BRINGING IN THE SHEAVES

 

    BRINGING IN THE SHEAVES

 

Central in the heart of God is the salvation of souls of men. The fall and subsequent perishing of any man is never God’s pleasure. Jesus had only one assignment in coming to the world – to save sinners – Mt 1:21. In demonstrating His love for mankind, God sacrificed His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him …” Jn 3:16. To fulfill this assignment, Jesus came and appointed men for two purposes – “that they might be with Him and that He might send them forth. Mk 3:14. Being with Him to study and know Him and sending them forth to bring to Him men. No  wonder, in picking His disciples, He said: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” Mt 4:19. In other words, bringing souls unto His kingdom. How then do we do this? It is by the preaching of the Word of God – sowing the seed (the word) in the heart of men. The joy of every farmer is not only to sow seeds but also to bring forth a bumper harvest in the end. This is succinctly captured by the Psalmist when he said: “He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him.” Ps 126:6.

 

The parable of the sower as told by Jesus Christ in Mk 4 makes us understand that the seed is the Word of God, the sower is the preacher and the ground or soil is the heart of men. The believer has no other job than preaching the gospel (the Good News) to bring men into the kingdom of God. There is no other focus. If anyone engages in any area of ministry, the aim, objective and purpose should be to win souls for Christ. Our role model Jesus “went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” Mt 9:35. Again Jesus “went through all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” Mt 4:23. Why?

 

The Master had no other business not even any other food more important than the work of the Father which is to bring souls to His kingdom. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His works”. Do not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest! Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: “One sows another reaps”. Jn 4:34-37. Sow that you may reap.

 

For Apostle Paul, it was a compulsion. No wonder he said: “For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” 1 Cor 9:16. Paul knew he could not stop preaching the gospel and so, we ought to know. There is no option!

 

Paul became so zealous for Jesus Christ and the spreading of the gospel that he feared nobody but obeyed the heavenly vision even before kings at the risk of his life, “Therefore, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. “For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great.” Acts 26:19-22.

 

For Apostle Peter, the focus of his preaching was not different but to bring souls to Christ.”However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand” Acts 4:4. “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them”. Act 2:40-41. The apostles brought in the sheaves by preaching the gospel, and so we must.

 

Today most of our efforts seem to be geared towards advertising and celebrating personalities and church denominations to the detriment of preaching Christ and the Word that will bring in the expected harvest to the kingdom of God. It appears we are gradually losing the focus, the intended purpose of God and the central message in the heart of God. What a tragedy!

 

Do we realize that first and foremost, bringing souls to Christ throws the heaven into a joyful and jubilant mood? “In the same way, there will be a glorious celebration in heaven over the rescue of one lost sinner who repents, comes back home, and returns to the fold – more so then for all righteous people who never strayed away.” Lk 15:7 (The Passion Translation). Do we realize that no matter the area of ministry we engage in, if it is not aimed at bringing souls to the kingdom, it is a failure? People may clap, for or applaud us, if any programme falls short of soul winning, it is futile and worthless. Unless we preach the gospel to win souls, we become foolish – “The fruit of righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise” Pro 11:30.

 

Knowles Shaw, the writer of the hymn “Sowing in the morning” aptly captured the spirit of the passage in Ps 126:6 when he wrote:

 

“Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,

 Sowing in the noontide and dewy eve;

Waiting for the harvest and the time of reaping,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves’ 

Refrain – Bringing the sheave, bringing the sheave

                 We shall come rejoicing, rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,

                  Bringing the sheave, bringing the sheave

                 We shall come rejoicing, rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,

 

Many times, our lackadaisical attitude, our unseriousness and dwindling zeal towards soul winning do not portray us as feeling what God feels concerning the perishing souls. Souls that are daily doomed and are at the edge of perdition for life. While the church is singing and dancing, the world is sinning and sinking.  How often are our feet beautiful as the Bible says? How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns” Isa 52:7.

 

Do you realize the world is daily full of bad news which saddens the heaven? Do you want heaven to rejoice? Do you want your feet to be beautified by God? Do you want to shine in His kingdom? “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens and those who lead many to righteousness; like the stars forever and ever” Dan 12:3.   How passionate are you in this work of soul winning? At the time of His departure, Jesus said” “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” Mt 28:19-20.

 

Against the background of this great command, one therefore, wonders if the same zeal, passion and burden that consumed fathers that have gone before us is our experience today. Fathers like John Knox of Scotland who would pray “Give me Scotland or I die?” John Bunyan, author of “Pilgrim’s Progress”; John Edwards of the First Great Awakening; John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and many more.

 

The joy of the farmer is not only to sow but also to have bumper harvests – bringing in the sheaves. The time is far spent, the night comes when no man can work. Time to work is now. If there is any time for you to sow, it is now!