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Hi, Pastor Mark
here in Capernaum,

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the hometown of Jesus after he
relocated from Nazareth

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during his ministry.

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It was also
the hometown of Peter

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and a few other
of Jesus' disciples.

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Very small town, maybe 50,
a hundred people tops.

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You'd be looking
at mainly fishermen.

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Just behind us is
the Sea of Galilee.

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Simple, quasi-rural existence.

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Where we find ourselves
presently is in the ancient

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town square of Capernaum.

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It was surrounded in seats,
and the citizens in the city

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would gather for discussions
and friendship.

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This was sort of the town
center and town hall.

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And so we felt it'd be
an appropriate place

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to share with you
Luke 10:1-16.

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As Jesus is pronouncing a
series of woes on various towns,

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one of them he
mentions, Capernaum,

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and that would have been a
city he was very familiar with.

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This would have actually been
the location that Jesus

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would have sat in that city.

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And when he pronounced a woe,
it was actually to the people

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that he knew, having gathered
with them in this place.

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So chapter 10 of Luke
beginning in verse 1,

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"After this the Lord appointed
seventy-two others and sent them

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"on ahead of him, two by two,
into every town and place where

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"he himself was about to go.

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"And he said to them,
'The harvest is plentiful,

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"'but the laborers are few.

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"'Therefore pray earnestly
to the Lord of the harvest

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"'to send out laborers
into his harvest.

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"'Go your way; behold, I am
sending you out as lambs

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"'in the midst of wolves.

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"'Carry no moneybag,
no knapsack, no sandals,

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"'and greet no one on the road.

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"'Whatever house you
enter, first say,

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"'"Peace be to this house!"

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"'And if a son of peace
is there,

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"'your peace will
rest upon him.

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"'But if not, it
will return you.

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"'And remain in the same house,
eating and drinking what they

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"'provide, for the laborer
deserves his wages.

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"'Do not go from
house to house.

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"'Whenever you enter a town
and they receive you,

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eat what is set before you.'"

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He's speaking of
entering a town.

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He's talking about entering
a town like Capernaum.

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He's talking about entering a
place like this where the people

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would gather, looking for
those who were favorable.

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"'Whenever you enter
a town and they receive you,

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"'eat what is set before you.

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"'Heal the sick in
it and say to them,

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"'"The kingdom of God
has come near to you."

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"'But whenever you enter a town
and they do not receive you,

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"'go into its streets and say,
"Even the dust of your town that

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"'"clings to our feet we
wipe off against you.

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"'"Nevertheless know this,

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"'that the kingdom of God
has come near."

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"'I tell you, it will be more
bearable on that day for Sodom

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"'than for that town.

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"'Woe to you, Chorazin!
Woe to you, Bethsaida!

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"'For if the mighty works done
in you had been done in Tyre

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"'and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago,

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"'sitting in sackcloth
and ashes.

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"'But it will be more bearable
in the judgment for Tyre

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"'and Sidon than for you.

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And for you, Capernaum,'"
this place,

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this city that Jesus resided.

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"'Will you be exalted to heaven?

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You shall be brought
down to Hades.'"

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Very strong statement to
Jesus' friends in Capernaum.

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"'The one who hears
you hears me,

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"'and the one who rejects you
rejects me,

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and the one who rejects me
rejects him who sent me.'"

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[music]

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Howdy, Mars Hill.

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Today we continue our study of
Luke's gospel,

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investigating the man
who is God.

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And we find ourselves
in Luke 10:1-16,

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where Jesus tells us that
the harvest is plentiful.

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And this is a very timely
word for us as a church.

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June and July tend to be
more leveling-off periods.

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In theory, the sun comes out.

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People go on vacation.

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They take a bit of a break.

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Beginning in August,
things start to stabilize.

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Attendance starts to
increase a little bit.

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The leadership starts
to focus on the fall,

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and the big push in
September and October,

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when students are back.

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And so we like to think of this
time of year as preparing

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for harvest time.

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Our hope, our prayer, our goal
is that come September

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and October, more people would
attend Mars Hill Church,

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more people would meet Jesus,
more people would become

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Christians and see their
lives changed by Jesus.

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And so, in the providence of
God, we find ourselves in our

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church calendar year with a very
timely word from Jesus

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about harvesting.

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He begins by telling us, simply,
that the harvest is plentiful.

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In Luke 10:1-2, here's what
the Lord Jesus

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teaches his disciples:

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"After this the Lord appointed
seventy-two others and sent them

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"on ahead of him, two by two,
into every town and place where

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"he himself was about to go.

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"And he said to them,
'The harvest is plentiful,

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"'but the laborers are few.

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"'Therefore pray earnestly
to the Lord of the harvest

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to send out laborers
into his harvest.'"

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Here, Jesus is using language
from farming and agriculture.

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And he's saying that
there is a ripe harvest.

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He is, of course,
speaking spiritually.

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What he is saying is that
there are many elect people,

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many predestined people.

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There are many pre-Christians
who have yet to hear about him.

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And so God, who is sovereign
over the ends, and that is

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people's salvation, is also
sovereign over the means,

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and that is sending Christians
to love and to serve and

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to speak with non-Christians
about Jesus,

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that the seed of the gospel
would take root

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in their heart and life.

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That it would cause new
growth and new life.

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That they would become a new
person, bearing much fruit in

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good deeds and faith and love,
because of the change that Jesus

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wrought in their
heart, in their life.

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And he says that the
harvest is plentiful.

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That too many of us have
too small of a vision.

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That too many churches have
too low of an expectation.

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There can be, for some, a
very selfish disposition that

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Christians, in general, and
churches, in particular, exist,

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simply to gather together for
friendship, and for fellowship,

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and for fun.

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And the truth is that Christians
should love one another,

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and they should
live in community,

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and they should
serve one another.

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But the church exists, in
large part, if not primarily,

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to introduce people who
don't know Jesus to Jesus.

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And Christians can
get very selfish.

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Sometimes we don't want our
church or campus to grow.

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We don't want to lose our place
in the organization

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as new opportunities arise.

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We don't want to
relocate our facilities.

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We don't want to serve
passionately or give generously,

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so that more people
would come to know Jesus.

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And it's a sin to repent
of, because as Jesus says,

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the harvest is plentiful.

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How big of a harvest do you
believe there is

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for Mars Hill Church?

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How many people, do you think,
God could use us to see come

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to faith, newness of life,
eternal life in Jesus?

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Now, some of you would ask, "How
does this story pertain to me?

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What's in it for me?"

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And I would say,
it's not about us.

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It's about Jesus and people
who do not yet know him.

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And that once our lives are
oriented toward those two causes

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and purposes, then we start
to have meaning

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and value and purpose.

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Because we're not just living
absolutely self-absorbed lives

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and turning the church into the
place where our perceived needs

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are met, but rather,
the place we are trained,

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taught so that we might leave
the four walls of the church and

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bring the love and life of Jesus
to others and celebrate

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in the fact that we have the
privilege of seeing other people

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move closer to Jesus, and some
come to faith in him.

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How can this happen?

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What is the selected strategy
that Jesus articulates, that his

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people would be outward-focused,
not inward-focused.

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And they would have a love for
non-Christians and their cities,

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and that their heart's desire
would be to bring the love

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and truth of Jesus to as
many people as possible.

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Well, Jesus actually models
this strategy himself.

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He is sent by God the Father.
He is God the Son.

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He is sent into human history.

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He is sent as a missionary.

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He says this repeatedly
in the gospels,

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particularly John's
gospel where he says,

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"The Father has sent me."

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So Jesus is a missionary sent
into a time, and a place,

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and a people, and a culture, and
a language to bring the love

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and the life of God among them.

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Jesus is also a sending God.

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He sends his followers
into cities, into towns,

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into schools, into businesses,
into homes, to love, to serve,

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to seek the well-being
of all people,

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and to see the salvation of
as many people as is possible.

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And here we read that it begins
with him selecting 12

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who were disciples,
senior leaders.

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They followed him
and were trained by him.

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And now he adds to
their number, 72.

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These are unpaid people.

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We would use the language, in
our modern-day nomenclature

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that they are volunteers.

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They're unpaid, like,
perhaps, most of you.

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They're not getting
paid to do ministry.

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This isn't their job.

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In our culture, we would
call this a volunteer.

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This is someone who says,
"I want to be a member

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"of Mars Hill Church, or I want
to lead a community group,

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"or host a community group,
or lead a redemption group,

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"or lead a worship team.

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"Or I want to serve
in some capacity.

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"I want to take a portion
of my time and I want to

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"specifically designate it
for the purposes of God.

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"And I want to volunteer those
hours as an unpaid leader and

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"servant to see if my efforts,
combined with the efforts

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"of others, couldn't help the
mission of God move forward

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and more people meet Jesus."

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What's interesting is we don't
know the names of these people,

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but God knows their names.

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They're like the many
faithful, consistent,

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godly volunteers in
churches, in ministries,

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who do a lot of hard, difficult
work with a good attitude

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out of love for God.

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That the Bible doesn't record
their names as it does the 12,

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but it does tell us that they
were specifically bestowed

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with dignity by Jesus.

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They were brought
together as a group.

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They were identified
as a group,

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and then they were sent out
two by two.

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This is always how
ministry should be done.

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That as we're deployed,
as we're sent,

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as we're missionaries
scattering,

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it is good to do ministry two
by two, for accountability,

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to make sure you don't
compromise or get into sin,

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to have another witness, in case

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there's some false accusation
or charge.

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As well, to work things through,
and talk things through,

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and learn together, and love one
another, and build a friendship,

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and pray together.

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Of course, if it's
a husband and wife,

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that's a fantastic twosome.

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In addition, it could be
friends working together.

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That's why, oftentimes
in our ministries,

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we have a redemption
group leader and trainee,

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community group
leader and trainee.

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We like to pair people up so
that they're working together.

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That's the model of Jesus.

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Ministry is not to be done by
an individual, necessarily,

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but by a team of people
working together.

241
00:12:14,208 --> 00:12:16,083
And he sends them out.

242
00:12:16,167 --> 00:12:19,292
And what he tells them is
that the harvest is plentiful,

243
00:12:19,375 --> 00:12:24,292
that there is great opportunity,
that there are many people

244
00:12:24,375 --> 00:12:27,458
whom God has already been
working on and working in

245
00:12:27,542 --> 00:12:30,167
and opening their heart
toward Jesus.

246
00:12:30,250 --> 00:12:32,750
And they need someone who knows
and loves him to come

247
00:12:32,833 --> 00:12:37,333
and serve them and speak to
them, to answer their questions,

248
00:12:37,417 --> 00:12:41,875
and to see them come to
a life-saving, eternal,

249
00:12:41,958 --> 00:12:45,625
life-giving
relationship with Jesus.

250
00:12:45,708 --> 00:12:47,833
Mars Hill, I would just
ask you this question,

251
00:12:47,917 --> 00:12:51,458
do you believe that there
is a great harvest for us?

252
00:12:51,542 --> 00:12:53,542
Do you believe that
there are thousands,

253
00:12:53,625 --> 00:12:59,583
tens of thousands of people that
God will save,

254
00:12:59,667 --> 00:13:03,542
and to do that, we are sent?

255
00:13:03,625 --> 00:13:05,208
Do you believe that?

256
00:13:05,292 --> 00:13:08,875
I was having a meeting
recently with Pastor Bill Clem,

257
00:13:08,958 --> 00:13:12,750
one of the campus
pastors in Mars Hill.

258
00:13:12,833 --> 00:13:16,792
And he asked, "Did you
ever see this coming?"

259
00:13:16,875 --> 00:13:20,792
Mars Hill and people
in great numbers,

260
00:13:20,875 --> 00:13:22,750
even though we started in
our living room

261
00:13:22,833 --> 00:13:24,917
with just a handful.

262
00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,167
I said, "You know, I didn't know
what God would do,

263
00:13:28,250 --> 00:13:30,583
"but yes, I could see that.

264
00:13:30,667 --> 00:13:32,750
"I saw that there
was a great harvest.

265
00:13:32,833 --> 00:13:36,458
There was a great opportunity."

266
00:13:36,542 --> 00:13:39,375
And he said, "Well, do you feel
that there is

267
00:13:39,458 --> 00:13:41,208
still a great harvest?"

