Barnabas (son of encouragement) operated in the role of priest
Paul's apostolic ministry - Acts 16:1-4; Philip 2:19-23
Paul operated in the role of priest
Timothy (honor of God; valued of God) was pull into a Levite role
Where do you fit in?
Clergy and ministry workers model this paradigm so that you can duplicate it outside the church walls.
Connect other people to God's Kingdom
Primary Kingdom Activity
Kingdom Questions
Where are you from?
What do you do?
Do you come from a particular church background?
Are you sitting around doing nothing?
Are you assisting someone else in ministry?
Are you leading in ministry?
Get started
Ministry is an adventure based on key relationships. It requires openness and commitment rather than prior expert knowledge. Ministry is a demonstration of God’s love rather than a recitation of accumulated scriptures and theological arguments. It’s an open book exam.
Get involved - pray for God to give you a Word for someone and then deliver it.
Find someone else who is doing Kingdom work and assist him/her
Pray for someone systematically and consistently
Know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. Some of you are going through great hardship because the Lord is calling you to become prayer warriors.
New Material
Answer some of last week's discussion questions
Preparation
Main Passage
NIV
Hebrew Study Bible
KJV
The Message
NASB
RSV
Exegetical Idea
Subject
Tools: How, Who, What, When, Where, Why
Complement
Developmental Questions
Explain It: What does this mean?
Prove It: Is it True? Do I believe it?
Apply It: What difference does it make? So What?
Homiletical Idea
Purpose of the Sermon
Make it plain
Use accessible language and modern parables
Make sure people do something with the word God gives you for them.
Take Up The Yoke
Introduction - Mat 11:1-30
Mat 11:1-15 - What Did You Go Into The Desert To See?
Mat 11:16-19 - God's Kingdom Defies Human Expectations
Mat 11:20-24 - Woe
Mat 11:25-27 - Little Children
Mat 11:28-30 - Take My Yoke
What Did You Go Into The Desert To See? - Mat 11:1-15
Why did you start coming to church in the first place?
God's Kingdom Defies Human Expectations - Mat 11:16-19
Don't conform to the world's patterns
Illustrate children's singing and dirges with Astroboy, Mickey Mouse, Wizard of Oz
Am I here for unworthy / inadequate reasons?
respectability
safety
any reason other than building God's Kingdom
Three Dollars Worth
The Kingdom makes a difference
Not talk, but power - 1Cor 4:18-20
Not eating and drinking but righteousness, peace, joy - Rom 14:13-21
Not traditional church but a conquering church - Mat 16:18;
Woe - Mat 11:20-24
Warning
Don't ignore the miracles
Don't ignore the words of the miracle worker!
Don't ignore the testimony of transformed lives!
Destined for judgment:
the cowardly - Rev 21:8
the complacent - Luke 18:9-14; John 5:36-47
Revealed To Little Children - Mat 1:25-27
Know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. - 1Cor 1:18 - 2:10
The discipline of diligent seeking. - Heb 11:6
Present active - seeking as a lifestyle
The "learned" are content; children seek
My relationship with God is a relationship that I can only partially control.
Take My Yoke
Description
Do the Father's will and finish his work - John 4:34
Bring God's Kingdom to the earth - Mat 6:10
Involves prayer and action
Who are the weary and burdened?
those of you who are trying to be successful (career, business, etc.)
those of you looking desperately for respect, status, etc.
those of you looking for relationships, fulfillment, etc.
Some of you are going through great hardship because the Lord is calling you to become prayer warriors.
Take the yoke in prayer
Prayers of the saints being offered up with incense Rev 8:1-5
Incense - our prayers are assisted and completed by:
Jesus' intercession - Rom 8:31-39; Heb 7:23-25
The Holy Spirit's intercession - Rom 8:26-27
Censer
Our intercession brings judgment on the earth
Not primarily on those who won't receive us - Luke 9:51-55
Judgment on those who hinder others - Acts 13:6-12
We must keep on praying - Luke 18:1-8
Leave God voicemail (he screens his calls).
God is building our capacity to see ourselves and follow principles.
Pray for someone systematically and consistently
Take the yoke in action
Connect other people to God's Kingdom
Are you sitting around doing nothing?
Are you assisting someone else in ministry?
Are you leading in ministry?
Do you want spiritual growth?
Put your hand to the plow!
Find someone else who is doing Kingdom work and assist him/her
Ministry is not about
waiting until you achieve expert knowledge
reciting scriptures
theological arguments
Ministry is about
openness and commitment
demonstrating God’s love
Remember the scarecrow, tin man, and lion from “The Wizard of Oz”.
They each seek an instantaneous impartation
They each get what they want through a process
They have to be told what they've already acquired
They can't be told until the man behind the curtain is revealed
Dorothy has always had the ability to go home
Discussion Questions / Topics
Reflect on Mat 11:1-30
What initially drew you to Christianity?
Considering vs. 12, how forcefully have you taken hold of the Kingdom?
Considering vs. 16-19, in what ways has God's Kingdom met your expectations? In what ways has it been different from your expectations?
How does vs. 27 apply to your own life and to the lives of your family members and friends? Is there some specific action that God wants you to take in this area?
Are there areas of your life in which you are weary and/or burdened? What kind of rest are you looking for?
Describe some of the practical ways in which you are yoked to Jesus. Are you yoked to him in your prayer life? How about in the ways in which you serve?
Reflect on Acts 9:1-30; Acts 11:19-30; Acts 15:36 - 16:4; Philip 2:19-23 (repeated from last week)
Have you ever connected an unbeliever to believers that you know? If not, what would it take for you to do so?
Have you ever led someone to salvation? If not, why not?
Are you assisting someone else in ministry? Are you leading in ministry?
Have you ever recruited someone to help you in your ministry?
Works Activities For This Week's Life Group Meetings (repeated from last week)
Review the current prayer partnerships in your life group.
Make sure that everyone has someone to pray with on a weekly basis.
These can be long-term assignments or your can rotate them.
If you rotate them, the assignments should last at least one month.
Review the list of people you are praying for in your life group.
Make sure that everyone knows who to pray for and how to pray for them.
Make sure that the people who need salvation are getting prayed for every day by the members of the group.
Review each person on the list of people you are reaching out to.
Has anyone invited him/her to lunch/dinner or some other informal activity along with at least one other life group member?
Has anyone invited him/her to a life group fun event?
Has anyone invited him/her to a life group meeting?
