Fruitfulness

On the Lake this past week with YWAM Oxford, New Zealand, our mission was largely evangelistic, though we had our share of planting and watering seeds in the process. Countless messages delivered over the past twelve days had every range of effect on the thousands who caught them. But every evangelist’s constant hope, dream, and end goal is to harvest. To discover those low hanging fruits that are so ripe and ready to receive, that at the moment of communication, they tumble off the branch of worldliness they’ve clung to all their lives and are gathered into the Father’s loving arms to be brought up and made into disciples, with full rights and privileges as sons and daughters of the Most High.

And in every location we frequented on this excursion, I couldn’t help but consider how relatively easy reaping harvest is. Of course, we’ve not attained to the apostolic ministry of the New Testament, passing through stoning and shipwreck and all sorts of persecution for the sake of our message. But here on Lake Victoria, every time the Word of God is presented, someone is ready to receive it. In every landing site and village, for the effort exerted in preaching there is return on eternal investment. And in many places, the fruit is just laying there on the ground, ready to be valued, chosen, and cherished. But just as in my backyard there is an avocado graveyard replete with rotten returns, so many of these pre-believers are left to die spiritually with no one to shepherd them into real life.

If only we could push a little further, visit extra places, bring in additional teams, work harder, preach longer…if only we could do more… I recall standing on the shore of Nsonga Island after preaching to a crowd of fishermen last week, and thinking of Jesus’ words to His disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” If only more people who trembled at the Words of God would make personal sacrifice to see that dying people could hear the message of life, then more harvest could be brought in. If we could raise up an army of godly servants who cared nothing for their own lives, but lost them for Jesus and His Gospel, untold multitudes could receive eternal life.

In my parting speech to the team on Tuesday, I adjured each to become a true long-term laborer in the great harvest of God. With tears in my heart I pleaded with them to not let this be merely a memory of adventure, but to step out in faith to see the “someday” of fruitful service with God become daily reality.

We simply cannot let ripe souls rot on the ground.