Evangelism

Jesus saw the crowds.

He felt compassion for them.

Because they were as sheep without a shepherd.

Then Matthew adds:

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest,” (Matt. 9:37-38).

See the harvest.

Jesus saw the harvest.

For the last few days, I’ve been encouraging you to look out at your city or place in which you live.  Find a vantage point or maybe a photograph that you have found on line.  Look at the harvest that is before you.  If you can’t see it, as the Lord to open your eyes.

Pastor, you’ve been planted in the church you serve in the town in which you live.  Can you see the harvest?

Church member, you’ve been part of a church for a while.  Can you see the harvest of people around you who do not know the Lord?

Today, ask the Lord to give you clear vision of the harvest field.

My harvest field

There is mountain near my city that allows me to see it on the plain, almost from one side to another.  As I look out over the city of 1.3 million people in which I live, I see the harvest.   That’s huge, and overwhelming.

I live in an apartment building.  From it’s rooftop, I’m able to see the various other buildings, homes and businesses in my district.  I see the harvest

In that district, we are currently planting a church in a .2 sq mile area that is packed with 50,000 people.  There are only 7 Christian churches, 6 of which are under 100 members in size.   This suggests a huge population that is unchurched and likely doesn’t know Christ as the shepherd.  It’s huge and overwhelming.

That is my harvest field that the Lord has placed our family in.

When I think about the harvest field as I see it, God needs to send more workers.  I can’t do it all.  At times, I feel a compassion for the harvest that causes me to weep for my city.

“Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore to send out workers.”

Jesus saw that the level of human need was great, too big for the disciples.  My field is too big for me.  It’s even too big for my church.

I’m regularly asking the Lord

• to send more workers,
• to raise up more workers,
• to use me to help people to find faith so they will join me in the field.

At times, the task of evangelism seems so huge, my prayers feel desperate.

When you glimpse the harvest field through the eyes of Jesus, perhaps you too will find yourself desperate for more workers, and desperate to be involved yourself.

Today’s prayer.

Lord, help me to see the harvest.

Give me the spiritual eyes to see the harvest that is around me, not just overseas, or in some other country that one of our missionaries serve, but here in my little corner of the world.

Give my local church the eyes to see the harvest field around it, and to get out of our comfort zone and into the harvest field.

Give me confidence to share my faith that I may bring more workers into the harvest field.

Lord, raise up more workers who will labor along side of me in the harvest field.  I ask your blessing upon the churches that are laboring in this field.  May they work together in Christian love and unity to help bring more people to faith in Christ.

Send me today.

Today’s action

1. If you haven’t already heard this MP3 download, listen to this evangelism prayer strategy from our podcast feed.  Phil Taylor shares a simple 3 fold prayer structure that you can use for your devotional time.
2. Invite others to join us in our 30 day prayer.  Use one of the sharing features below to send to facebook, twitter, or any of the others.

Jesus saw the crowds.

Jesus felt compassion for the crowds.

Matthew explains why.  Chapter 9 verse 36:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Sometimes I wonder how I see people who are without Christ.  I wonder if I truly see them as God sees them.

I wonder if it’s possible to see their spiritual condition in the same that Jesus saw that of those crowds.

He saw their spiritual condition.

Harassed, helpless, without a shepherd.

As a Christian, I know the Good Shepherd.  He’s been leading my life since I was 15.  I’ve known the blessing of His care, the provision from His supply, and the bountiful forgiveness of my sin.

Think of your friends who are without Christ, who don’t know Christ as the Good Shepherd.

Do you see their spiritual condition?

I wonder if it’s possible to cultivate the heart of God by learning to see people as God sees them.

I believe it is.

Sitting in prayer, or walking in prayer, or standing in prayer, the form doesn’t matter.

It’s connecting with the heart of God in prayer that I begin to grow the spiritual vision to see what God sees.

Christ for the world we sing,
the world to Christ we bring,
with fervent prayer;
the wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed,
redeemed at countless cost,
from dark despair.
— Christ for the World We Sing,  Samuel Wolcott

This is the heart we need to cultivate.

Today’s prayer

Lord, I want to see people as you see them, harrassed and helpless, without a shepherd.  I want to see them without judgment, without writing them off, but only as you see them.

I’ve got friends that I love deeply.  Friends who don’t know you, who don’t follow you, who don’t know you as the Good Shepherd.

Give me the spiritual eyes to see their condition and allow that to drive me further into prayer that they may come to know you, one by one, and use me to reach them.

Today’s action

Read Make a Prayer list of friends.

Create a list of names of people that you want to pray for their salvation during this 30 days of prayer.

If you haven’t yet gotten a prayer journal to write down what you think the Lord shares with you, do so today.