Build The Found

our Father wants us to build the found. Write that down, build the found. We are to be about the Father's business. The Father's business is to reach the lost and to build the found. Now, build the found; the Biblical term for that is discipleship. Because Jesus had all of these masses of people didn't he? Thousands of them, and they would all be following him and he would be feeding them and teaching them. He actually had hundreds of disciples as well. But, he only chose 12 disciples to build and develop. There is a great Scripture in Mark 3 that I want to read. Verse 13, we are going to break it down and see; well, how did he build them? What did he do with these disciples? It says, "Jesus went up on a mountainside and he called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve - designating them apostles-that they might be with him," let's just stop right there. Jesus spent time with these guys, they were with him, they lived with him, they went places together, they traveled together, he was with them. It wasn't just one hour in a Life Group, it wasn't just maybe an accountability meeting once a month. No, he was with them, he had time with them. You see, mentoring is inconvenient; it's not easy, it takes time. And what else did Jesus do with these boys? He says, "He might send them out to preach." He gave them something to do, he empowered them. He said, "Alright boys, I want you to take my good news, I want you to go out and do it." He sent them out, he invested his time, he was with them, and then he sent them out. What else did he do? Verse 15; "He gave them authority to drive out demons." He took risks on these twelve. He let them represent his name, he let them represent the Father's name. He let them go out representing him, knowing full well that one of them would turn on him, one of them would stab him in the back; betray him. Yet, he didn't quit, he invested. I think that this whole mentoring deal is one of the most underdeveloped and underpotentialed areas of the church. I think mentoring has so much potential, and it is really an untapped area; because here is what I see at church as a campus pastor. I see a lot of people, and the church is the Body of Christ, it's people. I see people with great marriages, okay? And I also see people who have got marriages who are really struggling. So then, I see guys who are doing really well, and girls in business, but I see others who are really struggling with their finances. And then, I see some people who are just spiritual giants, they know the Word, they seek God, they hear from him; and their gifts, they are just moving in them. Then others, who are just baby Christians and they don't know anything. I see these two groups; what if we saw this taking place amongst us? Not just the pastor teaching, as our Senior Pastor Craig does, such a wonderful job each week. What if we disciple and mentor each other? There is a power there that Jesus knew about. There is a power there that he tapped into, knowing full well he was going to leave in three and a half years, invested his time into twelve; that they would carry the message to the ends of the world. In the end, we are sitting here today, because of what those twelve did, because of what Jesus did by pouring into them. Who do you know that you could be discipling? I challenge you, go talk to your campus pastor. Tell him, "I don't have a perfect marriage, but we have a healthy marriage, we want to help someone else." Tell him, "Pastor, my marriage is struggling, I really want to be mentored." I've seen marriages just come back together. At the Edmond Campus, we have this great mentoring-marriage program, where we connect people who are just getting married and those who are struggling together. I have seen things just turn around, as people invest their life and their time into each other. I challenge you today, we have got to be about the Father's business, we have got to reach out to the lost. But, we also have to build the found, we have to build the found. So, as I wrap this message out today, I want to ask a very pointed question for all of us. As Jesus was about his Father's business, even unto death, what are we about? What are you about? What are you about? What are we doing in life? Where are we spending our money and our time? What the heck are we doing? What are we about? I am going to go first, and then it's your turn, okay? As I look back on my time pastoring here at Life Church; unfortunately, I have to be brutally honest and say, more often than not I was more about me than I was about the Father's business. I didn't recognize it at the time, and it was kind of camouflaged in working hard; because, man I wanted the church to succeed. I gave it everything I had, no one worked harder than me. I was the first one there, the last one to leave, I would do whatever it took. I gave everything I had, and that was the problem, it was what I could do, it was about me. God couldn't honor that, God couldn't bless that. Because, if it became about me being able to make the thing succeed, then I am leaving him out, and that is what I did. So, through a season of just brokenness like you wouldn't believe, and just surrender and self awareness, and God just allowing me to fall flat on my face; I came to a point where I said, "God, I need you, I want your plan, your will, your strength, your Spirit, I can't do it, I don't have the ability." That is what God wants from all of us, he wants us to come to that place no matter what we do, he wants us to come to a place where we are saying, "God, I want your plan, I want your will, I want you more than I want what I want, I want to pursue your dreams and your plans, and your purpose for me." So what about you now? What are you about? Let's say we opened up your checkbook and your bank statement; what is your money going towards? Let's say we ask, "Where do we spend your time and where are your passions?" What about if I asked your kids, "Hey kids, what does mom and dad do? What are they most passionate about?" What about you? Don't let this be just another message, that I get up here and try to speak. I am praying that I would get out of the way, that somehow the Spirit of God would go ahead and come and just confront you guys and say, "Look, it's about my Father's business, it's about Jesus." When I do funerals, it's kind of like summing someone's life up. Sometimes they can be the most exciting times really, and positive times; because people will sit around as a family, and share story after story after story about how that person impacted someone else, and how they helped and trained, and they have got this legacy of just developing and helping, and loving and caring. These relationships they are going to take home to eternity. Then I will go and sit with some other families, and I will say, "Tell me about such and such." There will be silence, I just want to die, I want to get out of that place! Someone might say, "Well, he was good at golf, he liked sports!" I have to sum up this life, and share it to honor that person and to honor God in a funeral service. And what funerals do, they kind of give you a time out and they say, "Okay let's access where we are at, what are we focusing on? What is important here?" Let me tell you, the Father's business, seeking the lost, developing the found; because I tell you what happens. When you give yourself over to God, when you allow him to be all he can be in and through you, it is the most rewarding, satisfying thing you can do. When you see people come to church, or you invest in their lives, and they raise their hand at the end of the experience, and they give their life for Jesus Christ, and they are saved for eternity; I tell you, that fires and stirs you up! When you impart into someone's life, and you spend years caring and pouring in, and they succeed in their marriage, or their Spiritual life, and they grow and develop, and you say, "I've planted a seed, I've had a piece to play in that." Oh, it's exciting what God can do through us, church, as we seek the Father's business. Oh, God has so much more for us. God has so much more for you. God has so much he wants to do in your job. God has so much he wants to do, he wants you to be the lighthouse for those people around you, he wants you to be the light to those in your community and your neighborhood, he wants you to reach the lost and to build the found; to be like Christ. What are you about today? In this time and season of busyness, let's just stop and say, "God, I want to be about you! God, I want to do your will, I want to be about the Father's business." Hey Thanks for viewing part of this message if you would like to watch this message in its entirety or any of our messages you can go to www.lifechurch.tv and I'll see you there.