Nov 9

Nov 9 The Harvest is Plentiful

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
- Matthew 9:35-38 NKJV

I love the perspective I gain when I turn to the Bible. It is easy for me to lose sight of what is really important in life and what my priorities should be. It is easy for me to simply react to life as it happens, to become a fireman putting out fires. It is easy for me to be busy, and after a long day and a long week to pat myself on the back for how hard I worked. Early mornings, late nights, weekends, it is not hard to do. I am even tempted to congratulate myself for being such a hard worker.

The challenge comes not in being busy, but in busying ourselves with the right work.

Laborers?

Passages like Matthew 9:35-38 remind us that there is a plentiful harvest, this means that there are many people who are seeking God, who need God, who hunger and thirst for what only God can offer. Our reaction to this reality should be to pray. But this ought to be a specific prayer. Not simply pray about ourselves, and our needs, but to pray, to cry out, to beg God to send out laborers into His harvest. But when you pray keep in mind that God will also send you! Also, the word used for send here really means “eject” or throw out. So you might experience more than just a gentle nudge.

This is a prayer that Jesus clearly wants us to pray. We should be bothered by this great harvest and the fact that there are so few laborers.

The laborers are men and women of every age who love Jesus. Do not think that the laborers are just the pastors. Interestingly in the next few years, more than 50% of Adventist pastors in North America will be eligible for retirement. (North American Division 2021 Year-End Business Session) God wants to save people, and He wants to use you!

Jesus calls us to be colaborers with Him in the work of saving the world.

Jesus makes full provision for the performance of the work and takes upon Himself the responsibility for its success. So long as we obey His word, and work in connection with Him, we cannot fail. Jesus not only calls us, but He also guarantees the result. All we need to do is faithfully show up, He just needs our willingness, our availability.

Power

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 NKJV

Power is something we receive from God. And we are told to begin where we are and branch out all over the world. The mission always begins at home. Our family members, spouse, kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids, and it expands to our neighborhood, our workplace, our school, and beyond. The disciples were told to begin where Jesus had been killed. This hardly seemed like fertile ground, yet God was extending those who killed Jesus an opportunity to repent and receive salvation. Salvation is not meant only for those we like, but it also extends to those we might consider enemies.

Christ tears away the wall of partition, the dividing prejudice of nationality, and teaches a love for all the human family. He lifts men from the narrow circle which their selfishness prescribes; He abolishes all territorial lines and artificial distinctions of society. He makes no difference between neighbors and strangers, friends and enemies. He teaches us to look upon every needy soul as our brother, and the world as our field.
- White, E. G. (1898). The Desire of Ages (p. 823). Pacific Press Publishing Association.

The mission begins where you are. Ask God what He would have you do in your own home, and begin to spread out from there.

Love

Divine love has been stirred to its unfathomable depths for the sake of humanity, and angels marvel to behold in the recipients of so great love a mere surface gratitude. Angels marvel at humanity’s shallow appreciation of the love of God. Heaven stands indignant at the neglect shown to the souls of men, women, and children.

Want to know how Christ regards it?

How would a father and mother feel, if they know that their child, lost in the cold and the snow, had been passed by, and left to perish, by those who might have saved her?

Would they not be terribly grieved, wildly indignant?

Would they not denounce those murderers with wrath hot as their tears, intense as their love?

The sufferings of every human being are the sufferings of God’s child, and those who reach out no helping hand to their perishing fellow beings provoke God’s righteous anger. This is the wrath of the Lamb. To those who claim fellowship with Christ, yet have been indifferent to the needs of their fellow men and women, He will declare in the great Judgment day, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.” (Luke 13:27)

Jesus is coming soon!

It has become polemical in some circles to claim that Jesus is coming soon. Haven’t His followers been claiming this for thousands of years? I know my grandfather preached this message, my father preaches this message, should I preach this message? I mean Jesus has not come back yet, does this mean we should stop talking about it for a bit?

I believe it is crucial that I proclaim that Jesus is coming soon because that is what shapes my worldview, my values, and my priorities. When I lose sight of the nearness of the coming of Jesus I tend to focus on my kingdom, on physical things, on my personal achievements. However, when I focus on Jesus’s second coming, my focus shifts to people and relationships.

