REAPING THE HARVEST

Part One
(People Equals Harvest)

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the CROWDS, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 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."(Matt.9:35-38 NIV. Capitals mine)

When Jesus went on His evangelistic or apostolic trips in the cities, towns and villages and He saw the crowd, He described them as HARVEST. He didn't say they were "Harvestable". We can therefore conclude, from God's perspective that PEOPLE EQUALS HARVEST.

Jesus also highlighted a problem, and it was the fact that WORKERS were few. He didn't say "Christians or disciples or followers are few" but "Workers are few". Why? Because not all christians are workers. We need from among the christians workers to go into the harverst, because harvest is work.

What do we see when we look at the LOST PEOPLE? Jesus said He saw harvest(opportunity, fields ripe for harvest). The weight of the harvest is resting is resting on the shoulders of just a few, but we must understand that CHURCHES GROW IN PROPORTION TO THEIR WORKFORCE. One of the reasons for few workers is because most of the people in the church are oblivious to the harvest in the field.

We must understand that every thing the farmer does (sowing seeds, watering etc)is always towards the harvest. He constantly sees HARVEST. That should be the mentality of the local churches. That is, the awareness that the praying we do, the tithes and offerings we give, the discipleship classes organised, the conferences we put together etc., are all seeds we are sowing to get ourselves prepared for the harvest that we will have to GO OUT there and HARVEST IN. May the LORD help us see like Jesus sees. Amen.(To be continued)