Preparing for the Harvest

Sunday will be a special day. Wait, let me rephrase that…Sunday is ALWAYS a special day. Each week we have the opportunity to gather with other believers, our church family, and worship the Savior. This Sunday we will have the opportunity to share in the joy of reaching our lost friends and neighbors.

In case you missed this past Sunday, let me give you a slight recap. Right now is the time for you to get your calendar, planner, or online scheduler and prepare to mark some dates. We will be in a partnership revival with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and nearly 100 other churches in the US from March 11-14. Part of that partnership is with an organization called Harvest North America. Through our partnership with HNA, we will be scheduling appointments with our friends, neighbors, and family to reach them with the Gospel.

That is the preparation. That is what we will begin this Sunday. That is why we need you.

You hold the key to the lives of people in your various circles. People that you know are not followers of Christ. People that you have wanted to talk with about Jesus but never knew exactly what to say. People that are open and willing to hearing about the difference Christ has made in someone’s life.

In order to get to that person, we must prepare. Just like a farmer doesn’t show up in late August or early September and have crops the pick, we can’t just show up in March and everything be ripe and in order. A farmer begins his preparation from the planting to the fertilizing to the harvesting. We will begin by finding avenues into the lives of the people we already know!

So, how do we go about preparing for this harvest? How does Sunday play into it?

1. Pray. Jesus commands His followers to pray that the Lord of the harvest will equip and send the right laborers into the field to gather the crops for harvest (Matt 9:37). I believe we are in desperate need of prayer for our lost friends and neighbors. I believe that we are in need of prayer that God would prepare our church to reach these men and women, boys and girls. I am asking you to pray for people that we could reach. I am asking that you would pray for God to show you who.
2. Commit. This is a commitment to being at FBC Fairburn Sunday. I will tell you right now that anything and everything that could come up to be a distraction for you to be at church Sunday will come up. Commitment doesn’t happen Sunday morning, it happens in the week ahead and is confirmed on Saturday night. Why will distractions arise? Because we are seeking to enter enemy territory for the glory of Almighty God. Our resolve will be tested as we seek the lost with the light of Christ. Commit now to being at church this Sunday.
3. Supply. The full thrust and weight of our service Sunday morning will be towards reaching lost men and women in the Fairburn area. We will be giving each person 2 commitment cards called “Harvest Cards”. These Harvest Cards will be your opportunity to list up to ten people that we can contact about the Gospel. In the next couple of weeks, we will work with you to establish an appointment with these people for us to share with them what Jesus did in our lives. WE ARE NOT ASKING YOU TO BE THE PERSON TO SHARE (unless you really want to!). We just need you to help us get connected. Please pray over the supply. If there are no names, then we cannot reach. If you only have 1 or 2 names, that is OK!
4. Dedicate. This is a month long dedication to pray for the Gospel to be poured into the lives of the people we list on Sunday. We will have a time of prayer dedication this Sunday morning and in each of the following Sudnays leading up to our revival. But, the reason we are giving you 2 cards is so that you can dedicate yourself to pray over these people during the week. These will be your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family. Dedicate yourself to prayer.
   
5. Reap. In the revival week we will be going to reap the harvest. Because we have established appointments and dedicated ourselves to prayer, the fields will be ready. What does the process look like? One of our church members who has been preparing to share their testimony of salvation will go with you to your friend or family member’s home (or wherever the appointment is going to take place) and share with them how Jesus changed their life. You don’t have to share; you are only our connection to these people. If this person wants to know more, we will share with them the Gospel and give them an opportunity to trust Christ. If they are not ready, we will thank them for their time. We want to protect your relationship with them! I believe that we will see people come to faith in Jesus. I believe that YOU will be blessed by the opportunity to assist in reaching someone with the Gospel.
6. Celebrate. What better way to acknowledge the work of God in a new believer’s life? We will celebrate together. We will praise the name of the Lord, our God for His mighty work. And, because you committed yourself, gave us a connection to people we may not know, and prayed for their salvation, you will be one of the chief celebrators! It will be a great time of jubilee as we celebrate what only God can do!

See? Sunday will be the beginning of a GREAT time at FBC Fairburn. I don’t want you to miss it!

Pray hard and I will see you then!