Go!, Part 4: The “Now” Strategy
⌥ Type: Sunday Morning Service
🎬 Series: Go!
⛪ Sermon: Part 4: The “Now” Strategy
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Tom Van Kempen
📜 Description: The urgency of Christ's return means believers cannot delay sharing the gospel until "someday" but must act now with intentionality. This mission requires three essential elements: living with a sense of urgency about eternity, expressing fervent Christ-like love that covers others' faults, and actively serving through the spiritual gifts God has given each person. Easter provides a specific opportunity to invite others to church, as people are 80% more likely to accept an invitation during this time of year than any other week.
ℹ️ Tip: The video is set to start at the beginning of the sermon, but you can scrub the playhead to any part of the service. ℹ️
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
Small Group Discussion Guide: The "Now" Strategy (45 minutes)
Opening (5 minutes)
Welcome everyone and open in prayer. Ask God to speak to hearts about living with urgency and love as we share our faith.
Icebreaker (5 minutes)
Share one thing you've been putting off by saying "someday I'll do that." It can be serious or lighthearted.
Discussion Questions (25 minutes)
Urgency: First Peter 4:7 says "the end of all things is at hand." How does this reality change the way you view your time and opportunities? Share a moment when you realized how quickly time passes.
Prayer First: Before taking urgent action, Peter tells us to be "serious and watchful in your prayers" (1 Peter 4:7). Why do you think prayer is the first instruction given? How can prayer transform our everyday conversations into divine appointments?
Fervent Love: Read 1 Peter 4:8 together. The Greek word for "fervent" means "to stretch without breaking." Who in your life stretches your love? How can you love them the way Christ calls us to—without snapping?
Everyone Serves: According to 1 Peter 4:10-11, every believer has received gifts to serve others. What gifts has God given you (talents, experiences, abilities, personality)? How are you currently using them to serve the kingdom?
Hospitality Check: First Peter 4:9 warns against grumbling hospitality. Have you ever served someone but resented it afterward? What's the difference between going through the motions and serving from a heart of genuine love?
Easter Opportunity: The message shared that people are 80% more likely to accept an invitation to church during Easter week. Who came to mind during the message as someone you could invite? What's holding you back from inviting them?
Action Step (5 minutes)
This week, each person commits to ONE specific action:
Text or call one person this week and invite them to Easter service
Pray daily for a specific person by name, asking God to prepare their heart
Serve someone this week in a practical way (meal, help with a project, encouraging note)
Sign up to serve during Easter services to help create a welcoming environment
Share your commitment with the group for accountability.
Closing Prayer (5 minutes)
Pray together for:
Courage to act now instead of waiting for "someday"
Hearts filled with fervent, stretching love for difficult people
The specific people each group member plans to invite or serve
Easter services—that many would come to know Jesus
Bible Verses Referenced
1 Peter 4:7-11 (main passage)
Matthew 28:18-20 (the Great Commission)
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (love is patient and kind)
Leviticus 19:18 (love your neighbor)
Matthew 5:43-44 (love your enemies)
Luke 10:25-37 (the Good Samaritan)
Ephesians 3:18 (width, height, length, and depth of God's love)
James 4:14 (life is a vapor)
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Historical Context: First Peter 4:7-11
The apostle Peter wrote this letter around 62-64 AD to scattered Christian communities throughout Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) who were facing increasing persecution. These believers lived under the reign of Emperor Nero, whose hostility toward Christians was escalating and would soon explode into violent persecution after the great fire of Rome in 64 AD.
When Peter wrote "the end of all things is at hand," he wasn't speaking abstractly. These Christians were watching their world crumble. Roman persecution was intensifying, Jerusalem would soon be destroyed by Rome in 70 AD, and believers faced daily threats of imprisonment, loss of property, and even death for their faith. The phrase carried both immediate urgency—their suffering might soon lead to martyrdom—and eschatological weight, as the early church genuinely expected Christ's imminent return.
The cultural context of hospitality in verse 9 was crucial in the ancient world. There were few safe inns, and Christians traveling between communities relied entirely on the hospitality of fellow believers. However, this hospitality came at great personal risk. Hosting known Christians could identify you as a believer to Roman authorities. The instruction to practice hospitality "without grumbling" took on life-or-death significance—it meant welcoming strangers despite the danger, expense, and inconvenience, all while maintaining a joyful attitude.
