Greg Laurie - Skin in the Game (09/01/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares a special message on the purpose of the church—glorifying God, edifying believers, and evangelizing the world—using the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 to challenge everyone to have "skin in the game" by actively serving, giving, and investing their time, talents, and treasure. He celebrates God's faithfulness over 40 years at Harvest and announces exciting facility improvements to enhance fellowship on both Riverside and Orange County campuses.
Welcome to the Early Service and Multi-Campus Greeting
Good morning. Good morning. You can be seated. Well it is good to see you all here. How many of you normally come to the early service? Raise your hand up. Okay. How many of you have never been to this early service before? Raise your hand up. Okay. Well great. So you got a little more sleep. And you know what? I am going to tell you something. You look better. You even laugh better. That was a really good laugh. That was a much better first service laugh than normal. Okay. So welcome to the first service. And here is the exciting thing is as we started our first service here at a new time we started a first service for the first time on multiple campuses that did not have one before. Orange County is online. Welcome Orange County to the first service. Good to have you. Also Woodcrest and South Corona are online right now. And they have never had a first service before. So welcome to you. Good to have all of you here.
Well let's grab our Bibles and turn to Matthew chapter 25. We are going to take a momentary break from our series God Came Near. We will go right back to it next Sunday. But this is sort of a special message for a special day. But let's begin with a prayer. Father we are so thankful for your faithfulness to us all these years at Harvest. We are thankful for this new day. This new opportunity with new people here. We ask for your blessing on your word as it goes out. And that we will all want to find our part in your church as a result of hearing this. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
The Talking Dog Story – Missing the Point
I heard a story about a guy that was driving through Oklahoma. He saw a sign in front of a house. Talking dog for sale. He had to stop. So he pulls his car over and knocks on the door. The man comes to the door. He says, Sir I saw that sign. You have a talking dog for sale. The man says, Yes I do. He is in the backyard. Just go on back there. You will see him. So this man walks to the backyard. And there sitting there is a golden retriever. So he looks at the dog and he says, So you talk? The dog says, Yup. This is a true story by the way. So the man says, So what is your story? And the lab looks up and says, Well I discovered I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government so I told the CIA about my gift. In no time at all I was jetting from country to country sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders. And because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping I collected a lot of intel. I was able to pass it on. Actually I became one of the most valuable spies in the network for eight years running. But all this jetting around just wore me out. And I wasn't getting any younger. So I decided to settle down. Signed about the airport to do some undercover security work there. Suspicious characters were out and about. I would walk up. I would eavesdrop in their conversation. Report the information. I was awarded a bunch of medals. And then I had a mess of puppies. And now I am retired.
This guy is amazed. Wow. He runs back into the owner. Okay. Okay. You are a talking dog. How much do you want for him? The guy says you can have him for ten dollars. Ten dollars. Ten dollars for a talking dog? Why are you selling him so cheap? The owner responds, Because he is a liar. He never did any of those things. Talk about missing the point. And I think some people completely miss the point when it comes to the church and what the church is for. I mean really why are we here today? This is a question only you can answer for yourself. Why are you here today at church?
The Three Purposes of the Church – Upward, Inward, Outward
You know some people treat church like a movie theater. You come in late. You leave early. You know you see the show and off you go. And they see worship sort of like the trailers that roll before the films. You know something we can just sit through or arrive late for. They never engage. And for all practical purposes they miss the point. Look I can't tell you why you are here. But let me tell you why the church is here and why our church is here. The church exists for three purposes. The glorification of God. The edification of the saints. And the evangelization of the world. That is worth memorizing. The church exists for three purposes. Again the glorification of God. The edification of the saints. And the evangelization of the world. Or a simpler way to remember it is upward, Inward and outward. That is why we are here.
So here is my question to you. Are you here to glorify God today? How many of you are here because you want to glorify God? Raise up your hand. That is why you are here. You want to worship. One way to show you are here to glorify God is when we sing you sing. Because what is worship? Worship is prayer set to song. So you engage. You are connected. You are learning the words. You are singing them out loud. The Bible speaks about making a joyful noise to the Lord. And because some of us may be tone deaf that may be the best we can do. And that is okay. Because God looks on the heart when we worship. The Bible tells us to lift our hands. The Bible tells us to engage. We are here to glorify God.
