Harvesting As Jesus Commanded

Luke 10:1-9
The Problem: Plentiful Harvest, but Few Workers
• Plentiful Harvest
○ Jesus saw that many were ready to hear the Gospel in his day, and the same is true
in our day.
○ Most people are ready, willing, and even eager to speak about the Bible, Jesus,
and the Gospel
○ Young Adults1
 81% believe God exists
 57% believe God is the one described in the Bible
 89% willing to listen if someone was willing to engage them in
conversation about Christianity
 61% willing to study the Bible if a friend asked them to
○ Many today are hungry for the truth! But the problem lies with the fact that there
are…
• Few Laborers
○ Just as with Jesus, we find that there are few who are willing to be laborers
○ Few are willing to serve, to go out to the lost, to build relationships, and spend
time making friends with those who need to hear the message of the Gospel.
○ Just as in Jesus’ day with the Pharisees, many are content to wall themselves up
inside of religious houses, living a private faith.
 77% of young adults think that Christianity is more about organized
religion than loving God and loving people
 90% believe they can have a good relationship with God without the
church

Solving the Problem: Jesus’ Commands

• Jesus commands his disciples to pray for more laborers (v. 2)
○ Have you prayed for more laborers?
• Jesus commands his disciples to be laborers (v. 3)
○ Jesus sent his disciples to the people, not for the people to come to them
 The disciples were sent with a partner.
 He sent them to be deliberate and purposeful (don’t stop on the road)
 The disciples were to leave behind their own “comforts” & “securities” (4)
 The disciples were to stay with the people, live with the people, and build
relationships with the people (5-7)
• Go, not come
• In homes, not church buildings
• Building a relationship, not cold contacts (Not house to house)
• Person of Peace – connecting to one who is able to connect to
others in an area
 The disciples were to bring the message of the Kingdom
Will we be a church that prays for laborers? Will we be a church that laborers?
1
Taken from Ed Stetzer’s Lost and Found.