0403 Seeds
4-3-16: Jamie George:
Seeds APPETIZER: HBD,Journey! Journey church turns 10 years old this month ☺. Stay tuned for details on celebration for late April or early May.
DINE-IN: Making Disciples
God chose to love the world through men, not organizations. The work of the Kingdom is in our hands. It is through sacrifice & risk we find love Paul vs. Apollos • One plants, another waters… but God makes things grow! • God wants to use servants to perform the daily tasks: till the ground, plant seeds, water, & [when the time is right] harvest. The growth is up to God. We don’t carry that weight. What kind of servant are you? [ SOWER ] [ WATERER ] [ HARVESTER ] Who is one person in whom you can invest? You must be willing to care for the kingdom even more than for your tribe. -‐Tim Keller, Center Church CHURCHES IN AMERICA • 1820 -‐ 1 Church per 875 American Residents • 1906 -‐ 1 Church per 430 American Residents • 2007 -‐ 1 Church per 996 American Residents
Journey has sent out 10 families in 10 years for church planting: 1. Dan Trippie: Elder, Planted in Western NY 2. Sam Barnhart: Youth Pastor, Planted in Chicago IL 3. Darrick Castronova: Part time staff, Planted in Western NY 4. Dan Vincent: Deacon, Church Plant in St. Charles 5. Connie Bennot: Partner, Church plant in South Africa 6. Darren Tyler: Elder, Planted in South Franklin (families) 7. Ivo Oliveira: Former staff, Church Plant in Cincinnati, OH 8. Shane Glover: Founding Partner, Planted in Western NY & NOW… 9. Aaron Nebrija: Elder, Church Plant in Charleston, SC 10. Ben Carter: Staff Designer, Church Plant in Charleston, SC CITY-LIFE CHARLESTON If God stirred your heart to be part of the Charleston church plant in any way (including financially!), please reach out to Aaron Nebrija. Find out more info here: www.citylifecharleston.com
TAKE-OUT: Sow, Water, Harvest (repeat)
1. Who is the one person God has put on your heart? Pray & be intentionally with him/her. Remember, you just do the daily work of the servant – God makes things grow. Not sure who that person is yet? Pray each day for God to put someone on your heart. 2. Journey Vision: We will dwell in soul-‐environments; knowing, living, & telling the love story of Jesus to the world. God wants to share His love for the world through you, but not alone. Community is the conduit for healthy relationship with Him. If you are not currently in a village, get connected here: http://journeyfranklin.com/villages/neighborhood-‐villages/
Village Conversation HANGOUT (Warm-up) 1. In the garden metaphor, are you a SOWER, WATERER, or HARVESTER?
HEAR (Listen to God through scripture)
2. Read Matthew 22:1-14 aloud. 3. Take 1-‐2 minutes of silence to meditate on the words. 4. Now re-read the same scripture. a. What stands out to you? What did you notice? b. What scares you when you read this? c. What is encouraging? d. What is the significance of the king inviting people to a banquet? e. Who is invited to the feast? Is this shocking? Is this good news or bad news? f. Some went off to their field or business instead of celebrating with the king. In what ways have you been this person? g. Is there a dress-‐code for this wedding? In what ways would this be a good thing? h. Why do you think the one attendant was thrown out? Who threw him out? Why is this significant?
HUDDLE (Making it Personal & Praying together) For Villages with 10+ people, split into smaller groups so everyone has a chance to answer the following questions. 5. With whom did you identify in the story? Servant? Guest? Attendee? Why? 6. Did you think of someone to invest in? Pray for that person. Pray for each other. Pray for City Life Charleston, & pray for Journey.
QUOTES/SCRIPTURE… God works through men. I see nowhere in the Word where God picks an organization. Follow up is personal. It must be done by someone not something. - Dawson Trotman 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 (MSG) Church attendance overall in the United States is in decline. The only way to reverse this is by rediscovering the way the church originally and remarkably increased: we must plant churches. - Timothy Keller, Center Church You must be willing to care for the kingdom even more than for your tribe. -‐ Timothy Keller, Center Church 1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ 5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. 13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.” - Matthew 22:1-14 (NIV)
Seeds APPETIZER: HBD,Journey! Journey church turns 10 years old this month ☺. Stay tuned for details on celebration for late April or early May.
