In Matthew Jesus shares a powerful message that provides us with our marching orders and guidance to our calling for ministry. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:38) The word “harvest” here refers to the “gathering of men into the kingdom of God ” and is to be the subject or focus of the labourers.

The fruit of the harvest is not fame, power, influence, or money, but people. Jesus here says, “ the Lord of the harvest (people), will send forth labourers into his harvest (people) .” Please notice it is God's harvest and God's people. We have the good pleasure to be involved in laboring with God to gather men into His kingdom. We are called to people not to a certain country or a specific type of ministry. We are not called to a certain mission field, we are called to the people in a certain place. My friend if we get this foundational truth wrong everything we do for God from this point onward will come short of His glory in our lives. Our focus and heart condition must always be the same as was Jesus' when He walked the earth, “ And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 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.” (Matthew 9: 35-36) One of the greatest qualities of Jesus lacking in the church today (and often in my life) is compassion. Oh how the Lord has to help us all in this area. But, please notice the people “ fainted and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” How these words grip my heart. How could this be? The synagogues were full every Sabbath, even Jesus and His Disciples regularly attended, yet this was the heart condition of the people. Every Sunday today, around the world, multitudes gather in churches and sadly like Paul said of the Church at Corinth, “ Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.” (1 Corinthians 11:17) Sadly today this too is the heart condition of many Christians, “fainted,” “scattered aboard, as sheep having no shepherd.” Paul goes on and talks about “division” and “fractions among them” (so too sounds like many churches today) and then tells us why, “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. 21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.” (1 Corinthians 11:20-21) Paul told them they gather together not to worship God (in Spirit and truth) and be a blessing to others, but they gather together to receive from God (first) and they cared not if their hungry brother or sister received from God. This is not the way God has arranged things, this my friend is selfishness and self-seeking that runs wild in the church today. We are to come to church to be a blessing to God and man, not to receive a blessing. We minister to people because God has ministered to us first. We love people not because people are lovely, but because God loved us first (1 John 4:19 ). How can people receive what God has given us if we have received nothing from God? A man cannot give what he does not have. We are called to minister to people, to give them the things God has given us. The call coming out from God's heart to us is a call to bring people into His kingdom and not for buildings, fame, and riches. We are called to gather people to God.

When we think of Jesus we seem to go toward the mighty miracles He performed while on earth. Now it is true miracles are done, even today, so that the lost will believe and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but miracles must never be the focus and message of a church. The focus is always on people and the message must always be the Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But, sadly today the message in most churches is to give to get. God's focus on giving is by His Spirit and giving so that others may receive. All I hear as I travel the world, is your miracle is on the way. It becomes an intoxicating drug that substitutes for the truth leading many out of the way. This message is destructive and crippling many Christians. Give me $77.77 and I will pray (when you send me the money) God gives your miracle to you. Most false evangelist, preachers, and teachers wrap this lie up and bind it to the physical truth of seed-time and harvest or around religious days the church celebrates like Easter or Christmas. My friend seed-time and harvest is a physical principle that God established on earth to replenish the earth. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22) We cannot take a physical principle and apply it to spiritual matters. Please do not be deceived by this lie. Sadly I hear almost all of the TV religious celebrities ask you to sow “your best seed into their fertile ground of ministry, buy their latest; book, tape, or CD and God will give you the desires of your heart. Brethren the Gospel is not for sale, when giving back to God we must not be led by an emotional plea from a gifted speaker. We must be very careful in this area. Is not Jesus our example? What did He received for His service? “ And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:19-20) Are we greater then the master? TV religious celebrities may have money, fame, riches, but they all lack integrity, truth, righteousness, and are filled with greed. They are filled with a love for money. Greed is the sin in the love for money. And this greed that is within them is what deceives them in their approach to ministry. Oh my friend please be careful in giving. Give as God directs, if you are led by the Holy Spirit you will never be wrong, but if you are led by your feelings, emotions, through audio-visual presentations, or sad words that move us to tears you will be wrong. I like Paul's rewards for his ministry to people; “ Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)

Brethren we are called by God to gather His harvest, to gather His people into His kingdom not to riches and fame. And our rewards are many but not so glamorous. Peter asked Jesus, “ . . . Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” (Matthew 19:27) And Jesus said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel . 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” (Matthew 19:28-30 ) There is no seed-time sowing and reaping, but God rewarding for us for our obedience to His call unto His harvest.

If we maintain our focus towards gathering souls into God's kingdom and our reward is in heaven we will not get off track and look for our reward on earth. Many Christians today really do not believe in the next life, this is why they try so hard to get a much as they can now. We are called to people, to lay our life down as Jesus did. Not to be first trying to get ours, but willing to be last to make sure the harvest is gathered. We are called to His harvest let us be worthy laborers for Him.