Below are additional resources of videos, links, tools, and expanded notes to supplement the sermon
preached by Rob Blair at Harbour Shores Church on May 24th, 2026
Both of these parables teach vital truths about how Jesus grows and expands His kingdom—His way. This message is deeply countercultural in a world that says, “Be true to yourself” and “You can change the world!”
while also challenging aspects of the modern church-growth/planting movement which often seeks to build and expand God’s kingdom through man-made methods using corporate marketing strategies, business vision casting, and sheer human effort.
Jesus desires to accomplish in, and through us, and the entire world something which only God can do.
“For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” – 1 Cor. 3:4-7
Currently, we are in high school & college graduation season. As a result, we are also bombarded with self-actualization speeches to “believe in your dreams”, and “what this world needs most, is you to be you!” casting every graduate as the main character of their one story. One such famous speech was delivered by Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs to the 2005 Stanford graduates. He gets a few things right, but in the end, the best he can offer is the ever popular, “follow your heart”.
To counter the endless parade of banal inspirational messages, Mike Rowe offered his best advice to graduates everywhere in his wonderfully, humorous way, and that is, DON’T follow your passion. (Along the same lines of homespun, common-sense wisdom is Paul Harvey’s famous, “So God Made A Farmer”.)
I highly recommend every high school graduate get a copy of “Do Not Be True To Yourself; Countercultural Advice for the Rest of Your Life” by Kevin DeYoung. A 2nd book by Kevin, for every Christian–whether a graduate or not is; “Impossible Christianity; Why following Jesus does not mean you have to change the world, be an expert in everything, accept spiritual failure, and feel miserable pretty much all the time.” (the sub title says it all.)
Year’s ago, when our youngest son was graduating for high school, the commencement speaker that day was history teacher, speaker, author, and podcast host, Peter Heck. Peter didn’t give the typical “follow your dreams” message. Instead, he offered genuine, counter-culture, biblical wisdom.
Peter’s most recent book “REBELLIOUS; What If Christians Were Actually Different?” will help combat the self-defining cultural landslide in which we are currently being swept away.
Dr. David Schrock shares leadership insights for those seeking to serve God in advancing His kingdom. David shares (at the 28 min. mark) wise counsel he once received as a pastoral candidate, to embrace obscurity so as to avoid the pitfall of what is labeled main character syndrome. by Alex Kocman; ABWE’s Dir. of Communications and podcast host.
At the center of main character syndrome is the same lie the devil used to tempt Adam & Eve we read about in Genesis chapter 3, which was to determine for themselves what is right & wrong. In other words, you can be your own god. Humanist philosophy calls this self-actualization.
Listen to this podcast by Jonny Ardavanis interviewing Melissa Dougherty on how self-actualization has made it’s way into the modern western church in the old lie, just new packaging of new thought Christianity.
Christ’s Etceteras is a fiery 1915 missionary manifesto and booklet by famed English cricketer and missionary C. T. Studd. It calls believers to reject earthly comfort and become fully devoted “nobodies” in the militant cause of evangelizing the world and crowning Jesus Christ as King.
Studd used the term to define a new type of radical, unashamed missionary who is completely sold out to God without reservation. The core ideas and principles outlined in the booklet include:
