The Call of Jesus
Welcome to this lesson 9 that is called "As Lambs Among Wolves".
I hope it's okay I'm going to provoke you a little here.
I'm going to challenge you and say something that will really make you think.
I hope you are ready for that.
We start to get a lot of feedback from my new book "The Call of Jesus".
A person from Canada wrote this about the book:
"Best book I've ever read besides the Bible.
This book is a must read for everybody, especially the Body of Christ!
It's a wake-up call that's urgently needed in these last days,
and will lead believers back to the first love with real joy and excitement
in their walk with the Lord!"
So, one person said that it was the best book he has ever read, beside the Bible.
And I believe also, when you read the book, the whole book,
or move on in this video series with me, you will find it very, very good,
very interesting. Why?
Especially in the end, when we are going to put it all together.
What we are doing now is we are taking it verse by verse,
word by word, what Jesus is saying in Luke 10.
And then later we will put more meat on it,
and later we will put it together,
and send you out with it,
send you out to live this life Jesus has for you.
After Jesus said in the beginning of Luke 10 that the harvest is ready
and the workers are few, then He said that we should pray
the Lord of the harvest to send out workers -
something we have been looking at.
And then in Luke 10:3 He says this:
"Go your way: behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."
This is what we are going to look at today.
One of the first things He said there is: Go!
Go your way.
What you need to understand is that the harvest is ready.
The harvest is plentiful.
The harvest is not the problem.
The problem is the workers.
And we looked at that last time, that we should pray the Lord of the harvest
to send out workers.
But then He says this: Go your way.
Or said in other works: Go out in harvest.
Go out in the harvest.
Why? Because the harvest is not going to come to us.
Try to imagine a farmer, a farmer out in the real world,
who is standing there and looking at the harvest.
And when he's looking at the harvest he sees that the harvest is huge,
the harvest is plentiful and the harvest is ripe.
The harvest is so ready, the harvest is so ripe.
And he just feels that joy.
What does he do?
He opens the barn door and then he looks over the harvest,
and then this farmer would say: Harvest! Come in!
Come in to the barn!
And then, he looks at the harvest and he sees something interesting.
He sees that the harvest doesn't come into the barn.
So, he starts to think.
What is wrong with the harvest?
Maybe the harvest doesn't hear me. Maybe I need to shout a little louder.
Harvest! Harvest! Come in!
Harvest, the barn is ready! The barn is ready for you!
Come in, harvest!
And he shouts louder.
But still the harvest doesn't come in.
So, he starts to think what is wrong with that harvest.
Why the harvest doesn't want to come in to the barn?
And then he looks at the barn and he thinks: Oh, now I know it.
The barn is dirty.
The harvest doesn't want to come into a dirty barn.
So, he fixes the barn now.
He gets all the dirt out and he even puts a nice carpet on the barn floor.
He even puts a coffee machine into the barn, he fixes it up, and has lights,
and he makes the barn so cozy. He even puts some very nice soft music in,
to the barn, so the barn is so amazing and so cozy.
And then he goes out and he looks at the harvest and says:
Harvest, come in!
And the harvest still doesn't come in.
Why?
Because the harvest doesn't care how cozy the barn is.
The harvest cannot stand up and come in.
The harvest is not created to come into the barn.
The only thing he, actually, got out of fixing the barn and making it so cozy,
with soft music, and lights, and sofa, and coffee machine,
is that now all the workers are sitting in there and doesn't want to go out.
The only thing we really get out of fixing our churches
is that is so cozy and nice that no one wants to leave them.
But you know, the people out there, the harvest, the sinners,
they don't care how fine the churches are.
The harvest is not created to stand up and go into the barn.
No, the workers are created to stand up and go out in harvest.
And this is what we should have done in the churches.
Instead of making nice churches and hoping that people will come in to us,
we should be training and equipping them, the workers, to go out there.
And again, I'd like to say, not go and stand on a platform in Africa.
Just go out to that harvest that's just outside the door,
to find the person of peace, and go to their house,
and eat and drink what they serve,
and do everything I'm going to look at later in this book.
I want to read here.
"Are we not doing exactly what the farmer did in our churches?
We use a lot of time, money, resources to make our churches (barns)
look nice and cozy with beautiful carpet and lights.
We even play music to set the right atmosphere.
We do all of this with the belief that if the church is nice and cozy
and the sermon is just right, then people will start to come
into the church by themselves and get saved."
