Motivation - The Propulsion of Disciplemaking, Part 1

Father, we thank you so much for how you have worked in our lives. We thank you for your Spirit that enables us to live each and every day in dependence upon our great God and Savior. We thank you, Lord, for the wonderful gift of salvation that enables us to know our God and to live in a relationship with Him. We thank you for the Bible that gives us an opportunity to know our Lord in a more intimate way as you speak to us through your word. And tonight, I pray that you'd help all of us to understand.

Your call upon our life that we might bring greater glory to our great God. In Jesus' name, amen. It was Li Heng Chang, an old Chinese leader who said there are three kinds of people in the world. The immovable, the movable, and those who move them. Which are you? Three kinds of people: those who don't want to be moved, those who are willing to be moved, and those Who moved them? Tonight, we want to talk about those who move them. Those who have the ability. To get people to do what they don't want to do and like doing it.

That is a motivator. That is a person who's able to lead people pro. They're like a magnet. They pull people along with them. Because they are going in a certain direction, and by virtue of their magnetism, not by anything they themselves have done. But by the wonderful grace and work of God in your lives, they are pulling people with them by their example, by their influence. And those people follow because there's a direction given to them that they can see and know where they need to be. Tonight, we want to talk about motivation.

How to motivate your disciple. We've called it the propulsion of disciple-making, that which propels people on. Now, I know there are some people might think, well, this is kind of a secular topic, but it's not. Because motivation is something that God wants us to do, He wants us to be able to motivate people. To move them on. Help them understand how they can be motivated inwardly by demonstrating to them outwardly who we are and what God has done in our lives. To be a motivator, you must be a person of vision.

A man or woman of vision. And I want to talk to you about that this evening as we come to understand, first of all, the prerequisite to motivation.

Then we're going to look at the procedure of motivation. What is it you actually do to help motivate people? And then, lastly, we're going to look at the perspective of the motivator.

These are very important principles for you. If you're a parent, these things should be dear to your heart. You should be able to take what you hear this week and next time we're together because we're not going to be able to finish the outline tonight. But and why are you not surprised about that, right? But to be able to help you understand that these things. To parents are extremely crucial. If you're in any kind of leadership position outside your home, then these become extremely important for you.

Because you need to be a man or woman of vision. And if you are, you're a motivator. You'll be able to move people, propel people toward maturity. Because there's something about your life, some kind of spiritual magnetism that draws them to you because you know who you are, what you're about, and where you're going. Listen, everybody's looking for somebody to follow like that. They want to know somebody who knows who they are and where they're going and how they're going to get there. If you're out there thinking, I don know who I am, I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know what life's about, and I don know where I'm going, guess what?

Nobody's going to Why? Because you don't motivate anybody. Everybody else is like that. They want somebody they can follow. And that person has vision. And so the prerequisite. To motivation is vision. And vision consists of three main elements. There might be more, but there are at least three elements. Of the visionary that you need to understand. And if time would permit, I would spend the whole evening. On this, but I'm not going to do that, but I want to give you the three tonight. Number one: a man who has a vision, and I'm going define that for you: a man who is able to see into the future.

Is a man who, number one, focuses on God's pres. He focuses on God's presence. Any man, woman, individual of vision sees, listen, sees the unseen. He sees that which is not visible to the physical eye, but only visible to the spiritual eye. For example, 2 Corinthians chapter 4, Paul would say, We don't lose heart, we don't quit, we don't give up. Why? He says, verse 16: Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.

While we look not at things which are seen. But at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eter. Paul wasn't focusing in on that which he saw. Why? 2 Corinthians 5:7, the next chapter says, We walk by faith and not by sight. A person who walks by faith and not by sight walks on the basis of what God says, not on the basis of what he sees.

That's a man who walks by faith and not by sight. Because the man of faith has faith in what God has already said. So he walks on the basis of what God has already said, not on the basis of what he sees. Because what he sees is not always equivalent to what God says.

So this man has a unique perception. Remember, the Bible says, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they sh see God.

You say, wait a minute. The Bible says no man can see God and live. So, how does a man who's pure in heart see God? Oh, he sees him with a spiritual eye. John 14 tells us, verse number 21, I believe it is, that God says that he is going to manifest himself.

He is going to disclose him to the one who keeps his command. So this man, this woman, this individual of vision is able to focus on the presence of God. They see God at work. Over in Hebrews chapter 11, it says this in verse number 27 about Moses. By faith. He left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is un. Moses, like Paul, was able to endure affliction, end hardship, make it through difficult times. Why? Because he saw that which is unseen. He was able to see the invisible God with a spiritual eye because God would manifest himself to Moses.

God would manifest himself to Paul. And God wants to manifest him to you. John:, if you are one who keeps his commandments. That is, you're able to see God at work, you're able to see the hand of God. You're able to watch God move in and among your family, in and among your church, in and among the workplace. That's the man of vision. He sees. Listen, what nobody else sees. He sees God. That's important. Over in, remember 2 Kings with Elijah and his servant? And Elijah's servant came and he saw all surrounded by the army because they were going to come and kill Elish.

And the servant says, oh, we're surrounded by the enemy. And Elisha says, do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Then Elisha prayed and said, Oh Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. That he may see. And the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. You see, Elish, the prophet of God, understood the angelic hosts and understood the protection of God. As it says over in Psalm 34, verse number 7: the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear him and delivers them.

You see, the man of God sees the angel of the Lord and understands how he delivers him. Psalm 125, verse number 2. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people. Remember Numbers chapter 14? That's where I am in my study of Moses, Numbers chapter 14. That's soon going to come, by the way. Our study of Exodus and Moses, and we're going to do some stuff in Numbers and Deuteronomy. Still a couple of weeks away, but it's coming. I promise, unless I die or the Lord comes again, we will study the life of Moses.

But in Numbers chapter 14 and 13, remember when they went to spy out the land and everybody came back and they were complaining about how big these people were. The land they couldn't go in and take them. Oh, it was a beautiful land, it was ripe, it had beautiful fruit, it was a land flowing with milk and honey. This is the greatest land, it's great, but we can't go there because if we do. We're going to get killed. We're going to die. Joshua and Caleb said these words: Numbers:: Don't rebel against the Lord.

Do not fear the people of the land, for they should be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. The Lord is with us. You see, Joshua and Caleb had the spiritual eye. They could see the presence of God and they focused on that presence. You see, the other ten spies, who, by the way, does anybody know their name? No. No one knows her name. Why? They had no vision. Nobody cared about the negativity of the other ten. You see, God gives us Joshua and Caleb.

The other ten, no names. Why? Because God killed them. God killed them because they rebelled against God. They only saw the horizontal, they could only see the giants. They couldn't see God. Joshua and Caleb saw God. His presence is with us. You don't got to fear the giants. You know, we go through life, we fear everything. We fear everything. But we don't fear God. If you fear God, you fear nothing else. If you don't fear God, guess what? You fear everything else. And Joshua and Caleb, man, those men were strong men.

Why? Because they focused on the presence of God. That's a man of vision. Number two, not only do they focus on God's presence, but they follow God's presence.

Paths they follow God's paths. When the Israelites in Exodus 14 could only see Pharaoh's army and can only see the Red Sea, Moses saw God. In Joshua chapter 6, when all the Israelites could see with the walls of Jericho, Joshua saw and understood the word and ways of Jehovah. You see, the leader, the disciple maker, the one who motivates people. Is one who focuses on God's presence and follows God's paths. He sees God. Because he sees God, he knows where to go. He's not lost. He always sees the path before him because God maps it out for him.

And therefore, because he sees God, he sees the ways of God. Several illustrations. Isaiah chapter 2. Isaiah 25, verse number 1 says it this way: O Lord, thou art my God. I will exalt thee. I will give thanks to thy name, for thou hast worked wonders, plans form from long ago with perfect faithfulness. God will be praised because he has a plan. And that plan was formed long ago. And a man who sees his God will understand more the plans of God and follow those plans. And follow those paths. That's why it says over in Psalm 25, verse number 4: Make me know thy ways, O Lord, teach me thy path.