268
00:13:41,292 --> 00:13:42,917
Yes, I do.

269
00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:47,875
I can see from 10,000
to 20,000 people.

270
00:13:47,958 --> 00:13:50,292
I can see us doubling.
I can see that.

271
00:13:50,375 --> 00:13:53,750
That's not beyond my vision.
That's not beyond my scope.

272
00:13:53,833 --> 00:13:56,750
I have some sense of what
that would look like,

273
00:13:56,833 --> 00:13:59,750
and how many people it would
take and dollars and locations

274
00:13:59,833 --> 00:14:02,792
and deployments,
systems, technologies.

275
00:14:02,875 --> 00:14:05,208
I have an idea.
We have an idea.

276
00:14:05,292 --> 00:14:08,250
The senior leaders have an
idea of what that would take.

277
00:14:08,333 --> 00:14:12,750
And I tell you that, not to be
arrogant or boastful or proud,

278
00:14:12,833 --> 00:14:17,083
but to tell you that
the harvest is plentiful.

279
00:14:17,167 --> 00:14:20,833
And if we take Jesus'
words to be true,

280
00:14:20,917 --> 00:14:23,750
we need to envision
a great future.

281
00:14:23,833 --> 00:14:26,042
We need to plan
and prepare for it.

282
00:14:26,125 --> 00:14:29,958
There should be a sense of hope,
and enthusiasm, and excitement.

283
00:14:30,042 --> 00:14:33,500
That we don't exist
just for survival,

284
00:14:33,583 --> 00:14:36,958
but we exist for the
salvation of others.

285
00:14:37,042 --> 00:14:39,792
And there should be a great
joy and an anticipation,

286
00:14:39,875 --> 00:14:43,625
a sense of urgency
and expectation.

287
00:14:43,708 --> 00:14:45,792
When Jesus says the
harvest is plentiful,

288
00:14:45,875 --> 00:14:49,208
he wants that to resonate in our
heart and for us to raise

289
00:14:49,292 --> 00:14:51,542
our hand like the 72,
and to say,

290
00:14:51,625 --> 00:14:54,750
"Well, then I need to find
my portion of that work.

291
00:14:54,833 --> 00:14:57,833
"I want to be a part
of what God is doing.

292
00:14:57,917 --> 00:15:00,250
"I want to see people
come to meet Jesus.

293
00:15:00,333 --> 00:15:02,125
"I want to see lives changed.

294
00:15:02,208 --> 00:15:04,875
I want to see generations
and legacies altered."

295
00:15:04,958 --> 00:15:07,875
The harvest is plentiful.

296
00:15:07,958 --> 00:15:10,583
We are not done.

297
00:15:10,667 --> 00:15:14,833
In fact, I believe we are at the
strongest position we have ever

298
00:15:14,917 --> 00:15:20,708
been as a church, insofar as
leaders, and humility,

299
00:15:20,792 --> 00:15:23,708
and unity,
and doctoral agreement,

300
00:15:23,792 --> 00:15:27,750
and love for our cities,
and the spread of our campuses,

301
00:15:27,833 --> 00:15:30,042
and the opportunities that God
has opened up.

302
00:15:30,125 --> 00:15:34,750
To be honest with you, this is
the most exciting season I ever

303
00:15:34,833 --> 00:15:37,750
remember in the history
of Mars Hill Church.

304
00:15:37,833 --> 00:15:39,417
Yeah, money's tight.

305
00:15:39,500 --> 00:15:41,083
Yeah, the economy's down.

306
00:15:41,167 --> 00:15:42,958
Yeah, real estate's
hard to come by.

307
00:15:43,042 --> 00:15:47,875
Yeah, some things are difficult,
but the harvest is ripe,

308
00:15:47,958 --> 00:15:54,750
and we are, like the 72, sent
by God to go out and harvest.

309
00:15:54,833 --> 00:15:57,625
Now, most of us have no
experience

310
00:15:57,708 --> 00:16:00,875
in an agricultural context,
but as I understand it,

311
00:16:00,958 --> 00:16:04,750
you find a plot of land and the
first thing you need to do

312
00:16:04,833 --> 00:16:07,417
is clear it,
and pull the weeds.

313
00:16:07,500 --> 00:16:11,750
And then you need to sow your
seed, and you need to water,

314
00:16:11,833 --> 00:16:14,292
and you need to
tend to your crops.

315
00:16:14,375 --> 00:16:18,125
You need to protect it from
thieves and from animals.

316
00:16:18,208 --> 00:16:21,833
And you wait a really long time,
and it's a lot of labor,

317
00:16:21,917 --> 00:16:26,875
and there's very little
visible progress.

318
00:16:26,958 --> 00:16:29,333
And then harvest times comes.

319
00:16:29,417 --> 00:16:33,542
And it's exciting and it's
thrilling and there's life.

320
00:16:33,625 --> 00:16:37,833
Mars Hill, I hope, I trust,
I pray that this fall for us

321
00:16:37,917 --> 00:16:40,542
will be a harvest season.

322
00:16:40,625 --> 00:16:42,875
That we'll see many
people come to Jesus.

323
00:16:42,958 --> 00:16:47,583
And the truth is, we have had
the greatest harvest in the past

324
00:16:47,667 --> 00:16:52,625
year that we have ever had
in the history of the church.

325
00:16:52,708 --> 00:16:56,792
In the past year, going
back roughly 12 months,

326
00:16:56,875 --> 00:17:00,583
we've grown by
about 1,500 people.

327
00:17:00,667 --> 00:17:04,917
We've baptized almost
a thousand new people.

328
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,333
The harvest was almost
a thousand people.

329
00:17:08,417 --> 00:17:10,417
That's wonderful.
That's amazing.

330
00:17:10,500 --> 00:17:13,083
We rejoice in every
profession of faith.

331
00:17:13,167 --> 00:17:15,167
We rejoice in
every changed life.

332
00:17:15,250 --> 00:17:18,750
We rejoice in every
person who has met Jesus.

333
00:17:18,833 --> 00:17:22,792
But I do believe that there
will be, in our future,

334
00:17:22,875 --> 00:17:26,917
an even greater harvest.

335
00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,417
And so what does Jesus tell us?

336
00:17:30,500 --> 00:17:33,292
Well, he tells us to pray.

337
00:17:33,375 --> 00:17:35,833
Let me give you some
things to pray for.

338
00:17:35,917 --> 00:17:40,958
That's exactly what he says,
"Pray to the Lord of the harvest

339
00:17:41,042 --> 00:17:43,792
to send out laborers
into the harvest."

340
00:17:43,875 --> 00:17:46,792
That God is at work in our
cities, towns, communities,

341
00:17:46,875 --> 00:17:48,750
places of business, and schools.

342
00:17:48,833 --> 00:17:51,708
And there aren't enough of his
people that are working

343
00:17:51,792 --> 00:17:56,250
where he is working, and so we
must pray that God's people

344
00:17:56,333 --> 00:17:59,583
would be obedient to God's call.

345
00:17:59,667 --> 00:18:02,875
A few things to pray
for across Mars Hill.

346
00:18:02,958 --> 00:18:05,542
We send people out
into community groups.

347
00:18:05,625 --> 00:18:09,167
There is a very intentional
reason why the preponderance

348
00:18:09,250 --> 00:18:11,750
of our ministry doesn't
happen at the church.

349
00:18:11,833 --> 00:18:14,958
We gather, to be
sure, for services,

350
00:18:15,042 --> 00:18:17,958
but we scatter for
community groups.

351
00:18:18,042 --> 00:18:20,875
That we bring people together to
worship God and to hear

352
00:18:20,958 --> 00:18:24,083
the Word of God and to gather
with the people of God,

353
00:18:24,167 --> 00:18:27,792
but we scatter people on
mission, just as Jesus did.

354
00:18:27,875 --> 00:18:30,792
Pulled the 72 together,
and then sent them.

355
00:18:30,875 --> 00:18:32,917
This is what we do
with community groups,

356
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:34,667
exactly what Jesus did.

357
00:18:34,750 --> 00:18:37,875
He said, "You each pick
a town, you go two by two.

358
00:18:37,958 --> 00:18:39,750
"You go there and
begin a ministry.

359
00:18:39,833 --> 00:18:41,583
"Do it in a home.

360
00:18:41,667 --> 00:18:44,083
See if people won't gather
and come to know me."

361
00:18:44,167 --> 00:18:47,458
Jesus here is launching,
to use our language,

362
00:18:47,542 --> 00:18:49,667
the community group
aspect of his ministry.

363
00:18:49,750 --> 00:18:51,250
That's exactly what he's doing.

364
00:18:51,333 --> 00:18:53,250
He says, "But we don't
have enough leaders.

365
00:18:53,333 --> 00:18:54,833
"We don't have enough people.

366
00:18:54,917 --> 00:18:56,500
So pray for more."

367
00:18:56,583 --> 00:18:58,333
So pray for our
community groups.

368
00:18:58,417 --> 00:19:01,250
At present, we have
over 400 community groups

369
00:19:01,333 --> 00:19:03,750
across Mars Hill.

370
00:19:03,833 --> 00:19:08,792
By year end, we would like to
see at least 500,

371
00:19:08,875 --> 00:19:11,000
at least 500.

372
00:19:11,083 --> 00:19:13,125
And so let's say we need

373
00:19:13,208 --> 00:19:15,375
a hundred new community group
leaders.

374
00:19:15,458 --> 00:19:18,375
We also need
apprentices and hosts.

375
00:19:18,458 --> 00:19:22,792
Pray for at least 300 leaders
to step up across Mars Hill for

376
00:19:22,875 --> 00:19:27,625
community groups, which meet in
condos, and dorms, and homes,

377
00:19:27,708 --> 00:19:32,333
and apartments, and coffee
shops, and places of business.

378
00:19:32,417 --> 00:19:34,542
Where people live in
community, love one another,

379
00:19:34,625 --> 00:19:37,625
serve one another, open the
Bible, Christian and non,

380
00:19:37,708 --> 00:19:42,292
doing life together, on mission,
serving their community.

381
00:19:42,375 --> 00:19:45,625
Pray as well for our campuses.

382
00:19:45,708 --> 00:19:50,083
We do send campuses out.

383
00:19:50,167 --> 00:19:53,875
Pray for the Ballard campus.

384
00:19:53,958 --> 00:19:57,750
After sending lots of people out
to start lots of campuses

385
00:19:57,833 --> 00:20:00,833
and churches, Ballard
is growing again.

386
00:20:00,917 --> 00:20:03,417
It's very strong.
It's doing very well.

387
00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:07,458
And we're just praying for a
very big harvest in the fall.

388
00:20:07,542 --> 00:20:10,250
On the West Seattle campus,
they've got a fantastic

389
00:20:10,333 --> 00:20:13,292
building, a great group
of people and good elders.

390
00:20:13,375 --> 00:20:17,708
But pray for the right campus
pastor for West Seattle.

391
00:20:17,792 --> 00:20:19,208
Why?

392
00:20:19,292 --> 00:20:23,292
Because Jesus says that
the laborers are few.

393
00:20:23,375 --> 00:20:24,875
We need more leaders.

394
00:20:24,958 --> 00:20:28,375
West Seattle is one of those
most pressing needs right now.

395
00:20:28,458 --> 00:20:30,792
They need a campus pastor.

396
00:20:30,875 --> 00:20:32,833
Pray for the Shoreline campus.

397
00:20:32,917 --> 00:20:35,208
They have maxed
out their facility,

398
00:20:35,292 --> 00:20:37,167
and we're actually looking
at some really exciting

399
00:20:37,250 --> 00:20:42,250
opportunities to relocate the
Shoreline campus to a bigger

400
00:20:42,333 --> 00:20:46,750
location, and then spread it
out into a few other campuses.

401
00:20:46,833 --> 00:20:50,625
That's Pastor Steve's vision,
to send Shoreline into a bigger

402
00:20:50,708 --> 00:20:52,750
location and then send from
Shoreline

403
00:20:52,833 --> 00:20:54,750
into multiple other locations.