DINE-IN: Making Disciples
God chose to love the world through men, not organizations. The work of the Kingdom is in our hands. It is through sacrifice & risk we find love Paul vs. Apollos • One plants, another waters… but God makes things grow! • God wants to use servants to perform the daily tasks: till the ground, plant seeds, water, & [when the time is right] harvest. The growth is up to God. We don’t carry that weight. What kind of servant are you? [ SOWER ] [ WATERER ] [ HARVESTER ] Who is one person in whom you can invest? You must be willing to care for the kingdom even more than for your tribe. -‐Tim Keller, Center Church CHURCHES IN AMERICA • 1820 -‐ 1 Church per 875 American Residents • 1906 -‐ 1 Church per 430 American Residents • 2007 -‐ 1 Church per 996 American Residents
Journey has sent out 10 families in 10 years for church planting: 1. Dan Trippie: Elder, Planted in Western NY 2. Sam Barnhart: Youth Pastor, Planted in Chicago IL 3. Darrick Castronova: Part time staff, Planted in Western NY 4. Dan Vincent: Deacon, Church Plant in St. Charles 5. Connie Bennot: Partner, Church plant in South Africa 6. Darren Tyler: Elder, Planted in South Franklin (families) 7. Ivo Oliveira: Former staff, Church Plant in Cincinnati, OH 8. Shane Glover: Founding Partner, Planted in Western NY & NOW… 9. Aaron Nebrija: Elder, Church Plant in Charleston, SC 10. Ben Carter: Staff Designer, Church Plant in Charleston, SC CITY-LIFE CHARLESTON If God stirred your heart to be part of the Charleston church plant in any way (including financially!), please reach out to Aaron Nebrija. Find out more info here: www.citylifecharleston.com
TAKE-OUT: Sow, Water, Harvest (repeat)
1. Who is the one person God has put on your heart? Pray & be intentionally with him/her. Remember, you just do the daily work of the servant – God makes things grow. Not sure who that person is yet? Pray each day for God to put someone on your heart. 2. Journey Vision: We will dwell in soul-‐environments; knowing, living, & telling the love story of Jesus to the world. God wants to share His love for the world through you, but not alone. Community is the conduit for healthy relationship with Him. If you are not currently in a village, get connected here: http://journeyfranklin.com/villages/neighborhood-‐villages/
Village Conversation HANGOUT (Warm-up) 1. In the garden metaphor, are you a SOWER, WATERER, or HARVESTER?
HEAR (Listen to God through scripture)
2. Read Matthew 22:1-14 aloud. 3. Take 1-‐2 minutes of silence to meditate on the words. 4. Now re-read the same scripture. a. What stands out to you? What did you notice? b. What scares you when you read this? c. What is encouraging? d. What is the significance of the king inviting people to a banquet? e. Who is invited to the feast? Is this shocking? Is this good news or bad news? f. Some went off to their field or business instead of celebrating with the king. In what ways have you been this person? g. Is there a dress-‐code for this wedding? In what ways would this be a good thing? h. Why do you think the one attendant was thrown out? Who threw him out? Why is this significant?
HUDDLE (Making it Personal & Praying together) For Villages with 10+ people, split into smaller groups so everyone has a chance to answer the following questions. 5. With whom did you identify in the story? Servant? Guest? Attendee? Why? 6. Did you think of someone to invest in? Pray for that person. Pray for each other. Pray for City Life Charleston, & pray for Journey.
QUOTES/SCRIPTURE… God works through men. I see nowhere in the Word where God picks an organization. Follow up is personal. It must be done by someone not something. - Dawson Trotman 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 (MSG) Church attendance overall in the United States is in decline. The only way to reverse this is by rediscovering the way the church originally and remarkably increased: we must plant churches. - Timothy Keller, Center Church You must be willing to care for the kingdom even more than for your tribe. -‐ Timothy Keller, Center Church 1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ 5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. 13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.” - Matthew 22:1-14 (NIV)
