Shorthand notes below and presentation slides available to download from the “Save” circle above:
Introduction
Jobs you would pay someone else to do: Garbage hauling, House cleaner, Plumber,
Yardwork, Child/elderly care, Cooking?
Matthew 9:37 “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers
are few;”
Pray
Recap
Recap of “A Terrible Reality” The harvest is plentiful…
o Man is broken and sinful
o Many people need Jesus
o Hell and Judgment are real
o Those who do not believe in Jesus stand condemned
o Judgment after this life is final based upon deeds that confirm our faith
o Punishment is everlasting
o God’s compassion for the lost
The reality of hell informs Jesus’ compassion and mercy
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem at their persistence in not receiving him
Jesus died so that we may live
Laborers
“Laborer” = (GK ergatēs) = pronounced air-gah-tace = one who works for hire, especially
an agricultural worker, toiler, as opposed to a craftsman
What was/is the Jewish mindset on labor? (from www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/labor)
o The curse entailed by Adam’s sin was not labor but the sweaty toil required
henceforth to wrest bread from a thorny and thistly earth (Gen. 3:17ff.).
o Labor was considered so much a part of creation that God Himself is depicted as a
worker.
o It is not remarkable, therefore, that many of Israel’s heroes were workers, or
began as such: Moses (Ex. 3:1), Gideon (Judg. 6:11), Saul (I Sam. 11:5), David
(17:34), Elisha (I Kings 19:19), and Amos (1:1; 7:14).
o Contentment is the lot of the honest laborer: When you eat the fruit of your own
labors You shall be happy and contented (Ps. 128:2); Sweet is the sleep of the
laborer, Whether he eat little or much (Eccles. 5:11).
o Success is not, however, an automatic outcome of work: “Unless the Lord builds
the house, its builders will have toiled in vain” (Ps. 127:1)
A laborer’s work is not easy or “fun” work. Not white collar, in fact, quite blue collar or
no collar at all. It’s difficult, sweat-filled, sometimes smelly, dirty, and grimy. It’s a job
you’d pay someone else to do.
o Proverbs 14:4 “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant
crops come by the strength of the ox.”
Are Few
“Few” = (GK oligos) = pronounced ah-lee-gah-s = puny (in extent, degree, number,
duration or value)
o Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is
easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is
narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
C.H. Spurgeon “He did not say, ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, and the laborers are few,
but that matters not, God can bless a few, and make them accomplish as much as
many.’ He believed in his Father’s omnipotence, but he also believed that the Lord
would work by means, and that many laborers were required to gather in a plenteous
harvest…”
The church is to be distinct and stand out. It is to be a shining light in the darkness.
o J.D. Hunter, a researcher on the sociology of American evangelicalism, notes in
1981 that the evangelical movement has begun the process of “collective
bargaining” with modern, secular society. Hunter would contend that
“[evangelicals] have not successfully militated against the corrosive forces of
modernity by eschewing cultural engagement and the process of
accommodation.” (from
http://www.conradhackett.com/uploads/2/6/7/2/2672974/measuring_evangelic
alism.pdf )
Christian denominations affirming LGBTQ+
o Episcopal Church
o Anglican Church
o 2 Baptist denominations and independent congregations (not SBC)
o Evangelical Lutheran Church
o PCUSA (not to be confused with PCA, the smaller “conservative” branch)
o UCC
o Quakers
o Moravian Church (Northern Provence, that’s us. Headquartered 2 blocks behind
Liberty)
o Unitarian Universalists (if you want to call them “Christian”)
o *The one to watch – As of 2019, the United Methodist Church general council
closely voted (53 in favor, 47 opposed) to the “traditional plan” which does not
allow for ordination of gay clergy or gay marriage. There is a historic rift
happening on this issue with some Methodist conferences and hundreds of
churches within the UMC either outright rebelling or leaving to be open and
affirming. The next general council was postponed to 2024.