And then we are here for the edification of the saints. Is that why you are here? That is why we study Scripture. That is why we give so much emphasis to fellowship. That I am going to talk about a little bit more in a few moments. And that is why we are here to serve the Lord in various ministries.
And finally the church is here for the evangelization of the world. My job as a pastor is to feed the flock of God. And it is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. So we hope when you come here that you are fed and then that you are challenged and motivated and equipped to take the truths that God has given to you and share them with others. Specifically nonbelievers.
And I don't know if we are doing our job well or not. But I guess it could be shown by you sharing the gospel. When is the last time you engaged someone with the gospel? Hey here is another question. When is the last time you invited a nonbeliever to church? Or to put it another way. When is the last time you brought a nonbeliever to church with you?
Let me ask you this. What if all of the church were just like you? What if everyone in the church worshipped like you? Studied the Bible like you? What kind of church will we have? What if everybody in the church prayed as often as you pray? Would we have a lot of prayers rising to heaven? Would there be silence? What if all of the church worship like you do? Would we be a singing church? Would we be a rejoicing church? Or would we be one of those churches with hands in the pocket just kind of looking around sort of. And then you catch every ninth word. And then you just sort of stand there and look around. What kind of worshiping church would we be? What if all the church gave as faithfully As faithfully as you give. Would our needs be met or would they be neglected? What if everyone shared the gospel as faithfully as you share the gospel? Would the world be hearing the gospel?
This is a valid question because you are the church. And the church is made up of people just like you doing our part. And I either contribute to the overall strength of the church or to the weakness of it.
Every Believer Is a Brick – The Church as Living Stones
The king of Sparta was boasting to a visitor about the walls of Sparta one day. The visitor looked around. He said he couldn't see any walls. And the Spartan king told his guests, Ah, but you see in Sparta every man is a brick. And in the same way the church is made up of living stones. Every believer is a brick. As that great theological group Pink Floyd said, All in all you are just another brick on the wall. That is right. Okay. So we are a living stone. We are told in 1 Peter 2:5. And we are being built into a spiritual temple.
So we should come as participators not spectators. You know it is easy to play armchair quarterback. Right. You know when you watch the Super Bowl you are yelling at the TV set. And you are upset the display. It didn't take place. Well it is easy to do that. But you know I guess I could ask if you ever played football. Have you ever been a quarterback. And then more to the point were you a successful quarterback. And did you win any games. It is easy to be a critic. It is another thing to be in the game. You know having a role to play. Doing what you can do.
President Theodore Roosevelt made this statement and I quote, it is not the critic who counts. Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. Who strives valiantly. Who errs and comes up short. And again because there is no effort without error or shortcoming. End quote. End quote. And in the same way we could take that statement of President Roosevelt and apply it to people in the church. Oh it is easy to be a critic. It is another thing to be in the arena. It is another thing to be doing the work. Are you in the arena?
You know some Christians are setting the world on fire while others are still looking for a match. Maybe you didn't get it right perfectly the first time but you took a step of faith. And I will tell you what. When I meet somebody who has tried certain things for the Lord. They have taken bold steps of faith. And they have failed. I feel like just saying congratulations. And thank you for taking a risk. There are others that play everything so safe. They are so careful. They are so conscious. They never do anything.
I mean we talk about Peter sinking out on the water with Jesus. But to the point nobody else had the guts to say, Lord if it is you tell me to come. And I think Jesus is so pleased by that. He said, alright Peter come on. And let's give him some credit. For a few moments Peter did what no man had ever done apart from Christ. He walked on water. Yes he began to sink. Yes the Lord had to save him. But I will tell you what. He took that bold step of faith. And we need more to do that as well.
What we need is skin in the game. And by the way that is the title of my message. Skin in the game. Have you ever heard that expression before? I was kind of curious as to what the origin of it was. I did a little research which just means I typed it in Google. And it sounds more impressive when you said I did a little research. And from a few sites I found that this statement is actually attributed to investor Warren Buffett. And he was saying to certain individuals that were running companies that they should invest in their own companies. And that would affect the way they run the company because they had a personal interest there. He called it having skin in the game. And I thought that was a great illustration. And we are coming to a very important phase now in our church of Harvest Riverside and Harvest Orange County.
