Something For Nothing

"Then saith He unto His disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;"  ( Matthew 9:37)

I live in the country, and farm fields surround my home. Everywhere I look, I see soybeans that are nearing the time for them to be harvested. Due to prolonged spring rains, Indiana farmers were late getting their crops in the ground this year. In June, I sat in a doctor's office and listened as a farmer's wife shared her worry and anxiety with me. Due to the rains and flooding, her husband had not been able to plant his crops, and therefore, she knew there would be no harvest this year.

Most Americans walk into their local supermarket and see rows of beautiful, colorful, fruits and vegetables, yet we never give a thought to the work, care, planning, and worry that it took before that produce reached our stores.

I grew up in a day when most people had large families, and a garden was not a luxury, it was a necessity for food. I have to admit honestly - I hated working in a garden. But, every year without fail, my dad would hitch one of his mules to a plow and begin turning the ground, and like it or not, we kids all had to help with the planting. I also had a deep aversion to the harvest, especially canning which involved breaking up beans and shucking corn. But, I sure enjoyed the rewards of the harvest!

We live in an age of entitlement. Too many people want "something for nothing." Just as it takes much effort and care to produce a natural harvest, the same is true of a spiritual harvest.

"The law of prayer is the law of harvest: sow sparingly in prayer, reap sparingly; sow bountifully in prayer, reap bountifully.

The trouble is that we are trying to get from our efforts what we never put into them." ~ Leonard Ravenhill

In his book What Good is God?, Philip Yancey writes about a true story that took place in Afghanistan in the early 1970s. A friend of his named Len, organized a musical team of young people to tour countries in the Middle East. The group was invited to perform a concert in Kabul, Afghanistan. Len made the teenagers write out precisely what they would say, subject to his approval. "This is a strict Muslim government," he warned them. "If you say the wrong thing, you could end up in prison and at the same time jeopardize every Christian who lives in this country. Do not stray from the words you have written down!"

The night of the concert, almost a thousand Afghans filled the hall. All went well until one teenager on the team put down his guitar and started improvising: "I'd like to tell you about my best friend, a man named Jesus, and the difference He has made in my life." From the side of the stage, Len was motioning wildly for him to stop. Ignoring him, the teenager proceeded to give a detailed account of how God had transformed his life. Len sat with his head in his hands, waiting for the sword to drop.

Instead, an amazing thing happened! The Minister of Cultural Affairs for Afghanistan stood and walked to the stage to respond. "We have seen many American young people come through this country," he said. " Most of them come for drugs. We have not seen nor heard from young people like you. God's love is a message my country needs." He then invited the group to expand their tour so they could visit the colleges in Afghanistan. He also made it possible for them to give the message of God's love on Kabul radio.

On the last day of their tour, the teens met J.Christy Wilson. He had spent twenty-two years in Afghanistan as a teacher and Christian pastor. He drove the teenagers to an unusual tourist site, the only cemetery in Afghanistan where "infidels" could be buried. Wilson walked to the first, ancient gravestone. "This man worked here thirty years and translated the Bible into the Afghan language," he said. "Not a single convert. And in the grave next to him lies the man who replaced him. He toiled for twenty-five years and finally baptized the first Afghan Christian."

Wilson turned and looked the teenagers straight in the eye. "For thirty years one man moved rocks. That's all he did, move rocks. Then came his replacement, who did nothing but dig furrows. There came another who planted seeds and another who watered. And now you kids, are bringing in the harvest!"

Those American teens learned a valuable lesson about reaping the harvest, and so can we. They had witnessed revival, a spiritual awakening in Afghanistan. They learned the church of Jesus Christ is "one" body. Our goal should be the harvest of lost souls. We all are to do our part and leave the results to God.

When we planted our family garden, we each had different tasks. One dropped the seeds, another watered, and then someone else would cover the seed with dirt. Many times the process is the same in sowing the seed of the Gospel.

Paul told the Corinthians, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase."  ( I Corinthians 3:6)

Standing in an Afghanistan cemetery, those American teenagers realized that the spiritual awakening they had witnessed, was the result of a long line of faithful service that started before they were born.

When we share the Gospel with the lost, we may be watering the seed that has already been sown by a parent, grandparent, or a minister. On the other hand, we are not to grow discouraged when we sow seed and do not see immediate results. Those early Afghanistan missionaries just faithfully worked the spiritual soil. Because of their labors, there will be many Afghan believers in Heaven. The grandchildren of those who labor with World Missions to Asia, may one day reap the great harvest that their grandparents are now working and praying for.

Winters in Chicago can be brutal. Last year the wind chill factor dropped to about minus fifty degrees below zero. They reported on the news that the railroad tracks were set on fire with kerosene at the different switch junctions so they would not freeze up and hinder the trains from moving. The fire is also used to repair cracks in the steel. The fire warms the metal, causing it to expand and fill up the cracks.

The great need in the church today is for the fire of the Holy Spirit to warm our apathetic hearts and set us on fire for God. One young man, with the fire of God burning in his heart, refused to let the fear of the Afghanistan government or the threat of prison stop him from witnessing for Jesus. His courage was the key to the harvest of seed that others had planted.

We need to quit expecting "something for nothing." Our efforts must surpass or at least equal our expectations. May we all sow bountifully in prayer, trusting God to give the increase, and send revival to America. 

Most of all, we need to share the Word of God with absolute faith that it has the power to change lives!