Peter's emphasis on using spiritual gifts for service (verses 10-11) addressed a practical crisis. As persecution scattered believers and eliminated some leaders through imprisonment or death, every Christian needed to step up and use their gifts. There was no luxury of spectating. The church's survival depended on every member functioning as "good stewards" of God's grace, whether through speaking gifts (teaching, prophecy, encouragement) or serving gifts (practical help, administration, hospitality).
The command to love "fervently" and the image of love "covering a multitude of sins" was particularly relevant to communities under pressure. When you're hiding in someone's home to avoid arrest, when you're sharing scarce resources during economic persecution, when you're watching fellow believers die for the faith, petty grievances and differences fade. Peter called them to a love so strong it would stretch without breaking—even when stretched by fear, suffering, betrayal, and the constant pressure of living as outlaws in the Roman Empire.
Understanding this historical context helps us grasp why Peter didn't write a leisurely theological treatise. He wrote an urgent field manual for Christians who might not live to see next year. His instructions weren't theoretical—they were survival guidance for communities that would soon face the bloodiest persecution in early church history. The "now" wasn't just a good idea; it was a matter of life, death, and eternal destiny.
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Kids Lesson: Don't Wait—Love and Serve NOW! (Ages 6-10, 45 minutes)
Introduction (5 minutes)
Welcome kids with energy and enthusiasm!
"Hey everyone! Let me ask you a question: Have you ever said 'I'll do that LATER'? Maybe your mom asked you to clean your room and you said 'I'll do it later!' Or maybe you meant to share your toys with your brother or sister but you thought 'I'll do it later!' Well, today we're going to learn that when it comes to loving people and telling them about Jesus, we can't wait until LATER. We need to do it NOW!"
Have kids give examples of things they've put off until "later" or "someday."
Scripture (10 minutes)
Read 1 Peter 4:8-10 in a kid-friendly version:
"Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another."
Explain in simple terms:
Peter is telling us that LOVE is super important
We should be kind and welcoming to others—even when it's hard!
God gave each of us special gifts and talents
We should use those gifts to help other people
We shouldn't wait until "someday"—we should do it NOW!
Craft: "NOW Not Later" Clock (10 minutes)
Materials: Paper plates, markers, crayons, brass fasteners, construction paper
Instructions:
Give each child a paper plate to be their clock face
Have them write "NOW NOT LATER!" around the edge
Cut out clock hands from construction paper and attach with brass fastener
Decorate with pictures of ways they can show love NOW (helping, sharing, inviting friends, being kind)
Set both hands pointing to NOW
As they work, talk about ways they can love and serve people this week instead of waiting.
Game: Beat the Clock! (10 minutes)
Set up three stations around the room. Kids rotate through in teams, racing against a timer:
Station 1 - Service Race: Stack plastic cups into a tower (representing building up others through service)
Station 2 - Love Cards: Write one encouraging word on index cards to give to someone this week (kindness, helping, sharing)
Station 3 - Invitation Challenge: Practice inviting a friend to church. Each kid practices saying "Will you come to church with me?" with enthusiasm
Between each round, emphasize: "We don't wait until LATER—we show love and invite friends NOW!"
Discussion Questions (5 minutes)
Gather kids in a circle and ask:
"Why do you think Peter said love is MOST IMPORTANT?" (Let kids share)
"Can you think of someone who is hard to love? Maybe someone who isn't always nice to you?" (Don't name names—just think about it)
"What's one way you can show love to that person THIS WEEK—not someday later?"
"God gave each of you special talents and gifts. What's something you're good at? How can you use it to help someone?"
"Easter is coming! Who can you invite to come to church with you? Let's not wait—let's invite them NOW!"
Wrap-Up and Prayer (5 minutes)
"You know what, friends? God doesn't want us to wait until we're grown-ups to love people and tell them about Jesus. He wants us to do it NOW! This week, your mission is to:
Show love to someone—even if it's hard
Use your gifts to help someone
Invite a friend to Easter service
Let's pray together!"
Prayer:
"Dear God, thank you for loving us SO much! Help us to love other people the way You love us—even when it's hard. Help us not to wait until 'someday' but to show kindness, share with others, and tell our friends about You RIGHT NOW. Give us courage to invite our friends to church for Easter. We love You! In Jesus' name, Amen!"
Take-Home Reminder:
Send each child home with their clock craft and a simple card that says:
"This week I will show God's love by: _______________" (have them fill in the blank before they leave)
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I am thankful that you uh We're a part of our first dress rehearsal.
