Ready for HarvestНамуна

Passion for the Harvest

Read Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬-‭17‬.

I know this passage does not come from the gospels, but I had to add something about Paul’s great passion for and expectation of a harvest. Let me give some background first. Paul had been commissioned by God to take the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Rom. 11:13). It’s not that he avoided sharing the gospel with his Jewish brothers and sisters. In fact, he often started his evangelistic campaigns in Gentile cities at the Jewish synagogue. But Paul’s calling was to Gentiles (“Greeks and barbarians” as he puts it in 1:14).

Yet Paul had never been to Rome, the center of the Roman Gentile world. It wasn’t for lack of trying. As you can imagine, Paul was desperate to preach the gospel in the great city of Rome. Of course, it was incredibly dangerous preaching the Christian gospel in the seat of Roman power, but I don’t think that deterred Paul. He was not ashamed of the gospel (1:16). But for some reason it hadn’t worked out (1:13). Maybe his responsibility for the numerous Gentile churches kept him too busy.

But the thing that stands out to me in this passage is Paul’s incredible confidence in the power of the gospel. He has no doubt that when he gets to Rome there will be a harvest (1:13). Paul has seen this many times before in other Gentile cities and he is sure that there will be a great reaping in Rome. Paul was a gifted evangelist, but he knows that it’s the power of God through the gospel that brings salvation, not the ability of the messenger.

None of us has been designated as the apostle to the Gentiles, so we need to be careful not to apply everything that Paul says to our situation. You may want to go to Rome as a tourist, but probably not as an evangelist. However, surely Paul’s confidence in the gospel and the harvest that it will bring should be ours. I hope these devotions and stories have stirred up faith in you. God is at work and a harvest is coming as we share the gospel. We need to pray for renewed confidence in God’s power to save through the simple truth of the gospel.

Even if you are feeling nothing. Even if these devotions have not produced a renewed belief and hope. Even if you can’t see that the fields are white for harvest around you. Even if you don’t believe that God will work powerfully as you share the gospel. Please take note of Paul’s main motivation for preaching the gospel in Rome. He says, “I am obligated” to those who don’t know Jesus (1:14). He recognizes that there are numerous Gentiles who don’t know about Jesus and he feels responsible before God to share the good news with them. We too have an obligation to our non-Christian friends, family and neighbors who have yet to believe the gospel and be saved.

I don’t want to give the impression that all we have to do is share the gospel and get people saved and then we’re done. Paul is writing to Roman Christians when he says that he wants to “preach the gospel also to you” (1:15). The gospel has implications that go far beyond our initial salvation. Christians need to be saturated in and discipled by the gospel. Bringing in the harvest also involves teaching Christians how to live by faith. Discipleship is key.

Let me finish with some lyrics from one of my favorite 1990s songs that emerged from the revival in Belfast: “Oh, these are the days of the harvest, For the fields are as white in Your world, And we are the laborers in Your vineyard, Declaring the word of the Lord!”