I recently attended a really cool conference called Exponential in Orlando, Florida. The conference equips and encourages church leaders to grow their churches and ultimately God’s Kingdom. The harvest is plentiful!
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. We are in an amazing growth period at the church. Over the Easter season, we had 2 consecutive weekends over 1000 people and several hundred visitors! Incredible!
If truth be told, I kind of thought the conference might just want to call on me and have me head up a workshop on how to lead a church. A little arrogant, huh? Please…if you ever get a prideful thought about work that God is doing, don’t give into it!
Wrecked By God
So, I walked into the first session and the pastor spoke in the passage, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Luke 10:2
He talked about leading a church in Alabama of 14 people for 5+ years. He never risked and he never prayed for God to perform miracles. Then, he was called to start a new church and decided he was going to do it differently. Before the church started, he set out 400 chairs (way too many for a first time start up), but he didn’t care. He just prayed and prayed and trusted that what Jesus said in the Bible was true…the harvest is plentiful (thousands of people need Christ), we just need people who will take a risk to reach them.
The first Sunday, they had over 650 people and obviously ran out of chairs. Then the church sang a song after his message that was the song I came forward to in high school to dedicate my life to ministry. It was not even 45 minutes into the conference and I was wrecked. Not one or two tears….a steady flow of tears and that I couldn’t stop or hold back.
It was as if God said…..let me remind you that you have not arrived and you have much more work to do…the harvest is plentiful…AND you need to set out all 400 chairs at church! Quit worrying, start praying and let me do my work!
It’s so good when God wrecks us and helps us to see his plan.
What Might God Want To Do In Your Life?
Have you ever wondered about what might God want to do in your life? I bet it is way more than you could ever ask or imagine.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are FEW. Will you join me in inviting your friends and neighbors and co-workers and enemies into a life changing relationship with Jesus?
