Urgency of Evangelism: Compassion and Action in Faith

The sermon begins with the pastor emphasizing the importance of understanding the "why" behind our actions, particularly in the context of evangelism. He reflects on a recent outreach event where the church made a positive impact on the community, urging the congregation to recognize the urgency of sharing God's love. He cites a sobering statistic that over 30 million people are estimated to die without Christ this year. The pastor then highlights the importance of living a godly life outside of the church and being a personal witness to others, reminding the congregation of the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.

The pastor continues by emphasizing the importance of evangelism and reaching out to unbelievers. He encourages the congregation to be bold in their faith and to lead people to Jesus by sharing their own testimonies. He prays for God to open doors and establish conversations for people to come to know Him. The pastor then highlights the urgency of reaching out to those who do not know Christ, emphasizing that personal evangelism is the primary way that people come to know Christ. He challenges the congregation to see unbelievers with compassion and to pray for more workers to be sent into the harvest.

The pastor shares a personal experience of giving money to someone in need, explaining that it wasn't their money to begin with and that they understand their purpose in serving God. He warns against apathy towards the reality of hell and urges the congregation to consider how much they truly care about their family, neighbors, and community. The pastor then reflects on an event called I Give Help that took place years ago, where a woman named Ms. Dina's life was transformed by God after attending the event. He emphasizes the importance of seeing unbelievers as opportunities rather than obstacles.

The pastor then focuses on the story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who calls out to Jesus for healing. He challenges the congregation to not self-righteously keep certain people away from Jesus based on their appearance, smell, or beliefs. Instead, they should embrace the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus, showing love and compassion to unbelievers. The pastor concludes by emphasizing the importance of showing compassion and care for others, particularly those who are in need. He references a passage from the Bible where Jesus speaks about the significance of helping the least fortunate, stating that when we do so, we are actually doing it for Him.

Key Takeaways:

- The pastor emphasizes the urgency of sharing God's love, citing the sobering statistic that over 30 million people are estimated to die without Christ this year. He urges the congregation to recognize the urgency of the situation and take action now ([12:45]).
- The pastor highlights the importance of living a godly life outside of the church and being a personal witness to others. He reminds the congregation of the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and challenges them to consider what it will take for them to fulfill this commission ([22:30]).
- The pastor shares a personal experience of giving money to someone in need, explaining that it wasn't their money to begin with and that they understand their purpose in serving God. He challenges the congregation not to worry about others taking their money, as it is more important to prioritize people and eternity ([35:15]).
- The pastor reflects on an event called I Give Help that took place years ago, where a woman named Ms. Dina's life was transformed by God after attending the event. He emphasizes the importance of seeing unbelievers as opportunities rather than obstacles and encourages the congregation not to be afraid ([45:20]).
- The pastor focuses on the story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who calls out to Jesus for healing. He challenges the congregation to not self-righteously keep certain people away from Jesus based on their appearance, smell, or beliefs. Instead, they should embrace the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus, showing love and compassion to unbelievers ([55:10]).

Bible Reading:
1. John 4:35: "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."
2. Matthew 9:36-38: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"
3. Matthew 25:34-40: "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

Observation Questions:
1. What does John 4:35 reveal about the urgency of the harvest?
2. In Matthew 9:36-38, what is the condition of the crowds and what is the response of Jesus to this situation?
3. What actions are highlighted in Matthew 25:34-40 as being done for the King?

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of the harvest in John 4:35 relate to the task of evangelism?
2. What does Matthew 9:36-38 suggest about the role of compassion in reaching out to others?
3. How does Matthew 25:34-40 define the relationship between acts of kindness and service to God?

Application Questions:
1. How can you demonstrate the urgency of the harvest in your interactions with non-believers this week?
2. Can you identify a group or individual in your community who is 'harassed and helpless' like the crowds in Matthew 9:36-38? What is one specific action you can take to show them compassion?
3. Reflect on Matthew 25:34-40. Who is someone in your life that you can serve in a practical way this week, as if you were serving Christ Himself?
4. What is one way you can be a personal witness to others about the love of Christ in your daily life?
5. Can you think of a person or a group of people you encounter regularly who you find difficult to see as opportunities rather than obstacles? How can you change your perspective towards them?

Day 1: Embracing the Urgency of Evangelism
The urgency of sharing God's love cannot be overstated. With millions of people estimated to die without knowing Christ each year, the call to action is immediate and pressing. As believers, we are tasked with the responsibility of spreading the good news of salvation to all corners of the earth. [12:45]

2 Timothy 4:2 - "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction."
Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear the message of Christ's love? How can you take steps to share the Gospel with them today?

