Homes of Hope - Week 1
Developing a Sowing Mentality: How Churches Can Reach Beyond Their Walls
Churches face a natural tendency to become inward-focused over time. Like a basketball team that excels at passing and defense but forgets to shoot, established congregations can lose sight of their primary mission: reaching people who are far from Jesus. This challenge requires intentional action and what Solomon calls a "sowing mentality."
What Is Entropy in Church Life?
Entropy is the natural tendency toward disorder in any system without external energy. In church terms, this means congregations naturally drift toward comfort and familiarity. Without intentional effort, churches begin focusing more on those already inside rather than those who need to hear about Jesus.
This isn't intentional - it just happens. The four walls of a building can begin to contain and constrain a church from fulfilling God's mission. Like a leg in a cast that becomes weak and pale from lack of use, churches can atrophy when they stop actively reaching outward.
What Does Solomon Teach About Sowing?
In Ecclesiastes 11, Solomon provides wisdom about developing a sowing mentality. He writes: "Sow your seed in the morning and at evening, let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well."
Make It a Priority
Solomon says to "sow your seed in the morning." The things most important to us, we do first. Reaching people far from Jesus shouldn't be an afterthought - it should be a top priority for every church and believer.
Work Hard at It
"Let not your hands be idle" reminds us that evangelism takes effort. It's easier to gather together, sing praises, and love one another while forgetting everyone else. But effective outreach requires intentional work.
Take Faith-Inspired Risks
Three times in Ecclesiastes 11, Solomon says "you do not know." We don't know what will succeed or fail, which is why we need faith-inspired risks. We can't wait for perfect conditions because there will always be excuses not to act.
Why Can't We Wait for Perfect Conditions?
Ecclesiastes 11:4 warns: "Whoever watches the wind will not plant, and whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." Churches often say they'll focus on outreach when their budget is bigger, when they have more programs, or when conditions are ideal. But perfect conditions never come.
As farmers know, you make hay when the sun shines because there's always an excuse not to do something. Proverbs 24 says: "A sluggard does not plow in season, so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing."
What Role Do We Play in God's Kingdom Work?
Jesus explains in Mark 4 that the kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed. "Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain."
Our job is to scatter the seeds; God's job is to produce the fruit. God invites us to participate in His work using our time, talents, and treasures for His purpose and glory.
od Doesn't Waste Faith-Filled Efforts
Here's an important truth: God will not waste what you in faith place in His hands. It might not always work out as expected, but God will not waste it. Even apparent failures can become stepping stones to greater ministry and impact.
How Did Jesus Use Different Methods?
God isn't particular about methods - we should "marry the mission and date the methods." Jesus used various approaches:
He told people to "go and tell"
He invited people to "come and see"
He even said to "compel them to come in"
Jesus used everyone - from a formerly demon-possessed man to a woman with a complicated past to disciples on their way to church. The key is having the posture of Isaiah: "Here I am. Send me."
What Can We Learn from the Four Lepers?
In 2 Kings 7, four lepers faced impossible choices - stay and die, go to the city and die, or surrender to enemies and possibly die. They chose to take a faith-inspired risk and discovered that God had miraculously provided.
After finding abundance in the abandoned enemy camp, they realized: "What we're doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves." They couldn't keep the good news to themselves.
How often do we act like those lepers initially did - enjoying God's blessings while keeping them to ourselves? We need to recognize that keeping good news private isn't right.
How Can We Practically Apply This?
The gospel is simply "one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread." We can easily recommend TV shows, doctors, or mechanics to friends. Are we equally willing to tell them about Jesus?
Many people will never enter church doors until they first enter the doors of your home. Hospitality and genuine relationships often precede spiritual conversations. Consider:
Who might you invite to lunch or dinner?
How might this change where you work out or where your kids play?
How does this affect your prayer life?
Churches need to be less like food courts (staying behind counters) and more like Costco (taking samples directly to hungry people where they are).
Why Should We Be Like Spoons?
A little girl once said she'd rather be a spoon than a fork or knife. Forks are "too grabby," always taking things. Knives are scary and just cut things up. But spoons "can scoop up a lot of stuff and pass it around."
Spoons are designed to serve rather than take. They offer sustenance to others and exist for the purpose of serving and sharing. As believers, we need to be spoons - serving and sharing what we've been given.
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to develop a sowing mentality. Stop living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. God has work for you to do beyond the comfort of Sunday morning services.
Take one faith-inspired risk to share the good news with someone who needs to hear it. This might mean having a spiritual conversation with a neighbor, inviting someone to your home for a meal, or simply being intentionally kind to someone who seems far from God.
Ask yourself these questions:
Who in my life needs to hear about Jesus, and what's one practical step I can take to share with them?
What excuses have I been making to avoid reaching out to others?
How can I be more like a "spoon" - serving and sharing rather than just taking?
What faith-inspired risk is God calling me to take this week
Remember, God will not waste what you place in His hands through faith. Your role is to scatter the seeds; His role is to produce the fruit. The question isn't whether you're qualified - it's whether you're willing to say, "Here I am. Send me."
