Reaping a Harvest part 3
The Harvest Requires Workers
As we continue our series on reaping a harvest, let’s review those four principles we are looking at:
To reap a harvest, the ground must be prepared.
To reap a harvest, seeds must be planted.
To reap a harvest, workers must do their jobs.
To reap a harvest, the harvest must be reaped.
When we “prepare the ground,” we are talking about removing those things in our hearts and lives that would impede growth. As Christians called by God into salvation, we are also called to call others to salvation. That’s what it means to bear fruit. We are Christians making more Christians, just as apples make more apples, cats make more cats, and rabbits make more rabbits. But, as we looked at Matthew 13, we saw that the things of this life can destroy our growth and fruit-bearing—specifically, the trials of life and the lure of worldliness. We have to remove those barriers to growth if we are to bear fruit.
Next, when we “plant seeds,” we are talking about doing the acts of faith, demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit, that will call others towards repentance. If we are to share Christ, we have to act like Christ. Only then will our message seem plausible.
Today, we look at “workers must do their jobs.” The main message is this:
We reap what we sow.
In the farm, in the local business, or in any endeavor, if there’s a job to do, then someone has to do it. As the organization grows (i.e. bigger farm, bigger business, bigger school), then more workers are needed to take care of all the jobs that come up.
No organization can outgrow the number of people willing to support the organization.
There is a certain level that every organization reaches until it has to adjust or add to its systems. It’s a simple reality that people tend to forget, and churches are no exception. Ministry gurus believe a single person can effectively disciple about 10 people at any given time. (It’s no coincidence that Jesus had 12 main disciples, even though large crowds followed Him.) Now, that’s if the person is actively striving to disciple others. If a church is to reach others, each and every Christian is to take part for that local assembly to become what God has designed it to be. If we leave the job to the pastor, or just a handful of people, then we can expect it to only be as large as 10x the number of volunteers.
If you’d like a real-world example, just consider our own church. Right now we have about 8 ministry leaders in our church. Under those are support volunteers, but in terms of leadership, it’s about 8. (I say ‘about’ because it depends on how you define ‘leader’.) Our attendance for Sunday morning averages in the 40s, and for AWANA and youth together, it’s in the 30s. So, if we take 8x10, we get 80, and that’s about how many people we are actively engaging with each week. Officially, we have 72 active members, so no matter how you measure it, the 1:10 ratio is about right.
Now, if we want to say we’re satisfied with this, then I must warn you time is always against us. First, and more important, Christ is returning, and people need to hear. There are lost and dying people around us that are not being reached. Second, and connected to the first, we are called to faithfulness, and sitting on our laurels complacent with a lost and dying world is not faithfulness. And last, and most pragmatic in terms of the church, time will always take people away. People move away, they grow older and unable to do the work, or they die. And that is why:
The local church is always growing, or it is dying, there is no ‘staying the same.’
So, how shall we respond to these realities? The answer, of course, has already been given to us. Turn with me to Luke 10.
Pray to the Lord of the Harvest
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “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.
Luke 10:1-2
A couple of things are worth noting here. First, notice how many are sent out. We tend to focus on “12 Disciples,” which is accurate enough, but these weren’t they only 12. The main 12 became known as the 12 Apostles, but the truth is Jesus had many disciples. Crowds of people followed Him. Only the 12 were the main followers, though. But, even still, here Jesus finds 72 others (notice these are 72 beyond the 12) that are appointed to go out ahead of Him. They are sent 2 by 2. And even with these 84 people, Jesus says, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers few.”
If a church wants to grow, it must pray for more workers.
Keep in mind prayer is two-way communication with God. After you ask God to send workers, be sure to listen to His response. He will probably have something for you to do. I know this, because He has already gifted you with talents. As we’ve discussed many times, our talents, time, and gifts are a blessing from God to be used for God.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
1 Peter 4:10
In your prayers, don’t forget to ask for guidance on how you can use your blessings.
Going out as lambs among wolves
In the following verses, Jesus tells the 72 how they should go.
Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
Luke 10:3-9
It is noteworthy, and has been dissected quite a bit by theologians, that Jesus tells them to not carry a moneybag, knapsack, or even sandals. They are not even to greet people they find on the road. Those first commands have to do with relying on God’s provision. Rather than trying to prepare ourselves to be obedient, Jesus says, “Just go in obedience.” The bit about not greeting those on the road has to do with their focus. In the ancient world, they could have run into all sorts of people on the road. But, Jesus was sending them to specific places. They had a place they should be, so they were to focus on getting there. The principle is thus:
Obedience means focusing on the mission, not on what we think we need.
In the next part, Jesus tells them to speak peace to the house. “Peace be to this house” is a greeting and a test. If the house is receptive to the disciples, then that is where they should remain to begin the building process. But, if the house rejects the greeting, then the disciples are to move on. We will come back to that rejection in a minute, but look at how they are to act in the house that welcomes them. They are to stay at the house, not looking for greener pastures, and eat and drink what is provided. These missionaries are working for the Lord, and the Lord is paying them a wage through the generosity of the household.