Christian denominations stances on abortion
o From https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/01/16/religious-groups-
official-positions-on-abortion/
o Evangelical Lutheran Church – The official position of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America states that “abortion prior to viability [of a fetus] should not be
prohibited by law or by lack of public funding” but that abortion after the point of
fetal viability should be prohibited except when the life of a mother is threatened
or when fetal abnormalities pose a fatal threat to a newborn.
o PCUSA – In 2006, the Presbyterian Church’s national governing body, the General
Assembly, reaffirmed its belief that the termination of a pregnancy is a personal
decision. While the church disapproves of abortion as a means of birth control or
as a method of convenience, it seeks “to maintain within its fellowship those who,
on the basis of a study of Scripture and prayerful decision, come to diverse
conclusions and actions” on the issue.
o Unitarian Universalists – Beginning in 1963, the Unitarian Universalist Association
of Congregations passed a series of resolutions to support “the right to choose
contraception and abortion as a legitimate expression of our constitutional
rights.”
o UCC – The United Church of Christ is a firm advocate of reproductive rights,
including the right to a safe abortion.
o Methodist – While the United Methodist Church opposes abortion, it affirms that
it is “equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the
mother and the unborn child.” The church sanctions “the legal option of abortion
under proper medical procedures” but rejects abortion as a method of gender
selection or birth control and stresses that those considering abortions should
prayerfully seek guidance from their doctors, families and ministers.
We are in the midst of a decline of Christianity in the Western World
o According to a 2020 poll from Gallup, memberships to houses of worship
continued to decline and dropped below 50% for the first time in Gallup’s eighty
years of polling. In 2020, 47% of U.S. adults belonged to a church, synagogue or
mosque. This is down more than 20 points from turn of the century. The change is
primarily due to rise in Americans with no religious preference.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-
first-time.aspx
o Church attendance has been declining for decades nationally, but the pace
appears to be accelerating. Since 1990, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian
Church U.S.A. and United Church of Christ have lost nearly half their national
members. The ELCA has lost a third. [Note the correlation between the
affirmation of sin and the decline of these denominations]
o The Catholic church still shows membership growth, but has 2,000 fewer parishes
today, according to Catholic studies. Hartford Institute for Religion Research
http://hirr.hartsem.edu/
o Aging out… The median age of U.S. Muslims and Hindus is 33. The median age of
Presbyterian and UCC is 59. The median age of agnostic, atheist, and “nothing in
particular” is 37. A record one in five Americans now report no religious
affiliation, according to Pew Research Center.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/07/11/which-u-s-religious-
groups-are-oldest-and-youngest/
o What Christian denomination isn’t declining? Pentecostals/charasmatics – It all
adds up to a projected number of 1 billion Pentecostals by 2050 — one out of
every ten people in the world — due to conversion and birthrate. “In terms of
growth rate, its only competition in terms of fast-growing religions is Hindus and
Muslims,” Hardy said. “But that’s really just in birthrate. They don’t convert like
the Pentecostals are. You’d think it’s going to have to slow down. Unless they’re
right, of course, and the End Times really are coming.” “Beyond Belief – How
Pentecostal Christianity is Taking Over the World” by Elle Hardy
o A growing number of Christians don’t see sharing the good news as a personal
responsibility.
Just 10 percent of Christians in 1993 who had shared about their faith
agreed with the statement “converting people to Christianity is the job of
the local church”—as opposed to the job of an individual (i.e., themselves).
Twenty-five years later, three in 10 Christians who have had a conversation
about faith say evangelism is the local church’s responsibility (29%), a
nearly threefold increase….The most dramatic divergence over time is on
the statement, “Every Christian has a responsibility to share their faith.” In
1993, nine out of 10 Christians who had shared their faith agreed (89%).
Today, just two-thirds say so (64%)—a 25-point drop. From Rethinking
Evangelism 2021 documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if1g-
q9q9Ls
a 2018 Barna study in the book Reviving Evangelism:
47% of millennials who identify as a Christian say it is wrong to
evangelize, 27% for Gen X, 19% for Boomers, 20% elders
We are few for many reasons – but perhaps the biggest is the lack of understanding and
emphasis on discipleship (of which evangelism is a necessary part)
o 2 Timothy 2:1-2 “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in
Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many
witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
o The Circle of Discipleship – The harvest can be the initial crop/conversion, but it
can also be ongoing fruit anywhere on the circle.
Reminder that it is all about helping people take one step closer to Jesus
Conclusion
Intro Reprise
o We are to replace lies for truth, doing the hard work that very few want to do.
o Garbage haulers, House cleaners, Plumbers = taking out the trash, disinfecting so
people don’t get sick, unclogging stuck thinking
o Yardwork = beautifying and pulling out weeds and poison
o Childcare = discipleship
o Cooking = feeding the hungry
Pentecost
o Harvest of first fruits – Jesus is the 1st fruits, privilege of coming alongside him as
God brings the growth
o Laboring is not done in our own power
Philippians 2:12-13 “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good
pleasure.”