Why Plant?: Planting Seeds of Faith for Kingdom Growth [Acts 13:2-3]

Written By Adam Dragoon

Why Plant?

Planting Seeds of Faith for Kingdom Growth

Acts 13:2-3

Sermon Summary

In this sermon, we explored the unique calling to plant churches, a mission rooted deeply in the early church's practices, as seen in Acts 13. This calling is not merely a strategy but a divine mandate to expand God's kingdom by sending out our best to establish new pioneer churches. We reflected on the example of Barnabas and Saul, who were set apart by the Holy Spirit for a specific work, illustrating the necessity of being open to God's direction and willing to sacrifice for the greater good of His kingdom.

Planting churches is similar to a farmer's decision to plant seeds rather than consume them. While eating the seeds might provide immediate satisfaction, planting them yields a far greater harvest over time. This metaphor underscores the long-term vision and discipline required to see the fruits of our labor in God's kingdom. It challenges us to consider whether we are willing to invest in the future by planting seeds of faith, even when it means letting go of valuable resources and people.

We also discussed the importance of each individual's role within the church. Just as every part of the body has a function, so does every member of the church. Whether through giving, administration, evangelism, or other gifts, each person is called to contribute to the mission of the church. This requires a shift from being mere spectators to active participants in God's work.

Furthermore, we emphasized the need for obedience to the Holy Spirit's leading. Just as Saul and Barnabas were called to new ventures, we too must be ready to pivot and follow God's direction, even when it disrupts our plans. This obedience is crucial for the church to fulfill its mission in these last days, as we anticipate a great revival and the outpouring of God's Spirit.

Finally, we were reminded of the cost of discipleship and church planting. It involves sacrifice, but it is a sacrifice that leads to exponential growth and the expansion of God's kingdom. As we pray and fast, seeking God's will, we are called to support this mission with our resources and our lives, trusting that God will provide and guide us in this endeavor.

“We must shift from being spectators to active participants in God’s work.”
— Pastor Adam

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Message Study Guide

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Key Takeaways

  1. The Call to Plant: Planting churches is a divine mandate, not just a strategy. It requires us to send out our best, trusting that God will use them to expand His kingdom. This mission is rooted in the early church's practices and is essential for reaching new communities with the gospel. [01:02:05]

  2. Seeds of Faith: Like a farmer choosing to plant seeds rather than consume them, we are called to invest in the future of God's kingdom. This requires vision, discipline, and a willingness to sacrifice immediate gains for long-term growth. [57:54]

  3. Active Participation: Every member of the church has a role to play. We are not called to be spectators but active participants, using our unique gifts and skills to contribute to the mission of the church. [01:06:23]

  4. Obedience to the Spirit: We must be open to the Holy Spirit's leading, ready to pivot and follow God's direction even when it disrupts our plans. This obedience is crucial for fulfilling the church's mission in these last days. [01:10:37]

  5. The Cost of Discipleship: Church planting involves sacrifice, but it leads to exponential growth and the expansion of God's kingdom. As we pray and fast, we are called to support this mission with our resources and our lives. [01:23:02]

Bible Reading

  • Acts 13:2-3: 'While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. '

Observation Questions

  1. What specific work were Barnabas and Saul set apart for by the Holy Spirit according to Acts 13:2-3? How does this relate to the church's mission today? [01:02:05]

  2. In the sermon, the act of planting churches is compared to a farmer's decision to plant seeds. What are the implications of this metaphor for the church's mission? [57:54]

  3. How does the sermon describe the role of each church member in contributing to the mission of the church? [01:06:23]

  4. What examples from the sermon illustrate the necessity of being open to the Holy Spirit's leading, even when it disrupts personal plans? [01:10:37]

Interpretation Questions

  1. How does the example of Barnabas and Saul in Acts 13:2-3 illustrate the importance of obedience to the Holy Spirit in church planting? [01:02:05]

  2. The sermon mentions the cost of discipleship and church planting. What are some specific sacrifices mentioned, and how do they contribute to the growth of God's kingdom? [01:23:02]

  3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that every church member can actively participate in the mission of the church, rather than being a spectator? [01:06:23]