And the work they perform is fairly straightforward: they are to heal the sick and proclaim the Kingdom of God. They tend to the physical and the spiritual needs of the household, and those who enter the house.
The work of the missionary includes both the physical and spiritual needs of their field.
That is the work Jesus did, and that is the work He calls us to. Again, remember how Paul says it:
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
Ephesians 5:1
One of my favorite songs is “Do Something” by Matthew West. Listen to the first verse:
I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now, thought
How'd we ever get so far down, and
How's it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, "God, why don't You do something?"
Well, I just couldn't bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, "God, why don't You do something?"
He said, "I did, yeah, I created you"
God created us, the Church, to do something about the problems around us. If we want the lost world to see the life-transforming power of the Gospel, then let’s show them!
Last, Jesus addresses when the disciples are rejected. Read with me.
But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Luke 10:10-16
If the disciples are rejected, they are to do two things. First, they shake the dust of the town from their shoes. It is a symbolic action, of course, that is reminiscent of “washing your hands of _____”. It was a Jewish tradition/act that symbolized breaking all fellowship. Whenever a faithful Jew found themselves wandering through Gentile territory, they would shake off all the dust they collected before returning to the Jewish land. They didn’t want any part of the Gentiles to be associated with them or even their land. Now, we may not go around shaking our feet at people, though it would be a fun exercise to bring back, but the principle is this:
We approach the lost in peace, and we leave them in peace.
Some will accept salvation and receive the peace of Christ. Some will reject salvation, but we still leave them in peace. We are not called to coerce people into salvation. No amount of yelling ever got someone into heaven.
Jesus then pronounces a curse on those towns who rejected His message despite seeing His miracles. There are those who will see the work of God and still reject salvation from God. It is heartbreaking, but at the end of time, we are only held accountable for our faithfulness, not others’.
The last verse sums up a truth that should leave us with a sense of freedom in our evangelism.
If we give the message of Christ and are rejected, then it is Christ the person rejects, not us.
Again, our faithfulness is in telling others. Whether they accept or not speaks to their faithfulness. That doesn’t mean we should be lazy in our efforts, but it does mean, that if we have done all that God has called us to do, then we can leave it in His hands.
So even if we seem to work and work without a bountiful harvest, remember Galatians 6:9:
And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9
Our Task Ahead
And now we come to the task at hand. After praying for workers to tend the field, we will find ourselves called into the field. There are many books on developing a mission statement or vision statement, but Christ already gave us the mission:
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
We are called to make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to be like Christ. Our mission field is from next door to the ends of the earth. Now, we can discuss how we’re supposed to reach the ends of the earth, but I would argue the better discussion is, how can we make disciples right here, right now? We will have opportunities to travel. God will grant us those. But if we are not faithful to work the ministries we have now, and speak to the lost right in front of us, why should He open doors for us to travel to new locations?
One last passage and then we will close. Turn with me to Romans 10.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 10:13-16
Verse 13 is a wonderful promise. There are no qualifications to being saved. If you know you are a sinner who needs forgiveness, that mercy is waiting on you to accept. Call on Jesus, and you too, will be saved. But that next verse is a reminder to the Christians. How can someone believe in something they have never heard? And how can they hear about something that no one is telling them?
This topic was raised this past Wednesday in the youth gathering, and my son had a great observation—we’re the only ones who know. Who else would there be to tell people about Jesus? Think about your own life, your work, or your own circle of influence. Who else is there to tell about Christ? For some of you, there may be several. That is a blessing! Join with those Christian brothers and sisters, and pray for those lost people around you. But for some of you, you may not be able to think of other Christians. That is a hard place to be, I know, because I’ve been there myself. But, consider this—God has placed you there, because these are souls for whom He came and gave His life. And how will they know unless someone tells them? And who is able to tell them? Their other lost friends? Of course, not. They can only hear the Good News from someone who has experienced the Good News!
Look closely at verse 15. Paul asks, “How are they to preach unless they are sent?” God appoints preachers and evangelists to reach the lost. But here’s something church people sometimes forget. The pastor isn’t the only one who is sent to the lost. Each and every Christian will have those ‘divine appointments,’ those times when God is saying, “Tell this person about My love.”
The mission of the church is to make disciples, and the task of each Christian is to use their gifts towards that mission.
As the Apostles went about starting new churches, their next task was appointing leaders of those churches who in turn appointed workers. That is how the Church grew so fast in the early centuries. And that is how it will continue to grow today.
We are at a crossroads moment at Chilhowee Baptist. We have reached the capacity that we can with the workers that we have. Today, God is calling some to the task of reaching Chilhowee and the nations with the message of salvation. If you hear God’s call to join the task, then respond with the same prayer Isaiah gave when the Lord called him, “Here am I, Lord, send me!”