Matthew 9:35-38 The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few

We are living in the times of the harvest. Christ’s harvest. What does it mean to live in the times of the harvest? It means that we are living in times when the fruit is ready to be picked up because it is ripe. There is a season to sow and there is a season to water, but now is the season to reap! The fruit the Scripture is referring to is people. All kinds of people regardless of ethnicity, color, socioeconomic status, gender, even religion. Every man, woman and child!

What is it particularly that makes them ripe? What is it that makes them ready to be picked up? The ripeness refers to the spiritual condition of people. People are ready to listen to the message of the Gospel because they are hungry and thirsty for God. Just like the people in the Scriptures, people today are harassed, helpless, and like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus saw the people as harrassed. Harrassed by the religious leaders who would place great burdens upon them and did not want to move it themselves (Luk.11:46). People are disillusioned with every form of religion, but there is a spiritual hunger in their souls. Jesus saw them as helpless. They did not have the knowledge or resources to escape the legalism that was imposed upon them. They did not have the power to be set free. People today have opted for no religion or to make up a religion for themselves to satisfy their yearning, but the truth is that there is no satisfaction.

Jesus saw them as sheep without a shepherd. The leaders of Israel had gone astray and could not serve as guides to the people. This fulfills Ezekiel 34  where the Lord tells of the wicked shepherds who would use and abuse Israel (Ez.34:2-6). But the Lord promises to be our shepherd! (Ez.34:15).            The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the good shepherd who would lay down his life for the sheep (Jn.10:14). People who are in relationship with God can exclaim like David in Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” God wants to gather all the peoples of the world into his kingdom and he began the work through his Son Jesus Christ while he was on this earth.

What are the means to gather the harvest?

1.              Proclaiming the Gospel

We are all responsible to proclaim. (The priesthood of all believers 1Pe.2:9). While preaching is definitely one way to proclaim the good news, it is not the only one. We proclaim through our rituals and ceremonies (1Cor.11:26). More importantly, we proclaim through our personal witness (Acts 1:8).

2. Performing good works We’ve been created for good works! (Eph.2:10). How seriously are we to take good works? We are to be devoted to them (Titus 3:8). Good works are for others to see and give glory to God (Mat.5:16). 3. With compassion But before moving into action, we must be moved in our inner being. The word translated compassion is a form of splagcni÷zomai, which means “properly, to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence, to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).” This sympathetic pity is a necessary precursor to good works.

Jesus proclaimed the Gospel while performing good works moved by compassion. And so should we. God has given us example on how to work in the harvest. He has chosen you and me as the means to accomplish this great task of gathering people into his kingdom. It is not optional! It is a must! We are all laborers in the kingdom of God. It is not the job of the pastor. It is not the job of the evangelist. It is the job of the whole body of Christ. To follow Jesus is to be a laborer in his harvest proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom while performing good works moved by compassion.

Father, grant me to be a good laborer in the harvest of your Son. Fill me with compassion to do good works and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom.

Acts 13:1-3 Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

The Church at Antioch had a great blessing to have prophets and teachers - at least five listed here! From that pool of workers, the Holy Spirit chose Saul and Barnabas for another work according to his calling. Throughout the New Testament, prophet and teacher are offices of great respect. Paul himself wrote later on that we should procure the best gifts, among them prophecy. Teaching and prophesying are highly regarded because through them the Word of God is explained for the conversion of souls and the edification of the church. A healthy church should institute ways to build up new prophets and teachers.

It is worth noting from the list of teachers and prophets that Antioch was a multi-ethnic church and not bound by partiality. Saul and Barnabas were Jews; Simeon and Lucius were black people from North Africa; and Manaen seemed to be well connected with the upper class in Rome. All of them worshiped together and worked together for the kingdom of God. The Church must be free from partiality and become an open community of Christ to make an impact in the world. Though there were many tendencies to separate Jew from Gentile and Greek from Roman due to socio-econo-political reasons, the Church fought against those tendencies to establish a Church that is united in its diversity.

