Question: Who is the Church? How many think it’s our building, Open Door Sanctuary?
Our Building (most people’s answer) Denominations like Open Door Sanctuary, Baptist, Roman Catholics, Pentecostal Church or the body of born-again believers overall???
Answer: We The people (born again believers) are the Church called Ecclesia. We are the Harvesters:
Question: Who is Jesus speaking to in Matthew 28: 18-20 in what is the Bible referring to when it refers to what is called the Great Commission.
Answer: (context). Jesus is speaking to His 11 Disciples also, through their lives that were fully given to spread in the Gospel I believe that Jesus is also speaking to us today through His Word.
Question: Does this mean that we are to be Evangelists who go the streets to bring the salvation message to lost?
Answer: Perhaps Jesus has provided a better way to bring the Salvation Message to the lost by using the gifts given to us as believers. This requires TEAMWORK which requires us to work with other believers who represent the Ecclesia regardless of which congregation they are part of. Unity among all Believers is imperative to bring non-believers to the saving knowledge of Christ. We as believers need to look and act differently than the world if we are going to be used by God to draw the lost to Christ. Soul winning is more than bringing someone to Christ. A support team is necessary to help the new converts learn the Word of God with Holy Spirit guidance enabling them to grow spiritually so that they can continue the ongoing work of bringing salvation to the lost soul. Some believe that all a lost person has to do is repeat the Sinners Prayer and they would be saved. However, repeating the sinner’s prayer will not bring salvation to a loss soul unless there is a heart change in that individual. (1st Cor.12: 12-22)
GIFTS OF HOLY SPIRIT- Contribute to bringing in the Harvest.
In His Word Jesus tells us that many people with different gifts of Holy Spirit are involved in bringing people to Christ and helping them become mature Christians so they can work with others to further the work of His Kingdom on earth. Let’s look at some of the gifts we have received from Holy Spirit. (1st Cor. 12:27-30)
Christians have been given different gifts as well as some that are the same. There may be more than one person with the same gifting in our midst. In any event Christ has given us all that is needed to be trained, equipped and unified to accomplish the work that we have been born for in the day and age that we live in. We are not here by accident.
Characteristics of God’s Army
Joel 2: 7-9
Jesus requires that all believers be involved in the Harvesting of souls. Our responsibility is to work with other believers to help the lost receive Christ into their hearts and be equipped to carry on the work in the next generation. This requires that we (the Ecclesia) all work together in unity to do our part.
Definition. Ecclesia-The Greek and Latin term for the Christian Church as a whole.
Romans 12:6-13
FIVE-FOLD GIFTS Ephesians 4:11,12
Meaning: to call out, referring to “the called-out ones” or the “selected ones”.
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.
These 5 gifts are given by Christ to the Church (us). These are separate functions of Holy Spirit. They are different from what a person would receive as a special anointing from Holy Spirit at a gathering. However, Prophesying, a word of knowledge from Holy Spirit given to you for ministry purposes does not make you a Prophet, helping someone to come to the Lord doesn’t make you an Evangelist but these gifts may be operational at any gathering. Sometimes in God’s Presence at a gathering, Holy Spirit will anoint someone to bring healing to someone or provide a word of knowledge from Holy Spirit for someone there.
THE SEVEN MOUNTAINS OF INFLUENCE
- Business
- Arts/Entertainment
- Media
- Government
- Family
- Education
- Religion
Significance and Application
The 7 Mountains Mandate encourages Christians to actively engage in these areas to bring about transformation and uphold Godly principles. Proponents believe that by influencing these mountains, believers can help shape a society that reflects Christian values and ethics. This approach often involves prayer, advocacy and participation in various societal roles to ensure righteous individuals occupy positions of influence.
TWO FISHING STORIES: Luke 5:4-11 and John 21:1-11
- Jesus instructs Peter to put out into deep water for a catch. Peter was reluctant to do so as they had been fishing all night and caught nothing. They were now cleaning their nets which was not an easy task so the last thing they wanted to do was go fishing again. However, Peter did agree to the instruction from Jesus to go back out to sea.
- Fishermen were instructed to go out into deep water for their catch.
- The result was overwhelming as they caught a great quantity of fish so that they had to call over their partners in the other fishing boat to help them haul in their catch. The other boat came along side, and they filled both boats and they both began to sink. I wonder if they had more boats and fishermen just how many fish they could have caught. I believe that this is a picture of the end time Harvest of souls where fish are represented as souls. (Luke 5:10). Peter was told that instead of catching fish He would be catching men. Result: The more Harvesters the greater the Harvest will be. John 21:6-11
- Jesus instructs the fishermen to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and they would find a catch there. They had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. As morning came, they heard a voice calling to them from the beach, but they didn’t know that it was Jesus who was calling them. Jesus called them Children and asked them whether they had any fish? They answered “NO” Jesus then instructed them to cast their net on the right-hand side of the boat and they would find a catch. The fishermen did what Jesus told them to do, and they were not able to haul in the catch due to the size of their catch. They had caught 153 large fish, and their net wasn’t even torn.
- The fish were caught in shallow water rather than deep water because John and then Peter could hear and recognize the voice of Jesus on the shore. They also were instructed to lower their nets at their present location. They didn’t go out into deep water this time. Also verse 8 tells us they were not far from shore only 100 yards away.
I asked Holy Spirit about the differences in the two fishing stories. The answer that I believe I heard was that God is sovereign and unique and never would be in a position where man could figure out what He is going to do next. The two techniques used here are very different, but the results are the same. In both accounts the results were the same. They caught fish to eat. However only Jesus knew where the fish were so that the fishermen had to be willing to listen to His instruction whether they understood or not. I believe that this lesson applies to us today. Only Holy Spirit knows the condition of one’s heart and whether they will receive what Jesus has done for them on their behalf through His sacrificial death on the Cross. This means that we must be in tune with Holy Spirit by asking Him who is ready to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior surrendering their life to Him. It requires a total commitment to be willing to me to be a follower of Jesus Christ and their live for Him.
The following Scriptures passages provide a great deal of insight into the teachings of Jesus. For example:
FISHING AND HARVESTING COMPARISON
Jesus compares saving the lost to fishing. Fish are born with a destiny to be used as food for man and Beast. For the fish to be safe for human consumption, they must be freed from the net that they were caught in, shipped, cleaned, and cooked. Many others beside the fishermen would be involved in this process, especially in our day.
OUR PURPOSE AND DESTINY (Scripture Ref. Luke 19 vs. 12-24)
God has given every person born on this earth a destiny to fulfill. We all have a part to play and in God’s eyes everyone is equal. God wants us to use these gifts and talents as illustrated in the parable of the Mina. As we search for our gift mix with Holy Spirit and begin to understand our purpose, we will find peace knowing that we are doing what were born to do. I believe that please God.
ACCOUNTABILITY JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST (Scripture Ref. 2 Cor.5:10)
This passage of Scripture speaks of the judgement seat of Christ where Believers will be required to give an account of themselves to Christ after their death. Each of us will stand individually at the judgement seat of Christ. Believers are secure in Christ, so their salvation is not at stake. It will be a time of examination and a time of reward. Jesus will inspect our works and ask us what we did with the resources given to us? How faithful were we with what we were given. Did we yield to the guidance and direction of Holy Spirit? Did we seek to honor Christ and further His work in the world? If we can say that we did these things, we will be rewarded. If we neglected opportunities to serve the Lord during our lifetime, we would experience loss of our reward(s)