Really, you you might have not known it, but many of the songs we sang in praise and worship today are going to be a an important part of the presentation of the gospel next week And so we kind of practiced on you a little bit in advance, and uh you were participating wonderfully, so we're so grateful that you You played along with us here today.
Uh over the last couple of weeks we've been uh talking about one thing primarily, and that's the mission that Jesus left all of us as he was getting ready to be ascended into heaven.
And if you're not familiar with that mission, it's called the Great Commission.
Would you say great?
Okay, so so you've heard it.
Now the reason we've spent so much time here, four weeks this week, four weeks last year at approximately the same time, is because in a recent survey, 51% of churchgoers say they've never heard the term Great Commission.
Did you guys just hear me?
That means a majority of people in church today have never even heard the phrase Great Commission. 76% according to Barna admit that they cannot define the Great Commission, even if they were offered a free Chick-fil-A sandwich.
I added the last part, but they can't define the Great Commission, then we pastors are doing something wrong.
Our job is to teach you what your mission is all about.
And I'm telling you, we need to be on mission.
It seems to me like the mission of the church is a lot like the instruction manual that Robin is going to get out of the packages we got yesterday at our garage.
We are going to be putting together a bunk bed with a what what's on the bottom a foal on the bottom and a twin on the top so so that our grandkids can be can be sleeping on this thing and my idea of putting it together is to throw the box away and throw the instructions away.
And then to hope there's no screws left over when I get to the end.
Has anyone ever done that before?
I I have.
And it's been a nightmare.
That's why Robin's gonna put the bunk bed together.
Charlie, she's gonna be calling you.
And the DIY team's gonna be coming out to my house.
Hey, listen, listen, listen.
This series is about picking up the manual and reading what it has to say And in Matthew chapter 28 it says go say go.
So that's what we talked about three weeks ago.
We talked about going into all the world and making disciples of all people and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus instructed and trusting that God will be with us even to the ends of the earth.
And then two weeks ago when Pastor Jay was here, we talked about going to the nations.
And we started signing up people to go to Kenya.
We've got a group of people going to Arizona for a building project.
We got all kinds of different things happening.
I had someone talk to me this week about going to Columbia.
I mean we're going to be a church actively engaged in the Great Commission who can say amen.
That's who we are.
That's what we're going to do.
And then last week we talked about the neighborhoods and how that sometimes it's easier to go to the nations. than it is to our next door neighbor because they bug us.
The people over there, we don't even know them.
We can send some money, we can send some missionaries, we can do that kind of stuff.
But our next door neighbor, come on, is is that really possible?
And the answer is yes.
So what is there left to talk about?
Here's the simple question for today: when When should we go?
Now there is a comfortable place that I call someday that many people love to talk about.
Someday I'll start that diet.
But Pastor, not today, it's Taco Tuesday.
And I can't disrespect Expect a taco when it's on sale.
Oh, I have to eat that thing, you know?
I'll start next week.
Someday I'll I'll get in shape Someday I'll finally clean out the junk drawer in the kitchen.
You know the one that contains the three batteries, the half a deck of cards, the rubber band.
I'm gonna do it someday, I promise.
Someday I'll tell my coworker about Jesus.
Someday I will I will tell my my next door neighbor that that we've got an Easter service come come Easter.
The problem is that someday feels like a commitment, but it's actually just a delay tactic.
We treat our mission like a to-do list that we're going to get to once things settle down, only they never do Never settles down.
Peter steps into our some day and he says in 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7, the end of all things is that near.
The end of all things is at hand.
In other words, the someday strategy has to be officially retired in Jesus' name.
And we need to take on a fourth and final strategy, and that is the now.
Say now.
The now strategy.
Peter isn't trying to give us a time management seminar.
He's trying to sound a spiritual alarm.
The end of all things at his hand.
And the window of opportunity is shrinking.
It's closing.
Have you ever been at the airport and uh they announced last call for flight uh 372?
And it gets worse than that.
They actually name the person.
I I've never been that dumb to be in the bathroom or down the hallway getting some some chips or a magazine when they say Tom Van Kempen, it's last call, you know But I've heard them do that before.
But that's what the Holy Spirit is doing for us right now.
And our response isn't to take it easy.
Our response should be to run in Jesus' name.
It's to get active, it's to get involved.
And if this now strategy is going to work, the very first thing that we have to do is live life with a sense of urgency.
The end of all things is at hand.
When Peter says this, he's not trying to scare you He's not trying to panic you.