Since the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit, it makes only sense that the Church is constantly seeking him in worship, fasting, and prayer. These are the basic disciplines of the deeper life in Christ. If I am to grow as a Christian, I must learn to worship, fast and pray. Notice that it is not a personal spiritual practice in this context. The Church at Antioch was devoted to these spiritual disciplines as a congregation. I must learn to worship, fast, and pray with my brothers and sisters as a concerted effort to seek his direction for the whole church. The Holy Spirit speaks to his church in an environment of worship, fasting, and prayer. How devoted am I to these disciplines? Moreover, how committed am I to practice them in unity with my brothers and sisters in the church?

The sendoff of Saul and Barnabas was the result of a church committed to seek the guidance of the Spirit in worship, fasting, and prayer. The fact that there is an imposition of hands for this sendoff tells us that the elders of the church were behind it. It also tells us that there is a process by which workers are recognized to be sent out to the field; there is a hierarchy; there is order. The expansion of God's kingdom depends on our willingness to send workers out into the field. I have to shift from the "us four and no more" paradigm to an open-fisted one, willing to send workers to the field under the guidance and direction of the Spirit.

Acts 12 James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

Even though Saul had converted to Christianity, the Church was still experiencing persecution. Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great who attempted to take Jesus' life as a child, killed James, the brother of John, one of the apostles, and imprisoned Peter. Peter was placed in "death row" until after the Passover to bring him out to the people to judge him and very probably, to sentence him to death. "But earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church." The Church was constantly depending on the Spirit for boldness, courage, guidance, and protection.  Am I depending on the Spirit on a daily basis for boldness, guidance, and protection?

The Church was offering "earnest" prayer for Peter. The word has a sense of stretching to the limit; prayers were offered with sincere and intense conviction to the max, fervently! Is my prayer life practiced in earnest? Or is my prayer life boring, lacking intensity, even faith? It is not how long, but how intense. It is not how loud, but how fervent. It is not the form, but the sincerity of heart that defines the conviction behind the prayer. The Church is called to depend on the Holy Spirit and the best declaration of dependence is prayer, earnest prayer.

Peter's escape from prison was a supernatural event thanks to the prayers of the Church. He was guarded heavily, probably due to the report that the Apostles had escaped prison before (Acts 5). But no guard in the world can stop the angels of the Lord from acting on our behalf. As a believer, I have in the angels great allies who minister to me in times of need. They are servants of the Lord whom God sends on missions to accomplish his will, and many of those missions are on my behalf. Do I believe in the angels? Do I believe that God can intervene in time and space on my behalf through his angels? Persecution will bring death to many Christians on this earth and that does not mean that God loves them any less. But if God has plans with my life, no one can take it until he grants permission.

After a miraculous escape, Peter went to Mary's house where many were gathered and praying. When Peter knocked on the door, Rhoda, a servant girl recognized him, but out of joy ran to the people inside and left Peter outside. The believers could not believe her report, but kept saying it was his angel. This is what most people call today a guardian angel. It was believed that the appearance of the angel was that of the person he guarded. There is no Scriptural basis for this belief, but there is basis to believe in guardian angels or angels as messengers on behalf of God's people. Prayer unleashes the angels of God to act on our behalf. Do I pray believing that God will answer? or like these people, I can't believe when God acts? Why am I surprised when God acts on my behalf answering my prayers?

It was not Peter's time, but it was James' time. Only God knows when our time is up. To protect Peter, and the Church, God took care of the soldiers, and even Herod himself and the word of God increased and multiplied. My time will come and God is the only one who knows when. In the meantime, I resolve to do my best to serve my King upon this earth. I want to live every moment to the glory of my King.

Father, teach me to pray. May my prayer life be earnest. Increase my faith to believe that you send your angels to minister on my behalf when needed. Grant me faith to expect your answers and believe them when they happen. May I depend on you for everything every day. Amen.