“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
If there is any logistical and economic principle that the last three years has taught us, it is the pervasive negative effect of workforce scarcity. Not enough workers to produce the products that make the products, so we don’t have the products we need and want when we need and want them. What’s more, when there is product, there are fewer people to stock those products on the shelves, fewer people to take your money at the register for the product, and even fewer to repair a product you might need repaired.
It makes for a pretty frustrating consumer experience. Doesn’t it?
Scarcity causes scarcity, prices go up, and money gets a little scarcer from your pockets. In all seriousness, it’s a troubling sign for any economy, and groups of people that stay in that cycle too long grow weaker and more vulnerable.
Now, what does workforce scarcity have to do with the Lord and his Kingdom? According to Matthew 9:36-38, it’s the main reason more people aren’t currently citizens of the Kingdom of God.
“What?!” “You mean to tell me it’s not because of sin? It’s not just a ‘sign of the times’? It’s not because the devil has just grown so powerful?”
Nope, according to Jesus the harvest is not reaped as it could be because the workers are not as plenteous and active as they should be! Jesus told his disciples 2,000 years ago what he is still telling us today—that there is a harvest of souls out there to be brought in; they are ready, but they are in danger of rotting in the fields because there are so few working to bring that harvest in.
But why? Why don’t we have the workers we need in the harvest fields? Several reasons I’m sure, but I believe a big reason is because those whose job it is to work the fields don’t know it’s their job! All their lives they’ve thought it was the job of another, so they’ve walked right by “ripe fruit” begging to be picked without giving it a second thought. What do I mean by that? Well, most Christians today firmly believe it is the exclusive job of the “preacher” to bring souls into the Kingdom of God. It’s all they’ve ever seen or heard—the altar call, the church revival, the pastor going to the sinner’s house and witnessing to them. Sure, the “preacher” has a call to personal soul winning, but according to Ephesians 4:7-16, the primary job description of the “preacher” is to work with the saint, not win the sinner! Yes, for real! Go read it for yourself! The minister’s job is “for the perfecting (think maturing) of the saints” so that they can be ready for the work of the ministry (of harvesting souls) so that the body of Christ can be “edified” or built up.
Think about that for a few minutes and see if things don’t start making a little more sense.
Perhaps the No. 1 reason the harvest is so small in our nation right now is because for way too long the God-called, God-anointed laborers for that most important task have been on a sit-down-in-the-pew strike! The reality of the matter is that it is every believer’s job to win others to the Lord. Jesus wasn’t just talking to the apostles when he told them to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” He was talking to every believer that would ever live. When Paul told the Corinthians to “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame,” he wasn’t just speaking to the pastors of those congregations; he was speaking to every member.
Brothers and sisters, if we want to see more people saved, we all need to pull together and take responsibility for telling others about Jesus and what he has done for humanity. Let’s not shrug our call and be satisfied with just inviting someone to church and leave it at that. Let’s learn to be led by the Lord and share the Gospel of Jesus boldly and invite others to make Jesus the Lord of their life.
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.