Day 2: Living a Godly Life Beyond the Church Walls
Our faith is not confined to the four walls of the church. We are called to live a godly life in all areas, being a personal witness to others. This is a crucial part of fulfilling the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. [22:30]

Matthew 5:16 - "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Reflection: How can you better live out your faith in your daily life? What specific actions can you take to be a witness to others?

Day 3: Prioritizing People and Eternity
Our earthly possessions are not truly ours, but God's. We are merely stewards of what He has given us. When we understand this, we can freely give to those in need, prioritizing people and eternity over material wealth. [35:15]

1 Timothy 6:18-19 - "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
Reflection: How can you use your resources to bless others? What is one way you can be generous today?

Day 4: Seeing Unbelievers as Opportunities
Unbelievers are not obstacles, but opportunities for God's love to be shown and His power to transform lives. We should not fear, but embrace these opportunities to share the Gospel and witness the transformative power of God. [45:20]

Luke 19:10 - "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
Reflection: How can you change your perspective to see unbelievers as opportunities rather than obstacles? Who can you reach out to this week with the love of Christ?

Day 5: Embracing the Role of Jesus' Hands and Feet
We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, showing love and compassion to all, regardless of their appearance, smell, or beliefs. This is a call to action, to embrace the opportunity to serve others in love. [55:10]

Matthew 25:40 - "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"
Reflection: Who in your community is in need of love and compassion? How can you be the hands and feet of Jesus to them today?

Too much friction, too much heat. Puss. I need you to puss, puss, puss, puss. Won't stop and we won't go. Can't quit till we let y'all know. This love and peace I found, it never ends and it won't come down. I had a great idea, a world with no hate and no fear. All grace, love, and all cheers. Families, hugs, and no tears.

And let me just bash for a minute. Brand new with no windows tinted. As do you. We got a first-time visitor. How many, how many y'all enjoyed the Limitless Bash last night? When I woke up this morning and my alarm clock went off, I said, oh, this got to be a mistake. My alarm clock, I just got here. I know it can't be over yet. I just got here.

I am excited to bring the word this morning. I'm excited about everything that has happened this week. Before I get started, I wanted to plug that we have a young adult hangout. Raise your hand if you're a young adult and you're in a congregate, not if you feel like one. Wait, no, Pastor Ryan, no. If you are a young adult, please raise your hand high.

Okay, I'm going to count how many I see. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, no. 22, 23. All right. No, Jamie, no. All right. So for all the young adults, our young adult ministry is having a hangout. What time is it? 12:45 at Main Street Lounge. Is it pizza? Pizza and whatever else you order.

But we're going to be hanging out there at 12:45. So I encourage you if you're looking for community, you say, hey, I'm a young adult. I would love the opportunity to just meet with other people who love Jesus, who are trying to build community and walk along the same path that I want to encourage you guys today. 12:45 Main Street Lounge right down the street. You can even park here and you can just walk across the street.

Okay. But we would love for you to participate in that and be there. Also, you'll notice on our we'll get them updated next week, but I have a wonderful announcement. I'm going to talk more about it next week. But we actually have a new website that we're launching that we're going to be launching next week is available now to look at. But we're officially launching it next week. And it's not my limitless church anymore. It's just Limitless Woodland.

Okay. So there's a bunch of limitless churches and people have been giving to other limitless churches even though they're here. So we wanted to make it easy for you. And so the website is now just www.limitlesswoodland.com. And so you can go there. All of our events are there. The link to our app is there. All of our events. He was like, oh, how can I find out about the events? Everything will be there for you.

I always encourage you to download our app. We have a team by team. I mean, Miss Dina, who keeps up the app and makes sure that everything is taken care of on there. But our website is available as well. And I'm not going to talk about what I'm going to talk about next week. But I have a very exciting announcement to talk about next week for our website. Amen. Amen.

All right. Let's dive into this word. Father, thank you for your word. We take this time to hear from you. We know that your word is already anointed. God, we thank you because your presence is already here. You've already begun moving. Would you continue to do so? Would you open our ears to hear what you're saying? Would you open our hearts to receive it? Let it challenge us. Let us leave here making a change. We love you. We praise you in Jesus' name.

All right. We have our relationship series, but I wanted to pause that this week. We'll continue it next week. I think next week is going to be about dating. So single people don't skip that one. But this week I wanted to talk about, in lieu of our outreach yesterday, today I wanted to just talk about outreach.

Yesterday we had over 2,000 people here in this building and on this block as part of our outreach that we had yesterday. We had an opportunity to minister to those people here on our campus. Parents, kids, teenagers, young adults, everybody. People who normally would never knock on the doors of this church got the opportunity to encounter the love of God in a tangible way.

