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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Luke 10:1, 2 & 9
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go. He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.”… “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you.’”
Step two.
Yesterday, Jesus ‘called’ Peter, James and John – and you and me. Today, He is sending them (and us) out.
Christianity is not a religion but a relationship – it is not theory; it is practice. The world today is ‘groaning’, is eagerly waiting in “expectation for the sons of God to be revealed” (Romans 8:19). So often we hide behind theology and head knowledge and we forget to put it into practice.
A map reaches its full usefulness only if you take it with you, follow it and put it into practice. God wants us to answer the prayer. “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Don’t just say it – do it. A follower of Jesus, by definition, must follow in His steps.
Go – Heal the sick, bring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, life to the dead, and freedom to captives. Go and bring in His Kingdom. (See also Isaiah 61:1-3.) Jesus, the Rabbi, expected His disciples to put His teaching and example into actions so that they would do “even greater things” than He did (John 14:12). Jesus was talk + action – we need to do both, too.
Jesus said, “The Harvest is plentiful.” Has that changed? No. The harvest is still plentiful. It is said that the true Christian Church in N.Z. is about 3% of the population. If that is so – you can’t possibly miss the unchurched, can you? The Harvest is huge. (I am equally sure that it is huge wherever we go.)
Why is it nearly everyone wants to go overseas to be ‘a missionary’ when the Harvest field where they are is so plentiful? I remember praying to the Lord for years for a harvest. Then I felt He said – stop praying for it – it is already there – Go! Bring it in. Reap it.
So then I prayed for reapers – no, not with a scythe but with combine harvesters. And then one day, as I was praying for the combine harvesters, I looked up and saw the congregation. I pictured them standing side by side reaping and the ripe fields just ‘fell’ before them. That’s why Jesus said: Pray for “workers”.
Never ever forget that God is the “Lord of the Harvest.” He is “not wanting anyone to perish” (2 Peter 3:9). He longs for all to come back into a vibrant relationship with Him. Jesus calls us, He empowers us and He sends us out to bring in the Kingdom and reap the Harvest. But it’s not for us – it’s for Him.
When the disciples returned, they were so excited they cried, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your Name”. He [Jesus] replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven. Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven” (Luke 10:17-20).
We get more excited about our Ministry than our Salvation. Our ministry is not ‘our Kingdom’, it is God’s. Never forget that.
We are called, empowered and sent but the greatest gift we have is our salvation.
Incidentally, watch out what you pray. Sometimes God expects YOU to be the answer to it. Jesus told the disciples to “pray” that “the Lord of the Harvest would send out labourers” - then He sent them out.
(Remember what happened to me, too – yesterday?)
So you have been warned.
But tell me – Is there a greater ‘call’ or privilege?
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