The Harvest

On Sunday morning I had opportunity to preach a message on the harvest field.  It wasn't assigned by our pastor, I did however feel some spiritual prompting to bring the message.  Why?  I've never wanted to guess at why God wants certain things spoken at specific times, so I won't speculate now, however I do find it refreshing that I find online a few other people shared from the same text on the same day.   Here are the fine or major points from the message.  


Luke 10:2 He told them "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (NIV)


John 4:34-36  My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.  Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until the harvest'?  I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.  Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.


1.  Jesus is instructing those he was sending out to ask God where they should go into the fields.  Where to bring the story of salvation.  He is also instructing us to ask God to send the workers, not those around us, quite literally, US.  Jesus was giving instruction in typical form, ask God to send you.  He is the Lord of the harvest and he needs workers, not people to say, God send someone to my neighbour they need to hear about you.  He wants us to go, those who claim to know and follow Christ, we are the workers he wants in the fields.


2.  The harvest fields are the people around us that have not heard the good news, or do not have a relationship with Christ.  These are the fields God is sending us to, all we need to do is be willing to answer, Here I am Lord send Me.


3.  While in the harvest fields we may come up with a reason to not do the work.  Let's face it, the farming task of harvest is hard work and you get dirty, so is the spiritual task of working in the fields, sowing in fertile soil so God can reap, and we may not like the toll it can take at times.  Have you ever said or heard the words, some one else will get to it (read them) or I have enough time, I'll do it tomorrow.  Both can cause us to stop doing the will and work of the Lord, drifting into a sense of sleepy faith only perking up when our favorite song is played on Sunday morning.  Neither is the word of God. 
Here's why.
If we claim that someone else will do the work, we miss the blessing of sowing into someone's life the words that could bring hope and God's love.  Imagine the scene at the throne of Jesus when your neighbor runs and thanks someone you never met for sharing about Christ with them, yeah someone else did the work, but it could have and maybe should have been you (read me).  We don't need to be an extravert or an amazing evangelist we just need to care about the eternal state of those around us, those we live with even.
If we claim we have enough time, we are just lying to our selves, the truth is we don't know how much time we have on this earth.  When our last breathe will be taken, when our friends last breathe will be taken, when Jesus will return.  We need to stop fooling our selves into thinking we have more time and do the work we are called to do now, because now is the time to do the work.
Worry about their salvation not their perception, doing this only leads to more lost souls, Jesus never cared what people thought of him, only that He loved them.


4.  The workers are all those who claim to be the church, the living organism that is body of Christ.  The mouths that share the good news, the feet that bring aid to those in need, the hands out stretched to serve where needed.  


5.  We are living in the end times, no dancing around it, no trying to hide from it, this time is prophesied in scripture, we are seeing the last days right now.  I'm not a dooms dayist, I simple hope to see the return of Christ, but first I want to see my friends and family come to Christ in a moment of honest surrender to him, in salvation for their souls.  I am a harvest worker, I am part of the church, I must do the work.




If you claim to be a Christian, you are a harvest worker, get busy.