404
00:20:54,833 --> 00:20:57,542
And so our prayer would
be, in the next year,

405
00:20:57,625 --> 00:20:59,917
to see the Shoreline campus
be bigger and plant

406
00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:05,500
two more campuses, and send
into two new areas.

407
00:21:05,583 --> 00:21:07,083
Pray for the Bellevue campus.

408
00:21:07,167 --> 00:21:09,833
Again, the harvest there
has been plentiful.

409
00:21:09,917 --> 00:21:11,833
That campus is
absolutely packed.

410
00:21:11,917 --> 00:21:13,708
They can't get more people in.

411
00:21:13,792 --> 00:21:15,917
It's going really well.
We're very excited.

412
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,458
We're looking for
a bigger location,

413
00:21:18,542 --> 00:21:21,458
so that they can have
a bigger harvest.

414
00:21:21,542 --> 00:21:23,042
We may have one.

415
00:21:23,125 --> 00:21:26,042
You can pray for the details
and whether or not that is

416
00:21:26,125 --> 00:21:27,667
God's choice for us.

417
00:21:27,750 --> 00:21:29,667
It's what we believe
is the best choice.

418
00:21:29,750 --> 00:21:31,750
We'll see if all the
details come together.

419
00:21:31,833 --> 00:21:33,708
But from there as
well, the vision is,

420
00:21:33,792 --> 00:21:37,125
on the eastside of Seattle,
to send out campuses

421
00:21:37,208 --> 00:21:39,458
along the 405 corridor.

422
00:21:39,542 --> 00:21:41,625
And as we've sent that
campus into Bellevue,

423
00:21:41,708 --> 00:21:44,750
they have sent out community
groups throughout the eastside.

424
00:21:44,833 --> 00:21:47,125
And then the community
groups are gathering together

425
00:21:47,208 --> 00:21:50,667
regionally in the towns,
strategizing how to reach

426
00:21:50,750 --> 00:21:52,750
those areas, how to have
a bigger harvest.

427
00:21:52,833 --> 00:21:55,500
And ultimately, to start
multiple campuses

428
00:21:55,583 --> 00:21:57,458
on the eastside.

429
00:21:57,542 --> 00:21:59,125
So Mars Hill Church
sends campuses.

430
00:21:59,208 --> 00:22:00,875
Campuses send community groups.

431
00:22:00,958 --> 00:22:03,458
Community groups then
gather regionally.

432
00:22:03,542 --> 00:22:06,833
They ultimately become
campuses and/or church plants.

433
00:22:06,917 --> 00:22:10,458
And then from there, they send
more people out to start more

434
00:22:10,542 --> 00:22:13,792
groups and continue the process.

435
00:22:13,875 --> 00:22:16,125
Pray as well for
the Downtown campus.

436
00:22:16,208 --> 00:22:18,750
They are full,
growing very fast.

437
00:22:18,833 --> 00:22:22,292
They have seen a great
harvest this last year.

438
00:22:22,375 --> 00:22:26,792
Lots of people, amazing stories
of salvation and transformation,

439
00:22:26,875 --> 00:22:30,167
from drug addicts,
to wayward pastors,

440
00:22:30,250 --> 00:22:32,208
to people that have
never heard about Jesus,

441
00:22:32,292 --> 00:22:34,125
to those who are
involved in witchcraft,

442
00:22:34,208 --> 00:22:36,833
coming to meet Jesus
in Downtown Seattle.

443
00:22:36,917 --> 00:22:39,167
And Pastor Tim Gaydos
there now has a vision

444
00:22:39,250 --> 00:22:41,750
to start pressing further south.

445
00:22:41,833 --> 00:22:45,208
And so pray for laborers to go
into the Rainier Valley

446
00:22:45,292 --> 00:22:46,875
to start community groups.

447
00:22:46,958 --> 00:22:49,958
And as those groups grow
multiethnic, multiracial,

448
00:22:50,042 --> 00:22:53,833
that ultimately, in the next however
many years that God wills,

449
00:22:53,917 --> 00:22:57,708
that a campus would be opened
in the Rainier Valley,

450
00:22:57,792 --> 00:22:59,917
and that's his vision and goal.

451
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,500
So right now, they're sending
leaders into the Rainier Valley.

452
00:23:03,583 --> 00:23:05,000
And pray for them.

453
00:23:05,083 --> 00:23:07,333
Pray, as well, for the
University of Washington Campus.

454
00:23:07,417 --> 00:23:11,417
We sent out Pastor Matt Jensen
and a handful of leaders,

455
00:23:11,500 --> 00:23:13,375
and they sent out
community group leaders.

456
00:23:13,458 --> 00:23:16,042
And those community groups
multiplied and replicated.

457
00:23:16,125 --> 00:23:18,458
And so then we started
a service on campus

458
00:23:18,542 --> 00:23:20,250
at the UW this past year.

459
00:23:20,333 --> 00:23:22,833
And they'd had such a great
harvest, we actually had

460
00:23:22,917 --> 00:23:26,167
baptisms in Red Square at
the University of Washington

461
00:23:26,250 --> 00:23:29,500
to celebrate the harvest
openly and publicly.

462
00:23:29,583 --> 00:23:33,167
That campus has grown to
be as many as 400 people.

463
00:23:33,250 --> 00:23:35,000
And in the providence of God,

464
00:23:35,083 --> 00:23:37,542
at the same time that
the Supreme Court is rendering

465
00:23:37,625 --> 00:23:40,333
a verdict saying that a student
group can't discriminate

466
00:23:40,417 --> 00:23:44,917
by religious preference
or sexual orientation,

467
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,417
we were negotiating on
a building, a church,

468
00:23:48,500 --> 00:23:50,750
one of only two
buildings, that I know of,

469
00:23:50,833 --> 00:23:54,708
in the last 15-plus years that
could potentially accommodate us

470
00:23:54,792 --> 00:23:58,125
in the University District,
walking distance to campus.

471
00:23:58,208 --> 00:24:00,625
The price drops.
We agree to terms.

472
00:24:00,708 --> 00:24:04,250
And now we have an opportunity
to open a campus right next to

473
00:24:04,333 --> 00:24:05,833
the University of Washington.

474
00:24:05,917 --> 00:24:08,833
And had we stayed on campus,
in light of the Supreme Court

475
00:24:08,917 --> 00:24:11,750
ruling, it may have been almost
impossible for us

476
00:24:11,833 --> 00:24:13,833
to see a great harvest.

477
00:24:13,917 --> 00:24:15,917
And God works
out all the timing.

478
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,792
So pray for the University of
Washington service

479
00:24:19,875 --> 00:24:22,167
as it now becomes a campus.

480
00:24:22,250 --> 00:24:24,750
Pray that they'll be
able to raise the money,

481
00:24:24,833 --> 00:24:26,375
though they're
broke college kids,

482
00:24:26,458 --> 00:24:29,167
to finish some of the renovation
on this building that would

483
00:24:29,250 --> 00:24:32,875
allow housing for interns, would
allow training, classroom space,

484
00:24:32,958 --> 00:24:36,875
worship space, permanently
located in the U District,

485
00:24:36,958 --> 00:24:40,708
upstream, very important,
right next to the school.

486
00:24:40,792 --> 00:24:45,083
It's amazing. You send out a few people
to start a Bible study,

487
00:24:45,167 --> 00:24:46,750
and God blesses that.

488
00:24:46,833 --> 00:24:48,500
It becomes more
community groups.

489
00:24:48,583 --> 00:24:50,625
And then it becomes a service.

490
00:24:50,708 --> 00:24:54,125
And then it becomes an open
opportunity for a building where

491
00:24:54,208 --> 00:24:56,750
young leaders will get trained,
and then they will be sent

492
00:24:56,833 --> 00:24:59,292
all over the world.

493
00:24:59,375 --> 00:25:03,417
As well, pray for
the Olympia campus.

494
00:25:03,500 --> 00:25:07,958
Some people from the Ballard
campus started a community group

495
00:25:08,042 --> 00:25:11,042
in Centralia, and Chehalis,
and Olympia,

496
00:25:11,125 --> 00:25:12,917
and it became multiple
community groups.

497
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:14,708
And they kept sending,
sending, gathering,

498
00:25:14,792 --> 00:25:16,458
harvesting, harvesting.

499
00:25:16,542 --> 00:25:19,583
It culminates in a campus
that has now grown.

500
00:25:19,667 --> 00:25:21,500
Percentage wise,
the Olympia campus

501
00:25:21,583 --> 00:25:23,333
is our fastest-growing campus.

502
00:25:23,417 --> 00:25:26,750
Here's what's amazing, all of
our campuses that are presently

503
00:25:26,833 --> 00:25:29,625
in existence grew
in the past year.

504
00:25:29,708 --> 00:25:33,750
Every single one had a harvest.

505
00:25:33,833 --> 00:25:35,750
And the Olympia
campus, by percentage,

506
00:25:35,833 --> 00:25:37,167
is growing the fastest.

507
00:25:37,250 --> 00:25:39,042
I think the second
fastest-growing by percentage

508
00:25:39,125 --> 00:25:41,208
might be Downtown.

509
00:25:41,292 --> 00:25:44,500
And so what has happened is
they have a need for more seats.

510
00:25:44,583 --> 00:25:46,333
As they're sending out
more community groups,

511
00:25:46,417 --> 00:25:49,000
sending out more leaders
two by two, like Jesus did,

512
00:25:49,083 --> 00:25:50,792
they're seeing a bigger harvest.

513
00:25:50,875 --> 00:25:53,833
A good opportunity's opened up
at a school where they could

514
00:25:53,917 --> 00:25:56,167
have more seats to
have a greater harvest,

515
00:25:56,250 --> 00:25:59,042
send out more people to
start more community groups.

516
00:25:59,125 --> 00:26:01,750
And ultimately, I think there's
a possibility of additional

517
00:26:01,833 --> 00:26:06,125
campuses in the south
end of the Puget Sound.

518
00:26:06,208 --> 00:26:08,917
The campus in Federal Way,
pray for them as well.

519
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:10,833
With Samuel there,
it's growing.

520
00:26:10,917 --> 00:26:12,542
It's doing very well.

521
00:26:12,625 --> 00:26:14,875
That campus got off to
a very strong start,

522
00:26:14,958 --> 00:26:18,458
and the harvest there
has been very good.

523
00:26:18,542 --> 00:26:21,250
And Olympia now is growing
and doing very well.

524
00:26:21,333 --> 00:26:24,708
And I could even see the need
in time for something in

525
00:26:24,792 --> 00:26:28,167
or around Tacoma, pulling those
three campuses together as a

526
00:26:28,250 --> 00:26:31,208
regional strategy to then send
out more community groups and

527
00:26:31,292 --> 00:26:34,417
more campuses and more church
plants because I believe

528
00:26:34,500 --> 00:26:37,750
there's a great harvest in
that area as well.

529
00:26:37,833 --> 00:26:41,917
And insofar as this issue
of leaders is concerned,

530
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:46,500
right now at the University
of Washington campus,

531
00:26:46,583 --> 00:26:49,042
the Olympia campus, and
the Federal Way campus,

532
00:26:49,125 --> 00:26:53,583
we only have one elder or pastor
at each of those three campuses.

533
00:26:53,667 --> 00:26:56,750
Other elders from other campuses
are serving and involved.

534
00:26:56,833 --> 00:26:59,000
But pray for those
three campuses: Olympia,

535
00:26:59,083 --> 00:27:01,958
Federal Way, and the University
of Washington, that God would

536
00:27:02,042 --> 00:27:06,750
raise up, from their midst,
qualified, godly, competent,

537
00:27:06,833 --> 00:27:10,542
courageous men of God to
be pastors and elders,

538
00:27:10,625 --> 00:27:12,208
paid or unpaid.

539
00:27:12,292 --> 00:27:14,667
Pray for the laborers.
Pray for the leaders.

540
00:27:14,750 --> 00:27:16,208
Pray for the workers.

541
00:27:16,292 --> 00:27:20,125
The harvest is great, and now
more leadership is needed.

542
00:27:20,208 --> 00:27:22,875
And that leads to the last
campus, which is

543
00:27:22,958 --> 00:27:24,750
the Albuquerque campus,
which is growing.

544
00:27:24,833 --> 00:27:27,750
This summer, the Albuquerque
campus is growing.

