The “harvest mind” is one of the ways of looking at the world that I pray will become natural to you as a born-again believer.  What do I mean by the harvest mind?  As far as I know, this phrase was invented by a friend of mine named Ron Lewis. Ron was the church growth consultant at our church before he died of cancer several years ago serving here as our consultant for about 25 years.  He took the phrase from the Lord’s command to look at the fields that are white already unto harvest and to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He would send workers into the harvest.  The Scriptures from which this idea comes are Matthew 9:37-38, Mark 4:26-29, and John 4:34-38.  In each of these cases, the Lord makes the point that the seed of the Gospel has been sown in the world, that the Spirit of God has entered the world, that the Spirit of God is working in the church and in the preaching and witness of the church, and that there is opportunity in the world to reach people for Jesus Christ.

             A man I admired a great deal as a pastor once said he believed every person he met needed the Lord Jesus Christ – most of them just didn’t know it yet.  That’s a clear expression of the belief that people need the Lord and the Lord has made it possible for them to receive Him.  He has, in fact, worked in many people’s lives so they are ready.  However, He will not do the harvesting.  We must work at the harvest and pray for others to do the same.

             The harvest mind is the opposite of the attitude many modern Christians have.  Perhaps Christians have always felt that way, but I’m only familiar with the Christians of our day.  Too many of us believe that all people are basically resistant to the Gospel, religion is a private matter, and we should not intrude in other people’s lives or seek to impose our values on them.  If we ever decided we wanted to share, it’s something we should only attempt after lots and lots of relationship building and after earning the right to be heard.  Jesus simply said, “The harvest is ready, and it is time for workers to be sent.”  You and I are those workers.  My experience is that unless we develop a mind that sees the world that way and honestly believe the Lord Jesus has done His work so the harvest is ready, we will probably hang back in timidity.  Do you have the harvest mind?  Ever?  Occasionally?  Never?  Begin praying to the Lord of the harvest and ask Him to give you a harvest mind. Tell Him you’d like to have a fresh vision of the world that sees the world as ready to respond to the Gospel.  Ask the Lord to lay some soul upon your heart that you may begin to reach out to them in the name of Jesus.

Anchor 1: A well broken-in Bible

Anchor 2: Calloused Knees

Anchor 3:

WORN OUT SHOES – Romans 10:15 says, “How beautiful are the feet of them who bring good news…”  Are you seeking to tell others about the Lord Jesus?  He is the only Savior anyone can ever have and they cannot have Him unless they are told about Him (Romans 10:13-14).  When you tell, you have to leave the harvest in the hands of God.  You sow the seed.  You don’t make it grow.  Not ready to tell?  Then make a list of people you think need the Lord that you wish you could tell. Don’t tell anybody (yet).  Now put some calluses on your knees for the people on this list.  Sometime you might begin saying, “Lord, please give me the opportunity to tell (a particular person) about Christ.  See what happens.  Get trained in faith sharing.  Call Clay Smith’s office (clay@shandon.org or 782-1300 x186) and ask for help in doing so. 

Anchor 4: Well worn Church Clothes

I never think of sermons as being for either the 10:00 or 11:30 service.  I always think of them as being for both, and 90 percent of the content is the same in each service.  However, this past Sunday it appears God had a different idea. 

             A few months ago when I felt led to preach the four sermons for Christmas, I was bothered because I wasn’t going to read the Christmas story and the sermons were coming from the Gospel of John, which doesn’t recount any of the birth narratives.  Yet I felt strongly led to do it.  The sermon I felt the most strongly led to preach was the one from this past week titled, “The Gift of Eternal Life.”  However, I felt it was a little out of place at Christmas.  Every time I thought about changing it, the Spirit of God said, “Don’t do it.”

             At the 10:00 service, I felt good about the message and how it went, but at the 11:30 service when the invitation was given and a lot of young people who were here for the Chick-Fil-A Classic Basketball Tournament came forward, I thought, “That was God’s purpose in putting this on my heart.”

             The experience this past Sunday was very different from many of the other times we’ve hosted these young people from around the country.  We had about 20 or 25 people come forward at the end of the worship service making different kinds of decisions but all moved by the Spirit of God.

             I’m grateful to the Lord that He led me to do that and gave our church the opportunity to see that kind of response to His message and the work of the Holy Spirit.  Keep praying that the Lord would work in my heart, in the hearts of each staff member, and in the hearts of the lay leadership in our church.  God is good.  He is at work in this world of ours to will and to do for His good pleasure and for His glory.  It is a joy to be a part of that.  I hope it is for you too.

  I once had the opportunity to interview a staff member in Jacksonville, FL (actually Jacksonville Beach).  I arranged the interview so I could be at First Baptist in downtown Jacksonville to attend their weekly worker’s meeting followed by their Wednesday evening midweek service.  The teacher’s meeting was amazing.  Imagine me still remembering a Sunday school worker’s meeting this many years later.  Guynelle Freeman gave a five-minute talk about reaching the lost that still makes me want to go out and reach out. 

             As soon as this worker’s meeting was over, I walked to the sanctuary so I could get a good seat.  I hadn’t been there two minutes when a gentleman came, sat down beside me, introduced himself, and said, “You know, I love my church.”  I said, “I can see why.  It’s a tremendous church.”  He said, “But I never knew what it meant to love my church until I repented of my sins and received Jesus as my Savior.  Has that ever happened to you?” 

             “Oh, yes,” I said.  “Could I tell you about it?”  I did, and he asked, “What do you do?”  When I told him he got embarrassed.  I said, “Thank you for giving me the chance to be sure.  Your love for the Lord inspires me.”  Ten minutes later another gentleman did the same thing with the same results.  That (not the sermon, the music, the budget, or the buildings) is what does make a church great.  By that standard, how great are you making our church?  It’s a good question for all of us to ask week by week as we are called to go into the highways, hedges, pews, and hallways to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ.