JARS FOR JESUS

Jars for Jesus JARS FOR JESUS

Hillsong LYN food hub

Reviving Communities What do we do when we feel we don’t have enough? Drawing inspiration from 2 Kings, Archie Coates encourages us that God will use whatever we have – a little or lot – to build His Kingdom.

Archie Coates speaking at Focus

Our vision is to play our part in the evangelisation of the nation, the revitalisation of the Church and the transformation of society – to see the lonely loved, relationships restored, addictions broken, the homeless housed and the streets safe. We want to see churches brought back to life and the Good News and love of Jesus Christ, everywhere. We have an audacious vision, but it’s one that’s only possible if we all play our part. In 2 Kings 4:1—7, we have a story that strikes me as giving us two principles about how God wants to use each and every one of us to bring about our vision.

THEY BROUGHT THE JARS TO HER AND SHE KEPT POURING. "YOUR SERVANT HAS NOTHING THERE AT ALL,” SHE SAID, “EXCEPT A SMALL JAR OF OLIVE OIL."

PRINCIPLE 1 God needs only what you have

Playing your part in the vision will come out of who you already are, what you already have, rather than who you aren't, and what you haven't got. So let’s let go of the notion that you need to be somebody else, or at a different stage of your life, or have different gifts to play your part. Instead, let us start to think of what we can do now with what we do have. This widow said she had nothing ‘except a small jar of olive oil.’ Perfect – God could use that!

The greatest danger is to think of what you don't have or what you can't do. But God only needs what you have. In the New Testament, 5,000 people are hungry and all are fed using 5 loaves and 5 fishes. God used what they had. It’s the same with Moses and his staff; David and his slingshot; the disciples and their nets; and Paul in captivity. And, most importantly, the crucified body of Jesus. The miracle comes out of what you have, not what you don't have.

Welcome to our vision – where God has a track record of receiving whatever we give to him and expanding it to His great purposes. Think of St Mellitus Theological College established 15 years ago with five ordained men and women in training to become clergy. To date, it’s now trained 1,184 men and women. Think of the church planting too – 35 years ago, the first church plant was sent out from HTB. Now, that's over 130 church plants and revitalisations sent out to towns, estates, and cities all over the country. You see, you give what you have, not what you don't have, and God takes it and expands it. You hear about Alpha – Alpha started in a London living room. That's now been done by 30 million people across the globe. The truth is you don't need much. Just need a willing heart to give whatever you can, because God will take the little and make it overflow.

PRINCIPLE 2 God uses only what we offer

I want my life to be like a jar that I put out for Jesus to fill, and the more jars we put out and offer him, the more he will fill. The truth is that God will pour himself into anything that we bring him and the more we bring, the more he’ll pour in. I haven’t been at HTB all that long, but I keep running into all these jars. I met Beth. She's a jar for Jesus at the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, where she's a nurse. And on Sunday, she puts out another jar when she leads worship. And I've met Sam, he's a jar for Jesus as a civil servant, and in the week, he's helping on the Afghan resettlement programme. And then on Sunday, he puts out another jar when he helps with younger youth in the church.

I say we’re all jars. Those on production teams, worship, prayer, hospitality – you’re all serving in your church, while also bringing Christ into your work, home, communities, and friendship groups. Why don’t we put jars out into every corner of the nation and see Jesus fill every one of them? That’s how we, the Church, become the heart of our community. Finally, did you notice in the story who does the pouring? It's not Elisha, it's the widow. Because God will do the miracle, but He'll do it through your hands and your actions. So, I want to invite you to join us in being a jar for Jesus and together we’ll see the evangelisation of the nation, the revitalisation of the Church, and the transformation of society. Amen.