Psalm 27, 11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a level path. That's a man who wants to see his God. That's a man of vision. They want to follow the path of God. If you go back and you study the book of Joshua, understand the life of Caleb. Caleb was 85 years of age in Joshua chapter 14. That means for 4 years he remained faithful to his God. And Caleb went to Joshua in Joshua 14. He said, You know what, Joshua, I want my land. I want the land that God promised me. Because I have wholly followed the Lord to this day.

And he goes back and recounts how Moses said of Caleb in Numbers chapter 14 that he wholly followed the Lord. How God said of Caleb, this man wholly followed me. And Caleb said, I have given my life to God. I have followed my God to this very day. I have never wavered off the path that God has for me. I want my land. If you read. Through the book of Joshua, you will realize there's only one man who expelled the enemy. It's Caleb. Only man. Because he fully followed his God, he knew the path of God.

And so when you come to To John chapter 21, and you got a man like Peter, and Christ tells him, Peter, you know what? You need to feed my sheep. And Peter says, Okay, I'm going to do that. And then Christ tells him, Look, you're going to die. You're going to have your hands stretched out, and you're going to die a horrible death. You're going be crucified. Peter, but I want you to follow me. Follow me, Peter. And Peter says, What? Well, what about John? Is he going to die too? Can he die with me?

And Christ says, I don't care if John lives till I come again. Peter, you follow me. And Christ concludes in John 20 to 1 with Peter with the exact same thing he said to Peter at the beginning. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. You see, the issue in Christianity is following Christ. It's following what God says.

And the man of vision follows God's paths. Why? Because he focuses on God's presence. So, wherever God takes him, it doesn't matter because God is with him. Remember Revelation:? The 144 ,000 Jewish evangelists, they followed the Lamb wherever he went. That's the essence of true commitment to follow God wherever He goes. And a man of vision is able to do that. And therefore, People follow that because this man knows where he's going. He knows what he's about because he knows the God he serves. And people follow.

And thirdly, a man of vision not only focuses on God's presence. Folllows God's paths, but is fueled by God's power. He has a certain kind of energy. He is fuel by God's p when everybody else Said to Joshua and Caleb, We can't take the land. Joshua and Caleb said, Yes, we can, because our God is with us and we can accomplish it. You see, that's what we need, right? That's the kind of people we need. We need people who, when everyone else around us is saying this can't happen, we say, yes, it can, because God said it can.

God wants us to because we know what God's Word says and therefore we want to follow God's Word wholly. Classic example. 1 Samuel 17. The life of David. The life of David. If the Lord allows me to live long enough, I'm going to do the life of David after we do Peter on Wednesday nights. The life of David. And this man is a remarkable man, a man after God's own heart. It says that in 1 Samuel 17, the Philistines gathered their armies for battle, and they were gathered at. Su, which belongs to Judah, and they camp between Succ and Ezekiel.

Now, if you read through this, you begin to realize that the Philistines gathered together, and here comes this man, Goliath. Goliath is nine feet Six inches tall or nine feet nine inches tall. He weighs somewhere between four hundred and five hundred pound. He has a shield, a breastplate on him that weighs up to 2 pounds. He has a spear that's like a telephone pole. And at the end of that spear is a pointed edge that weighs somewhere between 15 and 20 pounds. This man is mammoth. This man is incredible, and he would taunt the armies of the living God.

He would taunt the Israelites. Who wants to fight me? Who could come out and take me? And he would make fun of their God. He would make fun of them. This happened. Are you ready for this? For six consecutive weeks. Every single day, every morning, every night, Goliath would put on his armor, he'd walk down the hill, he'd taunt the Israelites, he'd make fun of their God. And the Bible says in 1 Samuel 17, Verse number 11: When Saul and all Israel heard the words of the Philistines, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

See, they're a bunch of babies. They're a bunch of babies. They're scared. And then it says over in verse number 24, when all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid. They were scared spitless of this nine-foot nine four hundred pound man. But David wasn't the little shepherd boy, the guy out tending his father's sheep He was called in to give food to his brothers. And he hears a conversation about this giant and how he taunts the armies. Of the living God. And David has a problem with that.