He's trying to get you to change the way you look at things.
It's not like, oh, I've got my whole life to live.
It's every day has an opportunity.
Who can say amen?
Especially when it comes to the Great Commission, because the Great Commission should be your number one priority.
It should be your urgency in life.
We've said it before, people need Jesus.
People are going to hell without Jesus.
And you and I have been called to bring people to Jesus.
If we believe that, it will change how we live.
We don't have the luxury of not caring.
We don't have the luxury of sleeping through this.
We don't even have the option to say someone else will take care of it.
You and I are God's only plan There's no plan B.
We are plan A, and it's all that God has left us.
So we need to realize that time is of the essence.
Time is short.
Jesus is coming back.
We heard that in a in a word today.
And if even if he doesn't return in our life, time our lives are short and we need to take advantage we need to seize the moment in Jesus' name so Last year, I think I showed a picture of my daughter when she was a little baby, and so I'm going to show these pictures again And one of the reasons I'm showing this picture is because she's coming to speak over Mother's Day weekend And she doesn't look like much of a speaker right there.
But trust me, she was even at that age.
Very verbal, very communicative.
Who's that man with her though?
I I'm not quite sure who that is.
Uh it looks like one of my kids actually.
But uh that that was her uh a long time ago.
This is her now.
It's the woman on the far right and the one in the middle on that left-hand picture.
Her daughters are now older than she was when Robin and I took that original picture She is now entering middle age.
And my question is, is where did those 35 years go?
I literally cannot believe it.
Have I taken advantage of the last 35 years and have I have I done all that I could to communicate the Great Commission to the world in which we live?
It's not enough just to preach a message on a Sunday morning.
Even the pastor has to go.
Say go.
I have to go.
I have to get out there.
I realize when I when I look at those pictures that time is flying by, but it's it's actually breaking the sound barrier, maybe even the speed of light I said this in the first service, there needs to be a warning label attached to life.
Warning.
Dates on calendar are closer than they appear.
Can you believe Easter's next week?
I mean how could it be Easter already?
It was just Christmas.
How could it be 2026?
It was just 2000.
I mean the time is accelerating.
James says that life is a vapor, a mist.
It's here one moment and it's gone the next.
Some people live life as if they're on the thousand-year plan.
I've got all the time in the world.
Do you?
No.
Can you guarantee to me you're going to be here on Tuesday?
Nope.
Not a one of you can.
I don't care how old you are.
I don't care if you're 90 or 9.
None of us can guarantee.
In the first service, I was I was praying for an 11-year-old girl who has cancer.
We don't know.
We don't know how much time we have.
So what does does Peter say?
He says you don't need more time.
You need more urgency.
Don't miss this.
Easter's here.
Easter's a now moment.
Easter's an opportunity for us to do what it is God wants us to do.
But before we even get to Easter, Peter says, I want you to pray.
Isn't that interesting?
He's all wrapped up in this urgency, and the first instruction we're given is to pray.
Be serious and watchful in your prayers.
In other words, pray wisely.
Don't panic.
Yeah, the end is near, the end is at hand, but don't panic.
Change your perspective.
Change the way you're looking at this world.
Change the way you're looking at your time.
He's recommending that we should be speaking to God about people before we speak to people about God We need to know what it is he wants us to do.
In other words, God, this week I need you to guide me in who I talk to.
I want you to guide me in every invitation that I hand out.
I want you to give me the very words that I'm going to speak.
I want you to make sure that that other person is receptive.
I pray that you would cause a divine appointment to take place, whether it is at a restaurant or the grocery store or at school, at work, or in my neighborhood.
God, I want you to be in the middle of it.
Who can say amen?
And when we pray those kinds of prayers, God changes our random conversations and makes them divine appointments.
It's important to understand that that that urgency that I'm trying to communicate right now is just step one of a three-step process that he's initiating here in 1 Peter chapter 4 because urgency without love becomes nothing more than pressure.
We don't want to pressure people into the kingdom of God.
We don't want to panic people into the kingdom of God But urgency with love becomes a vibrant and active loving compassion that can help change people's lives.
So step two is this, a heart overflowing with love.
1 Peter 4, verse 8 says this, and above all things, have fervent love for one another.
For love covers over a multitude of sins.
Now on the surface that that appears kind of funny because because are we involved in a cover-up of some kind?
But that's not what's Being communicated here.
What Peter is saying is that love is the key to evangelism.
Love is the key to ministry.
Love is the key to our lives.