Celebrating 40 Years – 100,000 Professions of Faith
Looking here to what the Lord has done in Riverside. It is mind boggling. Of course we have been here 40 years in this general facility. We didn't start in this large building we are in now. But we added it later. But 40 years we have been here. And not counting our crusades. Not counting our radio broadcasts or our website or our TV shows or any outreach we have done. Just in this church alone. Get ready for this stat. I had my guys do actual research on this. Looking over the stats over the years. In this church alone over the last 40 years we have seen conservatively 100,000 people make professions of faith to follow Jesus Christ. 100,000. I don't think I can even say that without even stopping to give glory to God. Let's pray. Lord thank you. I mean that number is mind blowing. Your word says that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that comes to repentance. And we think of thousands and thousands of people. We know heaven rejoices. We want to be in sync with heaven. Oh Lord we are so thankful for all that you have done. Now we pray that you will bless us as we move forward to the future. Father. We ask all of this in Jesus name. Amen.
So we give glory to God. You have to. You can't just rattle a number like that and keep talking. You can't hear a number like that and say, yeah but what else? No. No. Stop. Just wrap your brain around it for a moment. Wrap your heart around it for a moment. That is glorious. But you know what? That was then. And this is now. You can't live in the past. You can't rest on your laurels. You have to move forward. And we have so much to do in the church today.
Addressing Common Excuses About Church
Oh but some people will say, oh I am so over the church. I am just over it. You know when I am so over people saying they are so over the church. They will also say things like, well you know I love God but I don't really love Christians all that much. They are so judgmental. Or they will say things like, well I am a spiritual person but I am just not into organized religion. And of course the classic, well I would go to church but there are too many hypocrites. You know listen. Here is my response of the too many hypocrites. I am not going to dispute it. There are hypocrites in the church. But here is what I would say to you. There is always room for one more. Right. I mean give me a break. These are lame shallow excuses is all they are.
Where would the world be without the church? Where would our country be without the church? Where would this city be without the church? I mean think of how the church has impacted your life. Where do you turn when crisis hits? You turn to the church. Where do you go when your marriage is unraveling? Oh you make your way out to the church. What do you do when you are having problems with your Your kids. You seek help from the church. Where do you go when you want to get married? Well you go to the church. Where do you go when a loved one needs to be buried? Oh yes. Again you go to the church. Hey where did you meet your husband or wife? Good chance you met him at the church. And that is fantastic. That is why we are here. To serve you.
I know the church is not perfect. Listen. I know that better than probably most of you. Because not only have I been a pastor for 40 years but I know a lot of pastors and I preach in a lot of churches. I have seen the bad stuff. Trust me. I am not some Pollyanna who is oblivious to reality. But I have also seen the world. And I have also seen everything it has to offer. And I know the church is not perfect. But listen. It is better than anything this culture offers. And it is the only organization that Jesus ever started. I am proud to be a part of the church. And I don't apologize for it. And God loves the church. And we should love the church as well.
Here is the bottom line. You need the church. And the church needs you. See we are a family. And this is one of the problems of church hopping. And you might be surprised to know that most pastors would agree with me on this point. Church hopping is not good for your spiritual health. Now what do I mean by church hopping? Well what I mean is you need a place to belong. You need a place that is home. Why do you need that? Well first of all you need a pastor. Number two you need to have a place where you are accountable. Where people will ask, how are you doing? What is going on in your life? You need a place to find, develop, and use the gifts that God has given you. You need a place where you give. You need a place where you are a part of the wolf and warp of that ministry.
There is nothing wrong. I go over to this church and catch a midweek study. There is no problem with that. I am not disputing that or saying it is a bad thing. But if you are hopping from this church this Sunday, another church the next Sunday, another church the next Sunday, another church the next Sunday, you are just kind of the lone Ranger of Christianity. You are going to suffer because of that. Because you are going to miss out on so much the church can bring into your life. You need a consistent theology and you are going to get that in one place.
Now I happen to know that there are people that will listen to this message and they will not apply it in the context you are applying it in. As I am saying these things you are thinking about what I am saying in the context of coming to harvest. But there are people People that will hear this on the radio later and they will maybe see it on the Internet or on television or something like that. And to them I would say, look, I know there are some messed up churches out there. Okay. I know there are some messed up pastors. Trust me. I have met them. And if your church is a place where you are not being taught the Word of God, if it is a place where God is not being glorified, if it is a place where you are not being edified, then it is okay for you to find a new church. Okay. Find a church where these things are in play. But once you find it become a part of it.
