Reaching

Reaching the Harvest

Luke 10:2

"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."

The theme of the New Testament is one of winning souls to Jesus Christ. It starts in the Gospels as we read about the life of Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection. It continues when Jesus commissioned the church to reach the lost for Christ. The urgency is revealed in the Book of Revelation when we see that Jesus will come for those who are saved. As Christians we have a great task to reach the harvest of souls. I find in Luke 10 that there are seven things needed to reach the harvest for Jesus Christ.

First, you must see the need. Jesus said the need is "great" but that there are "few" laborers to reach this harvest. You will never be a successful soul winner until you lift your eyes and see the harvest all around you. There is a harvest where you work and live. There is a harvest everywhere you go. Christian, people are the harvest, and you must see the great need of the harvest.

Second, you must pray for laborers. There is a reason why we are commanded to pray for laborers. The reason is so that we will fulfill the Great Commission. It is not just leading people to Christ, but it is also discipling those whom we lead to send out to be laborers themselves. Don't cut your vision short! See the need for laborers and realize that need can only be fulfilled when you wholly follow the Great Commission.

Third, if you are going to reach the harvest, then you must go. Verse 3 says, "Go your ways: behold I send you..." Christian, God sends YOU to reach the harvest. You can see the need, preach about the need, teach about the need in your Sunday school, talk about the need in your church, but the greatest need is for you to go. We will not reach this great harvest unless you go. You must take responsibility and go if the harvest is going to be reached.

Fourth, you must learn to have dialogue with those who need to be saved. Verse 7 talks about going into the house of those who are the harvest. In other words, spend time talking with those whom God sends your way. Simply put, become a person who talks to everyone, and you will find those someone's who are ready to hear the Gospel. When you learn to have dialogue with everyone, then you will find that you will have an opportunity to witness to just about anyone.

Fifth, you must stay focused to reach the harvest. Verse 4 shows us the need of being focused. Don't let things sidetrack you from reaching the harvest. Don't let people get you off message when you are witnessing. Stay focused on reaching the harvest.

Sixth, you must be willing to accept rejection if you are going to reach the harvest. Verse 10 shows us that we will be rejected. Let me be honest with you, everyone is not going to accept you. There will be many who won't want to listen to you. You must be willing to be rejected if you are going to reach the harvest. If rejection will cause you to quit, then you will not be successful in reaching the harvest. You must understand that they rejected Christ, and if they rejected Him they will reject you.

Finally, you must have the power of God to reach the harvest. Jesus says in verse 19, "Behold, I give unto you power..." You will never reach the harvest under your own power. You MUST have the power of God to reach this great harvest.

Christian, this great harvest will never be reached without you. I challenge you to become a part in reaching the lost for Christ. If you are actively a part in reaching the lost, then step up your efforts so we don't lose the harvest that God has given us.

Embarrassing

Dealing with Embarrassing Situations

Matthew 1:19

"Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily."

Everybody has embarrassing situations that happen in their life. Parents are sometimes embarrassed because of the shameful actions of their children. Sometimes children are embarrassed because of their parent's shameful actions. A spouse is sometimes embarrassed because of something their spouse did. At some point everybody will deal with a situation in their life that is hard to deal with and very embarrassing.

Joseph faced an embarrassing situation when he found out that Mary was pregnant. You must realize that Joseph did not know that the Holy Spirit had placed the seed inside Mary. All he knew was that he was engaged to her, and he received word that she was pregnant. Imagine how embarrassed he felt when he found out she got pregnant while he was engaged to her. Though we know that this was of God, Joseph didn't. How he dealt with this embarrassing situation should be a lesson to everyone who goes through embarrassing times.

You will first notice that Joseph didn't react. It would have been very easy for Joseph to react. If Joseph reacted, he would have had Mary killed. If that would have happened, the eternity of all mankind would have been ruined. Just because you are embarrassed doesn't mean you should react. You don't know who will be impacted by your reactionary decision. Whenever you are embarrassed, be deliberate with your actions and not reactionary.

You will also notice that Joseph took time to decide what he should do. When embarrassing situations happen, you should take time to allow your emotions to settle down. Most of the time you don't have to make an immediate decision. This is why you need to take time to decide what you should do. If you rush into a decision, that decision most likely will be based off emotions. Normally, emotional decisions will lead to heartache. You've already been embarrassed, don't add more heartache to your embarrassment.

