“Imagine the scene. Jesus has traveled from town to town. He has taught in the synagogues. His consistent message has been to announce the Good News about the Kingdom. He healed every kind of disease and illness. Not surprisingly, huge crowds turned out to be in his presence. Matthew writes, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (NLT). As we encounter people in our communities, the scene is the same. If we have Jesus’s heart and vision, we must have compassion on our neighbors as well.
Jesus turns to the disciples and observes, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matthew 9:37-38 (NLT). Isn’t it reassuring that even Jesus lacked all the servants he needed to advance his mission? And yet Jesus knew there were two sources of meeting this great need – those who were already on the team and, more importantly, those who would emerge out of the harvest – individuals who were presently far from God but who would draw near and want to share with others the salvation they had received.” – from Wesleyan Covenant Association “All Hands on Deck”
During Communion at the end of a worship service in September 2019, I was praying about reaching more people and feeling a sense of time growing short and there being so much more harvest yet to gather, but too few workers……. asking God what he would have me do to further prepare others to disciple. He simply asked me who equipped me? I said, “You did.” He said, “Teach them as I taught you. Teach them the Word. I’ll do the rest.”
It was so simple. It was so reassuring. It had me laughing and crying in my prayer. That IS the work of the Holy Spirit within us! I have experienced it so many times. I have taught others through the years to simply trust God to work that way in their own hearts and minds, as they grow in knowledge and understanding of the Word. The wisdom in how to use and apply it will come from God. It’s not as hard as we make it. Cloistered at Titus 2, away from the distractions of their daily lives, our ladies begin to sense God’s presence, hear his voice and experience him in ways that seem extraordinary and miraculous at first, but the more they get to know God, the more comfortable they become letting God draw near and reveal himself as very present, very aware of them and their lives. It is a beautiful thing to see. They just need some encouragement, some examples, someone to share their joy and thoughts with. It is a one on one experiencing of God that grows their faith beyond anything your or I could ever do preaching or teaching. It no longer surprises me what God can do. It is not a secret. But it does still catch me by surprise regularly …… and joyously so!