The Parable of the Talents – Matthew 25
Now let us look at Matthew 25. This is a story that Jesus told that helps us know how we can have skin in the game. Matthew 25 starting in verse 14. By the way I am reading from the New Living Translation. The kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest for him while he was gone. He gave five bags of gold to one, two bags of gold to another, one bag of gold to the last, dividing it in proportion to their abilities that he left on his trip. The servant who received the first five bags of gold, or rather received the five bags of gold, began immediately to invest the money. And soon he doubled it. The servant with two bags of gold also went out and doubled the money. But the servant who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money for safekeeping.
Verse 19. After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they used his money. The servant whom he had entrusted the five bags of gold said, Well you gave me five bags of gold to invest and I doubled the amount. The master was full of praise. Well done my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount. And I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together.
Next came the servant who received the two bags of gold with a report. He gave me two bags of gold to invest and I doubled the amount. Well done my good and faithful servant the master said, You have been faithful in handling this small amount. So now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together.
Then the servant with the one bag of gold came and said, Sir, I know you are a hard man harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money. So I hid it in the earth and here it is. The master replied, You wicked and lazy servant. You think I am a hard man do you? Harvesting crops I didn't plant. Gathering crops I didn't cultivate. Well you could have at least put my money in the bank where I could have gotten some interest. Take the money from this servant and give it to the one with ten bags of gold.
Now here is the point. To those who use well what they are given even more will be given and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful even what little they have will be taken away. We will stop there.
So in this parable each person is given a different amount to invest. Again verse 15. He gave five bags of gold to one. Two bags of gold to another. And one bag of gold to the last. Dividing it in proportion to their abilities. The Scripture says he left on his chest. So here is an important thing to consider. He gave them the money to invest not to keep. It was not their money. He didn't say here. This is now your money. This is my money the Master is saying. But I am going to let you hold on to my money. And here is your job. Multiply it. Turn my money into more money.
Oh well what does this have to do with us. Well we are all created by God. But we are not equal in the abilities and skills that we each have. We are each different. Not everyone is given equal amounts. Not everybody has equal abilities. It is not how much you have that matters to God. Rather it is what you do with what you have that matters to God. Maybe you are a five bag person. Or you are a one bag person. Or you are a ten bag person. I don't know. Some people are born with a lot of gifts. A lot of natural ability. Others are not. Maybe you were born into wealth. Maybe you weren't. Maybe you were born perfectly healthy. And maybe you were not. Maybe you were born into an intact home. Or then again maybe you came from a broken home. We are not all dealt the same hand. But listen. Each of us has a God given opportunity and responsibility to play the cards we have been dealt for the glory of God and the good of others. Let me repeat that again. Every one of us has a God given opportunity and responsibility to play the cards we have been dealt for the glory of God and the good of others.
So look at the first servant. He could hardly wait to show his master what he had done. Verse 20. The servant to whom he had entrusted five bags of gold said, He gave me five bags to invest and I doubled the amount. And the master is very pleased. Same with the second servant. There is an enthusiasm. A joy. They took nothing for granted. Notice there is no sense of entitlement here. No. They loved this master and they delighted in serving him. And by the way that is the motive for serving God. Not mere duty. Not even responsibility. But love. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14, saying, The love of God motivates me. When you love God you will want to please God. When you love God you will want to obey God. When you love God you will want to serve God. And if you don't want to serve God and if you don't want to obey God I have to ask the question, Do you really love God?
Now this third guy is just pathetic. I mean the first two servants brought forth effort. The third servant brings forth an excuse. Verse 24. Well he said, I know you are a hard man. Harvesting crops you didn't plant. Gathering crops you didn't cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money. So I hid it in the earth. I mean it is so pathetic. I hid it in the earth. So he digs a little hole. Pulls it out. Dirt clumps coming off of it. Cobwebs. Worms crawling through it. Here it is. Is this okay? Can you see where the master was upset? And then, if that is not bad enough, he has the audacity to blame the master. It is like, well, hey, this is your fault. I mean you are a hard guy to deal with. Everybody knows that. And this is really on you. He blames his boss for his shortcomings. And in the same way sometimes we do the same to God. God why did you do this to me? Why God did you allow this in my life? You have problems? Imagine being Nick Vujicic. Born without arms or legs. He was as a little boy loved by his parents. And that was the only normal Nick had ever known. But when he went to school he found out that he wasn't like the other kids and they made fun of him and they harassed him. And little Nick was so despondent he actually thought of taking his own life. He asked his, I think, mother to fill up the bathtub. And he was going to drown himself. And one day it occurred to him that this is the way God made him. This is the hand he was dealt. And he couldn't change it. He prayed, Lord, I want to grow arms and legs. And God didn't answer that prayer. But one day Nick Vujicic said, I am going to play the hand that God dealt. And instead of complaining I am going to glorify God despite my disability. And look at how the Lord has used Nick around the world.
