*Matthew 9:37-38
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
God has a desire in His heart: He wants people to be reconciled to Him. This is His greatest desire.
So great is His heart for us that He was willing to live as a man & allow others to beat, insult, humiliate & then nail Him to a cross.
Jesus endured all these things because He knew that His sacrifice would give humanity the opportunity to be reconciled to Him.
Jesus helps us understand that the harvest is plentiful & the work of bringing it in is incredibly important.
Think for a second about how many people you know who live far from God in your neighborhood, in the place where you study or work, on your lists of contacts on social media, so on.
You will soon realize that the large majority of them still need to be reconciled to God.
As we help to bring them back to their heavenly Father, we will be gathering the harvest Jesus spoke about.
The Lord sees each person as a worker, or minister for Him.
Jesus compares His Church to a body - a living organism.
Is there any part of your body that sleeps while you get on with your day? No! Every cell in your body has a specific job to do.
Some organs have more attractive functions than others, but no part of our bodies is useless.
Is there any member of the Body of Christ that can afford to stay asleep? No! We all have a role to play in the plan of God.
We can all help people be reconciled to God.
That is why the Lord helped us understand that every member of the church can & should become a leader, because the church is a living organism.
*Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
He has already done His part - remember that the work of the cross is perfect & complete.
Now it is up to us to do our part. We need to continue what He has started.
We should "...go & make disciples of all nations".
Evangelizing any nation is genuinely very simple - God has helped us see it that way. It is not something complicated; it is not about having to go out & stand on street corners to shout like madman, nor it is about standing up on buses to try & convince people.
As a church, God has given us a strategy to win the nations: the G12 Vision.
We focus on helping each person take up the responsibility of discipling 12 others, & doing it well.
Imagine that each of those 12 also do the same & take responsibility for taking care of 12 more.
The 1st generation would be 12 people; the 2nd, 144; the 3rd, 1728; the 4th, 20736; the 5th, over 200 thousand; the 6th, more than 2 million & the 7th, more than 35 million.
How can we transform a nation with the gospel? By focusing on 12.
When we say that we should disciple 12, & we should do it well, we are referring to the fact that it is not simply about gathering people together.
It is about bringing people together so that their lives can be changed by the gospel.
When the gospel reaches thieves, they stopped stealing; when the gospel reaches murderers, they stop killing; when it reaches liars, they start telling the truth& when it reaches unwise parents, families are restored.
We have the Vision to change lives, but just having it is not enough - we also have to put it in practice.
Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.
-Joel Barker
What is your role in the important task of bringing harvest? How can you begin?
Tell someone about what Jesus has done for you.
Invite someone to come with you to the cell group you attend.
Invite someone to come to church with you.
REMEMBER:
OUR MISSION IS TO RECONCILE THE WORLD TO GOD & WE ALL HAVE A PART TO PLAY.
