Marty Payton

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“Reset” by Pastor Sean Heady

It’s refreshing to read what God is revealing about Himself during these uncertain times. I wanted to share with you something that Sean Heady, our Worship/Missions Pastor, wrote…enjoy.

I think if there was a chance to magically reset the year 2020, we’d be falling over each other in a mad rush to smash that beautiful, big red button! I remember playing video games as a kid. It was so easy to simply hit restart when the game was going terribly. I’d get a fresh, clean start and hope to do better next time. Nobody wants a bad start in a video game or anything else, for that matter. Even more, none of us wants hard times to come at all, especially when they pound in, one after the other, like waves endlessly crashing on the shoreline.

Unfortunately, in life we don’t have that wonderful reset luxury. Sure, there are some things we can start over, like a song we may have missed an entrance on, a quiz we might have an opportunity to retake, or even a second chance at a broken relationship between two extremely gracious people. But as far as life itself and the majority of events it throws at us, we’ve only got one shot.

There are all kinds of examples in Scripture of people who had the chance to start over.  Moses, Jonah, and Peter come to mind, each having the opportunity for a fresh start, but it wasn’t easy. Each one made terrible decisions and/or endured immense trials that would have rendered many of us basket cases. And their failed attempt didn’t vanish in light of the reboot. Rather, their past experience is what shaped a successful new one. Surviving yesterday’s trials made them stronger for today. Learning from their failures produced wisdom for their futures. 

The Apostle Paul wrote to the people in Rome that, “We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 4:3-4). Hope. Isn’t that exactly what we need right now? It starts will perseverance.

It would be easy for us to waste our current trials. What do I mean by that? As I sit here in my easy-chair – with nowhere to go and not much to do – sulking and longing for this trial to just be over, what am I accomplishing? Will that make me stronger? Will that make me wiser? When this trial is over (and it will be over!) will my fretting and pining produce character or hope? Nope. But what if, instead, I determined to learn from this? What if I sought out what God was trying to do in my life through this?

If God has allowed, or even orchestrated these hard times, what if we did our best to learn from them and use them as an opportunity to be better people, closer communities, and stronger believers than we were before this?

Praying we all respond well to and persevere through this trial – one like most of us have never seen. Will you determine to use this first part of 2020 to catapult you to a whole ‘notha level?

Sean Heady – Worship/Missions Pastor

Expectant Faith

Matthew 9:27-29 

And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 

I love the interaction Jesus had with these blind men. Can you imagine how desperate and hopeful they must have been? They were blind and desperate to see and yet, they were hopeful because Jesus was near. I’m sure the reputation of Jesus was well known in this region of Galilee since He had established his ministry headquarters there. So, when these desperate, blind men heard that Jesus was nearby, they jumped at the opportunity to receive healing and deliverance from their blindness.

The question that Jesus asked is one that I believe is very relevant to the times in which we live today. We are facing uncertain times. Things are changing hour by hour. There are many who are worried about their health, but there are many more who are worried about their finances, and I completely understand. More importantly, Jesus understands!

I also believe there are many Christians praying for this pandemic to end and for life to get back to normal. I guess the question is similar to the one Jesus asked the blind men, “Do you believe that Jesus is able to do…whatever it is that you need Him to do in your desperation?” I mean do we really believe that He is able. The typical church answer is, “Yes,” and then to go on about worrying and fretting.

So deep down in our spirits do we really believe He is able, and that He will deliver us from the health and financial impact of this pandemic? I hope we can have the same response these blind men did when they answered with an emphatic, “Yes, Lord.” When they acknowledged their belief and Jesus recognized their faith, He rewarded that faith with a deliverance form a condition that had created a desperation.

You may have no concerns whatsoever about the impact of this coronavirus scare, but I’m certain there is something that you need Jesus to deliver you from. My question for all of us is, “What do you believe Jesus can do?” We read the story of the blind men and nod with believe that He healed them, but then turn and fret over our present circumstances. If you believe He healed them why do you continue to worry about your circumstances? He loves and cares for you just as much as He loved and cared for them.

Matthew records for us the rest of the story. He writes, But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.” 

I strongly believe that the the followers of Jesus have a great opportunity to share our faith and experiences during these gloomy days. Will those who don’t have faith see you as one who believes?

Keep the FAITH,

Pastor Marty

Get Behind Me, Satan!

