Acorns into trees, Disciples into Churches

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Every tree is full of acorns, making thousands of them every year. Forests are full of trees that came from similar tiny acorns. Each one making it's way somehow from the branches of the tree to the ground somewhere. Some hit the ground in a great spot, sprouted and grew in to anther massive tree. Others landed in spots with poor soil, little water, too much shade or for any of numerous other reasons, failed to thrive They sprouted and grew, even produced a handful of acorns of their own, but they are a far cry from the big tree that gave them a start.
Why are we talking about trees today? Because like every tree produces the seeds that are needed to produce more trees and every seed has the potential to produce a new tree. Every Church is designed by God to produce disciple makers and every disciple maker has the DNA to produce another church.

Welcome to Run With Horses. My Name is Norman and my goal is to help you thrive as a disciple of Jesus. And today, we want to check your DNA!

The church is to be an acorn producing machine!
Disciple makers are the fruit of a healthy church and the seed of new healthy churches. It' sin their DNA!

That means you are a church planting nut! Right?

What if we aren't? Churches die. Churches decrease in number and health. New churches aren't started.

SO what should I do?
Grow where you are planted! or where you fell. Just grow where you are!
Healthy spiritual growth results in seeds of the gospel taking root in peoples lives. The Gospel changes people. Seed, sprout, seedling, young tree, fruit bearing tree, forest.

How do I grow?
Pursue Jesus yourself and invite others to go with you. Embrace the challenge of living for Jesus in the world today. It isn' t easy and Jesus never said that it would be. He did say that it glorifies God though!

Learn to see the world through the eyes of Jesus. People are lost. They are hurting and looking for something to make life worth living for. People want hope. They want to think that this all means something. See the world with the compassionate eyes of Jesus and recognize that He is the Hope that the world needs. God offers the meaning that we all seek after and He offers healing for the pain we all feel.

Get to know your community and the people who are barely surviving in it. Be a friend to the friendless and a help to those in need. Share your Hope through your life into your relationships and make it clear in your words.

Be an acorn. Don't try to control where you are planted but make the best of the ground you are given. Some soil is hard. Soften it by digging your roots deep into the Word of God and draw life giving water from Him. God is able to grow fruit on trees that are connected to Him wherever they are planted.

Pray for your church to be a tree full of acorns sprouting across your community. Each one carrying the DNA of the church and the potential to change every person in their path.
God is a big God. He is never limited. You may be a small seed, but dream big and trust a bigger God to use you to build His church.

Thanks for joining me today. We serve a Big God. Trust Him to do the work in your life to make you like Him and to use you to work change in others. You may be a small seed in a large field, but God is more than able to use you to build His church. Commit to growing and never stop running after Jesus.