545
00:27:27,833 --> 00:27:31,542
We've never seen a campus
grow during the summer.

546
00:27:31,625 --> 00:27:33,458
And the Albuquerque
campus is growing,

547
00:27:33,542 --> 00:27:35,833
and it is almost doubled
in the last year.

548
00:27:35,917 --> 00:27:37,750
It's up to about 500 people.

549
00:27:37,833 --> 00:27:42,750
A great harvest, multiethnic,
bilingual congregation.

550
00:27:42,833 --> 00:27:45,750
Spanish subtitles at the second
service so that

551
00:27:45,833 --> 00:27:50,833
it can be a multilingual,
bilingual congregation.

552
00:27:50,917 --> 00:27:53,708
That campus is growing.
It needs more seats.

553
00:27:53,792 --> 00:27:55,167
Again, the harvest
has been great,

554
00:27:55,250 --> 00:27:57,458
and they've maxed
out their space.

555
00:27:57,542 --> 00:28:00,542
They're sending out community groups.
I was talking to Pastor Dave.

556
00:28:00,625 --> 00:28:03,958
Some of these community groups
are up to 40, almost 50 people,

557
00:28:04,042 --> 00:28:06,708
so they're in the process
of multiplying, replicating,

558
00:28:06,792 --> 00:28:10,208
sending out new groups
and new people two by two,

559
00:28:10,292 --> 00:28:12,042
just like Jesus said.

560
00:28:12,125 --> 00:28:16,417
Here's the big idea,
this actually works.

561
00:28:16,500 --> 00:28:18,125
You get people who love Jesus.

562
00:28:18,208 --> 00:28:20,792
You put them together,
and you send them out.

563
00:28:20,875 --> 00:28:22,750
And then there's
a great harvest,

564
00:28:22,833 --> 00:28:28,000
and you need more people so
you pray for more leaders.

565
00:28:28,083 --> 00:28:31,125
Pray for Mars Hill Church.

566
00:28:31,208 --> 00:28:34,625
We set a very ambitious goal
that we believe, at maturity,

567
00:28:34,708 --> 00:28:38,583
it's possible, to one day, by
the grace of God if he wills,

568
00:28:38,667 --> 00:28:41,167
become a church of
maybe 50,000 people.

569
00:28:41,250 --> 00:28:42,958
I still, in my
heart, believe that.

570
00:28:43,042 --> 00:28:44,583
That's not soon.

571
00:28:44,667 --> 00:28:47,125
That's not tomorrow, but
this is how it can happen.

572
00:28:47,208 --> 00:28:50,958
People going out, sharing
the love and life of Jesus,

573
00:28:51,042 --> 00:28:52,792
starting groups in homes.

574
00:28:52,875 --> 00:28:55,042
Those multiplying,
becoming campuses,

575
00:28:55,125 --> 00:28:57,875
sending centers, from which
more people are sent.

576
00:28:57,958 --> 00:29:01,292
Pray as well for the Acts 29
Church Planting Network.

577
00:29:01,375 --> 00:29:04,000
We send out community groups.
We send out campuses.

578
00:29:04,083 --> 00:29:05,917
We send out church plants.

579
00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:08,875
The Acts 29 Network, under the
leadership of Scott Thomas,

580
00:29:08,958 --> 00:29:11,542
receives about 10%
of our total dollars.

581
00:29:11,625 --> 00:29:14,333
Over 300 churches now have
been planted through Acts 29.

582
00:29:14,417 --> 00:29:16,542
We don't take credit
for all of those,

583
00:29:16,625 --> 00:29:18,125
but we're part of that network.

584
00:29:18,208 --> 00:29:19,750
And we house the
headquarters here.

585
00:29:19,833 --> 00:29:21,750
And we provide the staff for it.

586
00:29:21,833 --> 00:29:24,750
And we give over a million
dollars a year to it.

587
00:29:24,833 --> 00:29:27,583
And over 300 churches have
been planted in the U.S.

588
00:29:27,667 --> 00:29:30,750
Now churches are being planted
in 13 different nations,

589
00:29:30,833 --> 00:29:33,250
13 nations.

590
00:29:33,333 --> 00:29:34,833
Harvest is, what?

591
00:29:34,917 --> 00:29:36,458
Plentiful.

592
00:29:36,542 --> 00:29:37,875
There is massive opportunity.

593
00:29:37,958 --> 00:29:40,125
The globe does
not seem that big.

594
00:29:40,208 --> 00:29:42,750
The opportunity does
not seem impossible,

595
00:29:42,833 --> 00:29:45,458
so we need to be praying for
leaders, church planters,

596
00:29:45,542 --> 00:29:47,542
elders, campus pastors,

597
00:29:47,625 --> 00:29:50,583
all the way down to
community group leaders.

598
00:29:50,667 --> 00:29:55,125
We're praying that Acts 29
would see a number of laborers.

599
00:29:55,208 --> 00:29:57,833
This September we've got
a boot camp here in Seattle.

600
00:29:57,917 --> 00:30:00,458
We're anticipating upwards of a
thousand people in attendance.

601
00:30:00,542 --> 00:30:02,250
It will be the biggest
church-planting event

602
00:30:02,333 --> 00:30:03,833
we've ever done.

603
00:30:03,917 --> 00:30:06,958
From that, we'll be planting
both churches in Acts 29,

604
00:30:07,042 --> 00:30:11,042
and campuses in Mars Hill.

605
00:30:11,125 --> 00:30:15,083
Right now, we're assessing
upwards of 500 potential leaders

606
00:30:15,167 --> 00:30:19,917
who are aspiring to be church
and/or campus planters.

607
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,625
Our goal is to be at a
thousand churches in Acts 29,

608
00:30:23,708 --> 00:30:28,042
a quarter million people in
maybe 6-ish years as

609
00:30:28,125 --> 00:30:29,750
a rough timeline.

610
00:30:29,833 --> 00:30:31,875
Some of you say,
"Isn't that ambitious?

611
00:30:31,958 --> 00:30:33,625
Aren't you being
selfish or proud?"

612
00:30:33,708 --> 00:30:36,792
No.
We believe the Bible.

613
00:30:36,875 --> 00:30:38,417
We believe the Bible.

614
00:30:38,500 --> 00:30:40,750
We believe
the harvest is plentiful.

615
00:30:40,833 --> 00:30:43,333
The opportunity is there.

616
00:30:43,417 --> 00:30:48,500
But we need to pray for more
laborers, for more servants,

617
00:30:48,583 --> 00:30:52,250
for more people to serve.

618
00:30:52,333 --> 00:30:57,167
As well, Jesus says to
follow your calling.

619
00:30:57,250 --> 00:31:01,917
Luke 10:3-9, he tells them as
they're going out to do ministry

620
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,000
and start their groups
and, ultimately,

621
00:31:05,083 --> 00:31:07,958
work toward what will become
churches, "Go your way; behold,

622
00:31:08,042 --> 00:31:10,833
"I am sending you out as
lambs in the midst of wolves.

623
00:31:10,917 --> 00:31:13,750
"Carry no moneybag, no
knapsack, no sandals,

624
00:31:13,833 --> 00:31:15,625
"and greet no one on the road.

625
00:31:15,708 --> 00:31:18,208
"Whatever house you enter, first
say, 'Peace be to this house!'

626
00:31:18,292 --> 00:31:21,708
"And if a son of peace is there,
your peace will rest upon him.

627
00:31:21,792 --> 00:31:23,625
"But if not, it
will return to you.

628
00:31:23,708 --> 00:31:26,208
"And remain in the same house,
eating and drinking what they

629
00:31:26,292 --> 00:31:28,833
"provide, for the laborer
deserves his wages.

630
00:31:28,917 --> 00:31:30,583
"Do not go from house to house.

631
00:31:30,667 --> 00:31:32,750
"Whenever you enter a town
and they receive you,

632
00:31:32,833 --> 00:31:34,375
"eat what is set before you.

633
00:31:34,458 --> 00:31:36,750
"Heal the sick in
it and say to them,

634
00:31:36,833 --> 00:31:39,375
'The kingdom of God
has come near to you.'"

635
00:31:39,458 --> 00:31:42,792
Jesus calls them to
a very specific ministry.

636
00:31:42,875 --> 00:31:46,625
He tells them to do four
things and not do four things.

637
00:31:46,708 --> 00:31:48,625
Here's what he says
to do, number one,

638
00:31:48,708 --> 00:31:51,000
watch out for wolves.

639
00:31:51,083 --> 00:31:52,750
Watch out for wolves.

640
00:31:52,833 --> 00:31:54,583
And the Bible uses
this language,

641
00:31:54,667 --> 00:31:58,042
that Jesus is our chief
shepherd, senior pastor.

642
00:31:58,125 --> 00:32:00,833
The pastors, elders, and
leaders are like shepherds.

643
00:32:00,917 --> 00:32:02,958
That would include deacons,
and community group leaders,

644
00:32:03,042 --> 00:32:06,208
and redemption group leaders;
shepherds looking after people.

645
00:32:06,292 --> 00:32:08,625
The church is like a flock,

646
00:32:08,708 --> 00:32:11,083
and individual Christians
are like sheep.

647
00:32:11,167 --> 00:32:13,750
They need to be led.
They need to be fed.

648
00:32:13,833 --> 00:32:15,542
They need to be protected.

649
00:32:15,625 --> 00:32:17,625
From what?
From the wolves.

650
00:32:17,708 --> 00:32:19,750
The wolves are always
fighting the shepherds,

651
00:32:19,833 --> 00:32:21,958
and they're always trying
to ravage the flock,

652
00:32:22,042 --> 00:32:25,292
and they're trying
to take the sheep.

653
00:32:25,375 --> 00:32:28,750
This can be through moral
compromise, false teaching,

654
00:32:28,833 --> 00:32:30,375
heresy, error.

655
00:32:30,458 --> 00:32:33,042
The Bible uses a little
line to talk about wolves.

656
00:32:33,125 --> 00:32:37,333
It says that they like to draw
away disciples after themselves.

657
00:32:37,417 --> 00:32:38,792
See, we're a sending church.

658
00:32:38,875 --> 00:32:41,333
We'll send out leaders.
We'll send out community groups.

659
00:32:41,417 --> 00:32:43,708
We'll send out campuses.
We'll send out church plants.

660
00:32:43,792 --> 00:32:48,333
We don't mind sending, but
wolves are not about sending.

661
00:32:48,417 --> 00:32:50,583
They're about taking.

662
00:32:50,667 --> 00:32:52,875
Not with the permission of
the leadership of the church,

663
00:32:52,958 --> 00:32:55,375
not with the blessing and
partnership and friendship of

664
00:32:55,458 --> 00:32:57,542
the leadership of the church,
where people

665
00:32:57,625 --> 00:33:01,917
are being released to go
work with that person.

666
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:06,167
Because they're a wolf, and the
shepherds know it's a wolf.

667
00:33:06,250 --> 00:33:08,250
So they want to
protect the sheep.

668
00:33:08,333 --> 00:33:11,250
So what the wolf will do is try
to manipulate through lies,

669
00:33:11,333 --> 00:33:17,792
or false teaching, or emotional
appeal, or friendship,

670
00:33:17,875 --> 00:33:20,375
or service, or hospitality.

671
00:33:20,458 --> 00:33:24,750
Things that could be used
in a godly way for the gospel

672
00:33:24,833 --> 00:33:28,500
are used in an ungodly way in
opposition of the gospel,

673
00:33:28,583 --> 00:33:31,583
so that the wolf
can just one at a time,

674
00:33:31,667 --> 00:33:35,042
take the sheep and get them away
from the shepherd,

675
00:33:35,125 --> 00:33:38,083
and the flock,
and the chief shepherd.

676
00:33:38,167 --> 00:33:39,833
Draw them away.

677
00:33:39,917 --> 00:33:41,625
What?

678
00:33:41,708 --> 00:33:43,792
To use them, to abuse them.

679
00:33:43,875 --> 00:33:47,000
And so there are wolves that are
moral wolves that want you to

680
00:33:47,083 --> 00:33:49,000
compromise your holiness.

681
00:33:49,083 --> 00:33:51,958
There are wolves who are
doctrinal wolves that want to

682
00:33:52,042 --> 00:33:54,958
have you compromise the
truth of sound doctrine.