The urgency of point one and the service that I'm about to talk about in point three are tied together by this thing that we call love.
I found in my own life I'm I'm really good at urgency, especially when I'm driving on the highways around here.
I'm always urgent when I'm driving on the highways.
And I can be good in service.
I can work hard.
I can get things done.
I can appear to love people.
But am I really loving people from my heart?
That's the thing that is of vital importance here.
I've discovered that I can be right in an argument and still be wrong if I'm not loving.
I can know the scriptures and I can win a debate and I can prove my point and push people further away from Jesus, not bring them closer to Jesus.
So I'm not talking about a a shallow sentimentality kind of love.
I'm talking about something supernatural.
I'm talking about something divine.
I'm talking about the fruit of the Spirit, which is called agape love.
It is the God kind of love.
It's a love that loves the unlovable.
It's a love that loves those who are hard to love.
Some people are easy to love.
Robin and I have gone over to people's homes uh in this last month we've gone to uh a couple of people's homes.
And uh uh I actually had to apologize to someone on Thursday because I went over there and they invited Robin and I and Robin had to work so it was just me.
And I said, I'm sorry, it's just me.
Uh I'm the hard one to love.
She's the easy one to love.
Okay, de do you know anyone that's hard to love?
Don't point at them right now.
I I mean eight of you are going like this just now Okay, no no no no no no no all right but but but some people are easier to love than others and and so so Paul gave us in 1 Corinthians 13 what this love looks like.
And nobody likes to hear it.
Love is patient.
Oh, nobody wants to hear that.
Love is kind.
Oh, well, I can be kind to nice people.
Love doesn't give up on anybody.
Love doesn't fade.
Love doesn't depend on how other people behave.
Love is quick to forgive.
It sees the potential in others.
It seeks the best in others.
It desires to protect other people.
The scripture calls it a fervent kind of love.
When I looked up this word in the Greek, it means to stretch.
That's the origin of it.
And so the idea here is it's a love.
That refuses to snap no matter how far it is stretched.
Have you ever had a kid that's stretching your love?
You know what I'm talking about, right?
I I mean it it's just like oo I remember being in some circumstances where I know my oldest son expected me to quit loving him, and I responded, I love you more now than I ever have.
It rocked his world.
It made him not understand because he thought love was conditional.
He thought it was based on his behavior.
He thought it was it was based on doing everything mom and dad wanted.
And I said, No, I don't care what. you do I will always say always I will always love you.
In Ephesians chapter 3 Paul prays that we may know the the width and the height and the length and and the depth of God's love.
Whenever I see that word deep associated with love, I think of the Bee Gees in nineteen seventy-seven.
No, I'm not gonna do it today.
The last time I hit that high note, I stepped on a Lego when my grandkids were here And I was screaming super high, and uh I think I've actually thrown out my voice since then.
But the but the bottom line is, is your love deep enough to cover a multitude of sins?
Especially in a person who annoys you, is your love wide enough to include the person that you disagree with in your neighborhood or on Facebook?
Because if our go isn't fueled by love, we aren't missionaries.
We're just annoying salespeople.
And no one's going to open the door to their hearts.
No one's going to let us in in any way, shape, or form unless they know that we care.
This is a powerful love.
A love that is is really beyond most of our capacities on one level.
This is why we need to experience God's love, live God's love.
Feel God's love.
In Matthew chapter 5, beginning verse 43, Jesus says this.
You've heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemies, but I tell you, or I say to you, love your enemies.
Now, now, when I look at the Sermon on the Mount, chapter 5, all of the other I tell you things are completely found in the Old Testament.
But when I look up this, you have heard it said, I find the beginning.
You have heard it said, you shall love your neighbor.
That's in Leviticus.
But where in the world did they get this part?
Hate your enemy.
It's not in the Bible.
Do you know where they came up with that?
The religious leaders didn't see God say hate your enemy.
They just assumed that you could hate your enemy.
Because that was the natural thing to do.
It's easy to hate people you don't like.
It's easy to hate people that are different from you It's easy to hate people that are a different color, a different religion, a different political party.
That comes naturally.
So the Pharisees said, hate your neighbor.
Jesus said, you know what, you guys don't even get this in any way, shape, or form.
So he taught them a parable called the parable of the good Samaritan.
Did you know that they were taught they could hate the Samaritans because they were hypocrites?
They were half-breeds.
They called them all kinds of names.
They wouldn't even walk through the country most of the time.
