Jesus wanted people to get involved with what’s on the Father’s heart. Manage your means to be in the work of the harvest. The Great Commission is part of the sanctification process. (Luke 10:1-2, 16-24)

Speaker(s): Gary Groenewold, Thomas Schaller, Arto Nousianen
Sermon 12403
6:30 PM on 11/6/2022

P. Gary Groenewold –

Good evening. We rented an airplane from United Airlines – isn’t that an amazing story…you fly
around the world and things God has done and will do. P. Arto, it’s great to see you. Thanks for
coming you guys. That’s amazing you would do that. Amazing. We have such a blessed heritage
in our church from Finland and it’s because of a great move of God there. You can’t go there
without wondering how the Holy Spirit moved in that country when P. Schaller went there with
the team. Amazing.

Mary, great song. It wasn’t Kathy that sang, was it? It was Mary! Mary. Yeah. That second song
goes, I love you, Jesus, right? I love you Jesus. I think that’s really – and the first song was about
go, going. And really those two go together. I think that’s what I want to speak about tonight.
Going in his name and then all you do is say it’s a worshipful I love you, Jesus (Prayer).
I have the privilege to work with P. Matt Gehret in the Bible college this year. It’s great to see
him and Francoise and Jillian and P. Cannon. I just saw him somewhere. Is he here? Yeah, P.
Cannon. It’s amazing to be involved in the Bible college this year.

The class I’m teaching is called Methods of Evangelism by P. Bob Colban. He would like to rename it Principles of Evangelism. And tonight, I just want to make – I’m going to teach what I taught last Monday for two hours,
so if you are in the class, you can leave. I’m going to say exactly the same thing! But Elena you
were late so you have to stay! Victoria, don’t laugh. You were also late! Don’t leave, okay! Okay.
Let’s get started.

Matthew 9, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is ministering. Jesus Christ is healing. You imagine him like
feeling the sense of I’m doing it all alone. My Father is doing something great through me. And
you can imagine him doing that. And it says in vs. 35, there we see that Christ as a minister was
ministering to spirit, soul and body of people. He was teaching. He was preaching. He was
healing. This is an example of ministry. This is the way our life is laid out, is given, and this is
what his people actually see and it ministers to him. He’s healing the sick. Could it be any more
visible than that. That’s vs. 35.

You go to vs. 36, and there’s a huge escalation in his heart, desire in his ministry. Jesus had an
escalation in his heart. Yes, he did. It says here in vs. 36. There we see. Just imagine this
elevation of this awareness of the Father speaking to his heart and say look at those sheep.
They’re scattered. That means they’re fainting. It means they’re dissolving. Ever put something
in water and it dissolves? They weren’t living in their design. God breathed in man the breath of
life and they weren’t living like that and he saw that.

There’s this word. It’s his compassion. He had compassion on them. This word, it’s not used by
Paul. This is used in the Gospels about Jesus Christ. There’s this incredible, inward, love, desire.
It’s intestinal. It’s in Christ. And he has this compassion on these people that have no shepherd. And so, what does he do? the first thing he does is he teaches his disciples how to pray. So,
what does he do, vs. 37. The harvest truly is plenteous. It’s great. It’s big. Pray to the Lord of the
harvest. Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he would send laborers into the harvest. Pray to
the Lord of the harvest. There’s our prayer. There’s the compassion of Christ. He's teaching us
how to pray, what to say. To go into these persecuted nations. To go into these nations
throughout the world. To go into our neighborhoods, but to go. He’s thinking about these
people. He wants laborers to be sent. So, we see that there.

if you turn to Luke 10, we see this also here. He appoints the 70 in Matthew 9. He commissions the
twelve disciples and he sends them out. We see in vs. 2, there’s the Lord’s prayer. He had
compassion. What did he do after these prayers? Remember we said he was alone before doing
this incredible body, soul, and spirit ministry and he wanted other people to join in it. This is
when he commissioned the 12 and the 70. He wants other people to be involved in what is on
the Father’s heart. And so, he sends them out. There’s both descriptions of what he told them.
But one interesting aspect I just want to bring it out really quick is he spoke about the purse. I
think this is something that is really important in our lives.

The way we manage our means in our life so that we can be involved in the Great Commission. So that we can be involved in the harvest. This is something really personal but it’s something where God – it can be a snag, snare
or it’s something that we all have to think about. There’s a lot of other aspects but it’s
something I thought about in the class. The way we manage our purse. The way we view our
purse for the gospel sake. That’s not the main point I wanted to bring out. I’m getting to it now.
Remember in Luke 10 it says in vs. 16. There’s a direct correlation there to what is happening to
you is happening in heaven. That this interaction, this conversation, the way you’re in a heart
interaction with somebody is the way that somebody is relating to God at that very same time.
That’s what’s happening.

This is what happens when we share the good news. And there is
accountability happening in man’s hearts for eternity when we share the good news. And the
seventy, what happened? They came back. They’re talking about the devils are subject unto
them. They’re talking about vs.17, how they were subject unto your name. That’s great. And
what does he say in vs. 18-19? There’s something that happens. There’s something that
happens in evangelism.

Evangelism is the good news. There’s something that happens and it’s like we don’t have to get
over involved in the other kingdom. It’ s like don’t think about like – there’s something more
personal and more tangible and real that happens in your life. It’s what happens in the kingdom
of God. Your names are written in heaven. This is something that is always affirmed, reaffirmed,
settled when we share the good news, the gospel.