683
00:33:55,042 --> 00:33:57,750
They'll start to get you to
question certain teachings

684
00:33:57,833 --> 00:33:59,542
in the Bible.

685
00:33:59,625 --> 00:34:01,750
Cult leaders are
like that as well.

686
00:34:01,833 --> 00:34:04,167
There are those who are
also just power wolves.

687
00:34:04,250 --> 00:34:07,375
They want to be in control.
They want to be in authority.

688
00:34:07,458 --> 00:34:09,250
They want to be in charge.

689
00:34:09,333 --> 00:34:13,458
They're very suspicious and
skeptical of any shepherd,

690
00:34:13,542 --> 00:34:17,583
and they just want you to treat
them as if they were a shepherd.

691
00:34:17,667 --> 00:34:20,167
And what's curious, as well,
is this language is still

692
00:34:20,250 --> 00:34:24,083
very common in, particularly,
the Middle East.

693
00:34:24,167 --> 00:34:27,583
Some of the men on staff with
me went there to film,

694
00:34:27,667 --> 00:34:30,292
for example, in
Pakistan some years ago.

695
00:34:30,375 --> 00:34:33,000
And they report that
to this very day,

696
00:34:33,083 --> 00:34:37,333
to call someone a wolf
is a paramount offense.

697
00:34:37,417 --> 00:34:40,208
It is very offensive.

698
00:34:40,292 --> 00:34:42,875
They were witness to one
conversation where a man

699
00:34:42,958 --> 00:34:46,083
was told, "You're a liar,
and a thief, and a cheat,

700
00:34:46,167 --> 00:34:47,708
"and you have no character.

701
00:34:47,792 --> 00:34:49,208
You're just a wolf."

702
00:34:49,292 --> 00:34:50,958
And that was what set him off.

703
00:34:51,042 --> 00:34:52,750
"Don't call me a wolf."

704
00:34:52,833 --> 00:34:55,167
That's the highest insult.

705
00:34:55,250 --> 00:34:58,583
So Jesus here is saying,
"These false teachers,

706
00:34:58,667 --> 00:35:02,250
"these false leaders,
they're nothing but wolves.

707
00:35:02,333 --> 00:35:05,667
"I can't give them
a higher insult.

708
00:35:05,750 --> 00:35:09,583
I can't give you
a stronger warning."

709
00:35:09,667 --> 00:35:13,167
And this also includes the
fact that you will be mocked,

710
00:35:13,250 --> 00:35:14,750
you'll be opposed.

711
00:35:14,833 --> 00:35:16,333
You'll be made fun of.

712
00:35:16,417 --> 00:35:17,750
You'll be rejected.

713
00:35:17,833 --> 00:35:19,750
This can be certain
degrees of emotional,

714
00:35:19,833 --> 00:35:21,958
or if it's business-related,
financial suffering.

715
00:35:22,042 --> 00:35:25,208
This escalates all
the way to martyrdom.

716
00:35:25,292 --> 00:35:28,167
What happens when a sheep goes
before a wolf is that

717
00:35:28,250 --> 00:35:30,250
the wolf destroys the sheep.

718
00:35:30,333 --> 00:35:32,833
So Jesus says, "Number one,
watch out for the wolves.

719
00:35:32,917 --> 00:35:35,625
Number two, seek the peace
and salvation of everyone."

720
00:35:35,708 --> 00:35:37,125
That's what he says.

721
00:35:37,208 --> 00:35:41,125
Anyone you meet, any home you
go to, try to bring peace.

722
00:35:41,208 --> 00:35:43,500
And the peace here is
the peace of salvation.

723
00:35:43,583 --> 00:35:47,292
It's peace with God, that we
are, by nature, at war with God.

724
00:35:47,375 --> 00:35:48,875
We are at hostility with God.

725
00:35:48,958 --> 00:35:51,708
We're in sin against God.

726
00:35:51,792 --> 00:35:55,625
Talk to them about
Jesus, love them.

727
00:35:55,708 --> 00:35:58,625
Tell them, you know, God is not
pleased with who you are

728
00:35:58,708 --> 00:36:00,708
and how you live.

729
00:36:00,792 --> 00:36:04,708
But there is peace to be had
between you and God

730
00:36:04,792 --> 00:36:06,917
through the Lord Jesus Christ.

731
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:10,917
That he is God who loves you,
and he came and lived as you

732
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,375
should live and he
died as you should die.

733
00:36:13,458 --> 00:36:18,667
And he rose to love, even
though you were ill-deserving.

734
00:36:18,750 --> 00:36:20,833
And that through Jesus,
the sin and the hostility

735
00:36:20,917 --> 00:36:24,167
and the animosity between you
and God can be removed,

736
00:36:24,250 --> 00:36:26,583
and there can be peace
from you and God.

737
00:36:26,667 --> 00:36:30,417
So Mars Hill, as you go, as you
go to work, as you go to school,

738
00:36:30,500 --> 00:36:33,042
as you go shopping, as you
go to your neighborhood,

739
00:36:33,125 --> 00:36:34,750
don't be those rude,
annoying Christians.

740
00:36:34,833 --> 00:36:37,667
But be those loving Christians
who are seeking to bring

741
00:36:37,750 --> 00:36:41,958
the love and the life of Jesus'
peace between people who don't

742
00:36:42,042 --> 00:36:44,708
know God and God who loves them.

743
00:36:44,792 --> 00:36:48,125
Number three, he says, "Receive
whatever income God gives."

744
00:36:48,208 --> 00:36:49,708
He says, "Don't bring money.

745
00:36:49,792 --> 00:36:51,708
"Don't bring your wallet.
Don't bring your credit cards.

746
00:36:51,792 --> 00:36:56,208
"Don't bring your purse.
Don't bring your ATM card.

747
00:36:56,292 --> 00:36:59,625
"Don't, don't.
Don't bring anything.

748
00:36:59,708 --> 00:37:01,417
"Just go.

749
00:37:01,500 --> 00:37:05,000
"Go to a town--you two go to
a town and just show up,

750
00:37:05,083 --> 00:37:07,958
"and assume that the Holy Spirit
went ahead of you.

751
00:37:08,042 --> 00:37:10,333
"And assume that God's
working on somebody's heart,

752
00:37:10,417 --> 00:37:12,625
"and strike up some
conversations and see

753
00:37:12,708 --> 00:37:14,792
"if somebody doesn't open
their home to you.

754
00:37:14,875 --> 00:37:19,000
"And talk to them about Jesus,
and eat whatever they feed you.

755
00:37:19,083 --> 00:37:22,292
"And share the love
of Jesus with them.

756
00:37:22,375 --> 00:37:24,417
"And if they come to faith,

757
00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:26,708
"start a community group
in that home.

758
00:37:26,792 --> 00:37:29,708
"And if that community group is
flourishing and those people

759
00:37:29,792 --> 00:37:32,542
"want to give you
a little money as a salary,

760
00:37:32,625 --> 00:37:34,917
take whatever salary they give."

761
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:36,625
Number four, heal the sick

762
00:37:36,708 --> 00:37:39,375
and make the invisible kingdom
visible.

763
00:37:39,458 --> 00:37:41,167
If they're sick, pray for 'em.

764
00:37:41,250 --> 00:37:43,125
"God, demonstrate your power.

765
00:37:43,208 --> 00:37:44,917
"Demonstrate your
life and your love.

766
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,208
Let this person know that
you are the great physician."

767
00:37:48,292 --> 00:37:50,125
Pray for the sick.

768
00:37:50,208 --> 00:37:53,625
Also, this would include casting
out, for those who are suffering

769
00:37:53,708 --> 00:37:56,375
from demonic oppression
or possession,

770
00:37:56,458 --> 00:37:59,375
casting out those evil
spirits, saying, "You know,

771
00:37:59,458 --> 00:38:01,875
"those voices you hear,
that spirituality you're in,

772
00:38:01,958 --> 00:38:05,750
"that witchcraft you enjoy,
that suffering that you endure,

773
00:38:05,833 --> 00:38:09,292
"those voices that you hear,
particularly if they're

774
00:38:09,375 --> 00:38:12,542
"you, you, you, those are
accusations.

775
00:38:12,625 --> 00:38:14,833
"Those are condemnations.

776
00:38:14,917 --> 00:38:17,792
"You have an enemy.
He's opposed to you.

777
00:38:17,875 --> 00:38:21,583
"God is the real God.
Those are counterfeit gods.

778
00:38:21,667 --> 00:38:24,792
"Those are false spirit
beings to lead you astray

779
00:38:24,875 --> 00:38:26,417
"and harass you.

780
00:38:26,500 --> 00:38:29,500
"Let me pray for them and
see if you don't get healed.

781
00:38:29,583 --> 00:38:33,292
"Let me pray for you. And in the name,
the strong name of Jesus,

782
00:38:33,375 --> 00:38:37,292
"command everything and everyone,
except for the Holy Spirit, away from you.

783
00:38:37,375 --> 00:38:42,625
And let's see what God does. Let's see if the
invisible kingdom is made visible in your life."

784
00:38:42,708 --> 00:38:45,750
Jesus says to do these things.
Watch for the wolves.

785
00:38:45,833 --> 00:38:47,417
Seek the salvation of everyone.

786
00:38:47,500 --> 00:38:49,417
Receive whatever
income God gives.

787
00:38:49,500 --> 00:38:52,708
And by all means, seek to heal
the sick and pray for those

788
00:38:52,792 --> 00:38:54,125
who are suffering.

789
00:38:54,208 --> 00:38:56,125
He also says
four things not to do.

790
00:38:56,208 --> 00:38:59,708
"Don't bring money, supplies, or
even an extra pair of shoes."

791
00:38:59,792 --> 00:39:01,125
That's what Jesus had said.

792
00:39:01,208 --> 00:39:03,667
When you're going on
a long journey in that day,

793
00:39:03,750 --> 00:39:06,042
you'd usually pack
an extra pair of shoes,

794
00:39:06,125 --> 00:39:08,083
unless you were
exceedingly poor.

795
00:39:08,167 --> 00:39:10,458
In case your first
pair of shoes wore out,

796
00:39:10,542 --> 00:39:12,583
you're walking along the road,
you'd bring another

797
00:39:12,667 --> 00:39:14,125
pair of shoes just in case.

798
00:39:14,208 --> 00:39:16,417
Jesus says, "Don't
bring any supplies.

799
00:39:16,500 --> 00:39:18,708
Don't even bring
an extra pair of shoes."

800
00:39:18,792 --> 00:39:22,292
Number two, "Don't get
distracted with idle chitchat."

801
00:39:22,375 --> 00:39:24,667
He says, "As you're
walking along on the road,

802
00:39:24,750 --> 00:39:27,083
"don't get tied up in these
really long, complicated,

803
00:39:27,167 --> 00:39:28,875
unnecessary conversations."

804
00:39:28,958 --> 00:39:30,583
Don't.

805
00:39:30,667 --> 00:39:33,083
See, the formal greeting
on the road, in that day,

806
00:39:33,167 --> 00:39:34,875
it could take hours.

807
00:39:34,958 --> 00:39:37,750
What he's saying is, you
don't want to just have long,

808
00:39:37,833 --> 00:39:39,375
drawn-out conversations.

809
00:39:39,458 --> 00:39:41,167
It's not a sin to
have friendships.

810
00:39:41,250 --> 00:39:43,375
It's not a sin to be
patient with people.

811
00:39:43,458 --> 00:39:45,750
But in this occasion, he's
saying, get to know someone.

812
00:39:45,833 --> 00:39:47,375
"I'm a Christian.

813
00:39:47,458 --> 00:39:49,375
"I'd love to talk
to you about Jesus.

814
00:39:49,458 --> 00:39:52,750
You have no interest in that?
Great, let me go talk to this guy."

815
00:39:52,833 --> 00:39:56,375
All right, if it's harvest time, you're
looking for the low-hanging fruit.

816
00:39:56,458 --> 00:40:00,583
"You want to talk about Jesus? If I give you
a Bible, you're willing to read it?"

817
00:40:00,667 --> 00:40:03,167
I mean, there is a list of
people I've talked to

818
00:40:03,250 --> 00:40:07,792
in the past few months, like, "Okay, if
I give you a Bible, will you read it?" "No."