They would bypass the country because the dirt was thought to be dirty and unholy in and of itself.
And Jesus made the Samaritan the hero of the story.
Jesus made the Samaritan the one who most appropriately ex Explained or displayed the love of God.
So Jesus expands the definition of neighbor to include everybody, and he expands the ex Expectation of love to even include your enemies.
I'm not even going to ask you to say amen because that's too hard to swallow.
Right?
That's difficult.
That's hard.
Now, here's where this gets real.
Because love is not just something you feel.
You've heard the Beatles before, right?
All you need is love.
All you need is love.
No, no, no, no.
You there is no love if that's all you have.
There has to be service in line with love.
There has to be ministry, a willingness to do something, a willingness to serve.
Peter here calls for grace-empowered Christ-centered service.
First Peter chapter 4 verse 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God each one.
That means you and you and you and you and me Every one of us has been gifted by God with a multitude of giftings.
He says you've all got at least one.
Well, that's kind.
I know it's more than that.
I've never Had a conversation with one person that's only had one gifting.
They've had a unique personality.
They've had unique life experiences.
They have unique talents and gifts, unique abilities, unique things that they've practiced over and over and over again that they've gotten better at.
Now they might not be the best person in the world.
They might not be a professional in that level, but I've got some good news for you.
God's not going to compare you to anybody.
Except yourself.
He's going to look at you and say, I gave you this.
What did you do with it?
I gave you one talent.
Did you at least get interest on that talent?
I gave you two talents.
Have you been able to reproduce anything from there?
I gave you five talents.
What have you done with those five talents?
There are no spectrum. in the kingdom of God.
Everyone must be involved in the action.
So here's my question.
What are you doing this week for the kingdom?
What are you doing next Sunday, Easter, for the kingdom?
Or is Easter all about you?
Is Easter all about the new outfit you're going to wear so you can impress everybody in church?
Is Easter about going out to a good breakfast and just enjoying company with your friends?
Or have you made a decision?
I'm going to serve the kingdom.
I want the kingdom to expand.
I want the glory all to go to God.
Who can say amen?
See, you're all gifted ministers.
It says this in verse 11.
If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.
If anyone ministers, let him do it with the ability which God supplies.
That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and dominion forever and ever.
Amen.
I I love the simplic simplicity of Peter right here.
And the reason I say that is because sometimes there's big arguments over the spiritual gifts that are mentioned in the Bible.
And you know when you read Paul's writings in First Corinthians chapter 12, 13, and 14, you've got you've got knowledge and wisdom and tongues and interpretation and tongues and healings and and all of these different things. things that that do I have that do I have that do I have that peter narrows it down to two two things you're either going to use your tongue or you're gonna use your hands That's what he narrows it down to.
God's given you a gift.
It's either to use your tongue or to use your hands.
Or in most circumstances, it's to use both.
At least you can invite somebody with the tongue and then you can serve them with your hands.
He says all ministry is summed up in those two simple gestures.
You're either teaching, leading, preaching, prophesying, or you are serving, ministering, deaconing Taking care of people's needs in some wonderful, beautiful fashion.
You are called to be faithful stewards.
First Corinthians teaches us that it is required of a steward that you and I be found faithful.
So the gifts that we have are actually a responsibility.
They are a responsibility to be shared with the world. to be shared with your family, to be shared with your church, to be shared in the sound booth, to be, to be shared holding a sign.
To be shared taking an offering, receiving an offering, to be shared ministering to preschoolers or children or teenagers. to be shared by singing or playing an instrument from this platform by creating videos that we can use to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We've all been gifted to be stewards, to use these gifts, to use the grace that God has given us to grace other human beings.
He does add one thing here in verse 9.
I've kind of skipped it.
But I skipped it because I kind of hit on it last week.
And it's this whole idea of hospitality.
Look at 1 Peter 4.
9.
Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
I wonder why he added that last part.
He knows people.
Because he knows us.
Yeah.
He knows that we invite people over after a message like this.
I'm sure some of you are gonna invite people over to your house.
Last week's message.
You probably invited people over to the house.
Here's the key though When they walked out the door, did you say, I'm sure glad they're gone?
Did you look at your wife and say, I can't believe they used that many napkins?
I'm gonna go bankrupt having to pay for this meal.
You see, Peter's saying it's not just about the act, it's about the attitude.
It's about What's in the heart?
Are we doing this because God loved us so much that we want everyone to know the love of our God?
We want everyone to know the love of Jesus Christ.
