Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Calls People Home!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about the prophets of God, who are named explicitly as an office, and then many of their number are alluded to in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions [the prophet Daniel in Daniel 6], quenched the power of fire [the prophet Daniel’s entourage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in Daniel 3], escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong [Hezekiah recovered from sickness by the Word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 38], became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection [the prophet Elijah with the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 and the prophet Elisha with the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4]; and others were tortured [the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 20], not accepting their release [the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 40], so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned [Stephen in Acts 7], they were sawn in two [the tradition of the prophet Isaiah’s death by King Manasseh], they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword [the prophet Uriah in Jeremiah 26]; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins [Elijah, Zechariah, and John the Baptist], being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. [emphasis added]

The prophets are found throughout the Bible, as I briefly illustrated in the above passage. An excellent definition of a prophet is “a person inspired to proclaim or reveal divine will or purpose.”^[1] I prefer this definition because it is inclusive to both forthtelling and foretelling. Today, a prophet is often, and wrongly, limited to the activity of divinely forecasting the future (foretelling), but there is so much more to it – prophecy is a calling forth of God’s will in a specific time and place, with a divine purpose in mind. When done properly, preaching is a prophetic work of the Spirit, in the forthtelling way, regardless of whether there is foretelling. That is important to realize as we learn from the prophets a faith that calls people home. We cannot foretell who God has chosen, and who will be saved, but we are called to forthtell to all, for Jesus died “once for all,” as Hebrews 7:25-27 proclaims:

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

It is our calling to make known the great love of God, made accessible through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Let’s take the next action step so that we may learn how to have a faith that calls people to faith in Jesus Christ, calling them home to a right relationship with God through the forgiveness of their sins.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

The prophetic ministry is important to the church of Jesus Christ today, as Ephesians 4:11 includes them in the list of gifts to the church that Jesus gave as He ascended to the right hand of the Father, “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” All five spiritually-gifted persons has the same purpose – to build the body of Christ in love through the equipping of the saints. Therefore, we cannot see “prophets” as a ministry of the past; they are a current reality, a function of the eldership of the church today – we must hear the message of the prophets, which has been unchanging through the millennia: “Come Home – Return to Me!” A powerful example of this is from Joel 2:12-13:

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.

Other examples of the prophets declaring this message are the following:

This is the same message of the last prophet of the Old Covenant, John the Baptist, who forthtold in Matthew 3:1-3:

Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!’”

As we transition to the next action step, be clear that John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ fulfilled the message of the prophets, as foretold by Malachi in Malachi 3:1-7:

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. … For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

Did you hear the God’s emphasis in Malachi 3? From the days of their forefathers, from the beginning of their rebellion, God has been calling His people to return to Him – to come Home! We hear this longing in Jesus’ words in Luke 13:34, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!” Therefore, Jesus intentionally added His voice to the tradition of the prophets, in Matthew 4:12-17:

Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

This is the gospel message by which we are saved, as we see clearly portrayed in Jesus’ prophetic ministry to the rebellious and far away, in Matthew 11:20-30:

Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.” At that time Jesus said, … Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The message is to come Home to a right relationship with God through Jesus. Home is a place of rest, safety, peace, joy, and comfort – all the promises of God are ours in Christ! Without the call of the prophet, there could be no way for the wayward to return home, which means there would be no way for any of us to have salvation in the first place; nevertheless, mature into fruit-bearing trees who reap a harvest of praise. Let’s turn to the last action step.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

In the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:11-32, Jesus emphasized the heart of God through the prophetic message – Come Home! Through it, He called all prodigals (wayward children of Israel and gentiles) to return to a right relationship with the Father, and He reminded the church that this is our prophetic task to call the nations home. Siblings, brethren, we cannot allow ourselves to become older sibling – the religious elite, and self-righteous saints, who become an obstacle to the throne of grace through tradition and regulation. We are called to be like Jesus, who came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). We are called to be “ambassadors of Christ,” entrusted with the “ministry of reconciliation,” as Paul prophesied in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20:

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTE:

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Listens and Obeys!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

Today’s story is about Samuel, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Samuel’s story is found throughout the Old Testament. He is remembered as both a prophet and judge (1 Samuel 3:20; Acts 3:24; 13:20; Hebrews 11:32), and he was associated with Moses (Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1). He’s a powerful figure in the Bible,and we will learn how to have a faith that listens and obeys by examining the scope of his life, starting with his first direct experience with God. Let’s take the next action step and watch God’s grace at work.

