“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:37-38 and Luke 10:2
When Jesus made this statement to His disciples, He travelled from town-to-town preaching and healing. He witnessed the daily lives of the people and their helplessness. He knew they needed to hear His message and shared that so many need God, yet few shared His truth. When Jesus told His disciples to pray that more people be sent out to share the gospel, He was not only speaking to His generation but was also addressing future generations like ours.
When we choose to become disciples of God, we must not forget that we also chose to become missionaries so that He could carry out His mission. We decided to become involved in the harvest as seed planters, those who feed the crops, or those who gather the crops. We became involved in sharing the gospel with the helpless, those who need Jesus.
I recently heard a sermon by Andy Stanley, where he spoke about individual involvement in sharing God’s hope. He challenged all generations to listen and ask themselves what kind of disciples they had become. Were they continually seeking to grow their relationship with God, were they living as followers of Christ outside the church doors, and were they reaching out to family and friends and telling them about Jesus? He said if we were not actively engaged in those activities, we needed to Step up and step in. The mission is not over because God has not called us to glory. There are people in desperate need of hope, and we have that message within us to share. We must step up our game, reevaluate our role as a disciple, and get involved because the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
What can you do?
Firstly, take Jesus’ advice and pray. Pray for your church. You know that with some thought, you can identify those in your church who have become bystanders. Many are probably long-time followers but somehow have lost their love of the mission. Pray that revival comes into their lives. Pray you are also revived, so refocus on what God has called you to do. Pray God gives you the strength and courage to step up and become the disciple He desires.
Next, adopt a missionary attitude. Recognize your neighbourhood, workplace, and the places you shop and go to be entertained as your mission field. This is not only the food bank you serve at or the seniors’ home where you may sing or volunteer. But much more, it is the community where you live, where helpless people are wandering through life without hope. There is no retirement from kingdom work, so STEP UP and ask God to show you where to STEP IN.