After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. (Luke 10:1-3)
Have you ever wondered why some people grow in their faith while others are okay with where they are at? As a pastor, it is easy to get frustrated and befuddled with this seemingly unsolvable question. Many are comfortable with merely showing up while few step up beyond the normal. The “who’s to blame” question bounces around in our church circles often. Ministries have been founded around serving this section of people who fail to connect into the lifeblood of the Church.
So what do we do? Pray. Jesus is very clear that the amount of people who are ready to follow Him outnumber those who are willing to harvest. Jesus is giving the keys to the kingdom to His followers here. This seems like a poor growth strategy. Did He not read the manual on humanity? Was He not let down already by the culture which surrounded and ultimately crucified Him? Jesus seems to value those with questionable leadership ability. In this section of Luke, Christ is simultaneously relying on us and equipping us to rely on Him.
While it would be easy to blame a variety of factors for the lack of depth, we must be careful to never write anyone off. The Gospel says that even the most unlikely of people, have a real shot at finally getting it. It beckons believers to build the saints and bear with the stubborn. May we never push the lukewarm our but continue to call them to the deep.
Matt simon blog 