  4. How does the sermon challenge the traditional view of church growth and expansion, particularly in the context of sending out the best people for church planting? [01:18:26]

Application Questions

  1. Reflect on the metaphor of planting seeds. Are there areas in your life where you are consuming rather than planting? How can you shift your focus to invest in long-term growth for God's kingdom? [57:54]

  2. Consider your unique gifts and skills. How can you actively contribute to the mission of the church rather than being a spectator? Identify one specific way you can get involved this month. [01:06:23]

  3. The sermon emphasizes obedience to the Holy Spirit's leading. Is there an area in your life where you feel the Holy Spirit is prompting you to change direction? What steps can you take to follow that leading? [01:10:37]

  4. Church planting involves sacrifice. What resources or comforts might you be holding onto that God is calling you to release for the sake of His kingdom? [01:23:02]

  5. How can you support the mission of church planting in your community, whether through prayer, financial support, or other means? Identify one specific action you can take this week. [01:25:48]

  6. The sermon discusses the importance of being open to the Holy Spirit's guidance. How can you cultivate a lifestyle of prayer and fasting to better discern God's will for your life? [01:16:36]

  7. Reflect on the story of Elisha and the mantle. Is there a "mantle" or calling that God has placed on your life that you have been hesitant to accept? What steps can you take to embrace that calling? [01:30:42]

  • Acts chapter 13. If you joined me there this morning, Acts chapter 13. I want to begin this morning by showing you a video, if we could get that queued up. Uh, this, uh, as I mentioned already, we had a conference, a Bible conference in Prescott, Arizona. As you can see on the screen, that's Pastor Greg Mitchell. And this is our Friday night of Bible conference. If you have been to a conference, you know that this is the focus and the heartbeat of our fellowship, of our churches. And on Friday night, Thursday night, we announce new missionaries as they're going out into cities and nations around the world. We make those announcements Thursday night of the conference. And then Friday night, the closing night of the conference, we make announcements for new couples that are going out domestically as well. And then we pray for them. We commission them. We pray God's blessing and covering over them as we send them out into the mission field for the work of God.

    And so I want to show you this is something that absolutely is mind-blowing. It's a milestone for our fellowship. Now, just to give you a little context, I got saved in Chandler, Arizona under Pastor Joe Campbell. I was saved in the year 1998. And I was 17 years old when I started coming to, well, 16 when I started coming, 17 when I really got saved and gave my life to Christ and started living for Him seriously. And so in 1998, I can remember pretty clearly when I got saved, there were about 1,700 churches in our fellowship, 1,700 around the world. As of this conference, since that time, our churches, our fellowship have multiplied, have expanded rapidly. And so I want to show you what happened this Friday night. This is just a three-minute video. I'm going to show you what happened.

    I want to say today that this is a work of God. What you are part of is more than just our Sunday morning and Sunday night and Wednesday night gatherings. You are part of a move of God. We are connected to the church in Prescott by covenant. We are connected because of our mother church in Chandler, Arizona. What happens there sets the tone and the effect on our congregation as well. And so this morning, I want to preach a message about why we plant. We are not here to glorify a man or even a ministry or the name of a church. We are here to glorify Jesus and what He is doing in the earth. But I want to give a message this morning about why we plant.

    Our focus this year and our theme is decisions make disciples. Now you can make an argument about why planting churches is foolish. Many people do not believe in what we do. Many churches do not do this sort of thing. Why? Because planting churches is hard. Planting churches is expensive. Planting churches means that we take the best people that we have in our congregation and we send them away. Rather than holding on and using them in our congregation, allowing God to use their lives to multiply our congregation, we choose to have a multiplication of smaller churches around the world rather than a very few amount of bigger churches. We choose to do that for a reason. And I want to give you the vision and the purpose why we do that and why this is such an important part of our fellowship because I want you to take ownership of this vision this morning.

    Why we do what we do. The scripture we have is Acts chapter 13. Every farmer comes to a moment, a decision that he must make when the time comes to plant. Every farmer understands that when it comes time for planting season, you have to plant something. So farmers spend most of the harvest and the winter season preparing their seeds, right? Every farmer has a cache, a store of seeds that they are going to plant. Now the thing about seeds is interesting. Seeds are fascinating. The thing about seeds is this. You can eat the seeds if you wanted to. You can eat the seeds if you wanted to. You can eat the seeds if you wanted to. If you have a bag full of seeds, seeds on their own have nutritional value. You could survive on seeds if you wanted to. If you have a bag of apple seeds, it's, you know, it's not that much, but you could swallow the seeds and you could get enough to survive.

    But the choice that every farmer has is either to eat the seeds or to plant the seeds. And someone who is wise does not eat their store of seeds. Because if a seed is properly placed, properly grown, properly cared for, if that seed is put into the ground, then the harvest that comes forth is far greater than the nutritional value of just one seed. And so the wise farmer must plant. But guess what? Planting is a lot harder than eating seeds. Planting requires investment of time and energy over generations. A tree does not grow in one season or in one year. A tree takes at least four to five years before it begins to bring forth a harvest. And so planting requires greater vision. Planting requires greater discipline. Planting requires greater intentionality and effectiveness and discipline over time.

    My question for us this morning as a church, are we going to eat the seeds ourselves or are we going to choose to plant? Now this church, for many years, we did not have the opportunity to plant a church until a couple of years ago. Our brother and sister, their family, Pastor Dave and Mrs. Caitlin, they were part of our congregation going back from before I was the pastor here. They were saved and discipled in this congregation. And a couple of years ago, again, our best couple in the church, our most faithful couple, our couple who was one of our most generous givers, we sent them away to go plant a new church. And if you were here when that happened, you understand. That was difficult. They left behind needs, a whole of ministry. They were both, both of them were serving, were fulfilling roles, were doing things in our congregation. And to send them into the harvest field to go pioneer a new church, that was hard for us, wasn't it? There was a price that we paid.

    I want to tell you, this is where destiny is unlocked. And I want to preach a message this morning. Why do we plant? Acts chapter 13, verses 2 and 3. This example comes from the example of the early church. Let's read it together. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your spirit and your grace. We thank you that you are a God that calls us to plant. A God who calls us to plant. Calls the church to multiply. Lord, I pray, let us receive this revelation and let us put our hearts and our minds into this work. And we give you glory, Lord, that you are a God who saves wicked people into righteousness. You are a God who restores the backslider, the broken, the lost. You are a God who brings them into fellowship with yourself. God, you are the God who is building your church. You've called us to make disciples, raise them up into usefulness for your kingdom, and then to plant churches. God, put this vision and this heart in every person that is here. This work is difficult. This work is expensive. This work requires vision. Lord, so you plant it in the hearts of your people this morning. In Jesus' mighty name, God's people would say, amen.

    Why do we plant? In our scripture, we read about the early church, and you, there is this same truth that is at work in the congregation there in Antioch. Both of these men that are mentioned, Barnabas and Paul, in this scripture, he is called Saul. And the Bible says of both of these men that they were very fruitful and effective ministers of the gospel. Both of these men were highly useful to the kingdom, useful to the church. No doubt that in the congregations where they served, that they had a great influence and great effectiveness for the gospel of Jesus Christ. No doubt that both of these men, Barnabas especially, that name, Barnabas, his name literally means the son of encouragement. Man, as a pastor, I pray for those people. We need Barnabas in our congregation, someone that can encourage and stir up the faith of people around them. Can God call you to be a Barnabas, someone who encourages and stirs up faith in others, who drives out discouragement and fear? We need some good Barnabas in the congregation.

    Saul, we know the influence that he had. Saul being a Pharisee who then was converted and became a disciple of the Lord Jesus with his knowledge, with his wealth of biblical understanding and revelation could be a powerful tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit. Here's Barnabas, who is an encourager of people. Saul, who is an incredible intellect and leader in the early church. There is no doubt in my mind, these are the kind of people that every pastor would pray for to have in their congregation. We need these kinds of people, people who have intellect, who have discipline, who have had genuine experiences with the Lord Jesus, who have been converted, who are not divisive, who are not tearing others down, who are helping together to build the house of God and to cause it to grow and to thrive. We need people like this in our churches. We need people who are givers and not takers. We need people who are on the field, in the game, and not only spectators. Hello?

