In my recent book, Lit Up With Love. And let me pause here. Thank you so much, guys. Before the book was released February 18, the first printing was already sold out. Within a week, week and a half, the second printing was sold out. We are in the third printing. Thank you for all you guys who have done studies of the book all across the country, pastors who’ve preached sermons on it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And I pray that you reap a mighty harvest and lit up with love. I point out that only 29% of people who don’t know Jesus have never had a Christ follower.
You share with them how to become a Christian. That number has to increase. In another study from Barna called the Great Disconnect, the question was asked, what are the world’s greatest problems? And this question was asked to Christians, and this is what they said. Number one, the world’s greatest problem is a lack of health care. So let me say this. You can have health care and still go to hell because our eternal health is not blood bought by Jesus, the great physician. Now, on a side note, for some, some people may go, well, see, they’re just talking about spiritual. No, we believe that everything is worship. Jesus not just saves our soul, but he saves our whole.
So at Transformation Church over the last few years, we have paid nearly $30 million of medical debt for people in North Carolina and South Carolina who have been crushed under the weight of death. Death. So we believe that Jesus not only feeds your soul, but he feeds your whole. Number two was providing food. They said that’s the second biggest issue. Well, you can eat like a king and still spend eternity separated from God now and forever. Once again, someone go, well, you guys just Been spiritual. No, hold on a second. We have a free grocery store where we feed over 500 people per month. These groceries and service to lead the groceries by people of Transformation Church, their finances, their prayer, most importantly, their love.
We’ve also made over a million meals. So Jesus feeds people physical bread and himself spiritual bread. Thirdly, they said that number three problem is justice issues, which we believe that’s important. Justice matters to God. Fourthly, they said the problem is, is global warming, right? So we got lack of health care, providing food, justice issues, global warming. Obviously we want to care for the family. Number five, responding to disasters. All those things are important. But notice what Christians didn’t say.
Reaching lost people. Reaching lost people. Oh my goodness. The number one problem is this. The wages of sin is death, the cure. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. It’s not an either or. We start with what’s most important first. People are lost from God. One of the reasons there’s a lack of health care is people are disconnected from the heart of God who lead healthcare. The reason why there’s a lack of food is because people are disconnected from, from the heart of Jesus and justice issue and creation issues. We got to make the main thing the main thing. Now here’s something that’s really interesting. The research shows that Christians said evangelism, which is reaching lost people, is the 10th most important issues. And we wonder why churches are shutting down all the time.
The study also said that 47% of millennials agree that evangelism is important. However, many of them believe that sharing their faith may be perceived as judgmental. And so many of them don’t. That’s why sharing our faith is more of an invitation. It’s an invitation.
And so in essence, lit up with love is this. I. I’m so lit up with the love of Christ that I join him in loving the world unto myself. It’s not a formula, it’s not a program. It’s a love relationship. And we’re inviting people to a ball. Could you imagine that? The greatest ball there is. I mean, it’s just incredible. It’s just beautiful. And the only way to get in is by selection. But you’re selected not because of the money you have, the beauty you possess, your accomplishments. You’re selected for one reason and one reason only. You’re a sinner. Romans 5:8 says this But God demonstrated his love for us while we were sinners. Christ died for us. The invitation is a blood soaked cross. Come on in. And when you walk out you walk out of an empty tune into a new life.
All right, so that was the preface here. Let’s look at part one of Trusting the Process. When
you’re lit up with love, you know that someone coming to faith is a process, not a one time
event. Someone prepares the soil, someone sows seed in the soil, someone cultivates the soil. Then it’s harvest time. But the one who plants and waters is nothing. But it’s God who gives the increase according to Paul. And in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, let’s look at John 4:34-38. Jesus has taken his disciples into Samaria.
