Where Is the Harvest?

Jesus, towards the end of his ministry, told his closest disciples, “I no longer call you servants, I call you friends.” In the previous sentence I used the words disciples, servants, and friends. A contemporary worship song* invites us to declare repeatedly, “I am a friend of God, I am a friend of God, He calls me friend.” Are we truly friends of God? If so, how did that friendship begin?

We certainly want friendship with God to be the case, but let’s follow the progression backwards to when Jesus first called Peter, James, and John. In Jesus’ initial encounter, he called to these fishermen and invited them to come and follow him. But let’s not stop with that part of Christ’s kind invitation to those men to “come and follow him.” That would be “top line theology,” and Jesus didn’t stop there.

Jesus continued and said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” It was not an option; it was a promise. This was the bottom line of Jesus’ call to those hard-working men of the sea, the boats, and the fish. The disciples became more than mere followers. They immediately left their boats, nets, family members, and ultimately became “fishers of men.”

Toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he declared to the crowds who were made up of all kinds of people from all walks of life, “unless you deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” Although great crowds followed him, and many believed in him, only some became his disciples.

David Platt says: A disciple is someone who feeds on the scriptures, it’s somebody who follows the Holy Spirit, its somebody who denies himself… its somebody who forsakes whatever hinders their follow. A disciple is somebody who fishes for souls, meaning they win souls, and finally, a disciple makes disciples.

True disciples make disciples. Do we, the average person who sits in the pew most Sundays, even want to fish for souls or know how to make disciples? In our tradition, we have made room for “Missions” which is quite noble. We offer programs, opportunities, summits, solicit funds, and give greatly to the cause of missions. Could it be that allowing for and giving to “Missions” has become the substitute for following the mandate of Christ’s great commission—to go and personally be involved in making disciples?

Friend, do you know how to or want to be a disciple that is personally involved in making disciples? Do those who go through our mission programs sometimes battle with discouragement and aimlessness when they return home? Is it because locally we are far removed from intentional disciple making?

If we are to be a maturing and multiplying network, on mission with God, passionate for the harvest and for evangelism, then let’s get back to personally responding to the call of Jesus, both top and bottom line. Yes, let’s follow him, take up our cross, deny ourselves, and ask him to make us disciples who make disciples. May our love and friendship with Jesus grow out of our commitment to first become his discipling disciples. 

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* “Friend of God” by Israel Houghton, Michael Gungor
    © 2003 Integrity Worship Music, Integrity’s Praise! Music, Sound Of The New Breed
    CCLI License # 11508057