I just want to say...
This is what most people are doing.
Yes, of course, you can see a little fruit of that.
Of course, there are some people today,
and mostly church people,
who change one church to another, and so on,
but a sinner out there...
Yes, we see a little fruit, but I guarantee you...
You will see so much more fruit
instead, if you start to train and equip workers to go out.
Why? Let's say you have a church with 100 people.
And you have a few people come in, to you, here and there.
But how often do you see a church with 100 people
that is 100 one year and then 200 next year, and then 400, and then 800,
and then 1600, and 3200 and 6400? We don't see that.
That is just 100% growth.
That is just one person leading the one to Christ.
Per year.
Why? Because most people in church never lead anyone to Christ.
They are not equipped for it. They don't know what to do.
They don't go out and do it.
And this is what it is - you are called to lead people to Christ.
You are not called to just be in church where other people do it.
You are called to lead the harvest, the people to Christ.
So, what we are saying is that the harvest is not the problem.
The harvest has never been the problem.
The problem is us.
The problem is you and me.
But we can do something about it.
And we need to start with obeying what Jesus has commanded us to.
Let's move on and look at what Jesus also is saying in Luke 10:3:
"Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."
I send you out as lambs among wolves.
I think we have read that so many times without really stopping up and thinking:
What? What? What? What is it Jesus You are saying?
What are You saying here, Jesus?
I send you out as lambs among wolves.
Try to imagine Jesus standing with a little, little lamb;
I have a picture here; with a little lamb in His arms.
A lamb is very, very, very helpless.
Meh, or baa...
In Europe we say: meh. In America I think they say: baa.
But, no matter if it's a meh or baa, what happens?
A little meh cannot scare wolf away.
But Jesus takes this little lamb and send him out among wolves.
Try to imagine this.
Try to imagine Jesus's standing with a little lamb. Meh... baa....
And then He sees wolf out there.
Whoa! Look at those wolves. Those wolves want to eat you.
Baa! They want to eat you. Baa!
And then He takes this little lamb and then He says: Out with you.
I send you out as lamb among wolves.
What can a lamb do?
A lamb is, as I said, very helpless.
That "baa" is not going to chase the wolf away.
A lamb is not very good camouflaged. Is it? No.
It cannot climb trees. No. It's not very fast. No.
A lamb is, actually, very, very, very helpless.
And I think that's why Jesus chose that picture.
A lamb is, actually, one of those few animals we really see, who needs a shepherd.
Cats don't need a shepherd. They are very fast.
Dogs don't need a shepherd. It can bark, have teeth, and so on.
And snakes don't need a shepherd. Birds can fly away. Don't need a shepherd.
But a lamb need a shepherd.
Sheep need a shepherd.
What good shepherd, in his right mind, would do what Jesus is doing?
Sending the little, little lamb out among wolves.
There is only one shepherd who would do that,
who is sending His sweet lamb among wolves.
And that is the good shepherd Jesus.
And that is the shepherd who goes with the lamb.
And this is what He is doing. He is sending us out among wolves,
but He is not staying behind, waiting,
while the wolves are coming and eating us.
He said: Go! Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.
And then He goes with us.
And this is the first what you are going to experience.
When you step out there...
you can feel like little lamb... meh... baa... I'm afraid.
But when you go, you will experience that He is with you.
Go out there among wolves.
You know, the wolf can be a picture of everything that tries to create fear in us.
But the truth is - it's not easy out there.
It's not easy.
And He has never promised that it would be easy.
He has said that we will experience persecution.
He has said that people will speak against us.
He has said that people will even beat some of us,
throw us to jail and kill us.
He has not promised us that it would be easy,
but He has promised us that He will go with us.
Many shepherds today in the churches do the opposite of Jesus.
They keep lambs away from wolves.
They are like: as soon as somebody gets saved:
No, no, no. Come in, come in here in the fine church.
Oh, don't go out there. And when people start to go out:
Be careful, be careful. There's wolves out there. They want to eat you.
Be back here. And we keep people away from the wolves.
But it's out there where the harvest is.
And we need to be out there in the harvest.
And we should not keep people away from the wolves,
because the wolves are there, but Jesus is also there.
Jesus is going with us.
And this is what we need to learn.
I want to read more from my book here:
"So, do not be afraid!
Take the first step, and you will see that Jesus is with you!
Jesus' Word to you and me is, "Go!"
We should go out as lambs among wolves.