Furthermore, Joseph didn't attack Mary when he felt embarrassed. It would have been so easy for Joseph to attack her publicly and have her humiliated and even killed, but he was wise in not attacking. Just because someone embarrassed you does not mean you should attack them. Normally embarrassment happens because of sin. Instead of attacking the person, you should be more interested in trying to figure out a way to restore them. Attacking will only cause the situation to get worse. Don't ever let embarrassing situations cause you to attack someone else.

Finally, I believe Joseph took time to pray. In verse 20, the Holy Ghost came to Joseph with a message from God. I believe this happened because he spent time in prayer. Christian, whenever you are embarrassed, fall on your knees before God and pour out your situation to Him. If you are going to be reactionary in any area, then make prayer your first reaction to any situation. Only God can take your situation and make it better.

Has someone embarrassed you? Has someone caused you pain because of an indiscretion? Let Joseph's actions when he was embarrassed be your guide on how to deal with your embarrassing moments. We are the benefits of Joseph's right actions. You will never how much your actions will benefit or hurt people in the present and future. So, be sure to act in such a way that years down the road your actions will be looked at in the same manner that we look at Joseph's actions.

Responding

Responding to God's Call

Jonah 1:1

"Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,"

When you study the Scriptures, you will find that God's call came to His people in many different ways. Just like God's call came in different ways, you will also find that His people responded in different ways. Some responded in a right manner, while others responded in a wrong manner. Jonah was one of the people who had God's call come to him two times. In each instance you will find that he responded in a different way. Each of his responses gave a different result. Let's look at his two responses.

First, God came to Jonah and called him to go to Nineveh. Jonah's response to God's first call was to flee to a city called Tarshish. Jonah wanted nothing to do with the people of Nineveh. They were a very evil people, and a people whom he hoped would see God's judgement. The response to run from God's call set off several consequences. First, it caused Jonah to go down instead of up. In other words, his response didn't cause him to do better, it caused him to do worse. Second, it caused him to care less about the circumstances around him. While the ship he was in was in a great storm that endangered the lives of everyone on board, he was in the bottom sleeping. Third, his response caused God to judge him. The sad part about God's judgement was that it affected the sailors in the ship. Jonah didn't care that others were suffering from his consequences, because he was too selfish to listen to God's call. Finally, it caused Jonah to hate life. Running from God's call in his life led him to the point where he told the men to throw him overboard so that he could die. What a tragic result, and all because he would not listen to God's call.

Second, God came again to Jonah the second time in the belly of the whale and called him to go to Nineveh. This time Jonah responded in a right manner. You will notice that responding to God's call in a right manner didn't put people's lives at risk; instead, it caused people to get right with God. Because Jonah responded the right way to God's call, it gave him an urgency to get God's message to the people of Nineveh. What was normally a three day journey took him one day. Responding to God's call in the right manner caused him to publish and proclaim the Word of God. Because he responded in the right way, he was not ashamed of telling others what God's Word said. The result of responding the right way was that a whole city got right with God and repented.

Christian, how you respond to God's call will either cause you to face the judgement of God or cause others to come to Him. God's call comes to you through many different avenues. It can come from reading God's Word, the preaching of the Word of God or through the prodding of the Holy Spirit in your heart. It is imperative that when God's call comes in your life that you respond in the right way. God's call isn't always about going into full-time service, but His call will move you to do something by faith.

How are you going to respond to God's call? Better yet, how have you responded to God's call? Always remember there will be consequences to your response to God's call. Choose to listen to the call of God, for the right response will always lead to God's blessings on your life and others receiving His message for their life.

We Have Heard

We Have Heard

Psalm 44:1

"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old."

The greatest need of the hour is the need for revival. The Psalmist made a sad statement when he said, "We have heard with our ears...our fathers have told us,..." The sad part about this verse is that they heard what God did in the past, but they had not seen God do the same in their day. Their fathers told them what God did in the past, but their fathers did not continue to do what it took to have God work in their day.

These people heard how God delivered them from the land of Egypt. They heard the story of God parting the Red Sea. They heard how God gave them manna every day for forty years. They heard how God gave them water from a rock when there was no water to drink. They heard how God defeated the great armies that tried to destroy them in the wilderness. They heard how God parted the Jordan River when they were going into the Promised Land. They heard how God used Joshua to lead the people to walk around the walls of Jericho for seven straight days before He knocked them down. They heard of the great works of God. They heard all of these great works, but they had not seen them in their day. Hearing of the great works is not what they should have been satisfied with, but they should have longed, and I believe they did, for God to do something in their day.