Okay. So you know you were born in two difficult circumstances. I was. You know my story. I don't need to tell you. But you were born in this bad situation or this bad neighborhood or whatever it is. Well okay. I am sorry that happened to you. You can't change that. But this is now. What are you going to do now? Stop making excuses for your behavior and take responsibility. People have a warped view of God. They see Him in the wrong way. And that needs to change. James Merritt who did an excellent outline on this particular text. In fact it is so good. I watch it on TV. He is a friend. So I texted him. I said, You have to send me your sermon notes. And I stole a few things from James Merritt. But I am actually giving him credit where I am stealing. So I guess it is not stealing because he gave them to me. But James Merritt said, Quote, Instead of doing the possible, he is attempting the impossible. He is trying to defend the indefensible. That is because there is no excuse and there is no defense for refusing to seize an opportunity to take responsibility to use any ability for the glory of God. End quote. Well said.
Benjamin Franklin once said, I found that people who are good at making excuses are not much good at doing anything else. Isn't that true? Okay. So really what this third servant is offering is not a reason. It is an excuse. Or to be blunt it is a lie. An excuse is just a fancy lie. That is all it is. It is not true. And he could have put it in the bank. Do you know that the ancient Roman banking system was not dissimilar to what we have today. You would deposit money. And by the way the interest earned back in those days was around 6 percent. That is pretty good. Better than what we have today. So I mean just to put it in the bank. Don't touch it. Don't do anything with it. You are going to make 6 percent interest. He could have done that. But he didn't do it at all. He said he buried it in the ground. Did you hear in the news recently about this Sierra Nevada couple who were walking their dog in their backyard. And there was like this can sort of coming out. And what is it? And they pulled this can out of the ground. And it had 19th century gold coins. Ten million dollars worth. So somebody literally buried gold coins in their backyard. How insane is that? Great for the people who found it. Not so great for the person who just buried it.
Well how about us? Have we taken what God has given to us and buried it? Listen. There are three things that God has given to every believer. Three things. We all have them. Time, talent, and treasure. We all have it in varying degrees. Well they have more than me. So what does it matter? God will hold them responsible for what they have. God will hold you responsible for what you have. Don't worry about them. Just think about you. Here is what you have. Time, talent, and treasure.
Now you may have more time than you think. And you may have less time than you think. But you have it for now. And then you have your talent. The abilities God has given you. And of course you have your treasure and your resources. So what happens to the irresponsible servant? Verse 28. The master says, Take the money from this servant and give it to the one with ten bags of gold. To those who use well what they are given even more will be given and they will have an abundance. And for those who are unfaithful even what little they have will be taken away. Interesting. Sounds like God's. definition of the redistribution of wealth is a little bit different than ours. It is actually the very opposite. We say, No. That person who succeeded in life, he shouldn't have all that. Let's take some of it and give it to this other person who has not succeeded. And in this parable Jesus says, Let's take it from the guy who didn't do anything with what he had and give it to the guy who achieved. It is a different dynamic altogether.
We have something to offer. Let's offer it to the Lord. God gives to every Christian certain gifts. We call them gifts of the Spirit. These are different than natural talents. Gifts of the Spirit that are instilled in your life when you believe in Jesus. In fact over in Romans 12 it says, We have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If a man's gift is prophesying let him do it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving let him serve. If it is teaching let him teach. If it is encouraging well let him encourage. If it is contributing to the needs of others let him give generously. If he is called to leadership let him govern diligently. If it is showing mercy let him do it cheerfully.
God has given you gifts. You say, Well Greg I don't know what my gift is. You want to find out what your gifts are? Just start volunteering for stuff. And you will find out real fast. I want to help here in children's ministry. OK. I am not very good at that. OK. Let me try this. I want to help out here and I want to teach the Bible. Say, Oh my. All right. OK. I am not very good at that. Let me try this. Let me try that. Oh man. Oh well. All that is left is this. Boom. You hit your sweet spot. See. God gifts us differently in different ways. In unexpected ways. Sometimes one of the best ways to find out what your gift is is through process of elimination.
