Ripe Fields

Matthew 9:37– The harvest is ready, but the workers are few.

John 4:35 – Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT THE FIELDS! THEY ARE RIPE FOR HARVEST.

How do I describe how incredibly ripe the people of Busia are?! They are practically bursting at the seams for Jesus. I think so often we listen to these verses and think, "Oh that's nice, but I don't really see them being ripe." A cry of my heart has been for God to reveal to me more deeply everyday the enormity of salvation, the expanse of how incredible it is for a sinner to become a child of the Living God. It's mind blowing! Often times we are knocked to the ground by stories of healing and deliverance and oh how so rightly so!!! But may we never forget salvation as a  miracle. May someone receiving Christ never be mundane. There are three separate stories I'd like yo share with you, yet they are very similar.

Let's start with Edwin. Edwin is a 21 year old man we met during door to door evangelism. We sat in his home asking him about his life and sharing the love of Jesus. He told us he went to church often, but was never born again. Pastor Gideon asked him if he'd like to be born again and he said yes. No hesitation…just YES! We asked him if he understood what it meant, I think mostly because we were shocked at his eagerness and openness. I mean how often does that happen in the states? Despite difficulties with the language barrier he definitely understood and in that short time, he accepted Christ.

A couple days later, we were at the hospital. I was absolutely broken after praying for so many sick, paralyzed and malnourished. Broken knowing that only God can touch these beautiful people. I was crying out, "God you are good. Show us Your glory." I went to sit outside and wait on some others. As soon as I sat down, the Lord literally picked me up and took me to a woman and her sick daughter across the way. No thoughts about it, I sat down next to her and asked if I could pray to Jesus to heal her 3 year old daughter. Without hesitation she said yes. So I prayed over her daughter then looked at her and asked if she was born again. She said no. I said would you like to be and again without hesitation she said yes. I explained some things to her and she definitely understood and right then and there she received Christ.

The third story is Carol's. Two days ago we were doing door to door evangelism in a different part of town. Chris, Melina and I were talking to two girls. One was born again and asked us to pray for her mother's broken leg. After we prayed for her, I looked to Carol and said, "What about you? Would you like prayer for anything?" Immediately she said, "I want to be born again." No one asked her if she wanted to or said anything about it. She only knew we came in the name of Jesus and she wanted Him. So I talked to her for a while, and guess what… she accepted Christ.
Jesus, told us the harvest is ready. He said not four months from now, but at this very moment they are ready. We are in Africa for four months. These fields aren't waiting till we leave, they are ready now. I walked away from Edwin's home asking the Lord, "Was that real? Is it ok that it was just that easy?" God said, "He was just that ready. I've been working on his heart and I brought your group to him today because he was ready." Still I asked God at the hospital, "Is it really that easy?" He told me, "You asked for me to show you my glory. Here it is. This is my glory. I work on their hearts." I walked away from Carol saying, "God, you are good!"

Maybe we think the harvest isn't ready at times because we think we have to do all this convincing and convicting, but we're not the Holy Spirit. He knows what He is doing. He works in many many many different ways. These testimonies are true. These three belong to the Lord. These three are washed by the blood of the Lamb. How many more will these three stop for and love on with the Father's love? It's not by our strength or anything we do our say. It's all Jesus. It's all His power, His might, His love, His glory. He is good! Receive your reward, Jesus!