I have been reading an excellent book. It is called "Comeback Churches." It has given me some good insights. It has reinforced a number of things.
One thing in this book that caught my attention is a bit of Scripture that we often overlook. It is Matthew 9:37-38. Here Jesus says, "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
We sometimes so focus on what Jesus tells us to pray for in the Lord's Prayer, we forget what Jesus teaches us to pray in this verse. He teaches us to pray for God to send laborers into the harvest. This is a prayer from Jesus we ought to pray regularly and passionately. Maybe we could add another petition to the Lord's prayer. It might go something like this ". . . Give us our daily bread. Send laborers into the harvest. Forgive us our trespasses . . . "
I read that only 17% of Americans attend church on Sunday morning. Many statistics will tell you that there are more than this, but the larger number can be attributed to people who will mark on surveys that they attend church but really don't. They mark that they attend because they feel guilty they don't. What this means is that if every church going American brought another friend with them to church we would still only be at 34%.
Now with all that said, it is not really about church attendance but a relationship with Jesus. While church attendance is a strong indicator of a relationship with Jesus, it is not the end all be all. I am sure there are many people in church that do not have that relationship and there are some who are not in church that do. But the point is there is a lot of work to be done.
For all the beauty of God's creation, there is a lot of ugliness. A death toll of over 15,000 from a tropical cyclone, the ongoing tragedy of hunger, malaria, and AIDS. There are addictions, divorces, and violent assults. So many people are living less than meaningful lives without much joy or hope. A good friend of mine once told me to treat every persons heart as if it were breaking because it probably is. The older I get, the more I am learning the truth in this.
There is much work to be done. A message to proclaim! I want to invite you to join me in regularly, consistently, and passionately praying every day that the Lord would send laborers into the harvest. I can't do it alone. You can't do it alone. God will do it. And he will use his people.
If you are at LOL this weekend, I will be handing out postcards to serve as a reminder to pray this prayer. I encourage you to put it in a place where it is readily visible and you will be reminded to pray.
Lord send your laborers into the harvest!!!! Multiply the good work of your church.
One thing in this book that caught my attention is a bit of Scripture that we often overlook. It is Matthew 9:37-38. Here Jesus says, "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
We sometimes so focus on what Jesus tells us to pray for in the Lord's Prayer, we forget what Jesus teaches us to pray in this verse. He teaches us to pray for God to send laborers into the harvest. This is a prayer from Jesus we ought to pray regularly and passionately. Maybe we could add another petition to the Lord's prayer. It might go something like this ". . . Give us our daily bread. Send laborers into the harvest. Forgive us our trespasses . . . "
I read that only 17% of Americans attend church on Sunday morning. Many statistics will tell you that there are more than this, but the larger number can be attributed to people who will mark on surveys that they attend church but really don't. They mark that they attend because they feel guilty they don't. What this means is that if every church going American brought another friend with them to church we would still only be at 34%.
Now with all that said, it is not really about church attendance but a relationship with Jesus. While church attendance is a strong indicator of a relationship with Jesus, it is not the end all be all. I am sure there are many people in church that do not have that relationship and there are some who are not in church that do. But the point is there is a lot of work to be done.
For all the beauty of God's creation, there is a lot of ugliness. A death toll of over 15,000 from a tropical cyclone, the ongoing tragedy of hunger, malaria, and AIDS. There are addictions, divorces, and violent assults. So many people are living less than meaningful lives without much joy or hope. A good friend of mine once told me to treat every persons heart as if it were breaking because it probably is. The older I get, the more I am learning the truth in this.
There is much work to be done. A message to proclaim! I want to invite you to join me in regularly, consistently, and passionately praying every day that the Lord would send laborers into the harvest. I can't do it alone. You can't do it alone. God will do it. And he will use his people.
If you are at LOL this weekend, I will be handing out postcards to serve as a reminder to pray this prayer. I encourage you to put it in a place where it is readily visible and you will be reminded to pray.
Lord send your laborers into the harvest!!!! Multiply the good work of your church.
1 comment:
It is interesting that after Jesus asked the disciples to 'pray the lord of the harvest to SEND forth laborers", as we read in the next verses,"...these twelve Jesus sent forth....saying GO......" (Matt. 10:5). He sent the praying ones!
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