REAPING THE HARVEST

 ^"36 He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ He said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. ³⁸ So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.” Matthew 9:36-38 (NLT)

 On January 23, 2005 Evangelist Steve Foster will be with us for a time of bringing in the harvest.  Let’s prepare for this time of harvest by asking the Lord of the harvest to send us out as laborers into his harvest.  Let’s bring in the harvest through a three-fold strategy: Pray, Care and Share!

 Pray

Let’s begin in November with a focus on prayer.  Prayer changes things.  Prayer allows us to get tuned in to what God is doing.  It enables us to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit for bringing in the harvest.  Prayer beats back the spiritual forces of darkness and opens the hearts of those whom God is calling.  Start by asking God to give you five individuals who are lost and/or unchurched.  Then commit yourself to specifically and faithfully pray for them to becoming followers of Christ.  This may be a spouse, a parent, a child, a relative, a friend, a coworker, a classmate or someone else that God divinely brings into your life.

 Care

After faithfully praying for these five individuals during the month of November make a concerted effort to share the love of Christ with them during the Christmas season in December.  What better time could there be for you to share the love of Jesus?  After interceding for 30 days, even the most hardened hearts will soften during this wonderful season of celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  After preparing the soil of their hearts through prayer, you will be ready to express the love of Jesus to a heart that God is opening.  Do something kind and loving for them—be a blessing.  Bring them to church and let them experience the love of Jesus as it flows through our congregation.

 Share

Let’s start January off right by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with those that we have been faithfully praying for.  After God has opened their hearts spiritually and you have demonstrated the love of Jesus, they will be ready to hear about the source of that indescribable love.  Share what Jesus has done for you and what Jesus has provided for them.  Invite them to church.  Invite them to Sunday School.  Take them out to eat or invite them to your home.  Do everything you can to get them to come to our special harvest services with evangelist Steve Foster beginning Sunday morning January 23 and continuing through Wednesday night January 26.

 Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful—we just need to pray that God will send out laborers and we need to say yes when God calls us into our harvest field.  Begin right now by asking God for five individuals for whom you can Pray, Care and Share.