819
00:40:07,875 --> 00:40:11,000
"Okay, well, if I give you a
Bible, will you read it?" "No."

820
00:40:11,083 --> 00:40:13,667
"If I give you a Bible,
will you read it?" "No."

821
00:40:13,750 --> 00:40:16,958
Couple of people, "If I give
you a Bible, will you read it?"

822
00:40:17,042 --> 00:40:18,583
"Yeah, I'd love one.

823
00:40:18,667 --> 00:40:20,583
"I just don't know
which one to buy.

824
00:40:20,667 --> 00:40:22,958
"I don't know Jesus,
and I don't know the Bible,

825
00:40:23,042 --> 00:40:26,167
but I'm willing to read it.
Can you give me a good one?"

826
00:40:26,250 --> 00:40:27,750
Oh, you're kidding, okay.

827
00:40:27,833 --> 00:40:29,750
There's the low-hanging fruit.
There's the low-hanging fruit.

828
00:40:29,833 --> 00:40:31,750
Jesus is saying, "Harvest
the low-hanging fruit first."

829
00:40:31,833 --> 00:40:33,917
See, 'cause there are
people who are very, very,

830
00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:35,667
very far from faith.

831
00:40:35,750 --> 00:40:38,292
There are others who are closer.

832
00:40:38,375 --> 00:40:39,792
God's already working on them.

833
00:40:39,875 --> 00:40:42,250
They're already in process.

834
00:40:42,333 --> 00:40:44,208
They're already
asking good questions.

835
00:40:44,292 --> 00:40:47,750
They're already open
to helpful answers.

836
00:40:47,833 --> 00:40:49,667
And he's not saying
ignore those people,

837
00:40:49,750 --> 00:40:52,542
but pick the
low-hanging fruit first.

838
00:40:52,625 --> 00:40:56,375
Who in your life, isn't
that far away from faith?

839
00:40:56,458 --> 00:40:59,625
Who in your life, let me ask
you this, who in your life,

840
00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:02,958
if you just ask them, "Do you
want to go to church with me,"

841
00:41:03,042 --> 00:41:04,583
they would go?

842
00:41:04,667 --> 00:41:06,625
You know what you should do?
Ask them.

843
00:41:06,708 --> 00:41:09,583
How many people in your life,
if you bought them a Bible,

844
00:41:09,667 --> 00:41:11,417
a nice one, don't go cheap.

845
00:41:11,500 --> 00:41:14,792
A nice ESV Study Bible,
I would recommend.

846
00:41:14,875 --> 00:41:16,792
You gave it to them as a gift.

847
00:41:16,875 --> 00:41:18,458
You say, "I really love you,

848
00:41:18,542 --> 00:41:20,750
"and I'm not trying to be
pushy or rude.

849
00:41:20,833 --> 00:41:24,667
"But I really love
the Bible and I love you.

850
00:41:24,750 --> 00:41:27,458
"And so I went out and
spent a lot of money,

851
00:41:27,542 --> 00:41:29,458
"and I got you a nice
leather-bound gift.

852
00:41:29,542 --> 00:41:31,250
"And maybe you should
start in Luke.

853
00:41:31,333 --> 00:41:33,625
And if you dig it, come
to church with me."

854
00:41:33,708 --> 00:41:36,458
Who, if you gave a Bible
to, they'd start reading it?

855
00:41:36,542 --> 00:41:38,625
If you invited them to
church, they would come?

856
00:41:38,708 --> 00:41:41,125
Who would attend your community
group if you just asked?

857
00:41:41,208 --> 00:41:43,958
Some of you say, "Well, I
don't want to be opposed."

858
00:41:44,042 --> 00:41:45,792
Well, you will
find a few wolves.

859
00:41:45,875 --> 00:41:47,625
You will get
a little opposition.

860
00:41:47,708 --> 00:41:51,875
You will also find a lot
of low-hanging fruit.

861
00:41:51,958 --> 00:41:55,250
Many people, statistically,
if not most people,

862
00:41:55,333 --> 00:41:58,500
who come to faith in Jesus,
they were invited to a group

863
00:41:58,583 --> 00:42:03,583
or a service by someone
who loved them.

864
00:42:03,667 --> 00:42:06,333
And all you need to do is ask.

865
00:42:06,417 --> 00:42:08,708
But don't waste your time.

866
00:42:08,792 --> 00:42:12,625
You've got that one friend who
wants to argue all the time.

867
00:42:12,708 --> 00:42:15,583
Love them, invest a little time,
but find the other people who

868
00:42:15,667 --> 00:42:19,625
are already a little further
along and a little more open.

869
00:42:19,708 --> 00:42:22,875
He says as well, "Don't waste
time on people who oppose you

870
00:42:22,958 --> 00:42:24,667
and reject salvation."

871
00:42:24,750 --> 00:42:27,875
If they just want to argue and
they want to fight and they're

872
00:42:27,958 --> 00:42:30,500
hostile and they're opposed,
it's not that you ignore them

873
00:42:30,583 --> 00:42:33,083
or don't love them, but you pray
for them and you

874
00:42:33,167 --> 00:42:35,167
invest your time in people who
are non-Christians,

875
00:42:35,250 --> 00:42:36,625
but they're close.

876
00:42:36,708 --> 00:42:38,917
Or they're new
Christians and confused.

877
00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:41,208
And if you don't know
who those people are,

878
00:42:41,292 --> 00:42:43,917
tell your campus pastor,
"I got time.

879
00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:45,542
"I want to meet with people.

880
00:42:45,625 --> 00:42:48,542
"As the visitor cards are filled
out, as the new people come,

881
00:42:48,625 --> 00:42:51,875
put me to work.
Let me go talk to them."

882
00:42:51,958 --> 00:42:53,500
You know what actually happens?

883
00:42:53,583 --> 00:42:55,667
Some people show up
and they check a box,

884
00:42:55,750 --> 00:42:57,292
"I'm interested in
becoming a Christian."

885
00:42:57,375 --> 00:43:01,000
That's pretty low-hanging fruit.
Volunteer to go meet with them,

886
00:43:01,083 --> 00:43:03,625
if you don't have people
to already meet with.

887
00:43:03,708 --> 00:43:06,792
And number four, he says,
"Don't move around."

888
00:43:06,875 --> 00:43:10,875
Find a place where somebody
comes to know Jesus.

889
00:43:10,958 --> 00:43:14,667
They love him and they say,
"My home now belongs to Jesus.

890
00:43:14,750 --> 00:43:16,917
I want to use it for ministry."

891
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:18,875
And then Jesus is
essentially teaching,

892
00:43:18,958 --> 00:43:20,625
have a community group there.

893
00:43:20,708 --> 00:43:22,917
You guys pray.
Study Scripture.

894
00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:25,208
Serve one another,
love the community.

895
00:43:25,292 --> 00:43:27,042
See where the visible needs are.

896
00:43:27,125 --> 00:43:30,500
Help those who are suffering.
Feed those who are hungry.

897
00:43:30,583 --> 00:43:33,667
Turn that house into a little
outpost to the kingdom of God,

898
00:43:33,750 --> 00:43:36,833
and let the love and light of
God shine forth from the life

899
00:43:36,917 --> 00:43:38,667
of the people who gather there.

900
00:43:38,750 --> 00:43:40,292
It's a community group.

901
00:43:40,375 --> 00:43:41,750
And he says,
"Don't move around."

902
00:43:41,833 --> 00:43:43,292
People can't find you.

903
00:43:43,375 --> 00:43:44,875
It's too confusing.
Too complicated.

904
00:43:44,958 --> 00:43:46,500
Do ministry there.

905
00:43:46,583 --> 00:43:49,500
Then you can imagine, as that
home fills up and they don't

906
00:43:49,583 --> 00:43:52,583
fit, well, then you start a
group, and you start a group,

907
00:43:52,667 --> 00:43:54,333
and you guys open your house.

908
00:43:54,417 --> 00:43:57,708
And then as those fill up, well
then we multiply, send you out,

909
00:43:57,792 --> 00:43:59,125
more people open their homes.

910
00:43:59,208 --> 00:44:01,542
This is multiplication of
ministry effectiveness.

911
00:44:01,625 --> 00:44:05,417
But here's what needs to happen:
you need to be willing to let

912
00:44:05,500 --> 00:44:08,875
your community
group be split.

913
00:44:08,958 --> 00:44:11,458
You need to be willing to
have an adjustment

914
00:44:11,542 --> 00:44:14,625
in your relationships,
otherwise it's like Peter,

915
00:44:14,708 --> 00:44:16,875
James, and John up
on the mountain with Jesus,

916
00:44:16,958 --> 00:44:18,500
and Moses, and Elijah.

917
00:44:18,583 --> 00:44:20,458
It's like, "We don't
want to be sent.

918
00:44:20,542 --> 00:44:21,917
"We don't want to be scattered.

919
00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:24,667
Let's just be a community group
up on the mountain forever."

920
00:44:24,750 --> 00:44:27,292
Jesus says, "No, it's
not gonna work like that.

921
00:44:27,375 --> 00:44:29,417
"We need to come
down and scatter.

922
00:44:29,500 --> 00:44:32,750
We gotta get ministry
started in other places."

923
00:44:32,833 --> 00:44:36,000
Friends, if you're a Christian,
your home belongs to Jesus.

924
00:44:36,083 --> 00:44:38,542
A community group
should be meeting there,

925
00:44:38,625 --> 00:44:42,167
and you should be open to
the fact that there will be a

926
00:44:42,250 --> 00:44:44,792
harvest, more people will come,
and you're gonna need to split

927
00:44:44,875 --> 00:44:46,625
that group and send people out.

928
00:44:46,708 --> 00:44:49,208
And those of you that
are in those groups,

929
00:44:49,292 --> 00:44:52,000
you've gotta take it
as a real honor, not a burden.

930
00:44:52,083 --> 00:44:54,625
"Man, I get to be
like 1 of the 72.

931
00:44:54,708 --> 00:44:57,167
"Me and somebody else,
the host or the assistant,

932
00:44:57,250 --> 00:44:58,750
"we're gonna go
start another group.

933
00:44:58,833 --> 00:45:00,750
"We're gonna open our home.

934
00:45:00,833 --> 00:45:04,750
"We're gonna see the harvest of
the kingdom of God on our couch.

935
00:45:04,833 --> 00:45:07,458
"On our couch, we're gonna
see the kingdom of God.

936
00:45:07,542 --> 00:45:09,625
"We're gonna see people
go from death to life.

937
00:45:09,708 --> 00:45:14,542
We're gonna see generations and
legacies altered on our couch."

938
00:45:14,625 --> 00:45:19,500
Just so you know, that's
why God gave you a couch.

939
00:45:19,583 --> 00:45:21,708
And this is how Jesus worked.

940
00:45:21,792 --> 00:45:23,833
He worked from homes.

941
00:45:23,917 --> 00:45:26,333
When he was in Capernaum,
he was at Peter's house.

942
00:45:26,417 --> 00:45:29,667
When he goes to Jerusalem,
he sets up base of operations

943
00:45:29,750 --> 00:45:33,958
at Mary, Martha, and Lazarus'
house in Bethany.

944
00:45:34,042 --> 00:45:35,917
The early church met
from house to house.

945
00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:37,708
They also met at
the temple courts.

946
00:45:37,792 --> 00:45:41,167
They got together, as we do, for
services, for large meetings.

947
00:45:41,250 --> 00:45:44,625
So they gathered for
worship and Lord's Table,

948
00:45:44,708 --> 00:45:48,667
Communion, and preaching,
and singing, and loving.

949
00:45:48,750 --> 00:45:51,042
But then they scattered
into their homes.

950
00:45:51,125 --> 00:45:56,125
This is exactly how Jesus
establishes ministry.

951
00:45:56,208 --> 00:46:00,625
We're trying to build our
ministry on the model of Jesus.

952
00:46:00,708 --> 00:46:04,375
He would bring in thousands
of people to hear him preach.

953
00:46:04,458 --> 00:46:06,875
And then he would send
them out, two by two,

954
00:46:06,958 --> 00:46:08,708
to start community
groups in their homes.