Maybe you see lost people and you have a burden to reach them. Maybe God has given you the gift of the evangelist. You don't have to be a preacher in a pulpit to be an evangelist. I have met a lot of people out on the streets that put me to shame. I have watched them walk up to complete strangers, engage them, share the gospel, lead them to the Lord while I was just standing there saying, Well I don't know if I would do that exactly. See. They are gifted as an evangelist. Maybe God has given you that gift. I remember when I was a young Christian I went down to San Diego after I had known the Lord for a couple of years to see Billy Graham preach. And when the invitation was given I walked forward. Not to get saved but to get a closer look at Billy Graham. And I stood there looking up at him. And I thought, That is what I want to be when I grow up. Now I never thought I would preach in a stadium or anything large. But I felt called to share my faith with nonbelievers. So God sort of put that little seed in my heart early on. And it grew and broke ground later. And maybe God has given you a vision or a dream as to what is still in your future. I don't know how this could ever happen. Don't worry about that. Just be faithful in what God has set before you now.
God revealed to Joseph the role he would play later in life. But sometimes it is better to keep your dreams to yourself. Remember what happened when he told his brothers, Hey brothers I was dreaming the other night and you were all like stalks of grain bowing down before me. Yeah. They sold him because of that. But in the end that actually happened literally as he was in charge of the world's food supply as brothers bowed before him. Maybe God has given you that dream. There are other types of gifts. Maybe you see things that are not working. You walk around the church and say, that doesn't seem right to me. That isn't done as well as it could be. So you must have the gift of complaining. Oh right. That is not in the Bible. Well maybe you have the gift of giving. Or you have another gift. A gift in governments where you could chip in and help.
You know when someone comes and says, I don't like this at the church. My response is, well what are you going to do to help us fix it? You know it is easy to critique. What is your solution? You tell me how you would do it differently. Well I would do this and so. Well let's go try your point. Yeah. Come on. Get in there. Get skin in the game. Get in the arena. Maybe you like to take people into your home and feed them. Bless them. That is good. That is a gift of hospitality. Maybe you like to encourage people to reach their potential. Fantastic. That is called the gift of exhortation. Maybe you like to see people learn and grow spiritually. Perhaps you have the gift of teaching. Everybody has gifts. Listen. The gifts of the Spirit are not toys to play with. They are tools to build with and weapons to fight with. Let's find our gift and let's use our gift.
Band Illustration – Every Part Matters
Allow me to illustrate. I am going to ask the band to come out for a moment. Would you like an illustration? It is eight o'clock. You have had enough sleep. Wake up. Okay. Now this is a fantastic band that leads us in worship every week. Right? Are they not? Come on. You know they are. And see these guys work together. They worship together. They pray together. They serve together. They hang out. And they get these songs worked out before they come and present them to us to encourage us in our worship. And everyone plays a part. There is a part for acoustic guitar that sort of lays the foundation, the rhythm. We have keyboards that play a significant part of course. Bass and drums and lead guitar.
Now if you just take one part it is good but it is not as good as it could be. Like let's just, you know, just an acoustic rhythm guitar. It sounds great. I can worship with that. But it sounds even a little better if you bring in some keys. Just some keys. Okay. This is sounding better. It is good. But what if I had bass and drums? All right. Now we are getting some keys somewhere. This is good. I think we need lead guitar now. Yeah. There you go. Show offs. No. I asked them to do that. But to see how every part supports the other part. You have to be in tune. You have to be in the same rhythm. You have to know what the other guy is doing. You might be in a lead role. I mean everybody loves electric lead guitar. And we may not notice bass or drums as much. Or keys. But they all play a role.
You know Leonard Bernstein, a famous composer and conductor, was once asked the question, What is the most difficult instrument to play in the orchestra? The most difficult instrument to play in the orchestra? You know what his answer was? Second fiddle. He says, I get plenty of first violinists. But to find someone to play second fiddle or second violin with as much enthusiasm or second French horn or second flute that is a problem. You know we want to be lead guitar. Right. We want to be the main violinist. Well yeah someone is going to do that. But someone has got to be second fiddle. Someone has got to play bass. Someone has got to play drums. Someone has got to mix sound. Someone has got to plug all the chords into the amps and into the speakers. Someone has got to help set the stuff up. Someone has got to help tear the stuff down. You know everybody has a role. Someone is going to sing into the microphone. You have a place in the church. You may be a five bag person. You may be a one bag person. Whatever it is just put it to work. Here is the bottom line. Use Lose it or lose it. We have a God-given responsibility to have skin in this game. A God-given responsibility to play our part. Each servant was given an opportunity. Not the same ability but some ability. So make the most of what God has given to you.
