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John 14:1-4
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
4 You know the way to the place where I am going."
In John 14:2, it says there are many rooms in the father's house. In verse 6, it says the only way to the father is through Jesus. That's the bottom line. Jesus wants us to get to the father. Who is going to heaven from this generation? Jesus wants as many as possible to get there.
1. Focus On The Father's House
Luke 14:21-23
21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
God wants his house to be full. He doesn't really care about the level of effort. The number of hours, the response of the people--that's not what it's all about. In the end, the focus must be on who is going to the father's house.
How many rooms are there in God's house? There are many rooms, millions, billions. Maybe we've already gone out into the city, but the house still isn't full. Keep going, go again, and go to new areas to make sure that our father's house is full. The shepherd's focus isn't on the 99, but on the one lost sheep. Likewise with the coin. God doesn't want a single sheep to be lost. That's his heart. Not for many, but to make heaven full.
How do we measure our ministry? What's our expectation for our ministry? What do we expect from the brothers and sisters in our ministry? Did we forget the original call of every town, every village? If we have that call as the guiding light of every plan we make, every decision we make, eventually we will reach the entire world. We need to bring back the focus on our father's house. That's what will inspire the next generation.
When we think about making our family group grow, it can be a challenging task. How do we make our family group grow? We're all in different situations. We have different challenges. We see massive numbers. That can be incredibly exhilarating, but can also be overwhelming. We need God, we need his miracles and his encouragement. Do we have the conviction, the courage to grow our family group? That's what inspires people.
2. Focus on The Son's Heart
a. A heart filled with love.
John 13:34-35
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
b. A heart to call everyone in our ministry as friends.
John 15:12-17
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
17 This is my command: Love each other.
c. A heart to be united.
John 17:20-21
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
d. A heart to help others do greater things
John 14:12-14
12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
3. Focus on The Spirits Power
2 Timothy 1:7-9
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,
9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
The spirit changes us and use us. The Spirit makes us powerful. How powerful are we today? What is the power of the Holy Spirit?
a. Resurrection Power
Romans 8:10-11
10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
b. Divine Power
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
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