And if you're one of those people who are saying, Pastor, I don't think I can do this, understand you are empowered by God Himself.
Verse 11 says you do it with the strength God provides.
You don't do it with your own strength.
You don't have to be perfect.
You don't have to have all the answers.
God supplies what you need.
You just have to be available.
Come on.
This week, are you available?
Peter didn't say the end is near.
So let's get out of here.
Let's sell everything we have and go into the mountains and wait for Jesus to come back.
Now if you look in the book of Luke Jesus or the owner specifically says, occupy until I come.
Be busy. until I come.
There is a window of opportunity this week, right now.
Listen, listen.
This is another great statistic.
Your neighbor is 80% more likely to say yes to an invitation this week than any other week of the year.
Don't wait for someday.
Someday is a graveyard of good intentions.
So here's another question.
Who is your now person?
This is what I believe is happening in this moment.
God's speaking to you.
Right now.
He's saying, I want you to invite Bob, Lily, Jerry.
I want you to invite Michaela.
I want you to invite Susan.
I want you to invite Jennifer.
Stephen.
He's dropping names and faces into your imagination in this very moment.
I don't want to wait.
I want you to get out your phone right now.
And I want you to pull up that contact.
And I want you to text them a message in this very moment inviting them to Easter service.
This isn't a message.
This is just a simple invitation.
This is what I wrote down in case you don't know what to say.
Hey!
I was thinking about you today.
Our church is celebrating Easter next Sunday at 8 and 10 a. m.
I'd love for you to come and sit with me.
Send it.
Right now.
You guys don't obey very well, do you?
Man, now I know what Jesus felt like.
Would you bow your heads?
If you're willing to do whatever God wants you to do this week, would you just raise your hand?
Right now.
I'll do whatever God wants me to do.
Heavenly Father, you saw hands across the sanctuary.
My prayer is that everybody raises their hands, at least in their heart.
That everybody in this moment makes a decision that God Whatever you call us to do, no matter how hard it might seem, no matter how impossible it it appears to me, I pray, Father God, that you would give this congregation, that you'd give me the courage to believe you for any.
For the impossible to become possible in my life.
I pray, Father God, that next weekend won't just be a typical Easter Sunday.
I pray men and women will get saved.
I pray that men and women will come to know Jesus Christ as Savior.
I pray, Father God, that it'll be a day of second chances for hundreds and thousands across this entire county in the name of Jesus Christ.
We don't have to be the only church where things are happening.
We just want to be a part.
We just want to be a part of whatever it is that you've got going on here in Florida, Father God.
And if it be your will, may what's happening here impact the world for your praise and your glory.
I pray, Father God, that we will courageously go to the nations and courageously go even to our neighborhoods And make a difference for your kingdom's sake.
I pray this in Jesus' holy and precious name.
And together everybody says, Amen.
Would you stand with me, please?
I'd like to ask the prayer partners to come on forward. and to uh avail themselves to your needs if you have a prayer request uh they will be equipped and ready to pray with you about anything um physical financial relational they want to make a difference in your life so so join the worship team as they lead in this last song and then feel free to come forward in prayer.
Blog Post
The Danger of "Someday" Thinking
We all live with a comfortable delusion called "someday." Someday we'll start that diet, get in shape, clean out the junk drawer, or tell our coworker about faith. The problem is that someday feels like a commitment, but it's actually just a delay tactic. We treat our spiritual mission like a to-do list we'll get to once things settle down, but life never settles down.
Peter addresses this procrastination directly in 1 Peter 4:7, declaring that "the end of all things is at hand." This isn't meant to induce panic but to sound a spiritual alarm. The window of opportunity is closing. Time is of the essence, and the "someday" strategy must be retired in favor of a "now" strategy.
Living With Spiritual Urgency
When Peter says the end is near, he's trying to change how we look at our time and opportunities. Every day presents chances to share faith, serve others, and live out the Great Commission. This urgency becomes especially important when we realize that 51% of churchgoers have never even heard the term "Great Commission," and 76% cannot define it.
Living with urgency doesn't mean living in fear. It means recognizing that people need Jesus, that eternity is real, and that believers are God's only plan—there is no Plan B. Time is short, whether Christ returns soon or our own lives come to an end. Looking back over decades, many people wonder where the years went and whether they truly made the most of their time.
Life moves faster than we realize. What feels like yesterday quickly becomes thirty-five years ago. James describes life as a vapor or mist, here one moment and gone the next. Some people live as if they're on a thousand-year plan, but none of us can guarantee we'll be here next Tuesday.
