6:20

Surround target with praise

Don't speak anything else until praise and worship are complete

Control your tongue - James 3:2-12

No unwholesome talk - Eph 4:29

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns . . . - Eph 5:19

God has called us to establish a fuller form of worship (hearts, minds, souls, careers, etc.) that goes beyond our traditions

Baptism of the Holy Spirit - speaking in tongues

Definitions

Baptism into the Body of Christ - 1Cor 12:13

Indwelling of Holy Spirit

Counselor (paraclete) - John 14:15-18; John 14:25-26; John 15:26; John 16:5-16

Seal - 1Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30

Takes place at conversion - John 20:22; Rom 8:9; 1Cor 2:9-16; 1Cor 3:16; Gal 4:6

Infilling of Holy Spirit

Human side of Holy Spirit baptism

Baptism (immersion) enables filling (sponge in a pail of water)

Power for service - Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:8

Jesus is the baptizer: Mat 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; Acts 2:33

Streams of living water - John 7:37-39 (ref Isa 12:3)

Promised to all - Luke 11:9-13; Acts 2:38; Gal 3:14

By grace through faith - Gal 3:2-3

Commanded - Eph 5:18 (be filled with the Spirit)

Examples

Tongues explicit - Acts 2:3-4; Acts 10:46; Acts 19:6

Tongues implied - Acts 8:5-24

Tongues not mentioned - Acts 9:1-23 (ref 1Cor 14:18)

Speaking In Tongues (unlearned languages)

Tongues have two uses

As a ministry manifestation - 1Cor 12:1-10; 1Cor 12:29-31

Tongues have not ceased - 1Cor 13

As a personal prayer language - Rom 8:26; 1Cor 14:1-19

Where did Paul speak in tongues?

God wants all of you to be filled!!!

De-mysticize the Baptism with the Holy Spirit

The misconception of tarrying

The Holy Spirit doesn't speak, you do. You give him a voice.

It may sound like you're making it up, but you're not.

Don't think "Prophet on a stage", think "Intimate talk with Daddy"

The story of the man who thought he made it up when the he really spoke a language that a foreign evangelist interpreted for him.

People are freer to release in a crowd than when isolated in the front of a congregation.

Gateway to the supernatural

You - what gift will you bring to your life group? - 1Cor 14:26

To be continued . . .

Reinforcing Feedback

Vicious Cycles

Backsliding

Virtuous Cycles

Sanctification

overflow of giving - 2Cor 9:6-15

sowing seed

Balancing Processes

faucet/eye/hand system filling a glass of water

Balancing Processes With Delay

thermostat

shower temperature control

Limits To Growth

Church grows to point where intimacy is lost

Shifting The Burden

Drug addiction

Sexual addictions

Television addictions

Escalation

arguments

arms race

Tragedy Of The Commons

multiple flocks on a singlle field

environmental pollution

Success To The Successful

Growth and Underinvestment

attendance falls off due to crowding before new space is achieved

Accidental Adversaries

Employee / Company example

employees are rewarded for political gamesmanship

company is rewarded for pursuit of growth rather than development

Traditional Church and the Arts

Traditional Church and other Areas of Gifting

Fixes That Fail

EGC Questions

Question 1

We don't ask:"How will WE get a building in the South End?"

We ask: How can OUR COMMUNITY provide a BUILDING for us?"

Question 2

We don't ask: "How do WE plant CHURCHES?"

We ask: "How does THE CITY plant CHURCHES?"

Question 3

We don't ask: "How do WE stop CRIME?"

We ask" "How does the CITY stop its OWN CRIME?"

Question 4

We don't ask: "How does EGC do EVANGELISM?"

We ask: "How does the CITY do EVANGELISM?"

Question 5

We don't ask: "How do WE set up an urban training school for uban ethnic ministry leaders?"

We ask: "How do urban ethnic ministry LEADERS work with a seminary to SET UP their OWN urban training school?"

Question 6

We don't ask: "How can WE get more urban ethnic students into Christian schools?"

We ask: "How can urban ethnic STUDENTS recruit their OWN PEOPLE to Christian schools?"

Question 7

We don't ask questions THAT PRODUCE: short-term, counterproductive ends

We ask QUESTIONS THAT PRODUCE: long-term multiply-productive ends

Question 8

We don't ask QUESTIONS that: make us design OUR organization to DO a task

We ask QUESTIONS that: force us to find how the SOCIAL REALITY we are working in will become the PRIMARY DOER of the task