And we’re going to watch him as he communicates this agricultural principle. He says to his
Jewish disciples, you know the saying for four months between planting and harvest. But I say, wake up and look around. Jesus said, listen, you need to wake up. We are sleeping on eternal matters. We’re sleeping on evangelism, which flows out of worship. He says, the fields are ripe for harvest. There are people all around us longing for hope. At the bottom of a bottle, they’re longing for hope. At the end of prescription medication, they’re abusing their longing for hope. Another night of hooking up, that is unfulfillment. They’re longing for hope. All the money in the bank. They’re longing for hope. The anger, the pain, they’re longing for hope. We are hope dealers. You have hope. He has a name. His name is King Jesus. And he says this. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. But I came to give life and give it abundantly. Verse 36. The harvesters are paid good wages and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. You hear that, man?
What a paycheck. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester? Like this is really
important. It’s really small. It’s like the Holy Spirit through Jesus just slid this in here. There’s so many people looking for joy. I wonder if we’d have more joy if we joined Jesus on his mission to reach people. That’s what the scripture says. The planter and the harvester alike have joy. God is inviting you into joy, man. Listen, I’m all for vacations. I’ve been on plenty of them. God has been gracious to me in my 54 years of life. But nothing. But nothing has brought me more joy than seeing people come to Jesus.
The joy of seeing my wife know Jesus. The joy of seeing my mom come to know Jesus. The joy of seeing people come to Know Jesus is better than anything. Better than anything. That’s where joy comes from. It’s working in conjunction with God for his purpose. His glory are good. Verse 37 says this. You know the saying, one plants and another harvest. It’s true.
And I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant. God is sending us. He has sent you to your school. He sent you to your job. He sent you to your neighborhood. He sent you to your gym. Others had already done the work. And now you will get to gather the harvest. So that’s from John 4. And as we get ready to wrap up this episode of part one of Trust, a process we’re going to look at. Someone prepares the soil so the saving love of God doesn’t care who you are. Oh, my goodness. Oh, that’s some good news for somebody.
The world needs to know that the saving love of God is indiscriminate. All sinners are welcome. So this is John 4. We’re just going to spend some time on a few verses here. John 4 says he had to go through Samaria on his way. Jesus had a divine appointment in a place a Jewish rabbi with Jewish disciples should have never been. Samaria. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field to Jacob gave his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. And Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.
A few things. Some of you are going well. If Jesus is God, why is God tired? Remember, Jesus is the eternal son of God who became human. Jesus is fully human. To experience everything that we experience, including being tired at noontime in a desert. Jesus needed some electrolytes in his water. He was tired. But notice at noontime, no one goes to get water at noontime. Unless you’re trying to avoid people.
In the ancient culture of the Jewish Samaritan world, women would get water in the cool of the morning, in the cool of even. No one would go at noontime unless it’s an emergency, but also unless there’s a divine appointment. You see, the saving love of God in Christ will find you even when you’re trying to hide. In the words of Martin Lawrence, woo, woo, woo. John 4:4-9.
Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water. And Jesus said to her, please give me a drink, Number one. Check this out, guys. When you are sowing gospel seeds, when you’re planting seeds, when you’re sowing them, he affirmed her dignity. A Jewish rabbi would have never talked to A Samaritan, let alone a Samaritan woman. And he says, please give me a drink. He’s affirming her dignity. He was alone at this time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. It was good that the disciples went into the village because their racism and misogyny would not have handled this divine moment. They needed to be sent to get some food. Verse 9. The woman was surprised, for Jews refused to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, you are a Jew and I’m a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink? Oh, my goodness, guys.
Jesus does what Jesus does. He breaks down the walls of racism, ethnicity and sexism. By
affirming her dignity. The saving love of God in Christ restores our dignity. The saving love of God in Christ breaks down the barriers of racism and sexism.
The saving love of God in Christ is prayerful and present to lost people. The saving love of God in Christ goes to meet sinners where they are. So as leaders, what place outside of your ministry place do you go and meet people who don’t know Christ? And how do we equip our people to be on mission? You know why?
Because everybody has a Jacob’s well that they’re going to to hide. And may we be the
presence of Christ there to say, will you give me a drink? May we affirm dignity. May we cross cultures. Why?
Because that’s what Jesus did for us. We got to learn to trust the process. And as we are lit up with love, and I want to encourage you, you can pick up my book lit up with Love anywhere books are sold. This is Pastor Derwin Gray. You’ve just listened to and or watched Transforming the Church.
Because when the church is transformed, the world will be transformed.