Prayer as the Foundation
Interestingly, the first instruction Peter gives in this urgent context is to pray. He calls believers to be "serious and watchful" in prayer, to pray wisely rather than panic. This means speaking to God about people before speaking to people about God.
Effective ministry requires asking God for guidance about who to talk to, what words to speak, and when to extend invitations. Prayer transforms random conversations into divine appointments, whether at restaurants, grocery stores, schools, workplaces, or neighborhoods. When believers pray for opportunities, God orchestrates moments that might otherwise be missed.
Love as the Fuel for Mission
First Peter 4:8 emphasizes having "fervent love for one another, for love covers over a multitude of sins." This isn't about covering up wrongdoing but about understanding that love is the key to effective evangelism and ministry. Urgency without love becomes mere pressure, but urgency combined with love becomes vibrant, active, compassionate service.
This love isn't shallow sentimentality but supernatural agape love—the God kind of love. It's the fruit of the Spirit that loves the unlovable and those who are hard to love. First Corinthians 13 describes this love as patient, kind, never giving up, quick to forgive, seeing potential in others, and seeking the best in people.
The Greek word for "fervent" means to stretch, describing a love that refuses to snap no matter how far it extends. This kind of love doesn't depend on how others behave. It's unconditional, demonstrating care even when stretched to its limits by difficult people or challenging circumstances.
Expanding the Definition of Neighbor
Jesus radically expanded the concept of who deserves our love. While religious leaders taught that people should love neighbors but could hate enemies, Jesus taught His followers to love even their enemies. He illustrated this through the parable of the Good Samaritan, making the despised Samaritan the hero who best displayed God's love.
This expansion means that everyone—regardless of differences in color, religion, or political affiliation—deserves to be treated with love. Hating people who are different comes naturally, but Christ calls His followers to a higher standard. If our efforts to share faith aren't fueled by genuine love, we become nothing more than annoying salespeople, and no one will open the doors of their hearts.
Service Through Spiritual Gifts
Love isn't just a feeling—it must be expressed through action and service. First Peter 4:10 states, "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Every single person has been gifted by God with unique abilities, talents, experiences, and personality traits.
Peter simplifies the discussion of spiritual gifts into two categories: using your tongue or using your hands. All ministry can be summed up in teaching, leading, preaching, and prophesying, or in serving, ministering, and meeting people's needs. Most often, both are required—inviting someone with words and then serving them with actions.
These gifts come with responsibility. Believers are called to be faithful stewards of what they've been given. This means using gifts to serve family, church, and community in various capacities—whether in the sound booth, holding signs, taking offerings, ministering to children or teenagers, creating videos, singing, playing instruments, or countless other ways.
God doesn't compare one person to another. He looks at what He gave each individual and asks what they did with it. Everyone must be involved in action for the kingdom.
The Importance of Hospitality
First Peter 4:9 adds an important qualifier: "Be hospitable to one another without grumbling." Hospitality isn't just about the act but the attitude behind it. It's possible to invite people over and then complain after they leave about how many napkins they used or how much the meal cost.
True hospitality flows from hearts transformed by God's love, wanting everyone to know that same love. It's about being available and willing, even if imperfect or lacking all the answers. God supplies the strength needed—believers simply need to make themselves available.
Seizing the Easter Opportunity
Easter represents one of the best opportunities of the year to invite others to church. Statistics show that neighbors are 80% more likely to say yes to an invitation during Easter week than any other week of the year. This makes it a "now" moment that shouldn't be missed.
Rather than waiting for someday, believers should act immediately. This might mean sending a simple text message: "Hey! I was thinking about you today. Our church is celebrating Easter next Sunday. I'd love for you to come and sit with me."
Making It Count
The call isn't to sell everything and wait in the mountains for Christ's return. Instead, it's to occupy until He comes—to stay busy, serve faithfully, and make the most of every opportunity. Someday is a graveyard of good intentions. The time to act is now.
This week presents a window of opportunity. God may be bringing specific names and faces to mind—Bob, Lily, Jerry, Michaela, Susan, Jennifer, Stephen. These are "now" people, individuals who need an invitation, a conversation, an act of service, or a demonstration of Christ's love.
The end is near. The mission is urgent. But the work isn't done alone—God supplies the strength, the words, and the opportunities. What's required is availability, willingness, and faith to believe that the impossible can become possible when believers step out in obedience.