When we share the gospel, we’re not sharing some make believe, some façade that we think
that people might like. That’s probably why you might not like it because you think it’s show and tell. If you don’t like it maybe you think it’s something it’s not. Evangelism is just me sharing
my intimate relationship with Jesus Christ with somebody else. It’s fellowship. That’s all it is.
What I’ve learned, what God has taught me about himself I have a subject that I speak to and
I’m gauging his capacity. That’s what I do when I fellowship with a Christian. I’m gauging their
capacity. I’m fellowshipping with God.

In evangelism, when we speak to an unbeliever we are gauging their capacity and we are going
to share with them. It’s really simple. It’s profound. It’s what God has done in my life. It’s who I
really believe that God is. And it comes out and I share the purity of the grace of God. And in my
heart, I start to rejoice because I can’t believe the message that I actually believe.
That’s evangelism. You’re rehearsing what you believe with somebody while you are judging
their capacity.

So, then you have this perspective. It’s like your perspective changes. Your name is written in
heaven. There’s deliverance. You’re in something greater. You’re above Satan’s kingdom.
There’s victory. You’re standing on his head. Then in vs. 21. Jesus rejoiced in his spirit. I don’t
know if he was alone or if he turned to the 70. I don’t know. But I know that he was super
excited. This EUSPLAGNOS, these bowels of mercy. These bowels of mercy. This compassion
that he had inside of him. Somebody else got to experience this.

Remember when he got elevated and he went to this other level and this compassion was in
him. Somebody else – he’s rejoicing in his spirit. Somebody else got to experience what I
experience with my Father. I think that’s why he’s rejoicing in his spirit. It wasn’t just me healing
the sick and preaching in the synagogues and preaching. It wasn’t just that. It was other people.
I include other people. They got to experience that. That’s what he says here in vs. 21.
There’s this foolish little person that manages their purse correctly. They manage their purse.
It’s really important how they manage their purse before God. Their finances, their livelihood,
their life. What they do. Every aspect of their life is very important because they are involved in
the gospel. The world might call them a fool. The prudent person says he’s a fool for what he’s
doing with his life.

Jesus Christ says here he is revealed, the APOCALYPSE. He is uncovered to that person that was
thought to be foolish. Jesus Christ is revealing himself. This person is the babe. This is – it says
here, it's revealed unto babes, even so Father so it seemed good in thy sight. There’s a
recognition. There’s a recognition in heaven about this person’s life. This little babe. This little
fool in the world but this wise little man whoever he might be. This wise young little girl
whoever they might be has managed something in their heart to remain a babe so that God can
reveal, can uncover something about himself to them. This is, this is evangelism.

And he turned. Now he turns to his disciples and he says privately, “blessed are the eyes which
see the things that you see.” Wow! I think like, I don’t know, but somehow they got to
experience in their hearts this bowels of compassion that Christ had when he looked on the
multitude and he saw them. And when you are living in that type of state, there is no fear of
man. You are relating to God. Responses actually don’t matter. They reject you; they are
rejecting him. There’s this compassion for people. You see that somebody’s soul is at stake.
Vs. 24.

They wanted to see him. They wanted to grab them. They wanted to touch them. They
wanted them to be processed in their mind. They wanted to gather them. But they didn’t get
them. But his disciples did. This is, this is evangelism. It’s not something I do. It’s actually just an
aspect, a part of my life. The Great Commission, the harvest field is part of our lives. It’s not a
group of people in the church. It’s actually part of our sanctification process. Evangelism is part
of our sanctification process in life. I can’t say it more simple than that. It’s not a duty for the
elite soldiers. It’s for babes that want to get to know the deep emotions of God.

So whatever level, whatever means – I love seeing on Saturday this group of ladies. It’s so
incredible. They minister to these girls. Lorraine and Bonnie are bringing a girl to these teenage
girls. The whole team there. And they minister. And it’s like there’s this joy. There’s this
revelation of God. We’re learning – where is Kerry Roberge. Is she here tonight? She’s on the
team.

Cheryl. Laura. Barrie Goodman. I love – Nupu. Is Nupu here? I probably said that name wrong.
And then Addie is on the team. It’s an amazing group of ladies. My wife. We’re getting, we’re
little babes out there trying to minister.

I was with Jonathan, another Finn with my wife on Saturday. We just go to turn a block upside
down in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Literally, we just met people. We got to share our
faith. And what I mean about sanctification, I mean it is really an important part of our walk
with God to do evangelism. To be a part of the Great Commission and to go into the harvest
field. We came home joyful.

On Friday, with the high schoolers, we were there with three high school boys praying for a lady
named Rebecca. And this lady comes around us. She comes around us and she’s praying with
us. Afterwards I said, do we know you? She says, no. I just saw you praying and I thought I’d
pray with you. What’s your name? She said it’s Rhonda. She saw the GGCA, Greater Grace
Christian Academy, and she said I just, Greater Grace is everything to me.

She said there was as man in 1993 named Niels. I’m sure it was Niels de Jong. He went down
and he met my family. I was a mother with some young children. He meant everything to our
family. She said he jumpstarted our life with God. And Niels if he’s listening it’s the second
person I have heard that from. The second person I have heard that from this school semester. I

heard the name Niels twice this semester from his ministry in 1993. It’s absolutely incredible.
So, amen. Amen.

The harvest fields…think of those people coming from Islamic backgrounds. Islamic you could
say countries. Islamic heritages and they are going to these areas and people are believing the
Bible. When these people believe the Bible, they go back to their churches. They share and
they take the gospel to their villages to their cities, to their regions, to their countries. This is P.
Fred and P. Scibelli travelling in Nepal. And Katmandu and then Bangalore and Mumbai.
This is what we do. This is what we do. Roger coming here to go back to Turkey. We are part of
this. I just said it was part of our sanctification process. It really and truly is. It doesn’t make
anybody great. It’s just part of our walk with God. (Prayer)

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