Jesus’ Evangelism Plan – Chosen (Phil 3:1-21, Matt 28:18-20)
Introduction – Understand the Gospel – Spiritual things, things of Heaven, Things of the Throne
– Satan, Sin – Curses, World – Full à Christ
1) Best Start, Darkness,
2) Greatest Plan
3) Greatest Work
4) Greatest Background
Direction, With, All Things, Time Schedule
Problems
Being me-centered is the fundamental source of evil; there is no medicine or healing for that. It is looking at this problem with their own perspective, and that is why it’s a problem. They just have to look at it from another person’s perspective but they’re not able to change their perspective.
Control
It is according to their own perspective, and because they’re not being controlled by God, they’re being controlled by Satan. If they were able to think about the other person’s perspective even a little bit, it wouldn’t be a problem. But even though we don’t teach legalism, the people are into legalism so the standard is about themselves. They’re not able to enjoy this great blessing.
Poverty
At times, they may face poverty. If there are clouds in the sky, the sun cannot shine through. But just because the sun doesn’t shine through, is the sun gone? The clouds hide it. There’s a time schedule for you to be poor, there’s a time schedule for you to face problems. At that time, you just have to enjoy it and pass over it. How do you enjoy it? God knows of this problem, He is with you at that time, so you just enjoy that and go through it.
If I have power, I wouldn’t fall into poverty, but what happens when you’re powerless and fall into poverty? Hold onto the Word and pass by that. Isn’t that what it’s always like? People are constantly not aligned with God. If that person is not aligned with God, then that person is not able to be with God, so they’re constantly in poverty but there’s a time schedule.
Paul also faced this time schedule, you just pass over it all. You just pass by it, holding onto the covenant, but it’s a problem if you don’t have this. If you have this, it’s a problem you just pass by, but because this person’s value and boast is about money, it becomes a problem. Boasting about money means they themselves are the center. If you’re inside of this, this also reveals the future. Then, God will answer when it becomes the time.
Main
1. Calling
God did not recruit but He called them. Recruit means it is just anyone, but God specifically called people. God has called you. At first, you didn’t want to go, but you find out God has called you to be upon this greatest path. So, Jesus did not start by giving sermons but He started out by choosing people.
2. Continuation
The second point is that the Lord chose people to continue this work. There is no reason for God to choose people who will not continue this work. God has chosen people who are to do this work from Jesus’ resurrection to His second coming, and it’s the same thing with the work you do. If you’re not able to continue it, it’s better if you don’t start, but God calls those who will continue. Because this is the greatest thing, you’re able to continue. If you discover something greater than this, you won’t be able to continue, so you must know this. A person who thinks the regional church is so important, that is a person chosen by God. People with motives will be set apart. People who know this method will be able to continue. If you continue, you may face a lot of problems, but the person who overcomes this will be able to overcome the problems. It’s not a matter of it will or will not work out. That’s evidence that the person doesn’t have the thing of greatest value that they can boast about. There’s nothing greater to boast about than the gospel, but they have these thoughts, “It can, or it might not be,” it means they don’t have the thing of greatest value.
3. Urgency X
There was no hurry to make this decision. It takes a lot of time and patience to raise up the workers. God chooses the ones to continue, and the ones who are going to start it but not continue? God will not call them. If someone is not enthusiastic about church work, they won’t continue. The person who understands that this is the greatest plan will be able to continue. If it’s not something you wish to continue, do not start. In the pastoral ministry, they try to raise you up slowly, encouraging you to continue.
You’ll see how important the remnants are. If we’re not able to see this, there can be nothing done for you. If you’re able to see this, you will naturally be within it. If you’re able to see how important the multiethnic remnants are and the disciples are, you’ll be within that. If you’re able to see how important the system and the church is to continue this, you’ll be able to put your all into that.
4. Passionate People
God calls those who are passionate about learning. It’s impossible for people who are not passionate about the Word. It’s not as if the Early Church had great and talented individuals or special individuals. If the Lord had wanted to choose those people, He would have chosen them. God cannot call people who are passionate about politics. Professors think the greatest thing is to teach others, so God cannot call them. People who are good at business think money is the greatest, so God cannot call them. That’s why the Lord chose fishermen of Galilee.
Optimists, Pessimists
The theory is already set into them so it’s hard for them. Optimistic people say that regardless of God’s plan, it will work out. Pessimists are discouraged and sad; however, optimism and pessimism must be within God’s plan. They say, “That’s my child, but it will not work out for them.” Some people are able to see both sides. At the same time, you have to see the person has the advantage but also a weakness. But if you’re only able to see the strengths, you can’t see the weaknesses, so it’s very important. That means we’re able to see them realistically.
What happens if you’re not able to see them realistically? You make a misjudgment. If you run a business, you should be able to see a benefit and weaknesses for the business to succeed. If you just go along with what people say, it won’t work out. Some people just say it won’t work out. But there are a lot of people around us with a pessimistic side. Optimism is a little better than pessimism but it’s the same thing.
A long time ago, I used to be very pessimistic because the situation and environment make you like that. Even reading books, I read realistic books about revolutions and anarchy, I thought that was everything. I received influence that optimistic people will do nothing for the world; you must be pessimistic to change the world. I have this training to see the person’s strengths and weaknesses at first glance. You have to receive training to see a person’s strength at first glance. You will not be able to overcome the person because that’s the first thing you see.