955
00:46:08,792 --> 00:46:12,042
We are trying, in our
modern-day equivalent,

956
00:46:12,125 --> 00:46:14,667
to do the exact same
thing that Jesus did,

957
00:46:14,750 --> 00:46:19,208
to obey exactly what
Jesus said.

958
00:46:19,292 --> 00:46:22,875
And Jesus says, "If you
do this, you get a," what?

959
00:46:22,958 --> 00:46:25,625
You get a harvest.

960
00:46:25,708 --> 00:46:28,750
People get saved.
Lives change.

961
00:46:28,833 --> 00:46:32,375
Campuses get started.
Groups multiply and replicate.

962
00:46:32,458 --> 00:46:34,167
There's fruit.
Things happen.

963
00:46:34,250 --> 00:46:37,750
And some of you would say, and
I just, I feel inclined to say,

964
00:46:37,833 --> 00:46:40,667
some of you would say, "Yeah,
but I really don't like change."

965
00:46:40,750 --> 00:46:43,667
Look, there are two kinds
of change, growth and death.

966
00:46:43,750 --> 00:46:48,833
Every ministry has one kind
of change or the other.

967
00:46:48,917 --> 00:46:52,542
Harvest and growth
cause change.

968
00:46:52,625 --> 00:46:55,708
Death and decline
cause change.

969
00:46:55,792 --> 00:46:58,708
The question is not,
will we have change?

970
00:46:58,792 --> 00:47:01,458
The question is, will it be
harvest change

971
00:47:01,542 --> 00:47:04,583
or funeral change?

972
00:47:04,667 --> 00:47:06,667
Let's just say that
change is good.

973
00:47:06,750 --> 00:47:10,458
Harvest is the kind
of change we want.

974
00:47:10,542 --> 00:47:12,375
Now, here's the question:

975
00:47:12,458 --> 00:47:16,000
is this how we're
all supposed do it?

976
00:47:16,083 --> 00:47:20,500
Well, I would say, principally,
going out, homes being opened,

977
00:47:20,583 --> 00:47:23,667
groups being started, for sure,
because that's consistent.

978
00:47:23,750 --> 00:47:25,667
We see it in the book of Acts.

979
00:47:25,750 --> 00:47:27,500
We see it throughout
the New Testament.

980
00:47:27,583 --> 00:47:29,250
This becomes
the paradigm for the church.

981
00:47:29,333 --> 00:47:31,625
But what about the, "Hey,
don't bring your purse

982
00:47:31,708 --> 00:47:33,250
"and don't bring your wallet.

983
00:47:33,333 --> 00:47:35,625
"And don't worry about
an extra pair of shoes

984
00:47:35,708 --> 00:47:37,583
and don't bring a lunch."

985
00:47:37,667 --> 00:47:39,833
Is it a sin for someone
to have support

986
00:47:39,917 --> 00:47:41,958
or resourcing in ministry?

987
00:47:42,042 --> 00:47:43,750
Not necessarily.

988
00:47:43,833 --> 00:47:47,542
Again, it's
follow your calling.

989
00:47:47,625 --> 00:47:52,625
A little later we read
this, same book, Luke.

990
00:47:52,708 --> 00:47:57,708
Same man, Jesus, God-man

991
00:47:57,792 --> 00:48:00,833
says this in Luke 22:35-36,
"And he said to them,

992
00:48:00,917 --> 00:48:04,708
"'When I sent you out with no
moneybag or knapsack or sandals,

993
00:48:04,792 --> 00:48:06,500
did you lack anything?'"

994
00:48:06,583 --> 00:48:09,292
He's back to
the section in Luke 10.

995
00:48:09,375 --> 00:48:12,083
Okay, it's a little while later,
some months later, he says,

996
00:48:12,167 --> 00:48:14,750
"Okay, remember months ago
when I first sent you guys out,

997
00:48:14,833 --> 00:48:18,125
"I told you not to bring any supplies.
You remember that?"

998
00:48:18,208 --> 00:48:19,750
"Yeah, we remember that."

999
00:48:19,833 --> 00:48:21,958
"Did you lack anything
or did God provide?"

1000
00:48:22,042 --> 00:48:23,750
They said,
"We lacked nothing."

1001
00:48:23,833 --> 00:48:25,917
"He said to them,
'But now let the one

1002
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:27,750
who has a moneybag take it.'"

1003
00:48:27,833 --> 00:48:30,625
"Now don't forget your purse.
Bring your credit cards.

1004
00:48:30,708 --> 00:48:32,625
"Grab your wallet."

1005
00:48:32,708 --> 00:48:34,250
"'And likewise, a knapsack.'"

1006
00:48:34,333 --> 00:48:37,375
"Pack some supplies
and get a lunch."

1007
00:48:37,458 --> 00:48:40,458
"'And let the one who has no
sword sell his cloak

1008
00:48:40,542 --> 00:48:42,792
and buy one.'"

1009
00:48:42,875 --> 00:48:45,667
While you're at it,
get a weapon.

1010
00:48:45,750 --> 00:48:49,500
Well, this is a different
way to deal with wolves.

1011
00:48:49,583 --> 00:48:52,917
Jesus is like, "I sent you
out as sheep among the wolves.

1012
00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:55,875
Now I'm sending you out as
warriors among the wolves."

1013
00:48:55,958 --> 00:48:58,500
Some of you say, "Well, what
is this, a contradiction?"

1014
00:48:58,583 --> 00:49:00,833
No, it's different callings.

1015
00:49:00,917 --> 00:49:04,625
He sent them out,
on one occasion

1016
00:49:04,708 --> 00:49:06,167
with a certain set of orders.

1017
00:49:06,250 --> 00:49:08,375
He sends them out
on another occasion

1018
00:49:08,458 --> 00:49:10,417
with a different set of orders.

1019
00:49:10,500 --> 00:49:12,792
This is just good leadership.

1020
00:49:12,875 --> 00:49:15,542
This is Jesus surveying the
circumstances and the need

1021
00:49:15,625 --> 00:49:19,708
and saying, "For this mission,
this is the best plan.

1022
00:49:19,792 --> 00:49:23,708
For this mission, we'll need
an entirely different plan."

1023
00:49:23,792 --> 00:49:25,750
When he sent them
out with no supplies,

1024
00:49:25,833 --> 00:49:29,875
I think it taught
the 72 to depend on God.

1025
00:49:29,958 --> 00:49:32,333
"God loves me, God will
provide for my needs."

1026
00:49:32,417 --> 00:49:33,917
And Jesus says,
"Did that happen?"

1027
00:49:34,000 --> 00:49:36,542
They say, "It did.
God did provide for my needs."

1028
00:49:36,625 --> 00:49:38,708
In addition, for those who
were the new Christians,

1029
00:49:38,792 --> 00:49:40,875
it taught them to
serve and to give.

1030
00:49:40,958 --> 00:49:43,500
These are two very important
things 'cause we live

1031
00:49:43,583 --> 00:49:45,792
in a consumer culture, not
a Christian culture.

1032
00:49:45,875 --> 00:49:48,458
A Christian culture's
about serving and giving.

1033
00:49:48,542 --> 00:49:51,000
"I want to help.
I want to contribute."

1034
00:49:51,083 --> 00:49:53,625
A consumer culture is,
"I want to be served.

1035
00:49:53,708 --> 00:49:55,792
I want to receive."

1036
00:49:55,875 --> 00:49:57,792
A consumer culture's about me.

1037
00:49:57,875 --> 00:50:02,625
A Christian culture's
about others.

1038
00:50:02,708 --> 00:50:05,500
The longer you've been a
Christian and not given or

1039
00:50:05,583 --> 00:50:10,958
served, the more selfish, the
more carnal, the more fleshly,

1040
00:50:11,042 --> 00:50:17,625
the less devoted, the more
critical you will become.

1041
00:50:17,708 --> 00:50:21,625
And so I believe in this, not
only was it teaching the 72 to

1042
00:50:21,708 --> 00:50:25,167
trust God for provision, it was
also teaching the new Christians

1043
00:50:25,250 --> 00:50:26,750
to give and to serve.

1044
00:50:26,833 --> 00:50:28,792
Let me ask you,
where do you serve?

1045
00:50:28,875 --> 00:50:30,625
How much do you give?

1046
00:50:30,708 --> 00:50:33,708
Where do you serve?
How much do you give?

1047
00:50:33,792 --> 00:50:36,625
See, these people
who open their homes,

1048
00:50:36,708 --> 00:50:39,625
they'd been Christians
for 15 minutes,

1049
00:50:39,708 --> 00:50:42,708
and they became
community group hosts.

1050
00:50:42,792 --> 00:50:45,458
And they were supposed
to open their home,

1051
00:50:45,542 --> 00:50:49,125
pay for the ministry, invite
people in, serve them,

1052
00:50:49,208 --> 00:50:51,208
feed them, love them,
house them,

1053
00:50:51,292 --> 00:50:54,458
and help raise support
for the leader's salary,

1054
00:50:54,542 --> 00:50:59,667
whatever that might be,
small or large.

1055
00:50:59,750 --> 00:51:05,708
So we're to pray for laborers,
and we are to compel God's

1056
00:51:05,792 --> 00:51:11,583
people to be sacrificial
servants and generous givers.

1057
00:51:11,667 --> 00:51:18,167
But on this occasion, Jesus
is saying, "Pretty soon,

1058
00:51:18,250 --> 00:51:21,333
"I'm gonna be put to death,
and I'm going to be killed.

1059
00:51:21,417 --> 00:51:23,083
"And things are
gonna get very hard.

1060
00:51:23,167 --> 00:51:25,875
"So for this mission,
pack supplies.

1061
00:51:25,958 --> 00:51:28,042
"For this mission,
pack a sword.

1062
00:51:28,125 --> 00:51:31,167
For this mission,
be prepared."

1063
00:51:31,250 --> 00:51:34,042
There are times that God
will send people out,

1064
00:51:34,125 --> 00:51:37,167
completely on faith with no
provision, and he will provide.

1065
00:51:37,250 --> 00:51:40,375
There are other times that God
will send people out with lots

1066
00:51:40,458 --> 00:51:43,167
of resourcing and supplies.

1067
00:51:43,250 --> 00:51:44,667
Both are fine.

1068
00:51:44,750 --> 00:51:47,750
It depends on what the Holy
Spirit wants for that mission.

1069
00:51:47,833 --> 00:51:50,583
And when we started Mars Hill,
to be honest with ya,

1070
00:51:50,667 --> 00:51:53,667
it was pretty much like
Luke 10, not Luke 22.

1071
00:51:53,750 --> 00:51:58,500
Gracie and I were broke, fresh
out of college, newly married.

1072
00:51:58,583 --> 00:52:00,667
We had no support.
We had no funding.

1073
00:52:00,750 --> 00:52:02,958
We had a small core group that
was giving

1074
00:52:03,042 --> 00:52:04,875
a very small amount of money.

1075
00:52:04,958 --> 00:52:06,708
I worked a job.

1076
00:52:06,792 --> 00:52:08,125
Grace worked a job.

1077
00:52:08,208 --> 00:52:09,708
We didn't get any money.

1078
00:52:09,792 --> 00:52:11,458
We couldn't afford
a place to meet,

1079
00:52:11,542 --> 00:52:14,458
so we got a free room
to meet in at a church.

1080
00:52:14,542 --> 00:52:16,708
We worked jobs.

1081
00:52:16,792 --> 00:52:19,750
We just started with nothing.
We didn't have projectors.

1082
00:52:19,833 --> 00:52:22,375
We didn't have a sound system.
We didn't have chairs.

1083
00:52:22,458 --> 00:52:24,667
We didn't have a web site.
We didn't have anything.

1084
00:52:24,750 --> 00:52:27,625
We didn't have a bank account.
We didn't have a dollar.

1085
00:52:27,708 --> 00:52:29,208
We didn't have anything.

1086
00:52:29,292 --> 00:52:32,500
Like Luke 10, we said, "We got
nothing, but Jesus said to go."

1087
00:52:32,583 --> 00:52:34,625
So Grace and I,
there's the two of us,

1088
00:52:34,708 --> 00:52:36,292
this is what we're gonna do

1089
00:52:36,375 --> 00:52:38,292
'cause that's Jesus' calling
on our lives.

