FIT FOR SERVICE
Luke 9 and 10
“No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
When we understand the nature of our role, representatives of our Lord and King to reach out to those who are outside his Kingdom, then we must surely appreciate the fact that we must be fit for his service. We must never think that Jesus would have an “anything goes as long as the person is willing” attitude as we often do in church.
Jesus outlined clearly who it is whom he accepts as his disciple: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me”. An “I will follow you but first” can never be acceptable to the Lord and King of God’s Kingdom because his lordship is in question. If we believe him to be God’s chosen one, the one who sacrificed himself so we have the opportunity to enter God’s Kingdom, Lord and King, Son of Man and Son of God, then we can never approach him with caveats (ifs and buts).
Jesus makes it completely logical and clear when he tells us, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” So, on the other hand, nothing is worth hesitating over our Lord.
This is not to say that we must become experts in our faith before we can be his witnesses. The core requirement is to be completely transparent in following him rather than in skills and techniques and knowledge. It is about who we are (or who we understand ourselves to be).
The Harvest belongs to the Lord of the Harvest, Jesus himself. In going to Jerusalem, Jesus was setting off the series of events that will bring about “the harvest”. Even on his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus made clear to his disciples that it is not going to be about power, or judgement. The harvest is his and it will reflect his intentions, his character, and his supreme authority. Those who reject him will ultimately be rejecting God himself.
We should never pretend that we can do a better job than the Lord of the Harvest in managing the harvest. He calls us to pray, and when the time comes he will send us. Let us not take it upon ourselves to manage the Harvest and to come up with ways to “sell” the Gospel. It is not about numbers and it is not about success. He is the Lord of the Harvest and he is the one to shape the way the Harvest is conducted. It is not about being shy, or being unable to communicate. It is not about power, or strategy, or techniques. It is not about us. This is a war between the Kingdom of God and the evil one and we must listen to our King: pray, follow him instead of following ourselves, and go when sent.
“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”