Readings for today: Judges 15-17, Luke 10:1-24
“The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.” (Luke 10:2-4)
This is one of my favorite passages to teach on in Ethiopia. Every time I prepare to go over there, I marvel at all God has done. In the last eighteen years, we have preached the gospel to 3.5 million people. Over 600,000 have now come to Christ. Our indigenous leaders have planted over 5000 churches and baptized over 100,000 new believers. And still the harvest remains plentiful! What God is doing in Ethiopia has spilled out into South Sudan and Uganda. In fact, we will be holding two training conferences there in just over a month. We already have our first church plant in Djibouti and planted 25 more in Myanmar. I fully expect this revival to reach Somalia and Eretria in a few years and then jump the Gulf into Saudi Arabia and Yemen. By the time I die, I am praying God gives us a chance to plant churches in Mecca.
The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. We are asking God to raise up more church planters from our indigenous partner denominations. We are asking God to raise up more churches in America to join this work. We are asking God to bring His resources to bear so we don’t become the limiting factor in who God is seeking to reach. We need laborers who will pray. Laborers who will give. Laborers who will go. Laborers who will lead. There is an urgency to this mission! We cannot delay! We cannot let our fears get the best of us! God is sending these men and women out as lambs amidst wolves. The work will be hard. There is pain and suffering and persecution. Joining God on His mission always costs us dearly. But the price is worth it!
Every time I come back, I get asked the same question. Why do we not see the same revival happening in America? Why is the American church in decline even as the church in Ethiopia grows? My answer is always the same. The harvest is plentiful. Even here. Even in our country. But the laborers are few. In my experience, so few Christians have a passion to share their faith much less know how to do it. They struggle with self-confidence. They don’t want to be laughed out of the room. They shy away from conflict. I sometimes wrestle with these feelings myself. But God’s call still remains. Jesus tells His disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to raise up laborers and then in the same breadth sends them forth. If we want to see revival come, we must join Jesus in His prayer and His work. We are part of the solution, friends! We are part of the answer to their own prayers! We have been called by God to go into the harvest field to reap what God has sown. You cannot be a Christian without being a laborer! You cannot be a follower of Jesus without being sent! You cannot be a disciple without being a missionary! Get engaged, friends! Join your brothers and sisters around the world and start reaping the glories of serving Christ!
Readings for tomorrow: Judges 18-19, Luke 10:25-11:12