The Harvest is Plentiful

8. September 2008 by Bernice Davis.

Hello: 

Welcome back from the weekend.

Before I get started, I just want to encourage everyone to go see
”Tyler Perry’s the Family that Preys” this weekend.  The first weekend is so important.    You are going to love it, it has a powerful message.    You know that’s my boy!!!!!!!!!   And I know he’s yours too because many of you were referred to my site because of him so let’s pack the theaters this weekend in support and be encouraged by yet another one of his masterpieces. 

 Today, we are going to finish the 9^th chapter of Matthew.  Our text for today is:

Matthew 9: 32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” 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.”

The text opens up with “while they were going out.”  This statement refers to the blind men that he had just healed from our previous lessons.    As the blind men were leaving with their sight they brought to him a demon possessed man and when Jesus drove the demon out the crowd was amazed and acknowledged that “nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”   This miracle however started controversy and the Pharisees accused him of being associated with the “prince of demons.”    In other words, they refused to give “glory to God” for the miracle that had transpired but instead gave credit to Satan.

Matthew concludes this chapter with establishing Jesus as a miracle worker, a healer, a forgiver of sins, able to drive out demons and one who taught with authority.   All these were attributes of God.    While it was not strange to see exorcists practicing and miracles happening, the level that Jesus did them on and the power to forgive sin established him as a Deity and not just an average miracle worker.   Jesus’ power was unlimited for remember in the ship the disciples even proclaimed “what manner of man is this that even the winds and waves will obey him.”

Our text today ends with showing how Jesus had compassion on the multitude and viewed them as a sheep without a shepherd and as he viewed the helplessness, he made a statement to his disciples that the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few and he instructed them to ask the God of the harvest to send out workers to his field.

I have been in a major leadership position in the church world  for over 20 years and I have seen people come in the church time and time  again and seek positions and even seen them leave if they felt they could not get a position or they felt that their talents were not being acknowledged or used by the ministry.    This was not just in my local ministry but I saw the same issues in my travels.    

This was the scripture that I always used to encourage people that there is so much work to do in the field (outside the church doors) that none of us should complain that our talents are being wasted or ignored.   Gathering together on Sundays and bible study nights are to equip us to go out and do the work of the ministry.

Early in the game, before I was ever ordained as a minister, I use to volunteer at the nursing homes on Sunday after church.  I would just go and visit and sometimes read bible verses to the patients or bring music for them to listen to or carry them up to chapel and help out the nurse’s aids.   Later, I started preaching at some of their services and then I got involved in the prison ministry and I  have been a volunteer chaplain for over ten years at one of our local women’s prison.   

We use to go out on the weekend in neighborhoods that were often abandoned by our society and just ask people if we could pray with them for whatever needs they had.  This would often result in us witnessing to them about Jesus and week after week after week we watched so many people get saved and turn their lives over to God.     Even when they didn’t want to hear about Jesus, just being in those streets allowing us to pray with them touched so many of their hearts because they knew that someone genuinely cared about their concerns and we listened to their voice.   After a while, they knew us by name and they anticipated our coming.  

There  are shelters, boys and girls organizations, battered women organizations, community programs, tutorial programs for kids, community centers for senior citizens and the list goes on and on and on as to where we can volunteer and get involved and began to exercise the gifts that are dormant on the inside of us just crying out to be used.

Many of us even sense a feeling of un-fulfillment in life because we know that there are gifts inside of us and skills that are longing to be used and exposed. 

The harvest is plentiful.  There are plenty of opportunities that exist, there is no shortage of people that need help or need to know Jesus.

What is your passion?  What is the thing that is easy for you to do and that when you’re doing it, you feel most fulfilled and it doesn’t feel like work but it feels like living and not existing.   

That skill that you have makes you unique and nobody can take it away from you or can do it with your anointing because it is a gift from God.     My Archbishop used to tell me that 90% of the people that I need to meet to get me to my destiny, I haven’t met them yet  and over the years I have discovered it to be true.   You still have people to meet and you never know where you’ll run into them but what is sure is that they probably want be knocking on your door, you have to get out and get involved. You can’t meet them on the couch and closed up in your own little world of just going to work and then going home.  Do something different and you’ll get different results.

Life is waiting for you, you are in control, change is in your hands and the timing is all up to you.   

Let me be clear, when I say you are in control, I am not taking away from the sovereign nature of God, but I am simply saying that a whole of stuff that we are tolerating and allowing in our lives, we can change by changing the way we think, surrounding ourselves with positive influences, meeting new people, letting go of bad relationships, volunteering and using our talents and skills to help someone else which ultimately strengthens us, etc. 

The scriptures clearly teach that whatosover a man soweth that shall he also reap.  Some of the stuff we’re reaping is because of what we have sowed and we can change our outcome by beginning to sow different things. 

 Sowing and reaping is a universal principle, what you put out there comes back. 

I always say that “Life is not living unless you’re giving.”  

My prayer today is that the God of the harvest would send forth workers into the field and that we would all do better and have compassion and get involved.     Stay encouraged!!!!!!!!   God Bless!!!!!!!!!! 

Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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