Until the Harvest… Sowers, Laborers
Before Jesus died, He revealed to the apostles what lay in their future. They were to be sowers of the word of God into hearts that were like wayside, thorny, stony and good soils (Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23). He also told them that in the field they were planting seed which would produce the kingdom of God. He then told them they should expect Satan to come add seeds of evil among the seed the apostles had planted (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43).
That kingdom began, and Satan began his work by “planting weeds” in the church. He tried to change the very nature of the church into one which demanded all men, especially Gentiles, be circumcised. For the next generation, the church of Jesus struggled with tares (weeds) of Judaism. Take a moment and look around you. The church of Christ is eternal and will always be on the earth, but Satan has never ceased trying to hide it among the tares of religious division.
When the Owner of the field was asked about removing the tares planted by Satan, He said, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barns’” (Matt. 13:30). Good seed and tares will be here “until the harvest.”
So, what are we to do until the harvest? Jesus said, “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38). The time of the harvest is not yet, but He wants us to pray that laborers may be in the fields. He even told the apostles that they were laborers in that field (John 4:38). We need to pray for laborers and to be laborers.
What do we do until the harvest? We need to realize that all of us can be laborers in many ways. Paul spoke of those who planted and those who watered. He then reminded us that it does not make any difference who does any of this work. He said he who sows and he who waters are to do their work realizing it is God who gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:7).
What are we to do until the harvest? Ask God to use you. Lift up your eyes unto the field. Plant, water and ask God to put you in situations where you can be used as one who goes into the world sowing the seed. The fact that others might be better “sowers” or “waterers” than you makes no difference. Remember every seed sown and every drop of water added to the seed together makes for a great harvest.
There is so much that is happening in our world which can only be changed by those who are sowers and waterers, lights in the darkness and salt seasoning the earth. Pray, ask, sow, water, light and salt—let God use you!