1090
00:52:38,375 --> 00:52:40,083
And along the way,
God did provide.

1091
00:52:40,167 --> 00:52:43,167
He provided a place to meet.
He provided chairs to sit in.

1092
00:52:43,250 --> 00:52:45,458
Over time, he provided
sound equipment.

1093
00:52:45,542 --> 00:52:48,042
And somebody built a web site,
and it starts to go

1094
00:52:48,125 --> 00:52:50,667
as God's people serve and give.

1095
00:52:50,750 --> 00:52:52,667
Antioch Bible Church
kicked in a little money.

1096
00:52:52,750 --> 00:52:55,875
And then all of a sudden, I
started to get a small salary

1097
00:52:55,958 --> 00:52:57,500
for the first few years

1098
00:52:57,583 --> 00:52:59,500
'cause the church couldn't
afford to pay me.

1099
00:52:59,583 --> 00:53:03,667
And I don't think I got any money
from the church for 3 years.

1100
00:53:03,750 --> 00:53:05,375
There wasn't any money.

1101
00:53:05,458 --> 00:53:09,042
It was a lot like Luke 10,
but now a lot of what we do

1102
00:53:09,125 --> 00:53:10,625
is more like Luke 22.

1103
00:53:10,708 --> 00:53:13,625
If we're gonna start a campus,
if we're gonna start a church,

1104
00:53:13,708 --> 00:53:16,292
if we're gonna send people
out, you know, if our people,

1105
00:53:16,375 --> 00:53:18,958
we have so many of them, are
good givers and servants,

1106
00:53:19,042 --> 00:53:21,917
we should be able to send them
out with a little support.

1107
00:53:22,000 --> 00:53:24,458
But sometimes, we just still
send people out with nothing.

1108
00:53:24,542 --> 00:53:25,875
Go start a community group.

1109
00:53:25,958 --> 00:53:28,292
"How much money do I get?"
You get nothing.

1110
00:53:28,375 --> 00:53:29,833
"Well, what supplies do I get?"

1111
00:53:29,917 --> 00:53:31,583
We love you.
We'll pray for you.

1112
00:53:31,667 --> 00:53:33,500
We'll train you.
Go start your community group.

1113
00:53:33,583 --> 00:53:35,750
You guys pay for it.
You open your home.

1114
00:53:35,833 --> 00:53:38,708
You figure it out, because you
belong to Jesus and that's his

1115
00:53:38,792 --> 00:53:40,125
couch and that's his house.

1116
00:53:40,208 --> 00:53:43,500
And so it's different resourcing
for different mission.

1117
00:53:43,583 --> 00:53:45,000
I want you to see this.

1118
00:53:45,083 --> 00:53:47,625
Otherwise, some of you are young
and idealistic and you'll say,

1119
00:53:47,708 --> 00:53:49,792
"Okay, well, it's
a sin to pack a lunch.

1120
00:53:49,875 --> 00:53:53,000
It's a sin to wear shoes.
It's a sin to have a plan."

1121
00:53:53,083 --> 00:53:56,250
No, it all depends
on God's calling.

1122
00:53:56,333 --> 00:54:01,167
And here, early on in Luke, the
calling was to trust God and for

1123
00:54:01,250 --> 00:54:05,750
the Christians to be generous
givers and faithful servants.

1124
00:54:05,833 --> 00:54:07,333
Jesus then closes by saying,

1125
00:54:07,417 --> 00:54:09,333
"Expect it at some point
to get ugly."

1126
00:54:09,417 --> 00:54:12,708
"But whenever," Luke 10:10-16,
"But whenever you enter a town

1127
00:54:12,792 --> 00:54:14,542
and they do not receive you--"

1128
00:54:14,625 --> 00:54:16,667
You talk about Jesus and they
don't like you,

1129
00:54:16,750 --> 00:54:18,667
"Go into its streets,"
make it public,

1130
00:54:18,750 --> 00:54:21,667
"And say, 'Even the dust of your
town that clings to our feet

1131
00:54:21,750 --> 00:54:23,292
"'we wipe off against you.

1132
00:54:23,375 --> 00:54:24,833
"'Nevertheless know this,

1133
00:54:24,917 --> 00:54:27,292
"'that the kingdom of God
has come near.'

1134
00:54:27,375 --> 00:54:31,875
"I tell you, it will be more bearable on
that day for Sodom than for your town."

1135
00:54:31,958 --> 00:54:33,792
That's an Old Testament
town that God destroyed.

1136
00:54:33,875 --> 00:54:35,708
"Woe to you, Chorazin!
Woe to you, Bethsaida!

1137
00:54:35,792 --> 00:54:39,208
"For if the mighty works done in
you had been done in Tyre and

1138
00:54:39,292 --> 00:54:41,708
Sidon," two godless cities in
the Old Testament that Isaiah

1139
00:54:41,792 --> 00:54:43,750
and others rebuked, "They
would have repented long ago,

1140
00:54:43,833 --> 00:54:47,000
sitting in sackcloth and ashes."

1141
00:54:47,083 --> 00:54:48,792
Just showing how
repentant they are.

1142
00:54:48,875 --> 00:54:51,417
"But it will be more
bearable in the judgment

1143
00:54:51,500 --> 00:54:53,208
"for Tyre and Sidon
than for you.

1144
00:54:53,292 --> 00:54:55,250
And you, Capernaum," Peter's
hometown where Jesus did

1145
00:54:55,333 --> 00:54:58,500
ministry, "Will you
be exalted to heaven?

1146
00:54:58,583 --> 00:55:00,417
"You shall be brought
down to Hades.

1147
00:55:00,500 --> 00:55:02,375
"The one who hears
you hears me,

1148
00:55:02,458 --> 00:55:04,667
"and the one who rejects you
rejects me,

1149
00:55:04,750 --> 00:55:09,250
and the one who rejects me
rejects him who sent me."

1150
00:55:09,333 --> 00:55:12,875
Jesus is saying here that he's functioning
like an Old Testament prophet.

1151
00:55:12,958 --> 00:55:14,667
The prophets would
say, "Woe to you.

1152
00:55:14,750 --> 00:55:16,625
Woe to you.
Woe to you."

1153
00:55:16,708 --> 00:55:18,708
And they would call
people to repentance,

1154
00:55:18,792 --> 00:55:21,875
and they would call God's
judgment on the unrepentant.

1155
00:55:21,958 --> 00:55:25,625
And Jesus comes here as a
strong prophet and he is saying

1156
00:55:25,708 --> 00:55:28,625
that towns and cities,
they have an opportunity

1157
00:55:28,708 --> 00:55:30,458
to respond to him.

1158
00:55:30,542 --> 00:55:32,625
And if not, woe to them.

1159
00:55:32,708 --> 00:55:35,458
He is God.
He is King.

1160
00:55:35,542 --> 00:55:39,042
He is Lord.
He is Judge.

1161
00:55:39,125 --> 00:55:41,125
And that we will all
stand before him.

1162
00:55:41,208 --> 00:55:45,167
And so the Father, he is
saying, sends him, God the Son.

1163
00:55:45,250 --> 00:55:49,292
And then God the Son
sends the Christians.

1164
00:55:49,375 --> 00:55:54,375
And if towns and cities and
people reject the message,

1165
00:55:54,458 --> 00:55:57,292
they reject the
invitation of salvation.

1166
00:55:57,375 --> 00:56:00,000
They reject the opportunity
to repent of sin.

1167
00:56:00,083 --> 00:56:03,583
They reject the opportunity to
come to faith in Christ and to

1168
00:56:03,667 --> 00:56:05,708
be born-again as Christians.

1169
00:56:05,792 --> 00:56:08,667
Then woe to them,
judgment is on them.

1170
00:56:08,750 --> 00:56:10,750
Hell awaits them.

1171
00:56:10,833 --> 00:56:14,250
Torment awaits them because
God has offered peace,

1172
00:56:14,333 --> 00:56:16,667
and they have chosen war,
and that is a battle

1173
00:56:16,750 --> 00:56:19,625
they cannot win.

1174
00:56:19,708 --> 00:56:22,208
And he's saying that for
some towns and people,

1175
00:56:22,292 --> 00:56:25,000
the judgment will be harsher.

1176
00:56:25,083 --> 00:56:28,792
For example, Capernaum, he says,
"There's no excuse for you.

1177
00:56:28,875 --> 00:56:30,625
"Peter lived there.
I lived there.

1178
00:56:30,708 --> 00:56:32,958
"We started a community
group in his house.

1179
00:56:33,042 --> 00:56:35,000
"You were all invited to come.

1180
00:56:35,083 --> 00:56:37,625
"I was teaching and
you didn't listen.

1181
00:56:37,708 --> 00:56:41,167
"So your judgment will be more
strict and harsh than those who

1182
00:56:41,250 --> 00:56:43,125
have had less opportunity."

1183
00:56:43,208 --> 00:56:46,917
Let me ask you this: if there
are really only two categories

1184
00:56:47,000 --> 00:56:49,625
of people,
those who reject Jesus

1185
00:56:49,708 --> 00:56:51,667
as God, Savior, and Christ,

1186
00:56:51,750 --> 00:56:54,542
and those who receive him
as God, Savior, and Christ,

1187
00:56:54,625 --> 00:56:56,417
which are you?

1188
00:56:56,500 --> 00:57:00,500
Do you reject or receive Jesus?

1189
00:57:01,333 --> 00:57:04,583
Do you reject or receive Jesus?

1190
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And for those of you
who live in this day,

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where you can turn on
the radio, hear a sermon.

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You can log on to the Internet,
download Bible teaching.

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You can get a free
copy of the Bible.

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00:57:19,708 --> 00:57:22,833
Pick one up on your way out.
We're glad to give you one.

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00:57:22,917 --> 00:57:25,625
You could go to a church
and it costs nothing.

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Unlike a movie theater or a
concert or a sporting event,

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you can go to church for free.

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00:57:30,542 --> 00:57:32,833
You can go to community
group for free.

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00:57:32,917 --> 00:57:36,542
You can get good
Christian books for cheap.

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00:57:36,625 --> 00:57:40,167
In a day when there are
innumerable opportunities to

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meet Jesus and learn and grow,

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if you reject him, how
harsh will your hell be?

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I tell you that 'cause I love
ya and I'm worried about ya.

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But God has given so much
opportunity to so many.

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But let me end on
a positive note.

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The harvest is what,
Mars Hill?

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It's plentiful.

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There are lots of people that
are gonna receive Jesus

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and not reject him, and not
experience war,

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but blessing, and enjoy,
in the language

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of Jesus, peace with God.

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And he has sent us,
and he has sent you.

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00:58:22,708 --> 00:58:26,208
And we need more leaders,
so let's pray for laborers.

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Lord Jesus, we do thank you that
you were sent on a mission by

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the Father to seek and save
those of us who were lost.

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We thank you that not
only are you a sent God,

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you're a sending God who
sends us on the same mission,

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to bring the good news of your
person and work

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to as many as possible.

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Thank you that you
send us out two by two.

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I pray for those,
right now, Lord God,

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that you'll be stirring in their
heart what their calling is,

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what their ministry is,
what part of the harvest

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they are to serve in.

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Jesus, it's wonderful we get to
be a part of what you're doing.

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We get to see lives changed.

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We get to see people
meet you, become family,

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brothers and sisters.

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We get to see them forever.

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We get to rise from death and
spend forever with the people

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that we enjoy seeing come to
faith through the harvest.

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So God, I pray for our campuses.
Pray for our leaders.

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Pray for our people.
Pray for opportunities.

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00:59:31,917 --> 00:59:33,458
Pray for our fall.

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00:59:33,542 --> 00:59:36,458
Pray that we would serve
passionately and give generously

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00:59:36,542 --> 00:59:39,292
and that, Lord Jesus,
you would keep before us,

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this great vision of
a magnificent harvest,

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because we believe the Bible,
the harvest is plentiful.

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00:59:46,167 --> 00:59:49,667
But also the workers are
few, so God, we're asking,

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send more laborers so we
could see a bigger harvest.

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00:59:53,625 --> 00:59:56,125
And send some of the people
who hear this message.

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Amen.