He's got a big problem with that. And David. Would come back and say that how can this man taunt these armies? I'll be the man to go fight him. I'll be the one. And Saul said to him, You're not able to go against the Philistine. Verse number 33, to fight with him for your buddy youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth. David, you're just a little guy. You can't go against this big man Goliath. Listen to what David said. David said to Saul, Your servant was tending his father's sheep, when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb for the flock.

I went after him and attacked him and rescued it from his mouth. And when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them since he has taunted the armies of the living God. And David said, verse number thirty-seven, here it is, the Lord. Who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.

He'll do it. He'll deliver me. Just like he did with the lion and the bear, he'll do it with a nine-foot, nine, four hundred pound man. God will do it. David was fueled by God's power. Why? Because he was focused on God's presence. And he was bound and determined to follow the path of God no matter what. And if anybody would come between him and that path, if anybody would go against what God said, he wouldn't stand for it. And he would deal with it even if he had to kill somebody to accomplish that purpose.

And this man Goliath stood between him and God's people. Sure enough, David said to the Philistine in verse number 45, You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javel. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you, and I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines his name Day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword.

or by spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands. And the Bible says that Goliath was so mad that he went out, forgot to put his helmet on, and David ran to him.

David ran to him. And you know the story. He slew the giants. Why? This man was fueled by God's power. He believed in the presence of God. He believed in the Lord God of Israel. And how dare you come against his God? And David was a great warrior for God. To be a successful motivator, I must be a man of vision. I must be able to see the unseen. I must focus on God's presence. I must be able to do God's will so I follow His plan. And I must be energized by the Spirit of God, so I must be fueled by the power of God.

David was. And Caleb was. And Joshua was. And Moses was. Paul was, and Peter was, and John was. And so can you. So can you. It was Charles Sw who said that vision is the ability to see above and beyond the majority. Vision is perception, reading the presence and power of God into one's circumstances. I sometimes think of vision as looking at life through the lens of God's eyes, seeing situations as He sees them. Too often, we see things not as they are, but as we are. That's good, isn't it? We don't see them as they really truly are, and we don't see them as God sees them.

We see them as we are. And so, if we see them as we are, they are bigger than we can ever imagine. And the battle seems insurmountable. And like the nation of Israel and like Saul the king, we are afraid. We stand dismayed, unable to accomplish the plans of God. But but If we focus on the seen, we focus on the finite. Therefore, we focus on the unseen, and that is infinite. That's God H. It was J. Oswald Sanders who said that the man who sees the difficulties so narrowly that he does not discern the possibilities will never ins others.

That's true. Man, we look at the difficulties and they begin to be so big that we can't see the possibilities.

And the possibilities can only happen as we focus on God, as we follow God, and as we're fueled by God. It was John R. Stodd who said, Vision is an act of seeing and imaginative perception of things combining insight and foresight. partic a deep dissatisfaction with what is and a clear grasp of what could be. Listen, a man of vision sees his family the way it is and is dissatisfied with the way it is. But has a clear grasp of what it can be. And therefore, he can lead them in that direction. A great disciple maker will see his disciple and say, This is where they are.

And be dissatisfied with where they are, but yet have a clear grasp of where they need to be and therefore able to get them there. In the church, the elders must have a dissatisfaction with the way the church is. And a clear grasp of what the church can be in order to take the people from one level of maturity to the next level of maturity. And the only way you can have a clear grasp of where your family needs to be, of where your church needs to be, of what your disciple needs to be, is based on what God has said in His Word.

