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"You know the saying, 'Four months between planting and harvest.' But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest."
(John 4:35, NLT)
Today, I will wrap up my summation of the message by Pastor Chris Hodges from Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, AL. He shared this sermon at the America Prays conference in Austin, TX on April 15. He shared these four principles for reaching people from Pastor Rick Warren:
- Every Christian must accept responsibility to reach their world, their sphere of influence. Help build a church lost people love to attend. Hodges asks his church members to commit to bringing lost people with them to church at least 2 out of the 52 Sundays a year. The Church of the Highlands sees 20,000 people saved each year.
- Develop personal relationships. It is imperative that Christians meet and befriend those who do not know the Lord.
- Share your personal story. Hodges used the analogy of a courtroom to make this point. He said we are not the Judge, or the jury, and neither are we the prosecuting or defense attorneys when it comes to sharing Jesus. We are simply the witness on the stand to tell what we have seen and experienced. (I thought that was a powerful analogy.)
- Invite them to Jesus. Give people an opportunity to respond to Jesus. Hodges said if you don't invite them to Jesus then at least invite them to church.
Pastor Chris Hodges closed his sermon with a personal story of witnessing to a businessman on the airplane. He said we all have to fight the gravitational pull to selfishness. He was flying to Boston and was hoping not to talk to anyone but to get a nap instead. As soon as he landed, he would leave the airport and go directly to the conference where he was to speak. A man named Billy plopped down beside him, elbowed him, and asked, "What do you do?" He told Billy he was a pastor. Billy said, "Don't talk to me about that stuff. I am Jewish!" Chris replied that Jesus was Jewish too. That statement grabbed Billy's attention, and he told Chris to continue on and talk to him. Nap or no nap, Chris knew he needed to witness to Billy! When Chris asked how he was doing, Billy let out this awful cry. He said his best friend had died of a heart attack and it had just devastated him. Chris said, "The reason you are so sad is you do not have hope," and explained to him that Christians have hope because of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Billy asked Pastor Chris Hodges, "How do I get this hope?" When they landed in Boston, Chris led Billy in the sinner's prayer while holding his hands in the airport! Billy, who was very wealthy and owned multiple children's toy stores, reached for his wallet and offered to pay Chris, and Chris said, "Oh no, you don't owe me anything. The Gospel is free to all who will believe!"
I pray that God empowers you and me to lift up our eyes and truly see people. So many are hurting and, I believe, would receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior if you and I would share Jesus with them and give them an opportunity to respond. The fields are ripe for harvest!
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