Pray For Harvesters
Well, I’m back in the saddle again, seeking to write something worth reading. And, as Jordan Peterson would say, that is not nothing.
Today is Ascension Day, something I wrote about in Resurrection Power. The implications of the Ascension are worthy of both attention and intention. At his ascension, Jesus gave final instructions to his followers, what we know as the Great Commission.
We read about it in Matthew 28:16-20.
The Great Commission
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The thought (perhaps a revelation?) I have had since my recent mission trip with SIM (to Italy) is the prayer that Jesus instructed his disciples to request of the Father. In Luke 10 we read the words of Jesus, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Luke 10:2).
Let’s think about what this passage means. Jesus had appointed a group of an additional seventy-two followers to go on mission after he had sent the original twelve disciples on a mission of proclaiming the gospel (see Luke 9).
Let’s look at Luke 9:1-6, 10.
“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.
10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,
And now consider these verses of Luke 10:1-4, 9, and 17-20 within the context of Luke 9.
“After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals, and do not greet anyone on the road.
9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
So the OG disciples (“OG” being urban slang for “original gangsters,” or something like that) were the tip of the spear, they were a successful pilot case study for the effectiveness of the Jesus method of doing gospel-centric missions work. “Proclaim the kingdom of God, drive out demons, and heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2).
Recently I saw a video interview with a Catholic priest, an exorcist, who specializes in casting out demons. Yes, demons are still a real thing today. He was very measured and insightful about who should, and how to do deliverance, and about discerning the difference between mental health issues—like depression and schizophrenia, and authentic demonic possession of someone’s physical body. But that’s another issue.
My point here is to simply pray what Jesus said to pray by responding to his kingdom's call to “ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.” And that means missions work is not just seeking out nice people to do good things, it is not just doing works of social justice, although that is also important and instructed (for example, see the parable of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew 25:31-46).
God’s workers are empowered with the authority of Jesus to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19) —most decidedly demons and sickness.
Missions work is not just nice people doing good things, it is not just doing works of social justice. God’s workers are empowered with the authority of Jesus to overcome all the power of the enemy —most decidedly demons and sickness.
So, how to pray? We need to pray for people who can be found worthy of bearing the weight of that responsibility, men and women of Godly character, humility, and anointing. And of course, no one is actually worthy of that, no one is capable of doing the mission of God unless Jesus Christ is living in, and working through them. I think this is why Jesus said “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Because of the life, death, resurrection, ascension, and ongoing intercession of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for those who believe—our names are written in heaven—the Lamb's book of life. If your name is written in the book, then know that you can not only pray for more workers for God, but that you too can be a worker in the harvest.
And that is today’s Divine Perspective.
