Author: Dave Dishman (Page 417 of 481)

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 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 10:1-2, English Standard Version).

Jesus sent out his followers in pairs to prepare the way for his teaching and healing tour. Then he gave this interesting directive, to ask the Lord of the harvest for more workers. Jesus told them, and tells us, to pray to God for more missionaries. Why? Because people are ready to respond! Today there are plenty of people ready to follow Jesus. The lack is not money, or expertise or messaging; it’s people willing to go.

Most of the world is open to missions, maybe not every single place, but open it is. We have technology to help us get there, we have the ability to share our message, and while we often lack funding, that’s still not the primary issue. The main obstacle is that there remains a need for laborers for the harvest, just like when Jesus shared this request with his disciples so long ago.

Pray for committed men and women who will carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. As you pray, consider the radical idea that you might just be the answer to your own prayer. Maybe you’re the one missing from the labor pool. Is Jesus calling you to work in His harvest field?

As you ponder this proposition, pray for courage to follow wherever the Lord may lead.

Jesus told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world” (Acts 1:8, The Message).

Isn’t it interesting to think about the people who heard these words of Jesus and the world in which they lived? They heard the call to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, places they knew. They lived there, walked there, slept, ate and sneezed there. They spoke the language and knew the customs. They had favorite restaurants, or at least favorite foods. Although there were many differences, it was familiar.

You have to wonder what ran through their minds when they heard “ends of the earth?” The boundaries of the Roman Empire? Egypt and beyond? Persia and India? Were they afraid they’d sail off the edge of the world? They would have known little of Northern Europe and Eastern Asia, and nothing of the Americas. How did they feel about the ends of the earth? How do you feel about the ends of the earth?

Most of us are “ends of the earth” people. That is, we were born and raised and became followers of Jesus in a part of the world that fits into Jesus’ ends of the earth construct. Likely, you aren’t from anywhere near Jerusalem or Judea or Samaria. We had the privilege of hearing and understanding the gospel in our native land and language because a succession of men and women took seriously the call to the ends of the earth. Our faith is real to us because someone, or many someones, acted on the words of Jesus.

John Calvin, the great reformer, wrote these words in his introduction to his commentary on Ephesians, “The gospel does not fall like rain from the clouds, but is carried by the hands of men wherever it will go.”

Jesus said to go to the ends of the earth, to the whole world, to be his witness and to make disciples. As we’ve received this gospel, this gift and this teaching, it’s now our turn to go, our turn to carry the good news to the ends of the earth.

Is there an “ends of the earth” location God is laying on your heart? Ask God to show you the role He wants you to play in carrying his message throughout the world. Then, pray for the courage to follow wherever the Lord may lead.