Matthew records an interesting conversation that took place between Christ and His disciple. In Matthew 16:21-26 Jesus begins laying out more details about His mission to become the sacrifice for our sins. He says that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the religious leaders. He goes on to let them know that He must die. Then He reveals that He will be resurrected.

Peter has his normal extreme response to things and takes it upon himself to rebuke Jesus. (As a side note: Peter was bold but often overreacted or responded without thinking. This was not one of his greater moments). Peter rebuked Jesus just as He was revealing the final stage of His mission for the redemption of mankind.

Jesus responded to Peter in a very extreme rebuke. He tells him to get behind Him and then Jesus calls Peter, Satan! Why would Jesus call His very own disciple, Satan? Well, if Peter had his way,  he would have been a stumbling block or hinderance to the mission Jesus had come to fulfill. Peter was thinking in terms of human concerns and not in eternal things. Peter was more concerned with comfort than he was with fulfilling the mission of redeeming the world.

We are often guilty of the same mission-hindering thinking as Peter. If Jesus were to examine our lives in light of the mission He came to accomplish, would He refer to us as Satan? Do we put our own comforts and conveniences ahead of the mission of preaching the Gospel and making disciples? I would venture to say that we are just as guilty as Peter was. We can become a hinderance to the mission by our lack of willingness to lay down our own comforts and conveniences in order to be more effective in living out the Great Commission. Christian comforts often trump Christ’s commission in our lives.

As followers of Jesus, we are instructed to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. What do we need to deny in ourselves so that Jesus has full reign over our lives today? Who is He calling you to share your faith with, yet your comfort has been getting in the way of that conversation?

Look for the opportunity to deny yourself today and stop being a hinderance to the mission of making disciples.

Moved with Compassion

In Matthew 14:13-14, Jesus has just learned about the death of his cousin, forerunner, and friend, John the Baptist. This must have been an emotional time for Jesus and his disciples because three of the Gospel writers (Matthew 14:13-14, Mark 6:31-34, Luke 9:10-11) record that Jesus and his disciples went to find a solitary place away from the crowds. Maybe they needed some alone time to mourn and to reflect upon what really was ahead of them as they were committed to the mission. I wonder if Jesus was thinking ahead to what his death was going to be like and how much suffering he would have to endure. I wonder if the disciples were thinking about their potential suffering. Would they be executed like John the Baptist? Maybe they were just depressed because of the gruesome death John had just suffered. I’m sure there were lots of emotions running through their heads so Jesus felt it was important to seek some solitude for Himself and His disciples.

However, the solitude was short lived. The crowds ran ahead and got to the destination on foot before they could get there by boat. Once Jesus landed the boat, he was no longer overcome by his emotion and need for solitude. He was overcome with compassion for the crowd of people who were looking to him for guidance, healing, and teaching. When Jesus landed, He got out of the boat and started teaching about the kingdom of God. His motivation was the desperate needs of those who needed what He came to offer. This teaching went on so long that Jesus felt the need to provide supper for the crowd and then the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 takes place. So much for the solitude. Jesus loved people so much that he put aside his grieving and served the needs of others, and He didn’t let His disciples stay in solitude either. They wanted to send the crowd away but Jesus was teaching them about serving, even when life knocks you down and you don’t feel like it.

I know there are times that we all need to seek some solitude. We need time to reflect and we need time to process life. But, if we are not careful, we will become self-absorbed and will not be effective in ministering to those in need around us. When solitude turns to isolation it becomes unhealthy for us and it is certainly not beneficial to others. If we continue in isolation, we will eventually lose our compassion for others and will become increasingly more self-absorbed. Everything becomes centered around how mistreated we are and how bad our life is. We fail to see the needs of those around us because we are so wrapped up in our own misfortunes.

The solution, look around you and see the opportunities God has given you to serve and minister to others. Be like Jesus and lift up your head and allow compassion to move you to action. Before you know it, God will use you to minister to others and it is highly probable that you will be blessed because of it.

Set Your Mind

Does it ever feel like you are on an elementary school playground where kids are name calling and whispering about one another and you’re the kid standing there by yourself wondering if they are talking about you? You wonder if what they are saying is true. Were you ever that kid? If you were, you can probably still sense the emotion you felt. At some point we were all that kid and at times, we are that adult participating in playground shenanigans.

It is so easy to be distracted by negative politics, people, and personal problems but we are instructed by Paul in Colossians 3:1-2 to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. By doing this, we can keep our focus on the right things and not be distracted by the snares of the evil one who would love to discourage and distract.

