Joining Jesus in the Harvest

(This article was published in the 3rd issue of the 2013 Proclaimer) "And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “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.” (Matthew 9:35-38, ESV)

No one traveled further and sacrificed more than the Lord Jesus in bringing the Gospel to humanity. I’m fond of saying that we serve a missionary God! We rightly celebrate our missionary heroes for all they sacrifice and how far they are willing to be sent. But we must realize that as Matthew 9:35 tells us, “Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages….” Our Lord Jesus is the ultimate missionary. Our Lord Jesus invites us as His followers to join Him in reaching the lost and breaking through the darkness with His Good News. The Lord Jesus calls us to embrace His vision and mission for us as His Church. We are His mission force on this mission field. But how can we join Jesus on this harvest field?

Joining Jesus requires SEEING. Jesus saw the crowds. He saw more than a faceless mass. He saw a multitude of souls. Every person you see driving down the road, in the supermarket, or mowing the grass is a soul destined for eternity. I ask that we see the millions of souls right here in Virginia who need Jesus.

Joining Jesus requires CARING. Jesus had compassion. It means that He cared down deep for people. The Lord Jesus loves you, loves me, and loves people. May the Lord cause us to care about our neighbors and the nations. Joining Jesus requires PRAYING. The Lord Jesus asks us to pray. Usually, we take our prayer requests to Jesus—but here, the Lord asks us to pray for His request. We are the answer to our Lord’s prayer request. Join me in praying earnestly for the laborers in this harvest field.

Joining Jesus requires GOING. Churches are called by Christ to send out laborers. I want to thank SBC of Virginia churches for making it possible for church planters, seminary students, and missionaries to go with the Gospel to the nations. Please prayerfully consider leading the church you serve to support the Vision Virginia State Missions Offering of the SBC of Virginia. Your faithful praying and missions giving supports the going of missionaries and church planters on this mission field.

Pray that we will be His mission force on this mission field—strong churches with a bold commitment to the Great Commission!