Christian, just like these people, we have heard of the great works of the past. If you have been saved for any length of time, you have heard of some of the great movements of God in the past. We have heard of the great revivals in D.L. Moody's ministry. We have heard of the great moving of God under Jonathan Edwards. We have heard how God used Charles Spurgeon to reach England for Christ. We have heard of the great prayers of George Müller and how he would pray down daily sustenance for the orphans in his orphanage. We have heard how God used Hudson Taylor to reach England for Christ. We have heard of the great works of J. Frank Norris in reaching America.

However, don't just be satisfied with hearing of the great works of God. Christian, you should realize that the same God Who worked for these people will still do a work for you. Just because we live in a different time does not mean that God doesn't want to do a work through you. Let me remind you what 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." God is looking for someone who is willing for Him to do something great through them.

D.L. Moody said, "The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God's help, I aim to be that man." Christian, would you be like D.L. Moody and be willing to pay the price to not only hear with your ears, but to see it with your eyes? Psalm 81:10 says, "I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." These great works in the past were done because people paid the price for God to work through them. You also can see what they saw if you are willing to pay the price through prayer and hard work. I challenge you today not to be satisfied with just hearing with your ears, but to say that you will see it with your eyes. Consecrate yourself wholly to God, and you will see that God can work through you just like He did through those in the past.

Inferior

Inferior Generation

Daniel 2:39

"And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth."

It has been said by many preachers that what the present generation does in moderation, the next generation will do in excess. This has been proven over and over again. When you look at the decline of generations, you see that each generation takes things further than the previous generation. It is astonishing to me how in my lifetime I have seen things that would have be unacceptable as a child become mainstream, not just in the world, but even among Christians.

When Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, part of the dream was to show him the kingdoms that would follow. When Daniel described the kingdoms, he said, "And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee,..." In other words, he was saying the next kingdom would not be as strong as his. In fact as you look at the description, each kingdom become inferior to the previous. It started out describing the kingdom as gold, but ended with a description of the kingdom as clay. Clay is a far cry from gold. Gold is certainly valuable, but clay is worthless. You can sell gold, but you can't sell clay.

One of the lessons God is trying to teach with this illustration is that we must be careful to understand that each generation will not be as strong as the previous. The standards of this generation will be less than the previous generation. What this generation accepts, the previous generation would call sin. Things don't get better, they will always get worse. Why? Because we are a sinful people. Under our own strength and guidance we will get worse.

Because of this, we must be careful that we tighten the line of how we do things so that the next generation still has a chance. Every parent should tighten their dress standards so that the next generation has a chance of not being immodest. Every church needs to hold a strong line on what they believe so that the next generation won't compromise. In other words, instead of loosening our stand on standards and beliefs, we should strengthen them so that we can keep the next generation from compromise and sin.

Furthermore, you are a next generation. That means that if you are not careful, what you believe and where you stand may be inferior to the previous generation. You must be careful about thinking that you know more than those before you. One of the greatest mistakes we make is thinking the previous generation wasn't as smart as we are. If something worked for the previous generation, then it will work for this generation. Be careful about acquiring the attitude that you are better than the previous generation.

You may think there is no hope for this generation. There is hope, for God shows us how we can make this generation as strong as previous generations in verse 44 when He says, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed:..." The answer to making sure you are not an inferior generation is to build your life on God. If each generation will stop trying to make its own mark and simply build itself upon the Scriptures, then each generation can be as strong as the previous.

Christian, don't try to make your mark by trying to prove that the previous generation was wrong. Instead, build your life on God and you will stop the demise of your generation. Teach the next generation the importance of building themselves upon Christ. This is the only way to keep the next generation from becoming inferior. When you build yourself upon the kingdom of God, then you are building yourself upon something that "shall never be destroyed."

Price Tag

The Price Tag of Blessings

Ezekiel 36:9-10

"For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:"

They often say that there is nothing free in life, and that is very true. Yes, salvation is free for us, but Jesus Christ still paid the price for it. Yet, when it comes to being blessed in life, many people want the blessings without paying the price for them. Just like there is a price tag for sin, there is also a price tag for God's blessings.

In the verses above, God promises Israel that He would multiply them again. This was a promise of restoration to Israel after their bondage; however, there was a price they had to pay for God's blessings. Notice, God said, "...I will turn you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:..." Israel had to pay a price if they wanted God to bless them again. God would have to turn the soil of their heart. He would have to till their spirit. He would have to sow the seeds of blessings before they were multiplied. Yes, God wanted to bless them, but they had to be willing to pay the price for the blessings.