Paul continues by instructing us to “put to death” some earthly distractions. He writes, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.”

If Paul stopped right there, many would certainly agree with a hearty, “Amen!” We know those things are sin and they are earthly things that shouldn’t have any part in the Christian’s life. I can imagine as this letter was being read to the congregation that lots of good Christians would shout, “Amen!” They might even stand in agreement with thunderous applause…even those who were participating in these secret sins.

These sins that Paul lists are easily hidden from others and kept under wraps. After all, who knows what desires we have in our hearts unless they manifest themselves publicly. No one really knows my desires. No one knows if I struggle with lust, greed, or evil desires. Those are private. They are secret and no one knows except me, God, and anyone I’ve confessed those to.

But Paul didn’t stop with those private, undetectable, and unidentifiable sins. He continued to list some other things we must rid ourselves of. He wrote, “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.”

Uh oh. Everyone be seated and stop shouting, “Amen!” Why? Because we are all guilty.

As these believers looked around the room they could possibly recall the conversations they had with other people in the room, or, if this were a model day setting, their latest Facebook post where they were hateful enough to slander someone publicly but “spiritual” enough not to use their name. I can imagine the hush that came over the congregation as this letter was being read aloud. I picture Christians looking around the auditorium and looking into the eyes of the other Christians they had just been gossiping about in the hallway before church started.  Or, in the modern setting, I picture these Christians pulling out their phones and deleting the tweets and Facebook posts where they slandered others publicly but privately by not calling any names.

When it comes to spiritual maturity and setting our minds on things above we must deal with secret matters of the heart and outward matters of the tongue. The immaturity in us loves to burst out in rage like a child, express anger in ungodly and unhealthy ways, post our ill will toward others even if we don’t call them by name, twist the truth in a way that slanders someone else and harms their reputation, and sometimes just outright lie to make ourselves look better. It is time to get away from the playground shenanigans and start thinking and acting like a mature Christian.

I don’t know how it is for you, but for me, this journey of faith is hard. There are plenty of days I want to quit and most of those days are directly related to the things Paul listed above.  When we bring others down by acting out in immature ways, we are not setting our minds on things above. As a matter of fact, we are usually making ourselves the center of our thoughts. We are setting our minds on earthly things, things that are in the realm of the temporary. So before you and I take an opportunity to say or post something that might discourage another believer, we should set our mind on the eternal and use that same energy to bless and encourage. I’ll bet it would be more healthy for all involved.

 

Pray about Everything

This past week God took an opportunity to increase my faith through a simple prayer.

Tracy and I had been in Nairobi, Kenya where I had the opportunity to participate in the annual East Africa J-Life Summit. We had an encouraging week as I learned from and shared with J-Life country leaders from several east African countries.

Our trip over had not been one of the most enjoyable journeys because of a flight delay in Charlotte which led to a rerouting in London through the country of Qatar. This added an extra 6 hour flight to a trip that already had a couple of 8 hour flights. To say that we were praying for a smoother trip home is an understatement.

When I booked my trip Tracy had not planned on going. Then, about a month later she wanted to go with me so I booked her’s separately. This meantthat on our flight from Nairobi to London we were not sitting next to each other. We were hoping to change our seats during online check-in. Well that didn’t happen because the flight was full and there were no options.

While we were traveling to the airport, I shared with John Abrahamse about us not sitting next to each other and he immediately voiced a prayer that God would allow us to sit next to each other on this flight. Tracy jokingly asked him to pray for us to get upgraded to business class and we all laughed it off and he didn’t pray for that.

Once we arrived at the British Airways counter I requested seats next to each other and the agent quickly told me the fight was full and there were no options available. We were bummed but figured we could endure it for 8 hours.

I boarded the plane before Tracy and when I got to my seat at 44F on the 747, which holds about 500 passengers, there was someone sitting there. I informed the young lady that she was in my seat and she told me a similar story to what I was experiencing so I agreed to switch seats with her. Asked her seat number and she told me it was 37F. Well that was a better seat for me anyways because at least I knew it was in the same section of the plane that Tracy was in.

I took my seat and began watching to see where Tracy sat when she came onboard so I could request a seat trade with someone next to her. Once I saw here and we made eye contact, I asked her which seat she was in and she said….”37E”…THE SEAT RIGHT NEXT TO ME! I immediately got goosebumps and voiced a prayer of thanks to God for hearing our prayer and answering it for us. Needless to say, the flight was much more enjoyable than it would have been sitting next to two strangers.

