02-04-07-Pray to the Lord of the harvest
Imagine that you were given a piece of land and told that you could build anything on it that you wanted to. You wouldn’t just rush off and start building without first sitting down and planning. Where would the building go on the land? How big would it be? What is the building’s basic purpose—a house, a garage, a barn? To not take the time to plan would be utter foolishness, yet many times in the church this is exactly what we do when it comes to soul-winning.
We are told by many that we must go out and win souls so we can fulfill the Great Commission. We are also told that winning souls will bring great joy to us. So we rush off, maybe out of guilt or condemnation, without taking the time to ask God for His plan and then we wonder why we fail and why we feel so miserable. In fact, we may feel so bad about it that we say, “I’ll never do that again!”
I told you last week that we would start reaching out to our Jerusalem this year, and for some of you that may have sounded like the worse idea you have ever heard. Admittedly, door-to-door witnessing is not everyone’s idea of fun, and not something that even I particularly enjoy. So, today, I’d like to look at another side of soul-winning by examining what Jesus told His disciples to do with regards to the harvest—Pray to the Lord of the harvest. We are focusing on how to PRAY. . . PERSUE. . . PERSUADE.
¨ Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV) 35 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. 36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.”
It is apparent that one thing caused Jesus to minister to those around Him—compassion. This must also be what causes us to minister to those around us. If we do it for any other reason, then it will not work. Let’s define the word compassion. To some compassion means pity or feeling sorry for someone, but according to Webster’s dictionary there is a big difference between compassion, sympathy, and pity:
§ Sympathy—kinship of feeling enabling one to understand or share the sorrow of another. (“I understand what you are going through.”)
§ Pity—sorrow felt for another’s suffering. (“I’m sorry you are having a hard time.”)
§ Compassion—sorrow or pity for the troubles of others accompanied by an urge to help. (“I’m sorry you are having a hard time, but what can I do to help you.”)
The Concise Oxford Dictionary, says the word compassion comes from a Latin word which means to “suffer with.”
compassion ■ n. sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
– origin ME: via OFr. from eccles. L. compassio(n-), from compati ‘suffer with’.[i]
Now that we have seen the world’s definitions, let’s see what the Biblical definition for compassion is. The Greek word for “compassion” is “splagchnizomai”(splangkh·nid·zom·ahee).
4697 σπλαγχνίζομαι [splagchnizomai /splangkh·nid·zom·ahee/] v. Middle voice from 4698; TDNT 7:548; TDNTA 1067; GK 5072; 12 occurrences; AV translates as “have compassion” seven times, and “be moved with compassion” five times. 1 to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).
It means to be moved to one’s bowels or guts. So we could literally substitute the idea of hurting in our guts or abdomen. Have you ever felt the pain of someone’s troubles so much that it hurt you? That is what compassion does. Compassion is also a verb, or an action word. That means that compassion causes you to do something to help someone who is hurting. That is why in the KJV it says Jesus was “moved with compassion.”
Now let’s look back at the scripture and see what Jesus did as a result of the compassion He had for the people. The first thing we see in vs. 35 is that He went about teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. Remember that I said compassion is a verb—an action word. Jesus did these things because of the compassion He had for the hurting people.
Notice in vs. 36 that “When He (Jesus) saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus saw that they had needs and filled them. Not only did they have the needs of healing from sickness and disease, but also the need of a shepherd to guide them. They were harassed and helpless, or as the NASB says, distressed and downcast. They had no one to show them the way out of their trouble. This is a sad commentary on the religious leaders of that day (Pharisees/Scribes/Sadducees), because they were the ones who should have been leading the people to the truth about God. Instead they had placed such a heavy burden on the people, to keep the Law, that the people felt harassed and helpless.
God forbid that as the church we should make people feel harassed and helpless! Yet, I think that sometimes in soul-winning this is exactly what we do. To “harass” means to constantly trouble, like setting a dog upon them. Instead of those that we are witnessing to feeling like we are chasing them down like a pack of dogs, we need to love people and guide them so that they have the freedom to seek the truth.
But Jesus did not stop there. Because of the compassion He had for the multitudes He did something else. He commissioned and trained His disciples to do the work of the ministry. The first thing He said in vs. 37 was “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” I think that the disciples probably looked around and saw the multitude that Jesus had ministered to. Everywhere they went—every village and town—there were always multitudes of people crying out to Jesus. When Jesus spoke these words, I can see the disciples agreeing with what He said, “Yeah, Lord you got that right—lots of people need help, and there’s only 12 of us.” John may have looked to Peter and said, “Do you know what we are supposed do to bring in the harvest Jesus is talking about?” Peter, may have answered, “How should I know, I’m a fisherman, not a farmer!”
Have you ever felt just like that? We know that the Great Commission tells us:
¨ Mark 16:15 (NIV) . . . “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
But then you say, I’m not a preacher. I’m a carpenter, a student, a housewife—I’m not a farmer and I don’t know anything about bringing in a harvest. You feel like a burden has been placed on you that you don’t know what to do with.
It is easy for us as a church to look around and see the harvest, but it is also easy for us to say the laborers are few. In fact, the laborers in our case are very few. Yet, I don’t believe that Jesus spoke these words to cause His disciples, then or now, anguish or pain.
