LISTEN
This sermon was preached by Andy Brownlee at the Ladybarn site of Christ Church Manchester on Sunday 24th January 2021.
SERIES
This message was part of the ‘SERIES NAME’ series, preached at Christ Church Manchester’s church in Withington in EARLY/MID/LATE YEAR. The full series included the following sermons:
BIBLE VERSES
This sermon was based on Matthew Chapters 9&10.
Matt. 9:35-38: Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’
KEY POINTS
Compassion
- Hudson Taylor in 1864 was moved by an incredible burden for the lost, spiritual agony, millions perishing without knowing Jesus.
- Verse 36 sounds a bit like the spiritual state of our nation doesn’t it. Millions and Millions of peoples spiritually lost, bewildered, like sheep without a shepherd. How do we reach them? Well it starts with compassion, compassion for the lost.
- Our nation needs the gospel of Jesus Christ more than ever and the first step of reaching people is compassion. Compassion for our world, for the lost, the broken, the helpless.
Ask
- Hudson Taylor asked God for 24 workers to reach the lost in China. It started a missionary organisation that has led to millions of people in China to get saved over the last 150 years. So much so that now it’s estimated that by 2030 there will be more Christians in China than any other country in the world. It all started with a guy on Brighton beach, 150 years ago asking God to send workers into the harvest.
- What’s stopping us from Praying to the Lord of the Harvest to send us workers to plant 6 new sites, 6 new churches that can share the good news of Jesus in new communities of Manchester.
- We need to be encouraged by the faith of others. There is something powerful in praying together – can sense the spirit and faith in other people’s prayers and it helps build our faith too. Thats’s why we plan these times to pray together.
Go
- Jesus challenge to the 12 disciples was to pray, yes, but it was also to GO. He didn’t say right you 6 stay behind and pray and you 6 go out, no he told them all pray for workers into the harvest and them all to go. And it isn’t just a pray before they go it’s seems that they also prayed as they went.
- Jesus isn’t just sending out the top Christian’s, the Pastors, the Evangelists, the Missionaries no he wants us all to go, this is for everyone, he wants to send us all out into the world to proclaim the kingdom of God.
- Next few years we’d love to send out 6 teams to plant 6 new sites. Next week is a week of Prayer, Prayer to the Lord to send out workers. Friday morning prayer meeting 7.30 – 8am, Mon-Fri – continue it. To pray to the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the harvest field of 6 new sites. Have a go initiatives that give us the opportunity to “see what God will do”. [Spanish Group, Mums and tots, board gamers] Believing that some of them will be the seedbed for a new site to be planted out of.
MORE SERMONS
To see more sermons from Christ Church Manchester, you can visit our sermons page, or why not consider subscribing on iTunes.