One of the worst things that could ever happen to a farmer is to miss the harvest. So much sweat, toiling, pains, and work go into even getting to the point where you can see the harvest. Same with souls. The price Jesus paid on the cross of Calvary to bring humanity to the point of either yielding to His offer of salvation or ignoring it is beyond imagination. Just like the farmer cannot afford to miss the harvest when it's harvest time, the church must not take the harvest lightly.
The investment that heaven has made is a very big one. To sacrifice one's only son is not fun. God did that by releasing Jesus to part with him for over 30 years. He left heaven to an earth full of darkness. He was conceived by a woman, born in a manger and a poor carpenter served as his foster father. He bore the pain of hunger, betrayal, molestation and death. He simply commissioned the church to tidy up the harvest.
During His sojourn on earth, Jesus Christ taught us that there is a harvest to be gathered (Matthew 9:36-38). He uses the word ‘harvest’ three times in two verses and stresses the needs for laborers. He is ever committed to working through people. There are souls to reach, and they will come to Jesus if somebody plows the soil, plant the seed of the gospel and bring in the harvest. God will give the increase, but somebody has to plant and water it effectively.
The Scribes and Pharisees completely missed the harvest. They were very religious, but their religion did nothing to cause them to care for the needy souls. They were self-absorbed and missed the harvest. They could have been mightily used by Christ to reach people, but rather they impeded the work of Christ. They were consumed with their positions, traditions and preferences.
This can happen to any Christian or Church today. We can become so self-absorbed and inwardly focused that we become like the farmer who completely misses the harvest because he is so busy in his house. He gets so distracted in the house; he misses the harvest out in the fields. This should serve as a motivation for us.
Most often, we attend to many things that have no bearing on the salvation of men. Sometimes, the things we preoccupy ourselves with are religious stuff but self-entertaining rather than kingdom-advancing. We must have a mission mindset like Christ. These questions will help us realign our priorities: When is the last time you spoke to someone about Christ? When is the last time you pray for the salvation of any soul? Are you busy scanning for faults in people's life like the scribes instead of attending to their souls' need?
Jesus demonstrated the need for the church to give urgent attention to the souls of men when He met Zacchaeus sitting on the Sycamore tree. He suspended His schedule and followed him to his house. He gave Him full attention until he got saved. There are many individuals and nations that are desperate to encounter Jesus today. Would you allow divine interruption based on your passion for souls to attend to them?
Sadly, churches have become exclusive social clubs, and they don’t welcome in the sick nor care to take the gospel to the world anymore. The church is not designed to service just herself, but to meet the need of the dying world.
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