Again to quote James Merritt. Quote, That is what responsibility is. It is the right response to one's ability. What is important to God is not what ability He has given you. What is important to God is how you respond to that ability. So when God looks at you He doesn't compare you with someone else. He compares you with you. Are you doing what you are supposed to do? Am I doing what I am supposed to do?
So get out of the bleachers and get on the field. Get out of the critique business and get in the service business. And that is when a big church will become a small one for you. We have so many midweek worship opportunities here that you can be a part of. That makes a big church a small church. We have so many things happening here. Places that you can serve where you can develop friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime. So I am encouraging you to get skin in this game. And I am encouraging you to find your place in the church.
Maybe the Lord has directed some of you to start a Bible study. Go start a Bible study. Oh I could never do that. I am not qualified. Just go do it. The Lord leads. Oh no no. Let me say something that might shock you. To say no to that could actually be sinful. Well wait now Greg you are going too far. Sinful is like you know breaking a commandment. Yeah that is sin. But the Bible says to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. So there is a sin of omission which is failing to do what God is telling you to do. The Lord said, I want you involved in the ministry. Oh I don't know. Hey just get in there and do it. Watch what the Lord will do through you as a result of your obedience to Him. Find your place in the church.
Listen. Nobody has more skin in this game than Jesus Christ. Jesus was God with skin on. And He showed His love for us when He came and died for us and we believed in Him. The Bible says husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church because He loved her and gave Himself for her. So don't be dissing the church. That is the bride of Christ. You know you want to get on my bad side and insult my wife. You and me we have a problem. Don't you insult my wife. And in the same way we say, Well I love the Lord. I just don't love the church. Hey man you just effectively insulted His bride. Watch out.
Remember Saul of Tarsus was hunting down Christians and Jesus stopped them on the Damascus road. And what did He say to Saul? Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? He didn't say why do you persecute the church. He said me. Why? Because when someone messes with the church they mess with the Lord. It is personal to Him. And it should be personal to us. I am so thankful He wants that kind of relationship with me. I want to find my part in the church and be playing that part. So let's do that for the glory of God.
Facility Improvements – Enhancing Fellowship
OK. Today we are taking two bold steps of faith in Harvest overall. At Harvest Orange County building we have just secured a new building. And we have been making our way in this smaller building and it has been a short term lease and they are tearing up property around it. So we are going to have to move out. We have just found a building. And we are going to show Harvest Orange County a video about this new building here at Harvest Riverside as the Lord has continued to bless us. We see need to make some changes in our facilities. So on both campuses now we are going to show videos, one for the future of Harvest Orange County, one for the future of Harvest Riverside. So turn your attention to the screen.
Hey everyone, Pastor Greg here. You know, when we look at the church of the first century, the church that changed the world, we read that there were a lot of things in play. I've described it with the acronym WELL. W-E-L-L. W for they were a worshiping church. E for they were an evangelistic church. L number one for they were a learning church. And L number two, they were a loving church. Let me focus on that last L for a moment. They were a loving church. In the book of Acts, we read that they continued steadfastly and the apostles' doctrine and the breaking of bread. And they had fellowship one with another. You know, the word that is used there in the book of Acts, our fellowship, is not an easy word to define. It's the Greek word koinonia. It's translated as the word fellowship, communion, in common. And basically it's a word that includes all of the things I just said and much more. You know, church isn't just about listening to a sermon or worshiping. It's about fellowship. It's when we get together and we talk one with another. And we spend time with each other. It's an interesting passage where God speaks of the fact that when his people speak his name, he sort of leans down and listens. Sort of like if you were somewhere and someone mentioned your name and maybe didn't know you were around and your ear perks up, right? Hey, they just said your name. That's how the Lord is. When we talk about him, he listens carefully. He's interested. So we want to do everything we can do here at Harvest to provide for you an amazing fellowship opportunity. We want to teach you God's word. We want to give you the best worship we can. And we want you to have time to get to know one another and develop relationships and friendships that can last a lifetime. So we have some exciting plans in store that we're going to unveil for the first time today. So here's Pastor John Collins with more.