God used this as a gentle nudge to remind me to pray about everything, even if you think He doesn’t care, because He’s our Father and He cares for us, even in the little things.

Luke 18:1, “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

Tanzania 2016

Day 1 – Arrival Day

Arriving in Tanzania is always exciting to me and to the team. This is where reaIMG_1704lity hits. You are now in country and things are very different. Sure, they spoke a different language on Ethiopian Airlines but now you get to experience culture shock, traffic jams like you’ve never seen and motorcycles that have more people and product packed on them that I could put in my Honda Accord. The 2-3 hour drive to Mlandizi is full of excitement and we soak in the scenery and begin to get acclimated to the culture all over again.

This trip was no different. Eventfully we arrived at Michael and Monica’s home for supper, said hello to all of those who will be translating and hosting us for the next 8 days, then we headed off to our hotel to get a shower and some much needed rest.

Day 2 – Ministry Begins

IMG_1702This wast he first official day of ministry. We ministered to the kids at the Mount Zion preschool. We were so excited to see how the kids were progressing and how the school was growing. We spent the morning teaching them the old kids’ song, Jesus Loves Me, teaching them a Bible story about Jesus, and giving them their crayons and coloring sheets to help remember the story. To look into their eyes and think about how littleIMG_0913 hope they would have of hearing the good news of Jesus without the preschool, breaks my heart and makes me thankful that this vision God gave Michael and me 4 years ago is coming to pass. There were about 40 kids there and more were returning the next day following their break. I was extremely proud watching Lacy teach the kids and immerse herself into the ministry there.

IMG_0958After lunch it was off to an all girls’ school. We had been here several years before and remember it being a very interactive group. Our team sat as the girls sang a couple of songs for us. Then it was our team’s chance to sing. Of course, Sean and Lacy led beautifully as the rest of the team sang and danced to the music. The girls were so engaged and they loved it. The energy in the room was incredible. These girls were easy to preach to and they listened so intently as I preached about the living water. There must have been over 30 girls raise their hand for salvation at the close of the message.

IMG_0956That night we had the opportunity to worship with Pastor Pascal’s church. This has become an annual tradition and it is always a good experience. We watched them sing and dance and even got to see a lady drop her baby out of her baby carrier. Thank goodness the baby was fine, even though he fell onto a tile floor. Just about the time our group was heading up to sing the electricity went out. So, we ad-libbed by doing some testimonies. Once the power came back on our team sang and danced and had a wonderful time engaging with this energetic church. I preached and we prayed with some of the church members and called it a day.

Day 3 – Preschool and Village ministry

IMG_0899Once again we went and spent time with the children. We danced to American music, taught them the motions to a few songs, taught them another Bible story about the great catch of fish, and let them color another picture to remind them of the Bible story.IMG_0901

After lunch we walked through the village meeting parents and grandparent of those kids in the preschool. We saw one lady making a mat that will take her a couple of weeks to finish and then she will sell it for only $10. But she was proud of her work and rightly so. It was a work of art. We invited several villagers to the marriage seminar we were hosting later that day.

That evening, when we arrived at the seminar, Michael thought we might have 5 show up. IMG_0941Boy was he wrong. We started with about 15 and eventually there was standing room only as about 75 married people of all ages packed in the room to learn about having a better marriage. The trick for me was to answer their question and make my presentation without referencing the Bible or Jesus. The purpose was to lay another level to the relationships and to show our love for the people there and help them in an area where they are struggling. The most touching question of the day came from a young man who asked, “If you are in an arranged marriage and your wife does not love you, what can you do to get her to?” There were so many questions and I taught them about love and respect and an impromptu lesson on the 5 Love Languages. The women applauded as I shared with them men how important it was for them to show their wives how much they loved them on a daily basis. I have to admit, this was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Day 4 – Maasai Village

IMG_0952Going back to the village were we started a church 2 years ago was extremely special. As we walked through the bush to go to visit some of the church members and others, it was interesting to see how they lived back in the bush. We stopped by and met a young man who was not a Christian but allowed us to talk to him. I shared the gospel with him but he wasn’t ready to make the commitment but he assured me that he would come hear me preach later that day. We also went to the home of a church member and had her, and the others who were gathered there, sing and dance for us. Watching Maasai people dance does something in my spirit. They have such interesting moves and the tribal influence is rich.

