To his disciples, Jesus said that the fields are white unto harvest. Are the fields still ready to be harvested? The contemporary church has almost given up on the harvest, but I believe the fields are still white to harvest.
Consider:
- Many churches in our nation are still growing
There are more people without Christ than ever before in the history of our world
The weaknesses of the secularism and materialism of our world are especially obvious
The inability of human efforts to find genuine, lasting peace is clear
Jesus spoke of the real problem: the laborers are few. Churches focus inwardly rather than lifting up eyes to the harvest. Church members have bought into the consumer mentality so that church becomes a place to receive rather than a place to give. Preachers want to enter a church system where the work has already been done and they can bask in numerical “success”.
We must get back to some basic truths. Church is not a place where you “receive”–it is a place where you do something. What you do is more than “go to church”–attend, worship, punch in for another week. Authentic disciples walk in the footsteps of the Master who came to serve as many as he could. We are called to discipleship as much as to salvation. Salvation is not possible for the non-follower. Pretending to make a commitment to Jesus in baptism will not fool God.
The majority of the world is still waiting to see those Christians who take Christianity so seriously that they cannot rest until the purpose and work of God through Christ on this earth is completed…Christians who are tireless in seeking the fields for harvest…Christians who sacrifice self, time, and resources to reach others…Christians who imitate Jesus 24/7…Christians who are worthy of the name.