    So often the church falls into this unfortunate ratio like there is at a football game where you have 22 football players on the field at any given time, and they are the ones doing the difficult things and playing the plays, and then you have 10,000 fans who are eating hot dogs. And unfortunately, sometimes the church can look like that, where you have a tiny minority of people who are caring for the church. And then you have 10,000 fans who are eating hot dogs. And then you have 10,000 fans who are carrying the weight of ministry, and you have a whole lot of other people who are spectating. And I believe that that is not the vision that the Word of God gives to the church, that we are called, how many understand, to be active and involved as the Lord would lead us and give us revelation, that He would prepare us not just to be spectators on Sunday mornings, but to get involved and to embrace the ministry that God has given to us.

    Every one of you have a place in God's kingdom. Every one of you have a gift, a skill that you can offer to the church. You have something in your hands, just like Moses. When God called Moses, He thought that he had nothing to offer. He looked at himself and said, Lord, what can I do? I'm a man of slow speech, slow of understanding. What am I going to do? I'm a has-been. I'm a washed-up, old Egyptian. I'm a guy trained, but Lord, it's been 40 years since I had any dream. And God said to Moses, what is that in your hand? He looked in his hand. Oh, it's nothing, just a shepherd's staff. This is what I use to lead the sheep. And God said to Moses, I'm going to use that staff to help you lead God's people. Fast forward, they're standing in front of the Red Sea, escaping from Egypt, and God says to Moses, use the staff I gave you, Moses. Use that to part the waters, open up the pathway.

    The lesson from the life of Moses is God doesn't need much. He only needs what you have. What is it that you have this morning? What gift has God given to you to use for His kingdom? God doesn't save us just for us, for our benefit, and so that we can have a comfy place in heaven. God saves us for a work. Your calling is different from my calling. Everyone has a unique calling, a unique gift, a unique skill, a unique personality that you are called to put it in the hands of the Lord for Him to use as He sees fit. I want to first of all challenge you. We are not called to be spectator Christians, but to find our place so that we can have a place in heaven. Some of you are gifted for giving. Some of you are gifted for administration. Some of you are gifted for evangelism. Some of you are gifted for music ministry. Some of you are gifted for things that right now are untapped resources.

    And I want to challenge you first of all to understand God didn't save you just for you to have a place to go when you die. It's not just fire insurance, hello? We are saved to be useful and profitable to God. We are saved to be useful and profitable to God. Profitable for the kingdom of God. When Saul first got saved, he asked two questions that are very important for every person. Question number one, who are you, Lord? I want to know who you are. I want to know you personally. Second question, what do you want me to do for you? And if you would honestly, with an open heart, approach the throne of grace and ask those two questions, I am confident that the Lord will give you answers. Who are you, Lord? I want to know who you are. I need revelation of your heart and your mind for my life. Second question, Lord, is there something that I could be doing for you? I believe there's an answer to that question for your life.

    And the answer to that might be different for you than it is for me. That's good. We need a variety of workers with a variety of skills and gifts, just like the body. The body has many members, but together we are able as hands and feet and eyes and mouth and nose and hair and all of the parts that you have, some of them have lesser roles than others. But in the body of Christ, we all have a role to play. We have a part that we are called to. And as each of us embrace that this morning, we are able to accomplish God's will. This was true for Saul, for Barnabas, that they were incredible blessings to their local church. But in our scripture, something happens. There's a shift. The Bible says that as they prayed and as they fasted, that the Lord called them. Did you see that?

    Verse 2, while they were worshiping, and worshiping the Lord and fasting, it's the Holy Spirit who says, Can I ask you? First of all, before we continue, does the Holy Spirit have the right to redirect your life? Does the Holy Spirit have the authority to tell you that you need to change directions? But Lord, I like the direction I'm going. I understand what I'm doing now. So did Barnabas and Saul. They had ministry. They had a work that they were doing. But the Holy Spirit said, I've got something else for you. Set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them. Listen, we as a church, corporately, and you as a Christian, individually, we must be open to the direction of the Holy Spirit.