IMG_0988Next, we gathered at the church for a time of teaching and question answering. This was so difficult and yet so exciting for me. They are so new to faith that the teaching has to be done with absolutely no assumption of Bible knowledge on their part. Then the questions begin. One guy asked me, “If a Maasai man gets married and he has 5 wives, what should he do about them? Or, if a Maasai woman gets married and she is one of the 5 wives, what should she do?”

That evening we were a part of another crusade there in the village. DifferIMG_1501ent choirs from surrounding villages brought their CDs and they danced and lip-synced the songs. Their worship is far more about dancing than it is about singing pretty. We were blessed by the ministry of a 94-year-old lady and her two sons. They sang and danced around to the enjoyment of everyone watching. At some point ladies from the crowd would come and put money down her blouse as a love offering. Our group sang and we all admitted it felt like the ship had sailed and we missed the boat. I think the Maasai were more interested in watching than they were in participating.

When I got up to preach there was a mass exodus of people. I felt like it was 11:55 at Charity. I was a bit distracted by this and was disappointed. I found out later that is was cow milking time at the same time I got up to preach so many had to leave to go take care of the chores.

Day 5- Sunday worship

We went back to the Maasai village for morning church service. This consisted of participating in their worship and dance and then I spoke and answered more questions. One young man asked me were he should begin reading them Bible to learn more about Jesus. I told him John and then someone else asked if that was the same John who wrote Revelation. The questions kept coming and I kept answering them. This was very enjoyable and I left feeling like we had made some headway in discipling these new believers.

IMG_1700After eating lunch there in the village we headed off to the watering hole for baptism. There were 16 new Christians who were to be baptized by me. I was so excited. As I walked into the water and looked back at the crowd gathered there to witness, I was almost taken with emotion. We were seeing the fruit of our labor as this church was doing what it was planted to do, reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There were children, teenagers, and adults of different ages standing there waiting on their turn to show their faith in the form of baptism. One kid dove in and swam to me while others slowly and timidly walked to me. There was one middle aged lady who was obviously nervous. She could not grasp the concept of bending her knees so she could go under more easily. Instead she bent over and balled up. After a few moments of ineffectively trying to get her positioned right I just rolled her backward into the water and brought her back up to cheers and laughter. What an incredible experience.

IMG_0966That night was another crusade night. The crowd was much larger and the man we had spoken to the day before showed up. I was excited to present the Gospel to him once again. After some time of singing and dancing our team got up and sang. This went much better and the Maasai were more engaged. I got up to preach with time to spare before milking time. When I gave the invitation only a few women came forward and one man. Those men who were standing off to the side would not walk up to admit their need for Christ as long as women were standing there. This is a big cultural issue so we simply told them that they should talk to the pastor after the service was over. We found out later that many of them did exactly that.

Day 6 – Prayer for healing

On this day we went to breakfast at Adolph and Anna’s home. She prepared a large meal and asked up to pray for her sister named Charity. She had some back issues and lost the ability to stand and sit. She laid paralyzed on a mattress on the floor. After we ate we gathered around her and had prayer for healing. I was hoping for one of those moments where I would finish praying and she would get up and run around the room shouting, “I’m healed! I’m healed!” but that didn’t happen so we will continue to pray for Charity’s healing.

We made a quick stop by the local hospital to see Michael’s dad and mom. His mom had burt her leg on a motorcycle tailpipe a couple of weeks before and it was not healing properly. She kindly shows us the the spot on her leg where the hide was missing. This made Lacy nauseous and Angie walked her over to the car to sit down. I saw what was going on and went to check on her. She told me she was feeling light headed and couldn’t hear. When I walked around to sit with her in the car she passed completely out and dropped her water bottle. I quickly splashed some water on her face and she woke up. She thought she had taken a nap in the car. She gave me a good scare but she was fine.

After lunch we headed toward Morogoro where we would spend the night before driving to the Mikumi National Park. We stayed in a nice hotel for $20. We each had our own room and a nice hot shower. Something we hadn’t enjoyed since we had been in Tanzania. We went to dinner at a very nice hotel with an incredible view of the mountains surrounding this town.

Day 7 – Mikumi National ParkIMG_1531

IMG_1514When traveling to another country for a mission trip it is aways good to finish the trip with an opportunity to soak in the beauty of the country. The Mikumi National Park is a display of God’s creativity. After loading up into our safari jeep we were off to see the animals. We quickly came upon a family of elephants. We saw lots of Impalas, Zebras in the distance, beautiful birds, crocodiles, hippopotamus, a couple of water buffalos, lots of giraffes, an African boa in a bush near the road, wart hogs, wildebeests, and we even saw a black mamba cross the road in front of us.