He did not say, "Stay here because there are wolves out there."
No, He said, "Go!" Yes, there's wolves out there,
and they will never disappear.
They are there to put fear in you, and that is just how it is.
Remember that next time you are going to take a step and go to somebody
and open your mouth to speak about Jesus with people you know or do not know.
You might feel the fear is coming.
You might feel like a little lamb and just want to say,
'baa' while your legs are shaking like a little newborn lamb
trying to take the first small steps.
But then remember Jesus' words,
and instead of saying, 'baa,' say, 'AMEN,'
knowing that Jesus is going with you!
Then, boldly take the first step in faith!"
What we read here is not just words.
What Jesus has said is real.
He is sending us out as lambs among wolves.
And yes, we will feel fear.
The fear is there.
The fear is never going to disappear completely.
It's not going to disappear.
It hasn't disappeared in my life.
But, I have experienced now so many times,
when I, as a little lamb, baa... take the first step, baa... meh...
and go out there, and experience that, wow, it went good,
wow, Jesus was with me!
In that moment I took that step, in that moment I opened my mouth,
in that moment I laid hands on people, when I was out there,
it was not so bad as I feared. Jesus gave me strength. Jesus was with me.
Ha!
I will never forget that.
And then yes, you forget a little till the next time,
but still you remember a little of it.
And you remember: Hey, He was with me last time.
He will be with me this time.
And then next time: He was with me last time
and the time before. He will also be with me this time.
And the next time: He was with me there, there, there.
He will also be with me there.
So, the fear will never disappear, but you will remember,
by experience, that He is with you,
and therefore it becomes easier, and easier, and easier, and easier.
So, I really want to encourage you out there and say:
Don't be afraid. Go!
Jesus did not say this we read here, for us only to read about it,
to pray about it, to memorize it, to even learn it in Greek and Hebrew.
He's teaching us His words that we might obey them.
For you to obey it.
And can I be a little harsh now? Can I provoke you a little?
Don't be deceived.
Do not be one of those we read about in the Bible
who calls on Jesus and calls Him: Lord, Lord!
But Jesus will one day say: Why do you call me: Lord, Lord,
if you do not do what I say?
You know from the last time and from the teaching we have seen until now,
that it's not about our church way, it's not about how we do mission
out of the church box. It's about Christ, Christ and Christ alone,
and what He has called us to, and we are His disciples.
We have looked how the harvest is ready,
the harvest is really, really ready and plentiful,
and we need to pray the Lord of the harvest to send out workers,
but then we need to go out ourselves.
And I encourage you to keep praying, keep praying every day
for the Lord to send out more workers, but I also encourage you - start to go.
Go. Take the first step.
And now again, we are not talking that you need to go to Africa
and stand on a platform, or you have to stand in the church with a mike in your hand.
Just, look around you.
Where are the people around you who need Jesus?
Where are the people who you can share Jesus with?
Especially this time, with the end times, crazy time we are living in,
with all the fear, with virus, and all of this.
It's really the time for the church to rise up and shine.
To open the mouth to be bold.
Don't say: bee... or meh...
Say: Amen! Amen!
I believe in Jesus' word. Yes, I feel like a little lamb,
but I will go out. I will act on Jesus' word,
and I will invite my neighbors over and sit with them and share the gospel.
I will take this video with the gospel and share with them.
That can be the first start with you.
I will go public on Facebook and proclaim Jesus.
I don't know where you'll start, but this is what I encourage you to do.
Remember the picture of Jesus, the lamb and the wolves.
Yes, you will feel fear.
But until the next time, I really, really encourage you -
take some steps.
Do something you have not done before, when it comes to sharing Jesus,
when it comes to open your mouth.
I remember the first time I should have prayed loud -
that was a big step for me.
I remember the first time I should have opened my mouth and talk about Jesus
to somebody I did not know - it was a big step for me.
I remember the first time I've done anything.
Why? Because all the beginnings are difficult.
And especially when we talk about sharing Jesus.
But I also saw that when I open my mouth and share about Jesus...
Hallelujah! He was with me.
And it encouraged me, and I grew from there,
and I saw what Jesus is saying: The harvest is truly ready, truly plentiful.
So, until next time, keep praying that the workers will be sent out to the harvest,
but also take a step in faith.
Do something you have not done before.
Share Jesus with somebody.
Do something you have not done before
and see that He is with you.
See you next time! Bye-bye!
The Call of Jesus