Urgently Needed: Labourers for the Harvest

Many churches are looking for pastors, elders and co-workers, but they find it very hard to fill these vacancies. When Jesus went about the towns and villages of Israel, He was moved with compassion because God’s people were like sheep without a shepherd. Consequently, Jesus said to His disciples,

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 (Matt 9:37-38).

Unfortunately, the world has not changed much since then. Although most Australians regard themselves as happy, very few enjoy fulfilled and meaningful lives. For most people life is a struggle. Even Christians are often disheartened and nurse many wounds. However, the gospel can bring change, healing and hope. And for this to happen more labourers are needed.

But notice the Lord’s command. We must not just pray for people (or Christians) to go into the harvest field, but for “labourers”, i.e. for people who can actually do the job. When I was young, I worked on a farm for many years and learned that there are labourers and those who pretend to be labourers. Not everyone can endure the rigours of manual labour, and not everyone has the skills to do the job. Some people have many nostalgic ideas of life on a farm, but they are ill-suited to the reality of farm life. So too, many Christians are attracted to the idea of church ministry and mission but are in fact not suitable to be used by the Lord for ministry. The Lord wants labourers for His harvest fields, but they need to be prepared and competent. In particular, labourers need to have the right knowledge, the right skills, and the right character (personal qualities) to be fruitful in the harvest.

Labourers need the right knowledge. They need to know about different sorts of produce (and weeds!), types of machinery, farming techniques and harvesting methods. So too, the labourers of the kingdom need to know the Bible and the Gospel. They need to know about methods of ministry and evangelism (old and new). They need to know about the dangers and possibilities of ministry. They also need to know how to manage the Lord’s church and how to disciple believers. In ministry, the worker must continue to grow in his or her knowledge of the Lord and the Bible.

Labourers need the right skills. Farm assistants need to acquire many practical skills such as fencing, the ability to operate machinery, animal-handling skills, and the capacity to solve a range of problems. So too, the labourers of the kingdom need to develop a number of important skills to be effective in ministry and mission. They need to be able to preach and teach, they need to be able to evangelise and defend the faith, and they need to be able to disciple and counsel believers. It is not much use to hire and send out labourers who cannot do the job. Labourers need to be well trained in practical skills. As the Chinese proverb says, “To do his work well a workman must first sharpen his tools.”

Labourers also need the right character. This is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak. Not everyone can be a farm labourer. Some very specific personal qualities are needed. For example, farm assistants should be practical, adaptable, reliable, self-motivated, efficient, courteous, willing to learn and able to work with others. So too, perhaps most importantly, the labourers of the kingdom need to have the personal qualities that will demonstrate the values of the kingdom ─ the fruit of the Spirit, especially patience, faithfulness and gentleness. If a worker lacks these qualities his or her ministry will soon come unstuck, they will experience difficulties and fail.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” How can we bring in the harvest and shepherd God’s people? We must answer this question. We are the only hope for this generation. Those who have gone before us or those who will come after us cannot reach them. We alone have the opportunity to reach the present generation. This is our responsibility. This generation’s harvest cannot wait for the harvesters of the next generation; the harvest will either be gathered in, or it will go to waste.

Do pray!