The farmer walked the visitor through the field that seemed
to stretch all the way to the horizon.
He talked as they walked, explaining his planting and growing
process. Eventually, he stopped to demonstrate how one could tell a crop was
ready.
The farmer walked the visitor through the field that seemed
to stretch all the way to the horizon.
He talked as they walked, explaining his planting and growing
process. Eventually, he stopped to demonstrate how one could tell a crop was
ready.
“Is this crop ready?” the visitor asked.
“Sure is,” the farmer replied.
“So, when you planning to pick it?” the visitor questioned.
“Soon as I get help,” the farmer said.
Some tasks simply are too big for one person to undertake alone.
They take help.
Harvesting a field is a task like that.
So is reaching a state with the gospel.
Louisiana Baptist leaders understand that. They know that any
hope of changing the face of Louisiana for Jesus Christ will take a lot of work
– and a lot of workers.
They also understand that the time has come for that work to
be done.
“We have planted seeds for many years, … but there comes
a time for harvest,” says Nelda Seal, womens missions and ministry
director for Louisiana Baptists.
Now is that time, Seal insists.
To communicate that fact, Seal and other Womans Missionary
Union leaders have chosen “First the seed … Now, the harvest” as
the theme for this years annual week of prayer for state missions and
the Georgia Barnette Offering for State Missions, set for September 15-22.
The Georgia Barnette offering is a major funding vehicle for
state missions work, providing money for such things as mission churches, special
evangelistic projects, the training of ministers and workers.
“Many ministries, many churches would not exist without
Georgia Barnette funding,” Seal acknowledges.
However, it is not only funding that is important – and
it is much more than funding that is needed at this time, Seal added.
Prayer is crucial, she stressed.
“Prayer is the power that makes the financial contributions
effective,” Seal says. “It is prayer that creates the harvest.”
And that Louisiana is ripe to the harvest is beyond question.
It is estimated that one-half of the states population does not have a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
That translates to about 2 million people.
And that translates to a harvest.
Of course, that fact is not new.
Louisiana Baptists have known the condition of their state
for years now. And the state convention has made concerted efforts to share
the gospel through assorted means.
Inroads have been made.
For instance, each week, Louisiana Baptists conduct gospel
services in at least 20 different languages. Likewise, they operate a host of
onging ministries in the state.
But even so, the fact remains – the harvest that is Louisiana
remains in the field … waiting for workers.
Of course, Louisiana is not unique in that aspect. There were
waiting harvests even in Jesus day.
Indeed, the gospel of Matthew tells how Jesus roamed through
towns and villages, preaching and ministering.
The needs obviously were great – and Jesus understood
that more needed to be done.
The Bible says he tried to communicate the need to his disciples.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,” he said. “Ask
the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Jesus then gave his disciples power and authority and sent
them out, the Bible says.
Two thousand or so years later, disciples of Christ still are
given the same charge – go out into the harvest field.
But even so, the workers remain few – too few. And meanwhile,
the harvest waits.
And the harvest is men and women and children. The harvest
is individuals in need. The harvest is neighbors and loved ones.
Jesus understood that all too well. As he traveled from town
to town preaching and ministering, the Bible says he looked at the crowds and
“had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like
sheep without a shepherd.”