The House is Too Full and the Field Too Empty

It is what I refer to as one of the prayer request of Jesus. It is found in Matthew 9:38 and Luke 10:2. It is where Jesus tells us to pray for laborers. Jesus says the harvest is truly great or much but the workers of the field are truly few. We are instructed to pray for more people to get in the field. This is a prayer request from Jesus and it needs to be in our daily prayer life. As the church, this must be our push and focus.

For the last two weeks I have been on vacation driving across the beautiful state of Colorado. I had a great time but I must confess I was shaken by the lack of churches. I found myself asking my wife as we drove through each community, “I wonder if there is a church here?”  Time and time again I found there was no church that preached biblical truths. I visited cities that left me with a sick and disgusting feeling because of its sins and immorality. I also left towns where I felt sorry for the people I visited with knowing Sunday they would not have the blessing of worshipping in an anointed church. Honest I was simply left shaking my head at the overflowing harvest, time and time again. Yes, it’s easy to say it’s not my field, yet Jesus said we are to pray for people to get into the harvest. It is our concern or should be.

A tweet from T.F. Tenny woke this burning up in my heart a few weeks back. He asked the question can Jesus be seen in our church. He was referring to the book of Revelations chapter one. Here John turns and sees Jesus in the middle of the seven golden candle sticks. John saw Jesus in the middle of the church. Can this world, can anyone, see Jesus in the middle of our church? Is He still there?

One can read in John’s writings and listen to the rebukes and blessings that are handed out to the churches mentioned there. We often spend a lot of time declaring the wickedness and immorality found in some of these churches. Preachers have spent hours screaming out these sins. Yet we must never forget that two of them were also rebuked for leaving their first love and becoming caught up in the laziness of the day. They left their zeal and allowed their day to take their concern. We should note they received the same warning as those who had moral issues. Unless they changed Jesus would no longer be seen in that church.

I must ask, “Can Jesus be seen in our congregation?”

We can’t be content any long to just exist. The harvest is great, there must be more workers. Jesus said as much. The only way this will happen is in the daily fact that Jesus is seen in our congregation. So, what do we do? There are three things that come to mind that everyone can do.

First we must do what Jesus said, Pray! Everyone one of us can do this. Age doesn’t matter here, everyone can pray that God would send workers into the field. This must be part of our daily prayer life. We need to not allow one day to slip by without ask God to send people into the field. Yes, this will wake a stirring up in the lives of people and if you dare to pray such a prayer you had better expect the Almighty to wake up something in your soul too. Whatever the cost we must pray and believe that the Lord will send workers into the field. Stop today in your busy Laodicea moments and pray for God to send someone to the empty fields.

Second, if we dare to pray and believe such a prayer we must expect God to call us into the field. Again everyone can do this. It may be a local field or it could grow into a call to a field away from your comfortable place. Yes, I realize everyone can’t go but everyone can do the work of God in the field you are living in. But I do believe more of us would be in other fields if we were not so caught up in our own dreams and enjoying the laziness of our Laodicea ways. If more had not left their first love, their first desires in God, there would be more people in more fields. I will tell you if you dare to pray with sincerity that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers then be ready to Him to call you. It will happen. There is a place for you in a field somewhere. Sincere praying people can expect the voice of God on their life. We must get in the field, the house is too full.

Lastly we all can give financially. Again this is something everyone can do. We should give to make a difference around this world. Again this day causes us to spend great amounts on our own comforts and wants. We are truly increased with goods and have need of nothing so we chase wants. Again we are warned to change this lest we get to a place where Jesus is not seen in us as a church. We shouldn’t give and use it as a reason not to go but we must give because someone is going to go. All of us can send our finances. We can sacrifice; really lose some wants so that the work of God would happen. We each can make a financial contribution so as to make it easier for someone to get into the field. We need to be more concerned about making it easier for someone to get in the field rather than make it easier for us to have more wants and bigger things

The question now must be asked, knowing you can pray, knowing you must go and knowing you can give, will this world be able to see Jesus in this congregation? Will we change; really change to be everything Jesus asks us to be? The house is too full and the field is too empty. What will you do about this fact?