Outreach is the core value of our church. If you come to any of our meetings, if you've come to the table, if you come to our leadership things, outreach is a core value of our church. And it is why moments like yesterday's outreach is a big deal to us. Yes, we may be tired. Hallelujah. Yes, our feet might just be a little bit sore, but it was well worth it for somebody to experience Jesus.

Well worth it for somebody to experience Jesus. As a leader, I'm always conscious of the fact that what's more important than what we do is why we do what we do. It's okay to do things, but it just does something different when you know why you're doing it. Everybody's angry. Why are we angry? I don't know. But when you know the why behind it, it makes it so much more important.

Some people, maybe not people in second service, maybe they were in first service, but they'll look at last night. You know, see, man, that was a lot of time you guys spent, a lot of manpower, a lot of resources. Was it worth it? But we see smiles on little kids' faces. That jump house was packed when we went over there. We saw families engaging, husbands, wives, daughters, sons, all in the same outfit matching.

We saw them walking down the street, engaging one another. We saw people spending time together. We saw our limitless family reaching out to families in this city. We saw the opportunity for the gospel to be preached. And some people hear it perhaps for the very first time. God has positioned this church with its unique people in this unique place at this unique time. And he's called us to make a difference in this city. And he's called us to do it now.

He's called us to do it now. Out of all of time, each and every one of us individually could have been anywhere in time. But God saw fit for us to be here now, in this moment, in this city, in this building, at this time. There is nothing that God does just out of randomness. He's not like, oh, yeah, let's just get just a random group of people together and let's just put them together just because it's fun.

Like, no, he's not doing that. There is a specific purpose for us being here and us being here now. John, chapter four. John, chapter four, verse thirty-five. He says, "Do you not say it is still four months until the harvest comes? Look, I say to you, raise your eyes and look at the fields and see that they are white for harvest."

So Jesus spoke in parables. We see that all throughout there and specifically agricultural because agriculture was a common industry in Jesus's time. And so he uses these agricultural terms for analogies in his message. Jesus is saying the harvest is great. He's saying that there are so many more people who have never heard the name of Jesus.

He's saying that there are so many people that need to hear about the love of God. So in order for everyone to hear his name, more people need to go and share his love. More people need to go and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. So let's read it again with that understanding. "Do you not say it's still four months until the harvest comes?" He says, "But I'm saying to you, raise your eyes, look up, look at the fields and see that they are white for harvest."

And he's talking about grain in that time. And he's urging this sense of importance because when grain turns white, that lets you know that you only got a little bit amount of time before that thing can no longer be used. It's almost dead. He's saying it's white. It's ready. It's now or never. A recent survey showed that out of the six billion people in this world, it is estimated that over 30 million people will die without Christ this year.

Just want that to sit with you. Thirty million people will die without Christ this year. When we hear that, Jesus is saying there is no more time to put it off. There is no more time to put it off. It is now or never. The time is now to reach our city. The time is now to reach our family. The time is now to reach our home right now.

But the tragedy of our time in this culture and just the way we are is that the situation is desperate. But we aren't. The situation is desperate. But we are not. Seventy to eighty percent of Christians get saved through personal evangelism. Personal evangelism. I would love to tell you like, yeah, I, you know, I just preach great messages and people come to the altar and bit bamboo. That's it. But that's not the case.

Seventy to eighty percent of people come to Christ through personal evangelism. This is the reason that we do things like the bash to have opportunities for personal evangelism. This is the reason that we support our local missions here to DCF personal evangelism, because these initiatives are important. This is why we exist. This is why Limitless exists.

The harvest is ready. But our attitudes and our heart towards the loss will make the difference. How do you see the unbeliever? Our attitudes and our heart will make the difference. Matthew, chapter nine. Matthew nine. And we want to start at verse thirty-six. Matthew nine, verse thirty-six says, "When he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion and pity for them because they were dispirited and distressed like sheep without a shepherd."

Then he said to the heart and he said to his disciples, "The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest." So pray to send the workers into the harvest. When you think about those around you who don't know Jesus, how do you see them?

How do you see them? Are you immediately put off by them? Right. Are you irritated by the decisions that they make? Are you upset because maybe you don't agree with their lifestyle? Maybe their presence just makes you uneasy. When they come around, do you immediately look for an exit? Oh, I don't feel like dealing with them today. Do you immediately look for an exit?