You can’t strike up a conversation with people who are very polarized or one-sided because they were trained or ingrained in a certain way and they will never lose in a fight of words. A fight between an optimistic person and a pessimist, one side will win.
5. Fixation
They focus on the minority, the Lord focused on small numbers.
1) Individual
If there are no individuals changing, they cannot change the masses so they focus on the individuals.
2) Word
If the individual is not seized by God’s Word, they cannot do Word training. What is the Word? The Word is something that hits. If you talk with a person, and there’s something the person repeats, those words hit the person repeatedly so they continue to speak those words. For example, someone fixates on Coronavirus, they will continue to speak about coronavirus every time they meet. Or talk of aliens, if the person is fixated on aliens, everything they talk about is aliens. Democracy, if a person is fixated on democracy, they talk about democracy.
Being focused on the Word means you talk about the Word all the time. If you talk about communism, then it’s just about communism all the time. If students are focused on college, they’ll talk about college all the time. If they focus or are fixated on individual rights and liberties, they’ll leave the gospel and focus on that. That’s all they see when they go to church. They’re fixated on that, their eyes will be at that level and judge the church.
There are people who only think about how to mess up or revolutionize the church. They only have thoughts about how the church is having weird people and they want to split up the church. I’m so thankful God has called me with His grace during that time, or else I would have been in big trouble, why is that? I was fixated on that ideology. If you’re not fixated on the gospel of Jesus Christ, then how is that possible? That is why we fixate. When you concentrate, you can become fixated on it. This retreat is about concentration. Some people are just going for fun, but it is also a time to concentrate and be fixated on God’s Word.
6. Interest
Even though the Lord only shared the gospel for a few years, in the entire world, God’s interest was on those who will continue His work. So, you have to invest everything into how this church is going to continue. This continues through the Temple and the people. So, it should end with your death; it should continue on.
7. Crowd
For the crowd, it’s that Jesus focused on raising certain disciples to appeal to the masses, and it’s to save many people that God raised disciples. Disciples who continue to save the masses. Jesus relayed this training. Isn’t it just enough to come to worship? It’s fine if you think like that but God called these disciples to receive training to relay the gospel. But people who say it’s enough to receive worship or giving worship on Sundays, these people do not have the mission to relay the gospel. Let’s say the church is filled with those kinds of people, that’s where the gospel ends. But5 we’re saying there are people who are like that, and such people will be raised up according to God’s time schedule. That’s how God’s Kingdom will continue to be established.
8. Strategy
There has to be people who understand God’s strategy. The Lord did not create a big organization, He did not build a big school, but in order to save many people, the Lord raised up the disciples in the minority who knew about these greatest things.
Conclusion
1. One Person
You don’t need many people. One company, one person. One family, one person. It would be great with two, but just one person. If there’s not even one person, they will continue to ride the stream of the world. Those people do not know the greatest thing so they just go along the stream of the world.
2. Disciple
Inside of this covenant, a problem is not a problem and everything is solved. I went to Washington DC and spoke to 200,000 kids, so I can’t just give this message, and there’s no choice but for me to continuously pray because I have to give the message about the things that will happen in the future, so God has granted me this grace, because I have to relay this. So, if you’re the ones to relay the Word, God will give you His grace. If you say you’re not going to relay the Word, you can live your life like that, but I must absolutely relay this. There seems to be a lot of storms, rain, and hail, but I will relay this.
1) Gospel
A disciple chooses to live for the gospel. Living for the gospel is not enough, if it isn’t for the gospel, the spiritual problems are not solved, and these problems will not be solved even until the coming of Jesus. Jesus Christ has liberated us from this but we are continuously inside of these problems. Whenever I’m in this state of being inside these problems, problems we can see will even appear to us, even when it’s not like that right now. Your main interest and focus must be upon these things, the words of Jesus Christ, and also on prayer, on evangelism, there is no other way to solve this.
Even now, Satan is alive and is attacking and deceiving you. No matter how pessimistic that person may be, Satan will grab onto that person and destroy their family background. This gospel isn’t something you can have great knowledge of, trying to write a book about this. The church isn’t about expressing these words. It’s about, why mankind has no choice but to receive problems. What is mankind’s problems? Why do they continue from the past into the future? This problem can only be solved by Jesus Christ.
The Word, prayer, evangelism, outside of this, we cannot overcome at all. That’s why Paul said this is the greatest knowledge, plan, and background. This is my greatest Word. There’s nothing to speak of in this world because there are greater heavenly things, so you shouldn’t try to calculate or be rational about it. If you try to calculate with worldly things, you’ll not be able to calculate. So, you must receive the reward of going towards the heavenly things, the things you cannot see.
2) Evangelism
This is how we win
3) Disciple
You must absolutely raise a disciple, a disciple who knows, has, and relays the greatest thing. If it’s not this, then 2 Timothy 3, the end times are near. I went to a hair salon and the child next to me was crying, and boys are like that because they’re very active and they cannot sit still. Afterwards I saw the child and it was strange. The kid wasn’t crying because of the haircut but the kid was a little strange. The mom has to know these spiritual things. The church has to tell them about spiritual things. But the church only speaks about things to eat, wear, drink, so they’ve never heard of spiritual things. So there is a fight between physical things.
Knowing this, when you make a decision to fight for making disciples, the world will change. If you’re inside of this covenant, you’re bound to receive it.
Father God, thank You. Thank You for choosing us to be Your disciples. Let us stake our lives on the gospel and raising evangelism disciples. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.