    For a long time, Dave and Caitlin Smale, they were part of our church. They were part of our congregation. They were a great blessing here. They're still a great blessing to our congregation. But there came a time when the Holy Spirit said something different. We must be able to pivot according to the Holy Spirit. This is not about the plans or the desires of men. This is not about the will of where you want to live or where you want to go. This is about obedience to the Holy Spirit. And there are times when the Holy Spirit will say, set them apart so that they can do the work to which I have called them in our fellowship. We believe in church planting. We believe in the principle of sending the best that we have. And it is a central mission of the church. If we are going to multiply, if we're going to see in our last days, I believe God is positioning us for the revival that the Bible predicts in the last days. How many believe that? That there is, before Jesus returns, there will be a revival.

    There will be a great pouring out of the Spirit of God onto the earth. And that is going to result in many people getting saved. We've been seeing it in waves throughout the last hundred years. But I believe this is all a leading up to something even greater, a worldwide, a global, a cultural-wide revival in which God begins to save people on massive scales. And if that happens, God is going to need a church to be in place in local communities where new believers are able to receive the revival that God pours out and be able to do the will of God. It's the Holy Spirit who separated Barnabas and Saul. Now think of everything. This is only the beginning of Saul's ministry. But if we focus in on Saul for a moment, just think about all the things that Saul went on to do. All of the churches he went on to pioneer. He went on to do. He went on to do. He went on to do. He went on to do. He went on to pioneer. All of the places he went on to preach. All of the names of the books we have in the New Testament. Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Romans. All of these are the names of cities where Paul would go to preach the gospel. And as he preached, people got saved. And those people gathered together and formed a church. Thessalonica. It goes on and on. Ephesus. These are all cities where Paul would go. And all of this, listen, occurred after the Holy Spirit spoke to him.

    So here's the question I want you to think about. What if the church did not obey the call to send? What if the pastor got in the way of what the Holy Spirit... You say, does that ever happen? It happens. Sometimes the pastor can be the greatest hindrance in the church. I pray it's not me. But I want to tell you, the pastor of the church in Antioch could have been very upset about this. I don't want to send Saul. I don't want to send Barnabas. They're the best men I have. But if they didn't obey, I wonder what could have happened in Ephesus, in Corinth, in Thessalonica, in all of these places where Paul went to go preach. All of these letters. Not only would those churches have been affected, but we would probably not have all the same letters in the New Testament. It's because the church obeyed that the will of God began to unfold in that first church generation.

    I want to tell you, this is true in the story that we read in Acts. It's true in my life. It was as I surrendered my heart, as my wife and I began to pray, and fast, and lay hold of God, and seek His direction, that we responded to the calls that were set before us. I never had a plan to go to Virginia Beach. I never had a plan to become a missionary. I never even had a plan to be a pastor. That was not in my thinking. But it was the Holy Spirit that led us, and guided us, and brought us to where we are today. Can the Holy Spirit speak to you?

    In Genesis, the father of our faith, Abram, it says these words about him, that God called him to a land where he did not know where he was going. Abraham, you go down to Canaan. God led and directed his life. In Acts 16, Paul had a vision. He had a plan to go into Asia, but the Holy Spirit gave him a vision. A man from Macedonia, saying, come and help us. Paul had a plan to go one direction. The Holy Spirit said, I want you to go the other direction. And the Bible says that immediately, in Acts 16, that they made adjustments to their plan. Can the Holy Spirit make adjustments to your plan?

    We must prioritize seeking the will of God through the same means that the early church did, worship through fasting and prayer. Are you a person of worship? Do you fast for His direction? Do you pray, Lord, show me the way for my life? And then it's not enough just to know the way, it is about obedience. Church planting is God's idea, not man's idea. And there will be time. We are in a fellowship where we are going to be in a fellowship where we are going to be in a fellowship where we believe in church planting. 4,000, I want you to think about that milestone. On that, we're seeing an image now that we have just launched the 4,000th church from our fellowship. That means 4,000 times pastors have said to someone in their congregation, a family, a couple, the Holy Spirit has said, separate unto me. And 4,000 times that call has been answered.

