Pray for Workers

Jesus sent his disciples out on a mission trip. Before they left. He spent some time giving them instructions. The first instruction was to pray for workers.

He said the harvest was great. The harvest in this case was not ears of corn, or bushels of wheat. The harvest referred to the lives, and souls, of people. These are people who have not given God their allegiance, but they are responding to the God-shaped emptiness in their hearts.

Part of Jesus’ mission was to die for mankind’s sin. Part was to introduce people to the Father, and his desire for fellowship with people. Only Jesus could complete the first part. But any of Jesus’ disciples can do the second. And the second part has become the disciples’ mission.

There are three practices involved in accomplishing this part of Jesus’ mission.

• Proclaim. This is communicating the gospel message. This could be verbal, written, sign language, art, semaphore, or Morse code. This could be a speech, a discussion (one on one, group, or panel), a blog post, a newspaper article, a novel, or an animated movie on TV. This could be instruction, answering questions, or relating personal experience. It should occur in all places, and all phases of society.

• Demonstrate. Jesus did more that talk; he acted. So, his disciples should act too. Like him, they should serve, love, feed, give relief, build, comfort, empathize, accept, heal and show mercy. The goal is for God’s family to be a picture of God. It is say, “You want to know what Jesus was like? Look at his family.”

• Pray. Creation has two parts: physical, and spiritual. And these parts interact and impact each other. So, there is a supernatural component to walking with Jesus. Prayer is how an individual follower of Jesus contributes to the impact of God’s family in the unseen, but really real, part of creation. In prayer, he smothers the effects of the enemy, enhances and strengthens the effect of the Spirit, releases the Spirit to move in different spaces, and affects the hearts of people, cities, and nations. Along with that, he strengthens the hearts of other members of God’s family to take up God’s mission. 

God’s family is an army, and a team. Each member of God’s family should be able, and should be involved in proclaiming, demonstrating, and praying. Each one will probably be involved in one practice more than the others – so, as a team, we cover one another. But all should practice all.