Join Us for Worship: Sundays at 9:00 AM & 11:00 AM https://www.flourishinggrace.org/plan... In this sermon from Luke 10:1–20, guest preacher Josh Gardner invites us into a deeper understanding of the mission Jesus gives his disciples—and to us. As Jesus sends out the seventy-two, He declares that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. This passage challenges us to consider where our hearts are focused and what kind of harvest we’re truly living for. Are we chasing temporal, worldly goals, or are we attuned to the eternal harvest—the work God is doing to bring people from death to life through the good news of the kingdom? Josh begins by reflecting on how this passage has shaped his own calling and rhythms, including a personal practice of praying Luke 10:2 daily. That verse—“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest”—is more than a directive; it’s a call to realign our hearts and cry out to God with desperation and dependence. Josh challenges us to think about what we’re truly praying for in our lives. Are we asking God to raise up disciple-makers? Are we praying for boldness and readiness to go ourselves? Or are we preoccupied with lesser harvests—financial gain, social status, comfort, and control? Throughout the message, Josh explains that Jesus sends His disciples not with comfort or power, but as lambs among wolves. This isn’t just poetic language—it’s a sobering reminder that following Jesus means stepping into spiritual battle with nothing but trust in Him. We are not promised ease or success, but we are promised His presence and power. Josh encourages us to go humbly, depending not on our own strength or eloquence, but on the God who equips and goes with us. He points out that throughout Scripture, God uses unlikely, unqualified people to accomplish His purposes so that His power might be made known. This passage also teaches that we are not only to go, but to bring peace. As Jesus instructs the disciples to offer peace in the homes they enter, Josh reminds us that Christians should be marked by a peace that surpasses understanding—a peace that invites curiosity and opens doors for conversations about Jesus. He shares a personal story from high school where his boss, noticing his peace during a family health crisis, became more open to conversations about faith. These “people of peace” moments aren’t accidents—they’re evidence that God is already at work in hearts, inviting us to participate in what He is doing. In calling us to do what Jesus did—eat with others, meet needs, and proclaim the gospel—Josh reminds us that we don’t go alone. We go with the Spirit and in the power of Jesus’ name. But with this calling comes the reality of rejection. Jesus tells the disciples that those who reject their message are ultimately rejecting Him. Josh challenges us to consider how often fear of rejection prevents us from speaking the truth. He quotes magician and outspoken atheist Penn Jillette, who once said, “How much do you have to hate someone not to proselytize?” The stakes are eternal, and love compels us to speak even when it’s uncomfortable. Finally, Josh points us to the joy of gospel-centered living. When the disciples return, rejoicing over the authority they exercised in Jesus’ name, Jesus redirects their joy—not toward the miracles, but toward the reality that their names are written in heaven. Our greatest joy must be rooted in the gospel itself: we have been saved, redeemed, adopted, and given a place in the family of God. That truth sustains us when the results are slow, when conversations go nowhere, and when we feel unseen in our efforts.