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

Samuel’s name means, “heard by God,” and from his name alone we derive the power of His story – the importance of listening to God. His name comes from 1 Samuel 1:20, “It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked him of the Lord.’” You see, Samuel was a miracle baby, an answer to prayer after years of infertility (1 Samuel 1:1-19). The apex of his birth narrative was Hannah’s vow in verse 11, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” Eli, the high priest, witnessed both thismoment in prayer, and the fulfillment of her vow, when she brought Samuel to the temple, saying to Eli, in 1 Samuel 1:26-28, “Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” Samuel’s name means “heard by God” because God heard Hannah’s prayer for a baby.

Samuel’s birth narrative aligns him with some of the greatest stories of the Bible, and it’s just the beginning. Samuel’s first direct encounter with God demonstrates another way we can view his name, as one who hears from God. Once again, Eli, the priest, and the man who raised him, plays an important part in Samuel’s story, as we read in 1 Samuel 3:1-4:

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”

What a beautiful response – “Here I am.” It reminds me of Isaiah’s response to God in Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” What is your response when God calls you? We must have ears to hear. This is the first critical lesson we learn from Samuel – listen for God’s voice!

Now, for those of you who know the story well, I can’t just move to the next point. I must honestly tell you the rest of the story because Samuel, at this point in his life, couldn’t tell the difference between God’s voice and the voice of his father figure. That is not an uncommon developmental reality for any of us, but Samuel kept going to Eli when he would hear from God, then, in 1 Samuel 3:9, Eli gave these wise words of instruction to young Samuel, words he lived by the rest of his life, “And Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” ’ ” Furthermore, in 1 Samuel 3:16-20, Eli taught Samuel to not only listen for the Lord, but to be honest about what God says:

Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.” Thus Samuel grew and the Lordwas with him and let none of his words fail. All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

Samuel learned to listen to God and to be honest about the message from God, no matter how hard the message. Eli instilled this into Samuel, even when Samuel had to tell Eli that he and his sons would come under God’s judgment. Samuel told his father figure that God’s wrath would fall upon him. Samuel’s developmental years uniquely prepared Samuel to be a faithful judge and prophet to Israel. Between Hannah’s obedience to dedicate him, and Eli’s instruction in the Lord, Samuel was prepared to God’s will. Let’s take the next step to learn how to do thisourselves because many of us, including me, were not blessed with such a faithful upbringing.

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

I think many of us want to be like Samuel, a good listener who honestly follows the Word of the Lord, in word and deed, but we struggle with the following two things: 1) the ways of the world distorting our perceptions, and 2) people pleasing tendenciesdirecting our actions. We will now learn how to listen to God, honestly hear what He said, and obey His Word, from the story of Samuel’s anointing of David as the next king of Israel, found in 1 Samuel 16:5-13:

[Samuel] said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” But the Lordsaid to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

Samuel was sent on a mission from God, and to accomplish his purpose he had to listen to God and obey His will, not doingwhat was acceptable or understandable in his own eyes, or desirable by culture or family. Paul taught in Romans 12:1-3that to discern God’s will, we must follow in Samuel’s footstepsof faith:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

It is a matter of maturing in the faith to not just give people your knee jerk “common sense” response to their situation or give them what they want to hear. There is still one last challenge we must learn from Samuel if we are to be the kind of people of faith who listen and obey. Let’s turn to the last action step because God desires for you to reap a harvest of praise to His glory, and you can’t do this if you are seeking the approval of man.

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

Samuel died in 1 Samuel 25:1, but, oddly, his story doesn’t end there. In one of the most unique, and controversial, stories in the Old Testament, Saul visited the witch of Endor, a medium, and commissioned her to summon Samuel from the dead. Samuel’s response to Saul’s summons is epic, as recorded in 1 Samuel 28:15-20:

Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.” Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary? “The Lord has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. “As you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the Lord will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the Lord will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!” Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.

Samuel listened to God’s voice and obeyed Him! His position,as either judge of Israel or prophet of God, was based on how accurately he communicated God’s Word to the people, not on how he made those people feel. You can’t serve God if you are too busy serving man. In Galatians 1:6-10, Paul made it clear that you cannot be distracted by negative doomsdaying, orpositive soothsaying, but you must remain focused on proclaiming the hope of Jesus Christ:

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.