Through the Bible - Genesis 23-24, Matthew 9
Good morning,
If you've been reading through the New Testament with me you may have noticed that three times in the past few days that Jesus has brought up the topic of prayer. First in the model prayer in Matthew 6:8-15, yesterday we read the "ask and you shall receive" passage, and now, in today's passage, He tells us to pray that laborers be sent out for the harvest.
Notice also that this is the bookend of Jesus outlining His ministry with preaching, teaching, and healing. What do you think Jesus is telling us here?
Matt 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." NKJV
or from the NLT
Matt 9:37 He said to his disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."
We've been told how to pray, to come to Him for all of our needs, and now to come to Him with our desire to live out His Kingdom plan to go and make disciples.
We're facing difficult times. At our church on Sunday we heard of what I believe was the largest offering that our church has had, and it was for the Christmas Eve services. We've been blessed. What do we do now? Pray for the harvest. The giving, sacrificial giving, is an indication that God may be ready to do a great work. To do so His people will have to come to Him as Lord of the harvest.
John Piper notes that " the text teaches us these four things: First, there is a great need here, just as there was in Palestine—people without faith in Christ are like sheep without a shepherd, no matter how goal-oriented and self-assured they seem. Second, we have need of compassion for these people. We need to feel pity for them, pity that makes us earnest and solicitous for their eternal welfare. Third, we need to see the potential of conversion. We must look not to our failures and incompetencies. The harvest we want is, in any case, impossible with men. The potential all lies with God. "What is impossible with men is possible with God." With God, helpless sheep become a plentiful harvest. Fourth, therefore, we must pray to the Lord of the harvest. See the privation of men with the compassion of Jesus; and it turns into a potential harvest to be reaped by prayer. "
Even in difficult, perhaps because of difficult economic times, God just may be ready to do a work in this city or perhaps yours. Will we pray this prayer?
God of This City - Chris Tomlin
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to
be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to
be done in this City
Do you believe that greater things are yet to come, still to be done in your city, in missions cities, or in Kenya like the Ungana project? Take this verse to heart, pray for the laborers for the harvest, just maybe you'll be one of those workers.
In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
Matt 9:35-10:5
The Compassion of Jesus
(Luke 10:2,3)
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
The Twelve Apostles
(Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16)
10 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. NKJV
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