Here's the thing that we have to understand. Unbelievers will do what unbelievers do. A lot of times we place expectations of believers on unbelievers. Why are you talking like that? Because they don't know Jesus. Why is it that you can't seem to get it together? Because they don't know Jesus. Why do they go to these places and do these things and these addictions and all these things? Because they don't.

Unbelievers will do what unbelievers do. Jesus knew everything about the needs and the habits and the conditions of all of these people in Matthew chapter nine. He knew already he was Jesus. He already knew what they were. He was about to walk into. But yet verse thirty-six says he was moved with compassion and pity for them. He was moved.

This word compassion in the Greek is the strongest word for pity in the Greek language. It's the strongest word and it insinuates the love that moves a person deep within them, moves them to the depth of their being, moves them to action. Jesus didn't see their addictions. Jesus didn't see their missteps. He didn't see their conditions. He didn't see their faults. He saw the harvest.

He saw a harvest. He saw people that he loved. He saw people that needed him. He said they were like a sheep without a shepherd. He saw the harvest. He saw that they needed a savior and that moved him even closer to home. He saw us. He saw our missteps. He saw our failures continually. He saw us ignoring him. He saw us not praying. He saw us having days where we were faithless.

He saw some of us straying away for a season and he still chose to die. He still chose to die even knowing that. That's compassion. When we see people who don't know Jesus, are we moved or do we just wish they'd move? Are we so focused on the outward that we've forgotten that God begins, God looks, and God does his best work on the inward? That's where he starts.

We got to get our eyes off of this and have compassion for the heart. Jesus showed this one book over Mark chapter 10, Mark chapter 10 verse 46. I got y'all light so y'all need to hear some pages turning, okay? Mark chapter 10 verse 46 says, "Then they came to Jericho and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples, in a large crowd, a blind beggar Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road as was his custom."

When Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and say, "Jesus, son of David, Messiah, have mercy on me." Many sternly rebuked him, telling him to be still and be quiet. But he kept on shouting all the more. "Son of David, Messiah, have mercy on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."

So they called the blind man, telling him, "Take courage, get up. He is calling for you." Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "Rabboni, my master, let me again regain my sight." Jesus said to him, "Go. Your faith, your confident trust in my power has made you well."

Immediately, he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road. See, Bartimaeus was a beggar and he was blind. He was a beggar and he was blind. The scripture says that the people sternly rebuked him from calling out to Jesus. And I looked at this and I'm like, I can't figure out why. Why would they do that?

And this is why we have to be aware of what the Lord is doing when he's bringing people in our lives. This is why we have to always be aware that it is harvest time and be aware of the harvest that might be right there in front of our faces. The very ones that we self-righteously try to keep away from him because of how they dress, because of how they smell, because of how they look, how they talk, how they vote are the very ones that need Jesus.

They're the very ones that need Jesus. We cannot keep telling the world, come as you are, but when they show up as they are, we're too fragile to even handle it. We cannot keep doing that. We cannot keep doing that. When the Lord sends unbelievers our way, when he sends them across our path, even when he sends them to our church, we have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus and show them the love of God like never before.

This is harvest time. Not later, not when you feel like you're ready, not when you feel like you've gotten it all together, not when you feel like you're ready to make time in your schedule for Jesus. Now. Now is harvest time. Hell is a real place. Please don't forget that people who don't know him will spend eternity there.

We like to, you know, we say we love Jesus. We like, we good. Hey, I'm good. My people's good. I'm good. No, there are people who we walk past, who we drive past, who are in our jobs, who are in our family that need to know Jesus. What is our attitude when we see, when we encounter unbelievers?

Matthew 25, verse 34. Then the king will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger. You welcomed me. I was naked. You clothed me. I was sick. You visited me. I was in prison. You came to me."

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you thirsty and give you drink? When, when did we see you a stranger and welcome you or naked and clothed you? And when, when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?" And he will answer them, "Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you did it to me."

You did it to me. When you took time out of your schedule to give your last few dollars to somebody who needed it. When you took the shoes off of your feet or out of your trunk to give it to a homeless person that needed it. When you chose to give somebody food who needed it, clothes who needed it. You said you did it to me. You did it to me.

And then when you didn't, when you were too busy, when you didn't have time, when you were in a hurry or maybe you were judging what was going to happen when you gave, you did it to me. See, God's heart aches for unbelievers. He cares about them desperately. People matter to God and they have to matter to us. They have to matter to us.

We need to develop a sincere compassion and concern for people who don't know Jesus. All the teaching on evangelism, we could talk all day about apologetics and how to answer difficult questions, but it will be of no effect if we first don't care about lost people. Me helping you answer questions and have all of these deep conversations about the faith, it doesn't matter. It will just be head knowledge if you first don't care for people.

