The Harvest is Plentiful; The Laborers Are Few
I
am staggered that week after week God's Holy Spirit continues to pour
out his presence on us in such tangible ways as we carry the gospel to
northern Minneapolis. Jesus himself focused often on preaching the
gospel to those who had the least and therefore recognized their need
for him the most. I suppose then that it makes sense that as we brought
the gospel to this most impoverished area of the different places we
have preached so far, that I felt Jesus' presence most clearly and
joyfully.
Our methods of conveying the good
news have evolved over the last several months. As we began, our
tendency was to bring gospel literature and ask people about their
spiritual beliefs. We continue to use these good methods and have now
added to that offering food, clothing, and other necessities (supplied
by ICCM) and boldly inviting people to receive prayer from us. I have
observed that offering prayer has been very effective in persuading some
people who were otherwise uninterested in speaking with us to open up
and share in a gospel-centered conversation. I have also seen it
encourage many Christians we have encountered. Also, what a blessing it
is to be able to confront some of the highly difficult circumstances
some people are faced with with the overwhelming power of prayer!
Even in my first conversation on Friday
evening, I was amazed by the unlikelihood of what unfolded. I asked a
young man with a baby in a stroller if he knew Jesus. He responded by
saying that he had just become a Christian the morning before, and the
reason that he became a believer was because he heard God speak to him--
after he had been asking God to speak with him for the last year. I
prayed with this young man, encouraged him, and invited him to attend
our Bible study. He said that he wanted to come and he gave me his
phone number. I called and invited him this week, but he did not make
it. Please be praying that Kwame would come to our Bible study next
week or that he would get plugged into a church, and that most of all
that his faith would remain alive and well.
The
night progressed with many more fruitful interactions filled with
prayer and the sharing of the word of God. We encountered several
believers who appreciated the encouragement, and we also came across
several people who did not believe in Jesus and benefited from hearing
the truth proclaimed to them. Another young man I met, Milion, wanted
my phone number because he wanted to invite me to come and hear some new
music he produced. Please also pray that he would contact me so that I
and some of my brothers could go and listen, and invite him to believe
in Jesus as well.
Although our numbers are
strong, there is always more room for more laborers. Jesus spoke
truthfully when he said that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers
are few. There are many more people's souls who are imprisoned in sin
and need to hear about the liberation that is found in Jesus. Our
mission is urgent because the return of our Lord draws closer each day.
We are praying that the Lord will send more laborers into his harvest.
I urge you to listen carefully for God's nudging to join us-- or that
you would simply take a leap of faith and come along side us. In doing
so, you will lift higher the name of Jesus and experience new heights of
joy in your relationship with him. If you walk along side him on
nights like these, you will find that he walks more closely to you
throughout the other days in between.
In Christ,
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