And be able to take them there. And that will motivate people. That will move people. And that will make you, as Li Cheng Ch-Hung said, not one of the immovable, not even one of the movable, but one of those who moves them. And that's where we need to be. So many times we are immovable. We are stuck in our ways. We never want to be moved. And others are moving all over the place. They're going here, they're going there, and they have no direction. But there is somebody who comes along and moves them properly, motivates them properly.

Because they have a clear grasp of where they need to be and are completely dissatisfied with where they are. Listen, never become satisfied with where you're at. Never become satisfied with where your family is at. Never become satisfied with where your ministry is at. Never become satisfied with where your church is at. Because that breeds complacency. Why? Because we're all sinners, right? And until we're perfected, when we see God face to face, we got a lot of growing up to do. And so, therefore, be dissatisfied with where you're at.

And you have a clear grasp of where you need to be and move people in that direction. That's leadership, right? That's what leaders do. That's what parents do, right? That's what separates the mediocre parents from the great parents. That's what separates them. Great parents say, Man, you know what? I see my kids, they're not perfect kids, but yet I know where God wants them to be, and I'm going to get them there. I'm going to move them there. I'm going to motivate them to be there. Complacent parents say, my kids are okay.

They're all right. You know? They're not drinking. They're not having sex. They're not on drugs. They're A stud. They 're okay. No. Never be satisfied with where you're at. Never be satisfied. Have a clear grasp of where God wants you to ultimately be, and you will constantly be seeking to achieve His purposes in your life, your family, and your church. Karl Marx, that Prussian-born father of modern socialism, was quoted as saying, Philosophers have only interpreted the world differently. The point is to change it.

He's right. You can interpret things the way you see them. The point is, you need to change it. And we need to be people of change, right? Chang the situation. To change, you need vision. Turn me in your Bible to Proverbs 29 for a second.

Proverbs chapter 2 Proverbs ch 2 Most of you know that I was a college pastor for a number of years before I became an associate pastor in a local church and then ultimately a senior pastor on a college campus for nine years, ten years I guess it was, working with college students, coaching in baseball. And one of the main responsibilities I had was to be able to motivate people, motivate athletes, motivate students. And the prime mechanism by which I did that was the Word of God. And there's a verse in Scripture that so many times is misunderstood.

I want to be able to explain it to you this evening. Proverbs 29, verse number 18. Maybe you know that it says, Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. Or maybe your text says, Where there is no vision, the people perish. Now, that's true. But know this the word vision is literally translated revelation Meaning this, where there is no revel, the people are unrestrained. Now listen, in order to have vision, you must have what? Revelation. You must be able to see the future. That is, you must be able to see what God wants to happen or have happen.

To know that, you must master the Word of God. Why? Because without the revelation of God, the people are what? They're unrestrained. They have no idea what to do, they're out of control. They don't know where to go. They don't know what to say. They don't know how to live. They don't know how to act. That's why, as a parent, This verse must be the catalyst for your parenting. As the disciple maker, it must be the catalyst for your disciple making. Why? Because without the revelation of God, the people that you're in charge of will be out of control, unrestrained.

But with the revelation of God, you will have a clear vision as to where God wants those people to be, and you'll be able to communicate that vision to them because you're going to be communicating to them the revelation of Almighty God, and that keeps people. In check, listen to what the end of the verse says, but happy is he who keeps the law. You see, how are people going to keep the law? How are people going to abide by God's word? How are they going to know what the standard is? Unless you give them the vision of God.

And the vision of God can only be communicated as you communicate the revelation of God, because the revelation of God gives. Gives a man vision. Does that make sense? And so, as a parent. You know, I begin to pour myself into the Word of God because my disciple-making begins at home, right? And if it begins at home, then God gives me the tools I need. To see what I need to see about the condition of my family and where my family needs to be. It's my responsibility as a parent, it's my responsibility as a leader to move them in that direction.

I can't move them. I can't motivate them to go there if I don't know where to go. Right? And that's what makes great parenting. That's what makes great disciple makers. That's what makes great leaders. That's what makes great Sunday school teachers. That's what makes great youth leaders. They understand the revelation of God. Therefore, they have a vision as to what God wants for His people. And therefore, because they have a vision as to what God wants for his people, they know how to take them there.

