Hey all! Here comes another post from Zach!
This time we are going to be hearing about what went down during the tenth main session message of the summer: the thursday main session message of week five.
This message marked the official halfway point of the summer. Whoa! Crazy how fast the time is flying here. But's it been so good. This also marked the first week that we in fact were not spending a thursday night in the confines of Grace Bible church. So we were back at Hilltop with the awesome Matt Hildebrand.
To start this message, Matt asked a very simple question: "What stirs my heart?"
Hmmmm...good question Matt!
It's really satisfying to be excited for what truly stirs our heart. And sometimes God uses certain moments to remind us of just what we are meant to do for his kingdom. Jesus' goal was not to simply build buildings and debate theology. He came to do what excited God the most: to "seek and save what was lost" (Luke 19:10).
The world is a lost and broken place, and there are a lot of people that just have no idea that this is the case. So for us, we have to engage with what truly stirs God's heart and see if that broken heart is something that truly ignites our hearts as well, because honestly, it should. It's what we've been called to as Christians.
The scripture we looked at came from Matthew chapter 9, verses 35-38.
"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were HARASSED and HELPLESS, like sheep without a shepherd. then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plenty but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
There are so many people that lost and broken. They're confused, proud, and dependent only upon themselves. And there are so many of us that know so many people like this. In fact, there has been a 92% increase in the number of unchurched young adults in our society. So in other words, being a Christian is becoming harder. These verses say so much about the world that we are facing. Not only are there less and less people that are trying to be the light, there are more and more people that are falling into darkness. There's really no in between. The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. We have to focus on those on our campuses, those that our neighbors, and those that are in our families.
Ultimately Matt asked us this question: "Do I see the people in my life as Jesus sees them?" and "Am I stirred by this?"
For me, I know that's not the case. Sometimes, I can really have a heart for those that just have no idea what to do in life, but again, like we learned earlier in the week, I tend to be that older prodigal son that has a hardened heart towards those that struggle. But that's where God comes in. God is the center of the opportunities that we need to encounter others with the light that ultimately only God can provide for us. Like the verse said, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. Essentially, we need to ask for the boldness to go out and become that light wherever we are.
God is doing so much in our lives. We just have to let him. We are the mouthpieces of the gospel.
So who do we focus on?
The harassed and the helpless. Those that struggle to find their way in this life. Those that need help. Matt shared a story about a girl that he met when he was at an LT as a student. He saw a girl that was utterly emotional. And upon seeing her, he decided to approach her in a true time of need. And when he came to her with Jesus, she knew that God became real in her life because he answered with a person that addressed her during a tough time. And one of the greatest feelings for a person is finding fulfillment in Jesus.
The bottom line is this: God wants us to always be available for him. And ways that we can do that are this:
1) Pray for the lost.
2) Share Christ and our story with those around us.
3) Come back to LT (and bring another person)
4) Serve with a purpose! (In all things: work, church, etc.)
5) Pray about maybe pursuing ministry as a profession.
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