The Harvest is BIG!
We have been called to live the Christian life, no matter who or where we are. Jesus gave all of us the same commandment, to work in His fields: winning souls.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 NLT
“And then he told them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone’.” Mark 16:15 NLT
But what exactly is soul-winning? Many see soul winning as persuading others to become Christians. However, this is not our biblical responsibility. Yes, we share our testimony (witness), but God is the one who draws people to Himself, not us. Jesus will draw people to Himself. It is not our job, and neither is it our responsibility.
All we do is plant and give water. God provides the increase (I Corinthians 3:6). Soul-winning is the work of God. Big harvest, few workers.
Often, we engage mainly with other Christian women. We attend church, go to Bible study groups, have covenant-family meetings, go to Christian concerts, etc. We may miss out on the awareness that most of ‘the world’ is not Christian. Only roughly 30% of the people in the world are Christians.
However, when we look with God’s eyes, we see the potential of the ‘other’ 70% turning into followers of Christ. He has prepared them already; He loves them and wants them to turn to Him. God has prepared a harvest of souls, a BIG harvest.
Harvests, if not reaped in time, spoil. The same applies to the harvest of souls. God prepared the harvest, but He doesn’t reap the harvest. That is our work (guided by God). So, we have 30% of Christians needing to reach out to 70% of non-Christians. That’s a big harvest, and indeed with few workers compared to the harvest. However, with God, all things are possible!
God made provision for this ‘impossible’ situation of harvest size compared to laborers size. He is the Lord of the harvest, and He tells us to ask Him for more workers. He knows we need more people to bring in the lost souls, and He knows many of us either feel we don’t have the time for it, are not qualified, or postpone the action. So, he says we should pray.
“These were his instructions to them: ‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields’.”
Luke 10:2 (NLT)
More workers means more of us (already being Christians) entering the harvest field. It does not refer to getting unbelievers to become Christian so they can join the workforce (even though that is also a possibility). We need to allow God to stir up in us the passion for lost souls and the desire to help. When we ask Him to do that, He will definitely do so.
How do we know what to do?
When people get a new job, the company familiarizes them with the workplace, the rules, the tasks & responsibilities, etc. This enables them to do the work they are required to do. If no one gives instructions, it would be difficult to fulfill what they expect of them.
So, how do we, as Christian women, get acquainted with the job when we join God’s labor force? Well, that is actually simple… The only thing we need to do is follow Jesus.
“Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’” Matthew 4:19 (NLT)
God is even more interested in soul-winning than we are, so He will make sure we know what to do. In the verse in Matthew, Jesus says He will show us if we follow Him. When we cling to Jesus, He will for sure guide us, direct us, and tell us what to do.
And when He guides, we need to obey. None of our excuses are valid to disobey Him, no matter how reasonable the excuses sound in our own ears (no time; not capable; people will laugh at me; I haven’t done before; no one else around me does it; don’t know where to start; will do it next time; etc.).
Am I able to work in God’s Kingdom?
Sometimes we think we are not good enough to work in God’s vineyard because we feel unworthy or have sinned. Well, God is not looking for perfect people. He is already a perfect God. If He wanted us to be perfect before He can use us, He wouldn’t have needed to send His Son to die for us.
Though He doesn’t want us to sin, it is not an excuse not to engage in soul-winning. We have all sinned.
You may think people won’t accept your testimony because they know things about you. However, dedicate yourself to God and He will take care of it. What He sees when He looks at us is sinners saved by grace. It is rather our story of breaking away from our past and stepping out in faith that Jesus admires and what can lead people to give their lives to Christ.
The same people whom we think will laugh at us are the ones who desperately long for a change, for a new life. A life only Christ can give them. So, whenever doubt clouds our minds, all we need to do is look up to Jesus. He will strengthen us. He will empower us.
Jesus promised we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. And that power is for a reason, not for our selfish ambition or selfish use. This power is to be laborers in the harvest!
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NLT)
This verse in Acts says we will be witnesses. Witnesses simply tell what they have experienced; they are not responsible for convincing the hearers of the truth of what they say and they are not responsible for the information itself. Jesus is.
Can I, as a stay-at-home-mom, do anything in God’s fields?
Being a worker in God’s vineyard has nothing to do with whom we are, or where we are. It only has to do with obedience and fulfilling God’s will. So, whether you are a stay-at-home-mom, manager, business owner, teacher, nurse, or student, you count. God can use you.
My opinion about this completely changed when I listened to a sermon of Benny Hinn many years ago. Benny Hinn reaches millions, if not billions, with his soul-winning campaigns. Many people give their lives (or re-dedicate their lives) to God during and after his crusades.
In the sermon, he explained he was called by God to reach millions of people with the Gospel. For the sake of explanation, he mentioned 1 million people. If he would reach nine hundred ninety-nine thousand and nine-hundred and ninety-nine people, he would be disobedient. Even though that number looks like a stellar number in our eyes, he missed one person.
But if God told a housewife to convert one person to Christ, and she has reached her neighbor for Christ, she would have been obedient even though ‘only’ one person converted to Christ through her. It is not about the number, it is about obedience.
This opened my eyes. It is not about what we do, but whether we obey God and follow Him and His instructions. If we do that, God can use us in every way, everywhere. So, yes, He can use every stay-at-home-mom as a worker in His harvest! Don’t look down on yourself. You are a daughter of God, filled with His Spirit, and qualified to work for Him.
Do I gain anything from soul-winning?
The main gain of working in the harvest is winning souls for Christ. The ultimate gift we can give to anyone on this planet Earth is giving access to eternal life. We, as daughters of God, can play a role in this, and that is a tremendous privilege.
God wants us to be workers in His Kingdom, and He will reward us for that. He has promised that (1 Corinthians 15:58). He promises us: A good salary for working in the harvest.
Fruit: the souls won.
Joy.
“You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!” John 4:35-36 (NLT)
Take-away
No matter who we are, God can, and wants to, use us. He is waiting for billions of people to be reunited with Him in eternity. We can play a role in it, from our homes, offices, schools, and churches. We can join the labor force of God and bring in that BIG harvest. It is time!
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