Keys To An Abundant Harvest

KEYS TO AN ABUNDANT HARVEST

Fall is the season of the year that is devoted to HARVEST. Following months of hard work, planting and sowing seed, the time comes when every farmer looks to gather in a return for his labors.
Like the farmer who works hard for his harvest, you and I can also expect to reap a harvest if we are faithful to our task. The harvest is inevitable. However, the fruits of the harvest will only be known once the proper keys are applied to unleash it.
How can I know it is harvest time? What kind of seed is necessary? How long will I have to wait? Can I be really certain that I will reap a harvest?
Yes you can be certain of a harvest. The keys to unlocking the secrets of the harvest are;
Faithful SERVANTS sowing the Right SEED, Planted in rich SOIL, in the proper SEASON will inevitably result in an abundant harvest.
Mathew 9:35-38
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming 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.”
The word, harvest, comes from the Greek word, therismos which means to reap, to gather, to collect or to bring in. In the noun form it refers to the crop, the produce, the product or the yield. In Jesus parable it refers to the people, the sheep, the lost, hurting, or unloved. I don’t claim to be an agricultural major, but the last time I looked, harvesting was done OUTSIDE. Harvesting is done in the fields!
Let’s breakdown three key principles that we can learn and apply from this passage.
1. PEOPLE MATTER TO JESUS
“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.” Matthew 9:35 (NIV)
It is clear that Jesus met people at the point of their need.
Jesus put who he was and what he was about into practical use in the life of people. In the story that Matthew paints in chapter 9, we see Jesus heal six different people of various issues. He heals a man who could not walk, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, a girl who had died, two blind men and a man who was demon possessed. Jesus touched these people in very real and practical ways.
Our society has very real needs. There are three areas of need that I believe the church is uniquely equipped to deal with in the lives of people. They are issues that we as a body must address in people’s lives in order to make an eternal and lasting difference.
People need connection.
Our society has lost the connectedness that once was the fabric of who we were. It was this connectedness that characterized the early church.
Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Theirs was not a once a week social meeting. They met together, prayed together, played together, laughed and cried together. They were a body connected , not by age, interest groups or money. Their connection flowed out of their relationship with Jesus.
1st John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
We as the body of Christ need to provide a place for people to connect. We must be a safe harbor for people who are beat up by life. Today I want to challenge you to make a connection into the life of others.
People need truth.
We live in a society today that has for the most part has denied the existence of absolute truth. We live in a relative society. Our culture is shaped by people who claim a search for truth while often denying the existence of truth. The role of the church is to speak truth into the life of the culture. The fact of the gospel is, Jesus is the personification of truth,
John16:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Part of the problem is that we do not tend to speak the truth to the culture the way Christ calls us to. We often are shouting judgment and separation from our culture instead of speaking love and forgiveness into our culture. I am not talking about some all-inclusive, everyone gets a free pass gospel. I am talking about the real truth communicated in a loving way.
Colossians 4:6
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
We should be a voice that adds flavor and preservation into our culture because society is misguided in truth. We must develop a Christian worldview that helps us to understand our culture, our society and the needs of people in the context of the life of Jesus.
People need hope.
I wonder how many people are like me and have turned off the news. Personally, I can take only so much bad news or twisted truth in the news. We live in a society that is desperate for good news. People are frustrated, tired, and hopeless. It is the role of the church to bring hope into the lives of those who despair.
ILLUSTRATION: The Devil was having a yard sale, and all of his tools were marked with different prices. They were a fiendish lot. There was hatred, jealously, deceit, lying, and pride–all at expensive prices. But over to the side of the yard on display was a tool more obviously worn than any of the other tools. It was also the most costly.
The tool was labeled DISCOURAGEMENT. When questioned, the Devil said, “It’s more useful to me than any other tool. When I can’t bring down my victims with any of the rest of these tools, I use discouragement, because so few people realize that it belongs to me.” Satan’s is never happier than when he sees people giving in and giving up to despair and becoming lost in hopelessness. Have you ever felt like your whole world is caving in around you and there is absolutely no hope. Your troubles seem to mount up insurmountably. Cheer up I have good news. There is hope for the hopeless!
Our society hopes in things to deliver. They are looking for answers in all kinds of places and find heartache instead of deliverance. We as the body of Christ hold the key to hope for today and for eternity. It is our job to communicate that hope to those who live such desperate lives.
1st Timothy 4:10
We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
Whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual, everyone in our community is looking for hope. We as the body of Christ must be prepared to be a resource for hope in the lives of those around us.
2. Jesus is moved by the need of people.
Jesus had a deep sense of caring for the needs of the people. It moved him in the deepest areas of his heart to see people hurting and without direction. His compassion moved him at emotional levels.
As followers of Christ, we should have a compassionate heart for those who are hurting.
There are now 6.2 billion people in the world today. There are approximately 342 million people in the U.S. Canada, 12 million in Ohio and 2400 in Enon. And Jesus sees each and every one. HE sees each boy and girl. Jesus knows every mom and dad; Each single mom; Every grey haired senior. Jesus sees each one and is moved with compassion toward them.
Our society has been captivated by the Father of lies. Satan has blinded the hearts of man so that they cannot discern truth.
2nd Corinthians 4:4
“Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don’t understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
One of the reasons for the blindness of the human heart is the ineffectiveness of the church to engage the culture. People will listen to our message when we communicate compassion.
We as a church must engage our culture outside the church walls and off the church property. You must begin to be part of the community so that you can compassionately share the message of Jesus with those who are hurting.
We cannot influence our culture if we never engage our culture.
The vast majority of people will not come. It is not because we are unfriendly. They do not know to come. Like Jesus, we need to go to them, in love and with compassion.
3. JESUS CHALLENGED HIS FOLLOWERS
Jesus placed the role of the workers of the harvest directly on the shoulders of those who followed him closest. He gave them the burden for bringing in the harvest of peoples lives.
Matthew 9:37-38
“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.”
There are three things that Jesus pointed out to his followers that we must understand to make this a reality in our lives.
People are open to the message.
Jesus notes that the harvest is plentiful. In other words, there are plenty of opportunities to touch people with eh message of the gospel.
People have needs and they are looking for answers. Our job is to communicate the truth in a manner that will lead them to the good news.
God is the one who does the eternal work. Our role is to simply be his spokespeople here in our culture. We do not make people followers of God. That is his job. Our job is to communicate the message.
We do not change the lives of people, God does. Our role is to gather the harvest.
The point is, when you see the need, and you feel the need, do not make an excuse to avoid the person, but use what you have to MEET THE NEED.
We as a church must not just be committed to the people of this community, but we must be moved with compassion to get involved and meet needs.