The Harvest is Plentiful, but the Workers are Few

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Matthew 9:36-37; NIV)

As I watch the sin and wickedness around me increase daily, as well as the listless attitudes of many of today’s so-called Christians to spread the Gospel, I am reminded of the passage above. The harvest is still plentiful, just waiting to be gathered in, but the problem remains the same, the workers are few.

The world is in desperate need of revival particularly in the United States. Not the type of revival where you go to church for a week hearing guest speakers and listening to various sermons, but a true revival back to the early Church way of life. When true faith was put into action. When it was easy to distinguish the Christians from the rest of the world.

Charles Finney once stated that, “a revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God,” and that, “when the church finds its members falling into gross and scandalous sins, then it is time for the church to awake and cry to God for a Revival of Religion.”

One such revival—the First Great Awakening—took place during the 18th century under the guidance of George Whitefield, with its beginnings under John and Charles Wesley. These men saw the dryness of worship and the lack of a true turn to holiness by believers along with the lack of care for the needy, poor and sick.

During the Reformation Martin Luther saw the same issues with the Roman Catholic Church whose clergy had strayed from the teachings of the Bible and were not only sinning willfully and heavily themselves but the church itself was concerned with the profit that could be gained from granting indulgences.

Christ saw these same exact attitudes in Matthew 9. Those who were appointed to mediate for the people (i.e. the Chief Priests, Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes) were not caring for their needs as they themselves didn’t understand the true meaning of the Scriptures. Instead, they were only guiding the people in dry Temple worship and forcing them to follow man-made traditions that didn’t change their hearts or heal their sicknesses. These leaders, like many of our Minsters today, were more concerned with their own wealth and flaunting their authority rather than actually caring for the people.

Sadly, this is what we are seeing today in America. Our ministers are far too concerned with politics, their collection plates and selling self-help books. Their job is to simply get people to “believe” in Christ rather than teaching them to actually follow Christ. Yet people (including many of those who claim to be Christians) today are so hurt and in need of a true relationship with Jesus. One that is life changing and literally turns their lives upside down, away from the sins of the world, and towards a life in Christ.

As a result of this lack of leadership, it is often very difficult to discern Christians from non-Christians. In the Bible we read that we will know Christians by their fruit, however, few today bare any fruit aside from professing faith. That should be a cause for concern. People profess faith but still remain trapped in their sins and sicknesses.

Addictions, depression, selfishness, among many other issues are problems ministers of the church should be addressing, but people still suffer from these things because there is no guidance. There is no one to teach them how to allow the Holy Spirit, and work with the Holy Spirit, to turn them from sins.

People go to church once a week, if that, as many have turned away from the churches, and they believe their Christian obligation has been fulfilled for the week. In the early Church, however, the Christian community supported one another constantly in turning from their sins, loving one another and in providing for the poor and the sick. Those of the early Church not only believed in Jesus but lived out their faith. The power of this living faith can be seen in their testimonies and in their willingness to confess Jesus as their King even though this often meant martyrdom.

They were known for their ability to cast out demons among other miracles, their denial of self and their assistance to the poor and needy as well as their opposition to participating in the ways of the ancient world: military service, the corruption of the plays at the theaters, gladiator battles and also the denial of glamour, prosperity and vanity, drunkenness, gossip, slander, hatred, and their rebuking and fleeing from sins in general.

How many Christians today would be willing to, or have been taught to, not participate in these things? And for those who do teach others to live a life that shows ones faith, they are usually scorned as being fundamental and judgmental.

It seems that the majority of so-called Christians in America are participating with the practices of the world rather than rebuking and refraining from them. Those who call themselves Christians today tend to be preoccupied with self as opposed to willing to die to the world and give up their self and live for Christ.

James tells us that “whoever wants to be a friend of the world is constituted an enemy of God” (James 4:4). So Christians, if you call yourself a Christian, yet live as those who are of the world, then you are an enemy of God. Think also for a moment about what Paul says when he tells us to “not fashion [ourselves] after this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind, that [we] may prove what is that good and well pleasing and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

As true Christians we are called to change. We are called to work with the Holy Spirit, turning from the world and its ways, not claim we are of Christ, yet continue living in the same manner of life we did prior to our new birth. If we do this, a new birth did not occur, and “unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”(John 3:3). We are literally dead in our sins having succumbed to them.

We desperately need a revival teaching Christians to be obedient to God. Rather than looking only at what God has done for them, they need to look at, and live out, what they can do with (and for) God.

John Wesley once stated that, “You have one business on earth – to save souls.”

If we intend to obey Christ and “make disciples of all nations,” then we must “teach them to observe everything that [He has] commanded [us]” (Matthew 28:19, 20). But first we must make certain that we are following Jesus and observing His commandments. It’s not about just telling the world about Christ but teaching the world how to follow Him. We do this not only with our mouths but with our actions, too. If, however, we live as though we are of the world, we can’t teach others to follow Christ, because then we would just be hypocrites just as the scribes and the Pharisees of the Old Testament and Jesus’ time.

Finally, we must pray—”ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers.” Ask God to give people courage, strength, wisdom, compassion, patience, and love to go out into the harvest to save souls, not just teaching them to have a dead faith but to live out their faith every second of their lives. Pray that He will use us in whatever way to save lives for Him. That is our goal in this life: just as Christ came to serve, we, too, are here to serve as well.

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Are you willing to sacrifice the desires of this world to be a worker for God?