So why do we feel that way when we think about soul-winning? I think it is because we are trying to carry a burden that we were not meant to carry. Thank God that Jesus knew what His disciples, then and now, were thinking and feeling. He did not leave them (or us) to figure out it out on their (our) own.
In vs. 38 He gives them/us the answer: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” Other translations say “pray” to the Lord of the harvest. To ask is to “pray with earnest, beseech (NASB), make a request, long for, desire, or beg.” So when we are praying to the Lord of the harvest we are desiring or longing for what He wants—i.e. the harvest to be gathered in.
1189 δέομαι [deomai /deh·om·ahee/] v. Middle voice of 1210; TDNT 2:40; TDNTA 144; GK 1289; 22 occurrences; AV translates as “pray” 12 times, “beseech” nine times, and “make request” once. 1 to want, lack. 2 to desire, long for. 3 to ask, beg. 3a the thing asked for. 3b to pray, make supplications. Additional Information: For synonyms see entries 154, aiteo; and 2065, erotao.See entry 5802 for comparison of synonyms.
Let’s look at that phrase again, “Ask (pray) that the Lord of the Harvest will send out laborers.” If He is the Lord of the harvest, then it is His harvest. If it is His harvest, then He knows what it takes to bring it in. He wants the harvest to come in more than we do.
For a farmer to plant a crop of corn or wheat, and then when harvest time comes, not care whether the harvest comes in or not makes no sense. All of the time he spent plowing the field, fertilizing the soil, planting the seeds, watering, hoeing, etc to make the crop grow was wasted, if he doesn’t reap the harvest. He makes his living from the income from the harvest, not the process of growing the crop. His reward is in the harvest, not in the crop.
So when we are praying to the Lord of the harvest we are asking Him for something that He already desires. We are not asking Him for something that is against His will. In fact, not only does God desire it, but it is a primary part of His nature.
¨ 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Then the last part of vs. 38 says for the Lord of the harvest to “send out laborers.” What farmer in his right mind would send out a bunch of accountants to bring in his crop? They would be too busy out there counting the beans/kernels of corn instead of swinging the sickle! Would he send a bunch of scholars or teachers? No they would be too busy trying to teach theology to the crop and telling it why it didn’t grow as big as it should have because of the sin in it’s midst. Would he send out a bunch of political fanatics? No, they would be so full of zeal that all they could do is talk about what a great crop it was and how it was going to set them free from the tyranny of the government. So, the farmer would send out those who knew how to work the field. So God will not send out those who don’t know how to bring in the harvest to work His harvest.
Yet, there is a real paradox here that we may not understand about those God sends out. Those that Jesus chose as disciples were just the ones that made no sense to choose to labor in God’s harvest—fishermen, a tax collector, zealots, even a traitor—definitely not preachers like Jesus. So when God chooses who to send out as laborers He sees differently that we would in our natural mind. This gives us hope that when He calls us, ordinary people, to bring in His harvest, He will equip and train us. He will give us the tools we need and teach us how to use them properly. He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us how to bring in the harvest. This is His promise to us:
¨ Acts 1:8 (NIV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Also the laborers must be in the right field to harvest the crops for a farmer. If the laborers are in the wrong field, then they are harvesting someone else’s crop. If we pray to the Lord of the harvest and He tells us what field He wants us to work in, then we will reap His crop not ours or someone else’s.
Now one criticism that arises when we start talking about praying in regards to soul-winning, is that there is no action behind it. We have probably all heard the statement that we have to put “feet to our prayers.” Yet, if we look at the context of this passage, we will see that there is much action. Remember that Jesus ministered out of the compassion He had for the multitudes, so He was moved to do something for them. In chapter 10 the very next verse tells us what Jesus did. He called His disciples together and commissioned them, then He sent them out to minister in His authority and with His power. Oh friends, don’t miss this—the disciples did not go out in their own authority or power, but in the authority and power of Jesus. If we want to be successful in bringing in the Lord’s harvest, then I think it is essential that we ask for His will and go in His authority and power! AMEN!
So what does this mean to us at New Prairie Community of Faith in 2007? My challenge is that each one of us will pray that the Lord will give us a heart of compassion for one person that Jesus loves who is missing from His kingdom. Then as we listen to the Holy Spirit guide us, we will follow His leading in that harvest field that He gives us—our job, school, family, neighborhood, our Jerusalem, etc. We must continue to plant seeds, water them with prayer, and pray to the Lord of the harvest to bring in the harvest.
We are looking at ways to reach out in our community this year. I believe the key is to continue to pray for the plan that God wants us to use to bring in the harvest. Then once we have His plan, we will go in His authority and power to bring in His harvest. That is a recipe for success and will bring pleasure to the Lord of the harvest.
This morning as I close, I want to pray for each of you that God will open your eyes to the harvest field around you and give you His heart of compassion for those He sends to you to reap as His harvest.
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n. noun
ME Middle English
OFr. Old French
eccles. ecclesiastical
L. Latin
[i]Soanes, C., & Stevenson, A. (2004). Concise Oxford English dictionary (11th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
v v: verb
TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TDNTA Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume
GK Goodrick-Kohlenberger
AV Authorized Version
v v: verb
TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TDNTA Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume
GK Goodrick-Kohlenberger
AV Authorized Version