When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:36-38
One of our biggest concerns here is the need for full-time workers in the Lord’s harvest field. The kids are used to (American) short-term visitors. They know when each team will arrive and depart. They ask a lot of questions, and the top questions are “When are you leaving?” “Are you coming back?” “Why will you leave us?” “When will you return?” Very rarely do these kids receive answers they want to hear. They are used to hearing, “Well, if it’s God’s will…I might return.” Though that may be a true statement, it is usually our way of saying no…except it’s truly a no with a coat of sugar on top.
At the home in Malaybalay, there is the need for house parents, who truly have hearts for the Lord Jesus and for orphans. Short-termers are great and provide awesome relief for the workers, but full-time staff is necessary. These kids need true discipleship and honest discipline, two things that take time. For steadfast faith among disciples of Christ, I’m not so sure two-week or even two-month trips will accomplish this.
These kids need people who care, not for a few weeks out of the year, but who care enough to give their lives to these kids for the sake of the Gospel. I don’t have all the answers, but below are some things I have found to be true for the calling on my life.
· In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus told his disciples to pray for workers. He says to ask the Lord to send out workers. He was not as concerned about people not believing and accepting Him as He was about His workers simply not going to proclaim His Good News. It was more so a matter of His followers not reaching the Lost than the Lost not coming to the Father.
· God has blessed us for His glory. He uses our plenty to supply others’ needs. 2 Corinthians 8:14
· So give. Give generously, abundantly, and sacrificially. Give because Christ is in you. Give because your heart has been captured by a Savior who has produced in you “overflowing joy” welling up in “rich generosity.” (David Platt) (2 Corinthians 8:12)
· Isn’t God good? Yes, He is good. He is good even when he calls you and me to places that are dirty and disease ridden. He is good even when we end up possibly sharing in the diseases of the people we got to serve. He is good because he has met us at our deepest need and now uses us to show his glory and to advance his gospel among the places of greatest need in the world. (David Platt)
· Sometimes, God doesn’t just want your money. He wants your heart totally surrendered to Him so that when He calls, your answer is always “yes.” Sometimes, He wants you to abandon your comforts and plans, to pursue His plan and purpose.
After spending time with a brother in Africa, the man thanked David Platt for being with him when he needed a brother. He notes, “a true brother comes to be with you in your time of need. When God chose to bring salvation to you and Me, he did not send gold or silver, cash or check. He sent Himself—the Son.”
A question that is consistently asked is “why will you leave us?” They know all of our hearts are for missions, and that 3 of us desire to become full-time cross-cultural missionaries. The kids ask us where we will be missionaries, and we usually say we do not know. What follows are shouts of “Here! Ate! You be missionaries here.” This breaks our hearts, but also opens our eyes to the real need for discipleship to take place here.
Imagine what could happen if these kids were trained in the Word of God and went out into the world to proclaim the Good News. What if they didn’t need our money to accomplish this, but they needed our devotion to living with them and teaching them? What if we stopped thinking about how much we could spare whether financially or timely, and began to ask how much it was going to take to complete the task? What would happen if we then actually set out to accomplish the task because our Savior has already given us the command to go and make disciples. Why not teach these orphans to be disciples?
I am convinced they need more than American money. I am convinced they need and deserve more than two-week or two-month visits. I am convinced that God cares more about bringing the lost to Himself than our own comforts in America. I am convinced that these orphans are God’s harvest field, and that Jesus has called out workers to come to them. It may be you and it may be me, how will we use what He has given us to bless these kids for the long haul with the goal of exalting the glory of Christ as we express His gospel to them?
No comments:
Post a Comment