And that is very anti the world. We have to be reminded that we are not to respond like the world. That's what we've been called to do. The world tells us, no, just take care of yourself. You worry about you. You get your people in order and once you get yourself in straight, then you don't worry about nobody else. But that's not what the Lord has told us to do.

That's not what he told us to do. But if we're not careful, if we keep watching it, if we keep listening to it, if we keep entertaining conversations, we will begin to respond like the world. Then when we see somebody, child, I'm not giving them nothing. Why? So they can just waste my money. They can go buy drugs. They can go do this. They can go do that.

No, I'm not giving them. I gave them food last time. And you still eating. We are not to respond like the world. We are to have compassion. The world is compassionless. There is no compassion in the world. We are called to have compassion. I don't know why you gave them that money. Well, then let me tell you why. Because I understand. I understand what God has called me to do.

Aren't you worried about them taking your money? No, it wasn't mine to begin with. The person who gave it to me wanted to use me to give it to him. And I doubt that I'm going to get to heaven and God is going to be like, why did you give away all that money I gave you? Why did you feed that homeless person? Why did you give away those? Every time I gave you clothes, you think he's going to be upset? Like, he's mad about that?

We are not called to respond like the world. We have to get to this place where we're placing a priority on people and an urgency on eternity. God, when we do that, God can use us for his harvest. He can use us when we care about it, when we're concerned about where they're going to spend eternity. He says, I can use you now. I can empower you. I can use you.

But we cannot continue to be apathetic about the fact that hell is real. And those who don't accept him or those who reject him will spend eternity there. How much do you care about people, your family, those around you? When we're in heaven and God asks us why we didn't share the gospel with our family, when he asks us why we didn't share it with our neighbors or our community, what will our response be?

We didn't feel like it? We didn't have time? We were too busy? We can't believe that we will get to heaven and when God asks us this, that we'll be like, God, you know, I just really have an introverted personality and I just couldn't do that. I'm just such an introvert, God, I couldn't do it. Really. Your personality is the excuse. That's what you're going to God with.

My personality stopped me from telling people about your goodness. Scripture says the harvest is indeed plentiful, but the workers are few. People often mistake and they think that it's the pastor's job to get people saved. Yeah, that's what the pastor's supposed to do. And while that is a part of my job description, it's mainly your job.

See, I know you didn't know that, but now I'm telling you. So now you know. Because this is the huddle. This is the meetup. This is where you come to get equipped. This is where you come to get instruction. This is where you come to get the things that you need to live a godly life outside of here. And when you live that life outside of here, and now you are equipped so that while you're living that life, now you can witness to someone because they see the life that you live, then you bring them here.

See the order? You thought like, no, this is what we do, because we like to skip steps. We like to cheat, Dad. We don't want to do that. So what we do is when people ask us, hey, you know, I just noticed that your life's turned around. You just really have this thing that's different about you. Can you tell me more about it? Just come to church with me. You should come to church with me. Sunday, I'm going to church. 9-11. You're going to love it. The people are amazing. They have coffee. You're going to feel so welcome. Why don't you come to me? Come to church with me.

So you're telling them that they now have to wait all the way to the weekend, until Sunday to do something you could do right then and there. You could do right then and there. That's your job. You have been equipped. You have been called to do this. You have been commissioned to do this. The Great Commission, Matthew 28.

I want to say all authority, all power, all absolute rule in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Help people learn of me, believe in me and obey my words, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.

Oh, I am with you always, remaining with you perpetually, regardless of circumstance, on every occasion, even to the end of the age. Now, notice this. It doesn't say all authority, power, absolute rule in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and bring them to church. It's not there. You can read it for yourself. He says, go therefore and make disciples.

It's like, yeah, that scripture is for you, pastor. No, no, no, no, no. It is for all of us to go and make disciples. And so the question really remains, what is it going to take for you to go? What is it going to take for you to go? Was his sacrifice not enough? Was him dying not enough? The nails pierced in his hand and his feet, the sword placed in his side until his entrails were falling out, was that not enough for you to tell somebody about him?

Whenever you go somewhere and you have a great experience, you can't wait to tell somebody about it. You go to a great restaurant, oh, let me tell you about this place. We got a whole site dedicated to reviewing these places, and we can't wait to tell people about it. We taking pictures of the food before we eat it, because we can't wait to tell somebody about it, because the food was so good, because the service was so good.

When you have something amazing that happens, you can't wait to tell somebody about it. Was him waking you up not enough? Was him putting the very breath of life in your lungs this morning not enough? Him protecting you every single day. You know how bad you drive. But him protecting you every single day, him getting you the job, him making sure you made it there, him making sure you made it home, protecting your family, protecting your children, is it not enough for you to go out and tell people about how good he is?