I don’t know about you, but I have had to deal with death more than usual these past two years. Having to say goodbye to loved ones and talking to friends and family who have lost loved ones is never easy. But do you know what these conversations have in common? They are never focused on material gain, net worth, or professional achievements. I have experienced that most lives seem to be measured by relationships and acts of service, by love and kindness. I believe that how you live your life is directly impacted by your awareness of the second coming of Jesus.

In Matthew 24-25 Jesus talked about the end of the world and judgment. His emphasis is not on setting a date, but rather on how His followers should live in light of His soon return.

I touched on this in my post “…then the end will come.” So I will focus on the latter part of this message.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
- Matthew 24:36-44 NKJV (bold mine)

What I take away from the words of Jesus quoted above is that I should not be concerned with setting a date for His return, but rather I should be concerned about how I am living my life. When you don’t know when something will happen the best alternative is to always be ready.

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- Matthew 24:45-51 NKJV (bold mine)

This is the last parable recorded in Matthew 24. Notice that the servant does not get in trouble for not being good enough. The servant is not punished because he tried but failed. The evil servant was intentionally abusing his fellow servants, neglecting his duties, and he was caught by surprise when his master returned. Notice also that the evil servant received a portion with the hypocrites, I take this to mean that faking it won’t help.

I do not believe this parable was meant to instill fear, I believe it clarifies to us that those who are sober and interested in doing the will of God will be rewarded, and those who could not care less and actively rebel and neglect their sacred responsibility will be punished just like those who are fake followers, or hypocrites. By hypocrite, I do not mean someone who is struggling with sin, but rather someone who lives her life as if she had no struggles, claiming to be perfect while judging those around her.

Matthew 25 brings us 3 more stories. The Parable of The Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) highlights the importance of being ready especially if the coming takes longer than expected and ends with the following words:

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Matthew 25:13 NKJV

Next comes the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) highlighting the importance of not burying the gifts/talents/abilities God gives us. Once again the servant who was punished was not punished for trying but failing, he was not punished for not doing enough, he was punished for burying the talent his master has given him. For me the lesson is straightforward, use whatever God gives you to help those around you. Just don’t bury it. Do something. Make an effort, give ministry a try, step out of your comfort zone to help someone come to know Jesus. Show love and mercy towards to those who need it.

The final story in Matthew 25 is an illustration of the day of judgment (Matthew 25:31-46).

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
- Matthew 25:34-36 NKJV (bold mine)

Salvation is not based on works, however, our behavior reveals the content of our hearts.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
- Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

The people on the left and on the right were not placed there because of their actions, their actions simply reveal which group they belong to. I say this because members of both groups are surprised by what they hear.

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
- Matthew 25:37-40 NKJV

If the good deeds had been done in expectation of a reward they would have been surprised by Jesus’s words.

Here’s what happens to the members of the other group.

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
- Matthew 25:41-43 NKJV (bold mine)

Briefly, I would like to comment on an important “detail.” Matthew 25:34 states that the kingdom that saved will inherit has been prepared for them from the beginning of the world. To me this means they were predestined to be saved, God meant for them to be saved from the beginning. Matthew 25:41 on the other hand states that the lost are banished into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. I take this to mean that God never meant for humans to be destroyed by that fire. The fire was created for the devil and his angels not for people, the paradise was created for the people. However, God gives all of us the freedom to choose where we want to go, we are free to choose eternal life with Him or eternal destruction with the devil and his angels.

The lost, just like the saved, are surprised as to why they are lost and they receive a similar explanation to the one given to the saved.

“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- Matthew 25:44-46 NKJV

My takeaway from this is that the date of the second coming of Jesus is of little importance. What matters is how we choose to live our lives. When Jesus comes again, the content of our character will be brought to light and it is revealed by our actions. Hypocrites will not make it, you have to genuinely love Jesus and receive His salvation, and the power of the Holy Spirit to live a new life. When you are living a life of love to God above everything else it does not matter when Jesus will come, you will be ready.

To me, this means that I cannot afford to be a religious consumer. I cannot simply attend church for one hour on the weekend and go home. I must be actively doing that which the Master calls me to do. I want to be the good and faithful servant who is found doing his part when the master returns. This includes giving food to those under my responsibility in due season. This includes not abusing my fellow servants. This includes not indulging in the pleasures of this world to the point of losing sight of my responsibilities. This includes being prepared even if it takes longer than I anticipated for Jesus to return. This includes being aware of what God has given me and putting it to work for Him, for the blessing of those around me, and for the growth of His kingdom. This means especially caring for those in need.