And that is that magnetism about the individual that draws people. Why? Because those people are people of purpose. They're people of enthusiasm. They are self-motivated. Let me tell you something.

If you are a self-motivated individual, people will follow your example and leadership. Why? Because they don't see that very much. They don't see people who really understand the path they're going on and where they're going. Most of us just kind of live from day to day. And that's okay, you know, but there needs to be some kind of purpose behind why I'm living and where I'm living and what I'm doing. Paul had that kind of vision. Turn back with if you would to Acts chapter 26. Acts chapter 2 Paul's before Agrippa Listen to what he says.

We'll pick up the narrative in verse 14 as he gives his testimony. It says, And when he had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But arise and stand on your feet, for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness, not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you.

Delivering you for the Jewish people and for the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have. Have been sanctified by faith in me. Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision. That vision was a revelation of God. Saul, this is what you're going to do. This is why I'm saving your soul.

This is what your life's about. And Paul says, You know what, Agrippa? I knew what I was about. God told me. And I wasn't disobedient to that revelation. And that revelation gave me purpose, it gave me vision, it gave me a sense of significance because I knew that I was used by God Himself to bring people out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, and that's what I'm about. Not disobedient to that vision, and Paul was a supreme motivator of men. Why? He knew what it was about. He knew why it was here.

He knew why he was saved. Do you know why you're saved? Well, I'm saved, you say, because God didn want me to go to hell. Let me tell you something.

That's great. But there's a lot more to it than just not going to hell. God wants to use you. You're his chosen vessel. You're his instrument. We got to get that. We got to understand that. And God wanting to use me and me understanding that helps me understand, listen, Lord, if you want to use me, what do you want to use me to do? He says, what? Go into all the world and make disciples. Ah, I get it. Teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. Ah, okay, I get it. It's not that difficult because God spells it out to you.

But where there is no vision, where there is no revelation, the people under you are unrestrained, out of control. And that's why, as a parent, And your parenting, because that's where the biggest disciple-making happens. That's where you begin to look at yourself and say, okay, is my family under control?

Is my family restrained? Does my family have a purpose for their existence? Does my family know where they are going? Does my family know what they are about? If not, it's because I don't have a vision. And if I don't have a vision, it's because I don't understand the revelation of God Himself. And that's my responsibility, right? Sure, it is. That doesn't mean that overnight everything's going to change, but what that does mean. is that as you become obedient to God, focusing in on his presence, following God's path, making sure you're fueled by his power, God will make you into the kind of person that will move others to maturity in Christ.

And that's what God wants for you. That's what God wants for me. Vision is the driving force that mo people. To ser, it is if you get a vision based on the revelation of God, I'm not talking about some mystical dream. Oh, God spoke to me, I'm not talking about that. That's extra biblical. Stuff. That's all heres. I 'm talking about a vision based on the revelation of God Himself as it's written in the revealed Word of God. And understand that when I get that, it motivates me to serve. It moves me to serve.

Let me give you an example. Matthew chapter 9. And we're going much slower than I thought we would this evening. Whose fault is that? Matthew chapter 9. I referred to this a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday morning service. Verse number 35: And Jesus was going about all the cities and all the villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. And seeing the multitudes, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. Listen, if anybody had vision, it was the Revelator Himself, Jesus Christ. He is the revelator. He is the one who reveals. And Jesus Christ had a vision of the harvest of judgment that was about to come. And he could see the future because he knew the future, because he wrote the future, because he planned the future. He says, Pray ye the Lord of the harvest.

Pray ye the Lord of judgment to send forth laborers. To the people who will be judged. You see, it would motivate his whole life. He was moved with compassion for the multitudes because he saw them headless. They were wandering around. They were like sheep without shepherds. They knew not where to go. They were unrestrained. They were uncontrolled because their shepherds had no vision, because their shepherds didn't buy into the revelation of God. And so the people underneath them were unrestrained, they were out of control.