Y'all know how I am. If I expect something, I'm going to tell you. I'm going to tell you immediately. We had Portia Love here last night, and she was here in first service. Portia started telling me, and she said, hey, Pastor, I'm going to do some traveling. I saw you and your wife went on your anniversary trip. You know, how was that? I was like, it was amazing.

She was like, how did you make that happen? I said, CostcoTravel.com, okay? I said, I'm going to tell you this secret. I ain't going to tell everybody because I don't want the prices to go up. But Costco Travel, I said, you can go on there, you can book your stay. I said, if you ain't got all your money together right then, they'll take it and they let you make installments.

Now, make sure the money in there because they're going to draft it out. But they let you make installments until you pay for your trip. And they have wonderful five-star places that you can go all around the world. I said, go on there and you go right here and you do this and you book it early. They got cruise ships. They got all of these things. Why? Because I'm going to tell them because I've had a great experience 10 years in a row.

I'm a faithful Costco Travel member. For those of you who have Android, I'm praying for you. But I talk about Apple all day long. Pastor Ronnie likes to say, I bit the Apple. Yes, I did. Hallelujah. Why? Because I have a great experience every time. If it's broke, I hand it to them. They give me a new one. I've never had a problem with my Apple product being hacked into.

I've never had a situation where I brought my phone on a plane and somebody says, that might blow up. We can't take your phone. Never had that happen. Right? But because I've had such a great experience, if somebody asks me about a phone, I am going to say, y'all can't tell you how many times I tried to convert my dad. I'm 10 years in. Both of them. Hallelujah. Both of them. I'm 10 years. I'm like, come on. Why don't y'all do it?

Come on. Why? Because I have a great experience and I want you to have the experience that I have. I want you to know somebody who will be there even when nobody's there. I want you to know somebody who will heal you. I want you to know somebody who cares about you, who wants the best for you, who wants to provide for you. I want you to know somebody who will never leave you nor forsake you.

I want you to know about it. So I'm going to tell you about it every chance I get. I'm going to keep telling them 10 years. I'm going to keep telling you even when you don't want to hear it. Why? Because it's been that good to me. Because he's been that good to me. I'm going to keep telling them. I'm going to keep telling them.

I started doing this music and I traveled and I would just write songs just about the goodness of God. I just would brag on them. I just would brag because I said I want to use any opportunity I can to tell them. This was before I knew that I was going to be a pastor or a preacher. I said I'm just going to keep writing these songs telling them about how good God is.

Why? Because if I told them they wouldn't believe, I got to put it in the song because if I tell them they're not going to believe me. They're not going to believe the things that he's done. They're not going to believe his goodness. So I got to tell them. I got to tell them.

What will it take for us to take this seriously? What will it take for us to change the way that we've seen unbelievers? Here's the thing. I know you might be like, I just don't know what I'm going to say. I don't know that I know enough. Don't worry about that. Here's how much God loves you. He will set up the situation for you to have the conversation and then tell you what to say while you're in the conversation.

Lord, I don't know what I'm going to say. I don't know how I'm going to do it. You don't worry about that. That's when you say, Lord, speak through my vocal cords and think through my mind. And he will every single time. Why? Because he cares about them more than you do. All you have to do is be available.

Here's the thing. And, you know, just because I'm not going to let the enemy have any way. Guess what? Unbelievers ain't asking you 50 million questions about the Bible. It's the believers you got. Never mind. Because they just want Jesus. They just want hope. They want to know about the hope that you have. They want to know about the faith that you're walking in and how you're able to do that. That's what they want to know.

That's all they want to know. And we're able to share that with them. Just ask him, Lord, can you open a door for me to minister to somebody? Can you open a door for me? Can you present an opportunity? And he will gladly do it. But you ought to change the way you see unbelievers. They have to go from opposition to opportunity.

Got to change the way you see it. And then let me tell you something. What'll happen is when you do that and you get in there, you start talking to them, and once you're done, you're like, man, that felt good. I can't believe I did that. I think I'm ready for another one. Why? Because you realize it wasn't as hard as I thought.

And now you have this confidence in you that God can use you just like he would use anyone else. And you go from one to two, from two to ten. And now we're walking out the Great Commission. We're walking out what he's called us to do. He's called us. He's called us.

I remember when we did this event years ago called I Give Help. It was years ago. And I remember my wife and I, my family, we put on this event and we just wanted to love on the city. We just wanted to love on the city. We said we'd do a t-shirt. We're going to do haircuts and backpacks and brand new shoes. We're going to do all of these things.