    Has it done perfectly? Not every time. But I want to tell you that spirit of obedience is something, it is a thriving, beating heart of our fellowship. And it is something that must be alive in our congregation as well. Do we believe God to plant other churches? My prayer since arriving here in 2010, Lord, if you will give us the resources and if you will give us the personnel, we will send them. But that is more than just the calling of a pastor. It requires God to speak to people. The church must have a vision for this. And you say, Pastor, it's so hard to plant a church. Yes, it is. But that's what we're called to.

    In order to plant a church, we must have the people that send and the people that go. Neither one of those is easy. But it is what we're called to as the Holy Spirit leads us. You know, it blows my mind. There are mega churches, and I don't want to call any of them out by name, but there are churches that gather thousands of people together on Sunday mornings. And, you know, I know that God is moving in large churches like that. I know that people are getting saved. I know that there are those who are being discipled. I know that there are those who are being discipled in those congregations. But it's amazing to me that when a large mega church like that announces, we're going to plant another church in another area of our city.

    And they make a grand spectacle of a building. They make a grand palace. And they erect from the ground millions and millions of dollars to build a beautiful facility and a campus. As I'm... You know, we use some software for our church, our text messaging software and various things. And often what I'll see in these softwares is a place where you can enter in different campuses. Say, you know, where do you want this message to go? Campus 1, Campus 2, name your campuses. I'm like, can I even call our church a campus? That doesn't sound right. But this is what many churches put their focus in. And so they erect a large building on the other side. They erect a large building on the other side of town and say, we're going to open up this congregation. We're going to make this available for a new area of our city.

    And so you're telling me you have a church of 1,000 people, 1,500 people on Sunday morning. You're telling me not one person is able to go and be the pastor over there? And what many churches are doing is they have a screen the same size as the stage. And when the pastor is preaching in one location, they're beaming his image over to the other location. And you have another 500 people watching him from that location. Is that what God has called us to? Is spreading the fame of some person's personality? You're telling me not one other person is qualified to preach in that brand new congregation? Not one family could rise up and take the leadership in that place?

    Where much of the church world is getting it wrong is right here. Because we are called to discipleship and church planting just like the early church was. And it's true. We pay a price for this. Our churches tend to be on the smaller side. And you might look around at what we have here this morning. You might look around and say, what's the big deal? Why? Is this even worth doing? And I want to tell you, when you multiply what you see this morning, by 4,000, what Pastor Mitchell was saying, 4,000 Sunday morning services, 4,000 Saturday outreaches, 4,000 disciple-making centers, I want to tell you, that is exponential growth. And that is something worth giving our lives to.

    I want to close with this idea that planting churches expands the kingdom of God. Our scripture says, you know, often when couples are planted, when we have our Thursday night and our Friday night church planting services, it is not uncommon to see tears. It's not uncommon for the couples that are going, as they're walking up to the stage to be announced, announced and prayed for, it's not uncommon that you'll see tears streaming down their face. Why? Because they're paying a price. It is also not uncommon when a change is being made, a pastor is moving from one city to another, perhaps that the church that is being left behind, that there will also be tears of church members to say goodbye to their pastor if he's going to be a missionary.

    It's very common to pay a price, but I want to tell you it's worth it. Planting the seed is more difficult than eating the seed, but it's worth it over time. Are we as a congregation willing to pay the price? Christ. Church planting ensures that the gospel continues to expand where Christ is not yet known. I believe that the Holy Spirit in these last days, the Holy Spirit still has a plan for the United States of America. God still wants to save Americans. You know, there are places where we do not have fellowship churches. We were just looking on the map yesterday, a couple of days ago. There are still states in America where we do not have churches. There are still cities right here in Virginia. Hey, Virginia Beach, what do we have? We have three churches in Virginia Beach. Now, I'm not saying we're the only church. I'm not saying we're the only thing that God is doing. I understand that, but I want to tell you what we have in our fellowship is a faithful witness to the world around us.