Hi, Harvest. Pastor John here. I'm standing in what has been known as the prayer room. For many years, people have come into this room after they've made a profession of faith in Christ and been counseled and given materials to move forward in their walk with the Lord. It's been a great use of this space. However, we've long had need for more of a prayer chapel. And so this room is now going to be used for both. We've redesigned it and we've put in a whole new backdrop. There will be more slate coming on this wall, put in new ceilings and made it feel more like a small chapel. And so there's going to be opportunity in days ahead to use this room for memorial services or for small weddings and for just opportunity during the week to come and pray. And it's just the first of several new ideas and plans that we have for the campus. And so I'm going to take you outside and show you a few more.
Hi, I'm now standing out in front of the sanctuary. This is an area that we use for signing people up to retreats or various activities that are going on around the church. But one of the problems we've always faced is just the sun. It's very hot out here and it becomes very uncomfortable. So we've been attempting to shade it with small umbrellas and whatnot. But we are going to, on the plans that I've got here in my hand, we're going to cover this whole area with shade. And we're going to make it an area that will be much more conducive to fellowship and hanging out and just enjoying the environment.
Now I'd like to show you some other opportunities for shade that we are going to do in the upper campus. The first area you're going to see progress in is on our children's playground. These kids definitely need some shade, so we're going to build some shade structures that will go all the way in between these buildings and shade this entire area so that our little ones can stay cool.
Future plans down the road apiece, we're looking at building a family pavilion where newcomers and just people with family in general that want to gather together during a service can gather in a little building that we'll be building here that will allow them to watch the service on video.
One of the nicest areas on campus, I believe, is our baptismal area. But it also suffers from a lot of sunlight and I think we can get much more use out of it if we're able to put shading up here. So that's also planned and we'll be looking at that in the next several months as well.
Lastly, we're going to be adding some shade right here to the center where a lot of people congregate during the message and we're not sure exactly what it'll be, but we're working on some plans for that. We just know a lot of people gather here and we need shade. And we also need a little bit more shade down in the courtyard area where people watch on the big screen, so that'll be a part of the long-term plans as well.
So, these things will be happening as funds become available, so be praying for it. And we're looking forward to making your campus an even greater place to hang out and have fellowship. God bless you.
I was looking at that one structure with that giant Harvest logo in it and I thought it kind of defeats a purpose a little bit. Everybody have a Harvest sunburn on their head, you know. That's just a comp. That's not the way it will actually look. But, you know, here is the idea of all of this that we are doing. It is just to enhance and encourage. the fellowship here. We want to help make a big church a small church. The Lord has blessed us with a lot of fantastic facilities. We are just going and taking the next logical step.
So, listen, here is the bottom line. As we encourage you all to have skin in this game. Don't just come on Sunday morning. How many of you come to one of our midweek Bible studies? Raise your hand. God bless you. How many of you don't come? I am not going to mock you. It is okay. You don't come. Why? Okay. I am sorry. I can't resist a mock. I know you are like me. You are missing out. Men's Bible study. Valor. Women's Bible study called Virtue. Midweek Bible study with Pastor Jeff. All kinds of other things going out. I am telling you what. You go to some of these services, these ministries. It will make a big church a small church.
And how many of you are involved in a ministry. You serve in some capacity here at Harvest. Raise your hand up. Okay. Well God bless you. There is a lot of you that did not raise your hand. That is how you get skin in the game. Okay. Where can I serve? Where is there a need? What can I do? There is a place for all of us to serve the Lord. Let's find that place and start doing it.
And finally a way to have skin in this game is to give financially. I don't know of any way more that says it more than by your investment. We are saying I believe in this. It is interesting that Jesus actually used a financial example to make His point. Taking actual resources and multiplying them. So we take what God has given us and we invest it in His kingdom for Him to use to touch other lives.
So let's consider that prayerfully as we receive our morning tithes and offerings. Let's pray together. Father thank You for Your faithfulness to this church. Thank You for all You have done over the many years. Now we pray You will continue to bless. And that we will continue to reach more people. Especially younger people Lord. And that we will find Your hand on us. Provide for all the needs that we have. And we know Lord that You provide for Your people through Your people to reach other people. So we give to You now gladly for all You have done for us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.