And we did the event. And we did the event, and it is over and done with. And I remember after the event thinking like that was wonderful. Now what? God, I feel like I did what you told me to do. Pastor Ryan was there and we did what we thought that God called us to do. And I remember I walked in church the next week and not a one person from that event was there.

And I was like, well, God, I guess I did what you wanted me to do. And a few weeks later, Ms. Dina walks into our congregation. And I remember afterwards I talked to my wife and I said, you know, she began to tell me who it was. And I was like, how did she even find out where we was at? Because we did the event in Woodland and we're in Madison, which is probably why nobody showed up.

But I was like, how did she even find out where we were? Well, somebody had walked, she had asked somebody at the event and they told her about the church. And Dina told her story, I think, was it three years, Dina, four? Five years. And as time began to progress, we got a call five years ago, Friday? Five years ago, Friday, Ms. Dina sent us a text asking us to come to the park.

And she says, I need Jesus. I'm ready. So we spent all that time, all those resources, all those things. And some people might have looked at it as a loss. A business would have looked at it as a loss. But in the kingdom? And Ms. Dina stands here today, five years later, a totally different person, because God has changed her life, her family's life, her kids' life.

Because we cared enough to look at unbelievers differently. We cared enough to change the way that we saw unbelievers and looked at them. Instead of obstacles, we saw them as opportunities. So I want to encourage you today. Don't be afraid. The Lord will tell you what to say. He will set up the appointment. He will tell you what to say. You just be available.

The harvest time is now. It's not later. It's now. It's not somebody else. It's you. Keep running. When you come back around, it's still going to be you. He's called you. He's commissioned you. What will it take? Was his blood not enough? It's harvest time.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you that you've challenged us today to hear and to see differently, God. I thank you, God, that you're developing a heart in us to care about what you care about. You're developing a heart in us to care about what you care about. God, your heart breaks for the unbeliever.

So God, I pray this week that you would begin opening doors to everyone under the sound of my voice and those that are online. I pray that you would begin opening doors this week, God. I pray that you would begin establishing conversations this week for people to come to know you. God, I bind the spirit of fear in Jesus' name.

For we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of love, joy, peace, and a sound mind. God, I thank you that you will empower every person. I thank you that you will give them the words to speak. I pray, God, that as they leave here, it will be like fire on the inside of them. God, I believe that you're already showing faces right now, that you're already giving them names right now, that you're already showing them who you're sending them to, God.

In their sphere of influence, God, you're showing them who you want them to minister to. Embolden them in the name of Jesus. I pray for a holy boldness like never before. Holy boldness in the name of Jesus. That they will find themselves in conversations and won't even know how they got there. But you will give them what to say.

To lead people to you. To tell them about the day and night difference that you've made in their life. To tell them that there's a God that loves them so much that he sent his son to die. To pay the price for sin. Because he and you desire a restored relationship. That when they ask about the hope that they have, that they will point to Jesus and lead them to salvation.

I cannot wait to hear of the harvest, God. That we will see the harvest in our services. That we will see the harvest in these chairs as people are brought in by the hundreds, as people are brought in by the thousands. Because of the work that we did in the field. We are your laborers, God, and we ask that you would use us.

We praise you, we thank you. In Jesus' name, amen. Would you stand with me? If you're here today, and I believe that as I prayed, I believe the Lord has already been speaking. If you heard this message today, Mr. Pastor, the Lord is already showing me even now, he's telling me the people that I need to go to.

He's showing me who to go to. He's showing me the people that I need to go to. It's already been placed on my heart. What I need to do. And I'm hearing your message today, and the Lord is already speaking to me. Or if you knew coming in and the Lord has confirmed to you that there's somebody that you need to begin talking to them about Jesus.

If that's you today, would you just slip your hand up real quick? I just want to pray for you. I'm not going to have you come up, but I just want to slip your hand. Okay. I see the hands. I see the hands. Yep. That's just confirmation. Okay. Hallelujah. Put that hand down. I want to pray for you.

I want to encourage you and I want to charge you to go do what the Lord has called you to do. He will not fail you. And know this. Your job is to present the gospel. That is it. If someone does not receive it, that is not on you. That is on the Lord. He does the work within the person. You plant the seed.

They might accept Jesus in that moment. They might not. What matters is your obedience. Some plant, some water. God gives the increase. You just be obedient. So if you raise your hand today and that was you, I want to pray for you right now.

Heavenly Father, God, I pray for those who are here that raise their hands. Those who may be listening online right now, hearing this message. I pray right now in the name of Jesus that you would use them this week, God. You've already shown them who it is. You've already shown them what they need to do.

