And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.“ Luke 10:2 ESV
This verse provides a simple formula for preparing future leaders of the church. It starts with two simple facts: 1. The harvest is plentiful. 2. The workers are few.
When you think about it, as painful as it is, these two facts have always been true
These two facts can be tough for many in the church to swallow, and we have often responded in a lot of different ways. We try to recruit new leaders. Inspire young people to serve. Scare people with horrors of a declining future. Make the church more relevant. Plead with young people.
But if we read just a little bit further, Jesus has already given us the appropriate response to these two realities. It’s a simple command: Pray. That’s it. That’s what God gives us. He just says: pray that the Father would send workers into the field.
It’s a humbling to realize that we can’t send workers into the field.
There is no such thing as human-recruitment for a God-sized mission. We don’t own the field, so we can’t hire the laborers. Ministry only happens when God does the sending. So our responsibility is simple: pray. Ask. Plead— but not with young candidates for ministry—rather with God, that God would send workers into the field.
This weekend, Allyssa and I will be heading to Denver for Exploration 2013. Will you follow God’s simple command and join with us in prayer?
Joe Graves 