“Lift up your eyes and see”, said Jesus, “for the fields are white unto harvest, but the labourers are few.”
These words were uttered well nigh two thousand years ago, yet we know that if Jesus were here today He would have little occasion to alter them, nor would they be any less challenging to those who claim to be His servants. If ever men and women were in peril, it is today. The great tide of materialism, which in this century is sweeping over our planet, is taking multitudes to their doom without hope —and multitudes more are ignorant of the impending crisis of God’s judgments that are coming upon them.
Indeed, the only factor that can have any bearing upon this distressing position, at least in the case of some, is within the scope of every true believer. If the one here and the one there are to respond to the message of salvation, they must first hear it, and that will depend almost entirely upon the loyalty of those who have obeyed the call of Christ, and whose lives have thus become dedicated to His service. And we do not need to be gifted speakers to accomplish this! The two great pre-requisites are profound faith in the saving power of the gospel, and sincere regard for the wellbeing of our fellow-man. Where these two qualities exist, God can use us—provided we are prepared to yield our lives as living sacrifices to Him . . and, remember, our friend in darkness is still without hope, perhaps waiting for our kindly approach!
If any doubt this, may it be suggested that they take a journey out into some country area of a week-end and call on homesteads far removed from centres where the truth of God is proclaimed and experience the absolute joy of being witness to even one who lends a listening ear and whose interest is aroused in the great plan of redemption. The time thus spent to say the least, will be well worth while, as is borne out by the testimony of many from all walks of life who labour in this field.
There is the case of the brother who had to travel out into the country 400 miles on a business trip. He took with him some Gospel Extension Society names of folk in the area who were interested. These were contacted, the result of which led to several nights’ discussion, reasoning and persuading on the things concerning the Kingdom of God. Further discussion evenings are envisaged. Who knows what the outcome will be of this one brother’s effort to combine his business activities with service to Christ? In any case, our brother returned full of joy at the privilege of being able to water where someone else had planted, in the full realisation that it was God alone who could give the increase.
Two brethren took a number of country names and set off on a weekend journey that took them some 300 miles. They found three vitally interested in the true gospel with whom further discussion evenings were arranged. One woman had received the full Bible correspondence course and had come to accept the basic message contained therein, but there was one barrier: “You seem to place much stress on baptism only after a person has fully believed the gospel in its broader sense”, she declared. “I was baptised some years ago and I believed in Christ, and as far as I am concerned I feel that God will accept that”. “Did you understand the true gospel in those days?” she was asked. “Not the gospel of the Kingdom of God which I have since come to believe”, was her reply. . . . The Bible was opened and God’s Word dominated the discussion. One hour later, as the two brethren were leaving, this woman admitted that she had much to think about, which she would like to do quietly and prayerfully. Within a fortnight a letter was received from her declaring her full conviction that it was necessary for her to be baptised into Christ, on the basis of her understanding of the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God.
The next couple visited were found in the process of milking some twenty-odd cows. Above the din of the milking machine, etc., the visiting brethren made their mission known, declaring that they would return at a more convenient time. However, the machine was soon stopped as this couple revealed a keen interest in the matter contained in the literature they had been receiving. “It is all so different”, the woman volunteered, “from what we have been led to believe, and yet it seems so true. . . . We never knew the Bible contained such matters. I must ask our minister why it isn’t preached in the church”. After half an hour the brethren apologised for calling at such an inconvenient hour and sought to arrange an evening where the Bible could be opened and its true message revealed. This was agreed to, and subsequent discussion evenings have been enjoyed with this family who reside some hundred miles from the nearest ecclesia.
Some few miles further on an old gentleman was visited—some seventy-five years of age. He had been receiving our literature for some considerable time and was able to agree with most of it. He claimed to have read the Bible “many, many times”. -Have you been baptised?” he was asked. “Yes,” was his reply, “I was baptised seventy-five years ago.” “When you were a child?” “Yes; they know nothing in those days of this baptism by immersion which you fellows talk about.” He was quietly reminded that some two thousand years ago Christ was baptised in Jordan. “But what makes you think He went under the water? The Bible doesn’t say He did. I think He was probably sprinkled and the parson thinks the same.”
It was pointed out to this old gentleman that it doesn’t really matter what man thinks. The point at issue is what God’s Word declares, to which he most readily agreed. “But, you can’t show me in the Bible where baptism is indicated as complete immersion; if you can I will believe it”. His attention was drawn to Romans, chap. 6, where baptism is referred to as a burial in water—and he thought deeply as he considered these words. Without committing himself he declared his intention of reading the chapter through a few times before forming an opinion. “We would like your conclusions on this chapter the next time we call”, declared the two brethren, as they left him with his tattered Bible and hurricane lamp.
Nearer home, two sisters took some literature to distribute in a near country town. One gentleman at work in his garden was handed a booklet personally, which sparked off an interesting discussion. “You seem to know your Bible”, he declared. “We would like you to meet some of our brethren who do”, was the reply. This was arranged, and within minutes the brethren found themselves in the midst of a barrage of questions which indicated Four friend had strong “Jehovah Witness” leanings. “How do you explain the ‘was ‘ in heaven’?” “Who is the l’us’ in, ‘Let us make man in our image’?” “Who are the 144,000?” “Didn’t Christ come in 1914?” Our friend was asked was he prepared to accept God’s Word as the sole arbiter on these matters. To this he agreed, and slowly, through persistent effort, the truth of God began to replace the conceptions of men. Today, in God’s mercy, this gentleman is very near to baptism, together with others in this area. One of these, a woman, was told by a neighbour with whom she was very friendly that she was making a grave mistake in having discussions with “those Christadelphians”. When asked to meet them she flatly refused. However, through the power of God, regular weekly meetings are now being conducted in this same neighbour’s home who was so critical of her friend.
So God still works today, beside His workmen, and no one could engage in this true missionary service without being fully persuaded of this fact. Space would not permit reference to numerous other instances that come to mind: of the retired brother who has found it “the joy of his life” to take regular trips out into country areas to find the one here and there prepared to listen to the true message of God’s Word; of the group of young people who visited a country town and distributed literature, with the result that twenty applied for regular literature including the BibleCorrespondence Course.
Truly “the fields are white unto harvest” but the labourers are still few. The work herein surveyed is infinitesimal when one thinks of the multitudes even in our own land who have never heard the true plan of redemption. What happens in one small area could be White Unto Harvest repeated over and over again, if only there were more willing workers.
“Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that He may send forth labourers into the harvest” and may our prayers be supplemented with this thought, “Here am I,Lord, send me”.
Lord, What wilt thou have me to do?