To Have the Joy of Harvest
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December 18, 2016 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest'" (Matthew 9:37-38).
A farmer is happier than ever when he harvests abundant fruit. In a spiritual sense as well, workers are needed to harvest countless wheat-like believers at this end time.
1. God Earnestly Looks for Workers in His Harvest
Today it is easy to harvest due to farming machines, but in the past when a farmer missed the right time to harvest, he might have harvested a smaller amount or nothing at all. Thus, he must have felt embarrassed when he had no one to help him. God has the same heart when He looks at this earth.
Since He began human cultivation, God has cultivated humans without a break to reap wheat. Now the time of harvest is drawing nearer and nearer as the gospel has been spread to the remotest area of the earth (Mark 4:26-29).
It is time to put in the sickle and gather wheat into the barn. There are so many people who He wants to save, but there are very few workers who are leading them to the way of salvation. That is why God is watching over the earth and earnestly seeking workers who harvest.
2. To Harvest Many Souls at This End Time
1) We Should Be Devoted to the Spreading of the Gospel with the Love for Souls
God gave His only begotten Son as the atoning sacrifice to save mankind who became sinners (Romans 5:8). He opened the way of salvation for all people. Anyone can receive the Holy Spirit as a gift and become God's children if he or she accepts Jesus as the Savior.
Thus, believers who are saved by the love of God should lead many souls who do not know the Lord to the way of salvation and help them reach true salvation. If your beloved one were about to fall into a pit of fire, you would try your best to save him.
If you have the love of God who gave His only begotten Son to save souls, you must be earnest to spread the gospel because you know they will suffer in eternal fire if they do not accept the Lord. When you spread the gospel, your authority and power will be different according to how much love of God is in you.
In other words, the different levels of the Holy Spirit's works will occur when two people preach the same message depending on how much each loves the souls. True love melts hardened hearts and moves hearts. To the extent that you have more spiritual love, you appear peaceful, gentle, and soft on the outside as well. Many people may find rest around you and receive grace from you.
Apostle Paul was full of love for souls. He offered up all his life for churches and believers (Philippians 1:8). He was beaten in times without number and went through many sleepless nights. He suffered from hunger and thirst. However, he could spread the gospel with joy and thanks because he had the love.
His followers felt his deep love so that they loved him enough to be able to pluck their eyes and give them to him (Galatians 4:15). Some of them followed his faith and joined him in martyrdom. His fervent love for souls enabled many other souls to come out as beautiful fruit. Then, what a glorious position in Heaven he will take!
We should have this hope and spearhead in souls' salvation with earnest hearts. You can do this by giving your time, money, and wisdom. The most important thing is your love for souls. When you pray for souls with the heart of the farmer at harvest time, God will listen to your prayers and use you as a glorious instrument for His kingdom.
2) We Should Resemble the Lord, Give Out the Fragrance of Christ, and Give Glory to God
Jesus is completely one with God. When He performed His ministry on the earth, He did not do anything by His own will. He followed the will and heart of God everywhere and glorified God.
We also should achieve the heart of Jesus and give out good and beautiful fragrance. But some people blind the glory of God because they do not have the heart of the Lord. They work faithfully in church and seem to have great faith, but do not perform their duty in their family. And they say they diligently work for God although they neglect the duty. Some family members may understand them but others who have weak faith may lose grace.
Therefore, to give out the fragrance of Christ to others, we should be more diligent than others and seek their benefits all the time.
Some people smile before others, but they burst into anger and argue with their family members when something goes against what they want. The family members may feel disappointed and lose grace. Thus, God's children who believe the Lord should achieve the heart of Jesus Christ and become an example of good deeds and truth (2 Corinthians 2:15-16; Titus 2:7-8).
Someone may give hard times to others thinking he is full of the Holy Spirit and he has great faith. He may ignore others for he thinks they have little faith and forces them to meet his expectations. However, it could be a burden to them. You should lead people considering their levels of faith and situations. Then they can run in fullness of the Holy Spirit. We should accomplish the heart of the Lord who did not break off a battered reed nor put out a smoldering wick.
To achieve the heart of the Lord perfectly, you should cast away untruth and every form of evil and renew yourself with the word of truth. Then you will be filled with the Holy Spirit who searches for the depth of God. You can then receive His urging and guidance in your deeds, words, and even every step you take. When we give out the fragrance of Christ, others will come to us and come before the Lord and reach salvation as bees and butterflies come to flowers due to the fragrance.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, you need to toil much and sacrifice yourself with love to save souls and reap many wheat-like ones as Psalm 126:5 reads, "Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting." But the joy you will have because of them will be incomparably greater than your efforts. I pray in the name of the Lord that by realizing it you will strive all the more to lead many souls to the way of salvation.
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