Control and Jesus felt compassion for them because he knew that those people who were out of control were heading for judgment, were heading for damnation, were heading for disaster, and somebody had to tell him. And it would motivate his whole ministry because he came to die for the sins of the world that he might redeem man for him. And therefore, when man gets that vision, he begins to pray to the Lord of judgment. Making himself available to be used by that God to tell people about the judgment that's going to come to them if they don't repent of their sins.

Vision motivates you to service. We need leaders, one man said, who by the Spirit's revelation of truth To their own hearts, have seen for themselves the purpose of the living God. That's what we need. And that's the kind of person you can be. The visionist is one who prays, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He knows and sees what God wants and purposes in his heart to accomplish that plan through the power of God. He is dissatisfied with what is and satisfied only. With what could be as he totally dedicates himself to fulfill God's plan and purposes on the earth.

That is a man of vision, and that is prerequisite to being a motivator of disciples. In summation, the visionist has 50, 20 vision. Genesis 50, verse number 20. You meant it evil, but God meant it for good, in order to bring about this day to save many people al. That's what Joseph said in Genesis 50, verse number 20. This is what you meant, and this is what God meant. And look what God did. That is a man of vision. And all of us need 50-2 visions, spiritually speaking. And that man, that woman, that individual, will be a supreme motivator of men, as Joseph was.

Number two, the procedure. Okay. I understand that. I understand what I should be doing. I got to focus on God's presence. I understand that. I got to be able to. Follow the paths of God and be fueled by the power of God. That's where it all begins. It begins with you. Like any process, like anything we're talking about each and every week, it always begins with you. It doesn't begin with those you're discipling, it begins with you. The inner part of a man, where you're at in your relationship with the Lord, where you're at in your walk with God, and how God is beginning to use you in the wise, it all begins with you.

And once it begins with you, then it begins to flow out into the lives of others. So let's take for granted that everybody in this room is a great man and woman of vision. Okay? You believe and understand the revelation of God. You are dissatisfied with the way things are and have a clear grasp of where those things should be as God energizes you to fulfill His purposes in your environment. That's the man of vision. Okay, we're all there. Let's just pretend for a second, okay?

We're all there. Everybody say amen. Okay, good. Now, at least on the outside, we're there. Okay? The procedure. How does that happen? How do I now motivate those who follow me? How do I motivate my kids? How do I motivate my wife? How do I motivate my husband? How do I motivate my disciples? How do I move them from point A to point B to point C to point D? How do I move them from a realm of dissatisfaction to a realm of satisfaction? How do I move them from complacency to commitment? How do I move them from lethargy in their walk with the Lord to love for their walk with the Lord?

Well, you're going to have to come back next week. Because we're out of time. And if I begin, I won't be able to finish. And I do want you to come back next week. Let's pray. Our most gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for the Word of God. We realize, Lord, that your word is so true. And if we as your people would be committed. To following your word, doing what you say, you will bless in ways we can't even begin to imagine. Father, I want to pray for every man in this room who has a wife and a family that you'd make him a man of vision.

That he would focus in on you. Not focus in on his wife or his kids, his lack of money. His house, his job, he'd focused in on the presence of God. Seeing you in every situation. As Elijah would have that servant's eyes open to see the armies of the Lord, realizing that, God, you're in control of his life, you're in control of his marriage, you're in control of his family. And I pray, Father, for that man this evening that you would do a powerful work in his life. And that he be fueled, forged, fire by the power of God.

And that God used to use him to show others you. Lord, we need men of vision. In their families, in our church, in the community, to be able to move those people. In their environment to maturity in Jesus Christ our Lord. That's what disciple making is. And I pray that we as your people would have a strong commitment to becoming men and women of vision. Because we believe in the revelation of God. And we don't want those people in charge to us to be out of control, to be unrestrained, to wander around.

No, we want them to know. and have purpose of existence and living. And when we lead by example, we can communicate that to them. And show them the ways of God. Help us, Lord, to accomplish that. In your name we pray. Amen.