God, I pray that you would embolden them in the name of Jesus. I pray that you would use them. I pray that you would speak through their vocal cords and think through their mind, God, as they present your gospel. You have commissioned them already. You have equipped them already. And you have charged them to go.

God, I pray for open doors. I pray for divine conversations. I pray, God, that opportunities will be made to show them who you are, that the love of God will be displayed, shown and talked about this week. Because they heard you here today, God. We bind the enemy that seeks to bring confusion.

We bind the enemy that seeks to bring distraction. We bind the enemy that seeks to bring division. I thank you right now. In the name of Jesus, we loose the spirit of peace. We loose the spirit of discernment, God. We loose the spirit of wisdom right now. Let nothing block or hinder that mission this week.

In the name of Jesus, you called them, you sent them to go and make disciples. Now, thank you that it is being done. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah.

Listen. We're going to prepare to leave. I'm going to ask the altar team to come up. If you're leaving, if you need prayer, we want to pray for you. If you say, hey, I haven't been living the life, that's why I haven't been sharing the gospel. But I heard you today and I want to recommit my life to Christ.

And we want to offer you that opportunity. Altar team, if you could come. If that's you today, you want to recommit your life. Or you need prayer for something. If you say, hey, I want to give Jesus my life first. I've never accepted Jesus as my Lord and personal Savior. I've never made him Lord of my life.

I've been coming to church. I may have been here for a while, but I've never made him Lord of my life. But today I recognize I've come to the end of myself. Today I recognize that I need a Savior. I've made Jesus my Lord in the light of doing life on my own.

We want to pray for you today. Don't leave here without making the best decision that will change the course and trajectory of your life. Making Jesus Lord. Not this habit that you just come to church on Sunday, but you're saying, hey, I want to make him King of my life. I want to make him King of my decisions.

I want to make him King of everything I do. I want you to get down here, then I want you to get down here. Get down here and get what God has for you. Our altar workers are here. We're going to be here until the last person leaves because this is what matters to us.

I love you. I appreciate you. I cannot wait to see you next week as we continue our relationship series. If that's you, come forward at this time. If not, God bless you. We are dismissed. And don't forget, live limitless.

"God has positioned this church with its unique people in this unique place at this unique time. And he's called us to make a difference in this city. And he's called us to do it now." [48:34]

"Jesus is saying the harvest is great. He's saying that there are so many more people who have never heard the name of Jesus. He's saying that there are so many people that need to hear about the love of God." [51:39]

"And Ms. Dina stands here today, five years later, a totally different person, because God has changed her life, her family's life, her kids' life. Because we cared enough to look at unbelievers differently. We cared enough to change the way that we saw unbelievers and looked at them. Instead of obstacles, we saw them as opportunities." #!!01:23:36!!#

"Here's how much God loves you. He will set up the situation for you to have the conversation and then tell you what to say while you're in the conversation... Lord, speak through my vocal cords and think through my mind. And he will every single time. Why? Because he cares about them more than you do. All you have to do is be available." #!!01:19:45!!#

"Just ask him, Lord, can you open a door for me to minister to somebody? Can you open a door for me? Can you present an opportunity? And he will gladly do it. But you ought to change the way you see unbelievers. They have to go from opposition to opportunity. Got to change the way you see it... And now you have this confidence in you that God can use you just like he would use anyone else. And you go from one to two, from two to ten. And now we're walking out the Great Commission. We're walking out what he's called us to do. He's called us." #!!01:21:23!!#

"All the teaching on evangelism, we could talk all day about apologetics and how to answer difficult questions, but it will be of no effect if we first don't care about lost people. Me helping you answer questions and have all of these deep conversations about the faith, it doesn't matter. It will just be head knowledge if you first don't care for people." #!!01:05:49!!#

"We are not called to respond like the world. We have to get to this place where we're placing a priority on people and an urgency on eternity." #!!01:08:44!!#

"Scripture says the harvest is indeed plentiful, but the workers are few. People often mistake and they think that it's the pastor's job to get people saved. Yeah, that's what the pastor's supposed to do. And while that is a part of my job description, it's mainly your job." #!!01:11:03!!#

"Now is harvest time. Hell is a real place. Please don't forget that people who don't know him will spend eternity there. What is our attitude when we see, when we encounter unbelievers?" #!!01:03:24!!#

"When we see people who don't know Jesus, are we moved or do we just wish they'd move? Are we so focused on the outward that we've forgotten that God begins, God looks, and God does his best work on the inward? That's where he starts. We got to get our eyes off of this and have compassion for the heart." #!!59:40!!#