IMG_1630At lunch we parked next to a watering hole and watched 5 giraffes walk up, bend over and drink right there in front of us. This was so cool to see. As we were driving out of the park we saw some park rangers watching over a baby elephant who had been separated from his mother. We got to spend some time petting it and taking pictures. Pretty cool experience.

Day 8 – Sifa Threads and heading home

This is the IMG_1657day we were able to visit our friends at Sifa Threads. It was so cool to see how this ministry has grown. They have so many girls who are learning to sew, learning how to start a business, and being discipled along the way. We got to see the three girls our church sponsored last year.

Finally it was off to the market, seafood pizza with octopus on it, and then to the airport for the long trip home.

Thanks to everyone who prayed and donated toward this mission trip. It was huge success  and I know we will hear stories about it for eternity.

Why I love Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Although I miss many loved ones who are no longer alive to celebrate with, I still find Chrismas the most wonderful time of the year for several reasons.

  1. We celebrate the hope we have through the birth of Jesus…God in the flesh. My savior was born and Christmas is a time to celebrate that birth. Without Jesus there would be no hope of ever reuniting with friends and loved ones who have passed, nor would we have the hope of eternal life with God.
  2. Many people will trust Jesus as their savior during the Christmas season. Lots of unchurched people will visit a church service and will hear the Gospel and will have their lives changed forever. I get excited about the opportunity to share the Gospel with people like that.
  3. I love spending time with my family. Although most of my family lives hundreds of miles away, we usually get together at some point and celebrate together. That never gets old nor do I ever dread it.
  4. I like presents. I like to give and I like to get presents. It’s the kid in me. Don’t judge. 🙂 The anticipation of Chrismas morning still excites me for both of these reasons.
  5. I love the food that comes with Christmas. People get so creative with their sweets and other food and I love being the recipient of many of those specialties. I haven’t met many Christmas treats I didn’t enjoy.
  6. I also love Christmas lights and decorations. From the Christmas tree to the nativity scene, I love the way the community gets lit up with decorations. It’s a reminder that we celebrate Jesus as the light of the world.
    Why do you love Christmas?

Lift Up Your Eyes

In John 4, John shares the story of the Jesus and the Samaritan woman he met at the well. She was living in sin but Jesus offered her hope and forgiveness. After this encounter, the woman quickly ran to tell others that she had met the Messiah. When the disciples returned from getting some food in the nearby village they appeared to be a little put out by the whole scenario and tried to urge Jesus to eat something. Jesus made a response that should perk up the ears of every believer. He said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.” He went on to correct their misguided complacency and said, “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest” John’s account of this interaction goes on to tell us that, “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony…” Some believe that when Jesus told the disciples to, “lift up their eyes and see that the fields were white for harvest,” he was referring to a crowd of people, dressed in white, coming toward them from the city. I believe Jesus was letting his disciples know that while they were sitting around trying to figure out how their needs could be met there was a greater need right out in front of them.

There is a struggle that is true for all believers. That is the struggle between being inwardly focused and outwardly focused. The same struggle exists for the church as a body. That’s why we have to be constantly reminded to lift up our eyes and focus on the harvest. We have get past the belief that our needs are the most important ones and remember that our primary task is to reach those who need Jesus. The Samaritan woman told her story and invited people to meet Jesus. John doesn’t give us the number of people who began following Christ through her invitation but it must have been significant.

If our churches are going to be the churches God intended for them to be we have to think more like Jesus. The disciples were wondering about food but Jesus let them know that their focus should be on the harvest. Churches that become more focused on the harvest of souls will be effective in reaching the lost who are in need of a Savior. I want our church to be that kind of church.

5 reasons to invite someone to church Sunday

  1. There are over 250,000 people in Cabarrus and Rowan counties sitting at home on Sunday morning. Every single one of them should be in a church worship service.  Invite them to your church.
  2. They will hear a message that could potentially change their life for eternity.
  3. God has commissioned us to invite others into a relationship with Him and inviting them to church is a step in that direction.
  4. The only way some of your friends and family will ever attend church is if you invite them.
  5. The reason most of us are in church is because someone invited us. We should do the same for someone else.

Obviously there are many more reasons than just these. So, who do you know that will be sitting at home this Sunday? Call them today and invite them to come to church with you.

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