    We have a unique calling, winning souls, making disciples, and planting churches. I want to tell you this is something that God is blessing. This is not Pastor Adam's desire. This is not just the passion of Pastor Mitchell and Pastor Campbell. This is something that God is blessing. God is doing it, and it is expanding and growing and making impact. It's God's idea. The church has to support it. We have to gain a vision. We have to hear the Holy Spirit. We have to hear it as He leads us. So, as we close, I want to ask this congregation to pray, to fast. We're praying for couples to rise up. In our fellowship, we send couples. We send families. There's a reason for that. We don't send out individuals. We don't send out single people. We send out families.

    So, we're praying for God to raise up couples that can go into the harvest field. We're praying for God to raise up couples that can go into the harvest field, that God would speak to them. We're also praying for the finance and resources. Listen, there's a reason why we don't build million-dollar facilities. There's a reason why we don't get burdened down by tons of debt. We want to stay mobile. There's a reason why we're looking for a church building of a certain size. It's not too big. We don't want to get burdened just by maintaining a facility. Our vision is so much bigger than just a physical building. Our vision is, God, we need the resources to plant churches, to invest, to send them.

    So, I want to ask this congregation to join me in prayer and fasting, to give and to go. We need the men, and we need the money. We need the resources. We need the resources, and we need the people. I also want to encourage you to consider giving for church planting efforts. I know we're in the middle of a building project. There's lots of expenses there. And thank God for good buildings, but a building doesn't win anybody to heaven. It's what we do in the building that's more important.

    And finally, I want to ask you to consider, Lord, would you lead me? Perhaps, to be one of those who is set apart, and to go as the Holy Spirit leads. In the Old Testament, there's a story, as we close, a story about Elijah and Elisha. It's very instructive, as we consider this. One day, Elijah, we know that he is coming to the end of his ministry. God has spoken to him, and he says, Elijah, I know you're discouraged. He speaks to him in the midst of the cave. You know, there's the fire, there's the wind, the earthquake, and God was not in those things. But then a still, small voice, and he hears the voice of God, and God says, Elijah, I have commissioned you that you are going to raise up another worker.

    And so Elijah takes that instruction, and thank God that discouraged workers still have a place in God's kingdom. You found yourself discouraged. You found yourself saying, what's the point? Is my life worth anything? God says, yes, I have a point for you. We can still raise up an Elisha. So Elijah goes, and he, the Bible says he has something called a mantle. In those days, the prophets would wear a garment over their shoulders to mark their position as a prophet. That everyone would look on them and see that God has used them to speak prophecy over people's lives. And so Elijah, as he's following the will of God, he comes to a man named Elisha. Two different people, Elijah, Elisha. I know that can be tricky. But he sees this young man, Elisha, and the Bible says a few things about Elisha, very interesting.

    The Bible says that he has 12 yoke of oxen. What does that mean? That means he's a very successful young farmer. Normally, a farmer would only have one or two animals to plow their fields. The fact that he has 12 yoke of oxen, that means for one yoke you have two animals. That means 24 oxen. These things are expensive to maintain and to purchase and to use. He's got not just his farm, he is a successful owner of multiple farms that he is a successful young man. 12 yoke of oxen. And one day, Elijah, he's walking by and he sees this man, Elisha. The Holy Spirit speaks to Elijah and the Bible says he takes the oxen and he takes the oxen and he takes the oxen and he takes the oxen and he takes that mantle, that garment, and he throws it onto the shoulders of Elisha.

    And the message is clear that the mantle, the ministry of Elijah is being passed on to Elisha. Now, just think about that. Elisha was not expecting this. He had not followed Elijah up to this point. He had plans and purposes for himself and they were not evil. But one day, the direction of Elisha's life changed because a mantle was put upon him. And when that mantle was received by Elisha, some things changed. Immediately, the Bible says he took the yokes. This is the farming equipment that goes on the back of the oxen. They're made of wood. The Bible says he takes those yokes and he burns them. This would be like selling your local business. He takes the yokes and he burns them. And on the great fire that is produced by the yokes, the Bible says he takes the oxen and he cooks them. And he has a feast. Man, what a barbecue. Why did he do that? Because he understood the calling of my life has now changed.