God used the illustration of reaping a harvest for these people to help them understand what it took to get His blessings on their life. Everyone enjoys the fruit of the harvest, but few want to pay the price to receive that fruit. Before the fruit is placed in your hand, somebody had to pay the price for it to grow. Someone had to turn the hardened soil. Someone had to till the land to get ready to sow the seed. Someone had to take the time to sow the seed. Then, someone had to pull the weeds to keep them from choking the fruit. Finally, someone had to harvest the fruit for you to enjoy its blessings. There is a price tag attached to enjoying fruit.

Likewise, you will never enjoy God's blessings on your life until you pay a price. I think of the price of freedom and what many had to pay so we can enjoy it. Many men and women gave their lives so that we could enjoy freedoms in America. Many men and women have endured prison camps so that we can enjoy our freedoms. Many people endured the war zones so that we could enjoy the freedoms in our land. The blessings of freedom that God has given to America did not come without a price, and will not continue without someone paying a price.

So, you want God's blessings on your life? Are you willing to pay the price for those blessings? Many people want God to bless them, but they want those blessings without paying a price. I have news for you, there will be days when God will have to till the soil of your heart through hardships. There will be times when the enemy will turn the soils of your life with battles. There will be hours upon end when you will have to sow the seed of hard work and obedience to the Scriptures before you ever see God's blessings upon your life. You will never experience God's blessings without paying a price.

Let me encourage you not to give up on God's blessings. You may have done right for a long time, and you may think that you can't take any more, but God's blessings will come if you keep doing right. Always remember that God's blessings are one step beyond the quitting point. When you want to quit, if you will keep going you will find that God's blessings will come. Don't give up! Don't let the price that you have paid be in vain. If you will hang in there, you will experience God's blessings.

On the other hand, don't think that God will give you His blessings for free. You must pay a price for those blessings, but the blessings will far outweigh the price tag. Step in and pay the price for God's blessings. The price may be hard, but the blessings are great.

Duty

Leadership's Duty

Ezekiel 34:6

"My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them."

Leadership is more than filling a position. There are many people who want a position of leadership, but rarely do they fulfill the duties of leadership. People enjoy the title and privileges of leadership, but many times they neglect their duties. Our society lacks true leadership. It is no wonder that our society is in the condition that it is in when you look at the those who fill the position of leadership.

In the verse above, God addressed the shepherds of Israel. Though the shepherds were the priests and prophets, they were also the leaders. God pronounced His judgement upon these leaders because they were not doing their duties. When you look at why God judged them, you find the duties of leadership defined in the eyes of God. Let me show you the duties of leadership.

First, leaders are to feed those whom they lead. Verse 2 says, "...should not the shepherds feed the flocks?" When I think of feeding, I think of teaching your followers how to do things. Many leaders like to give commands, but a good leader will show their followers how to do what they are doing better. They feed them with information on how to do a better job. They feed them with personal illustrations on how to do what they are supposed to do. Leaders are not just to tell people what to do, but they are to teach them how to do it.

Second, leaders are to encourage those whom they lead. Verse 4 says the leaders were to strengthen those they led. One mistake I have seen leaders make is constantly degrading their followers instead of encouraging them. A leader would help his followers far more by encouraging them than by constantly correcting them. I have found that if you will encourage people, they will work harder to do what is right.

Third, a leader is to fix problems. God says that the shepherds were to bind up "that which was broken." Part of the unpleasant side of leadership is having to correct people when they do wrong. Yet, if you are going to be the right type of leader, when you see something that needs to be fixed, no matter how unpleasant it may be to correct someone, you are to fix the problem.

Fourth, leaders are to protect from harm. In verse 5 you see that the sheep were left to be a prey for the beast. If you are a leader, it is your duty to be sure your followers are kept from harm. You are to protect them. You are to find out what will damage and destroy them, then keep them from that which will harm them.

Fifth, leaders are to give direction. In the verse above, you find that the sheep wandered because they had no direction. Simply put, leaders are to lead. People will not know what to do if they have no direction. You need to be sure that you give clear direction in your leadership.

Leadership is more than a position, it carries duties that are unpleasant at times. Yes, there are perks to leadership, but the purpose of leadership is to help those you to lead reach their fullest potential. If you are a leader, then be sure to fulfill your duties of leadership. If you are a follower, then allow your leader to fulfill his duties with you. When both leader and follower are doing what they are supposed to do, then you will find that together you will reach your greatest potential.