Plant What?
Matthew 25:14-30
Part of Planted—2023
October 15, 2023

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Plant What?

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

“The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ —Matthew 25:14-30 (NLT)

What are We Planting?

From Mission Insight:

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Full Mission Insight Report

Clay Co. Population 2023: 1,944,674
Nones/No Religious Preference - 29% to 32% — 2.8% increase in 10 years
Belief in Jesus does not require participation in a church - 63.4%

In a nation increasingly multi-religious and non-religious, many church traditions recognize the need for planting expressions of Christianity outside the pattern of traditional church practice. —Bishop Ken Carter, Fresh Expressions: A New Kind of Methodist Church, pg 4

14 Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.

29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ —Matthew 25:14, 29-30 (NLT

Kingdom on Earth

A society whose maturing consists simply of acquiring more firmly established ways of doing things is headed for the graveyard—even if it learns to do these things with great and greater skill. —John W. Gardner

A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church. It will come into being through principles of listening, service, contextual mission and making disciples. It will have the potential to become a mature expression of church shaped by the gospel and the enduring marks of the church and for its cultural context. —Bishop Ken Carter, Fresh Expressions: A New Kind of Methodist Church, pg 3

Marks of a Methodist:

  1. Studying the Scriptures
  2. Singing Our Believes
  3. Holy Communion
  4. Community and Helping Others
  5. Spiritual Growth in Groups
  6. Personal Testimony of Transformation

Our mission is to be a relevant, vibrant, growing church that seeks and shares God’s love with the community.


Go Beyond the Sermon…

All summer, there will be daily devotions to help you take the sermon into your day-to-day life. Keep up through the church app, website, or on our social pages.

Questions to Ponder:

What was the reasoning, motivation, or feeling behind the last servant buyring his talents?

Where did the fear come from?

Could his fear also come from the fact that he had the smallest number of talents—only one?

Clearly the master valued risk. How comfortable are you with risk? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a church wh is willing to risk?

For Further Reading: Fresh Expressions: A New Kind of Methodist Church For People Not In Church