    I'm going in a new direction. And I can't let the distraction of my farming business get in the way of my calling to be a prophet. I see a lot of young men like Elisha having great potential in the world, great potential in business, great potential when it comes to the things of this world. Can God put a mantle on you? That was expensive, what Elisha did. He paid a price, his career, his income. To go and follow Elijah, he paid a high price. I want to tell you as a young man, a young man in my life, I made a decision to follow the call of God even before I understood all that it entailed. I went to my pastor and I said, I want to be a disciple. I believe God has called me. I found a place at the altar where the Lord spoke to me and called me to ministry. I said, pastor, God is calling me to this. What do I have to do next? And I paid a high price. I still pay a price.

    But I'm asking you, is there someone here that God is calling? He's putting a mantle on your life. If you run from that, you run from the blessing of God. And I want to challenge this. This congregation, we need the men, we need the money, we need the people, and we need the resources to plant churches. This is the vision God has given us, and this is how we win the world. We don't just broadcast on television and radio and internet advertising and YouTube and TikTok. All of those things may be useful to get out a message, but the way that we build the church is by planting, and that's difficult. Can we choose together to receive that mantle?

    Let's bow our heads and close our eyes for just a moment. The Lord is speaking to us. The Lord is calling us to the mission of planting. As we reflect this morning on what the church was doing in the book of Acts and what we are called to do, is it possible you've come here this morning, you're not right with God. You're not right with God. Those who find themselves in church services like this one, and hearing good messages about what God did and what the Holy Spirit did in times past, what He has done in our fellowship, but listen, all of that is meaningless unless you're saved and right with God. And I want to ask you before we close this service, is there someone here, if you died today and stood before the Lord, you're not going to stand before me or any church leader, you're going to stand before Jesus.

    He's going to take account of your life, and you'll be judged based on every word and action that you have said and done. On that day, if you step into eternity, will you be right with Him? Will your sins be forgiven? Or will you be found guilty of sin? The Bible says we've all fallen short of God's glory. Nobody deserves heaven. We've all broken His laws. And we all stand in judgment before Him, if we're honest. But I have good news for you. For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son, so whoever would believe on Him would not perish but have everlasting life. The good news is that God loves sinners. He proved it by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for us. And if you're here, you're not sure about the condition of your soul. The first step to knowing God's will for your life is to surrender to Him, to believe that Jesus is who He says He is, Lord of all creation.

    You're here today. You're ready to surrender. You're ready to turn your life from sin unto righteousness. Maybe this life has beat you up. Maybe this world has left a foul taste in your mouth, and that's what it does. But I want to tell you, God's plan for your life is good. He has a purpose. He does not create junk. And He is here this morning to rescue and to redeem the lost. If that's you this morning, I want to pray for you. You're here. You're not right with the Lord, but you want to be. Would you do one thing quickly for me today? You lift up your hand. Pastor, pray for me. I need salvation. Thank you, young man. Is there someone else? Right now, God's dealing with you. The Holy Spirit is speaking to you right now. Maybe your heart beating inside your chest. I remember what that feels like. It almost feels embarrassing. But I want to tell you, we're not here to embarrass you. We want to lead you to the Savior who can set you free. If that's you, is there someone else? Quickly. Not right with the Lord, but you want to be. Would you lift up your hand? Don't miss this opportunity. Life is short. Thank you, young man. Someone else. God's speaking to you. You want to respond in faith. Pastor, pray for me. I'm not right with God. I'm not on my way to heaven. Oh, but I want to be. Oh, I believe God has a plan. He made me for His purposes. Would you lift up your hand so I can pray with you? Is there someone else? Quickly. Thank you, young man. Someone else. God's speaking to you. God brought you here for this moment so that you could turn your life. You can become a new creation in Christ. Old things pass away. Everything becomes new. You need that before you leave this place. One last call. Someone else. Right now. God's dealing with you. Would you lift up your hand? Can I pray with you? Let's believe God right now.

Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for Daily Devotionals based on this message over the next five days.

Written with Love by Pastor Adam Dragoon

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Adam Dragoon
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Running Man Of God
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True Disciples: Understanding the Call to Discipleship [Mat 28:18-20]