The Harvest is Plentiful, But the Workers Are Few

Some of Jesus's last words to his followers before he went to heaven to sit at God's right hand in kingship over creation were, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19‭-‬20. 

Jesus gave his followers a commission that contains four commands, but are boiled down to one primary command: Go and Make Disciples.

A disciple is a follower of Jesus. If you are wondering why Jesus would tell his followers to do this, it's so that every person, among every people group, in every place on the face of the planet, has an opportunity to hear about Jesus and the forgiveness of sins that he offers to those who will turn away from their sins, and believe in him. We call this The Great Commission.

 

Two years ago, I attended a training that taught simple principals in how to make disciples because I had a growing desire to reach lost and unreached people with the Good News of Jesus, but I wasn't sure how to do it. The methods that I learned revolve around principals of multiplying disciples, for the purpose of reaching every person, among every people group, in every place with the Good News of Jesus, just as Jesus had in mind when he gave his followers The Great Commission. Our purpose, and our goal in making multiplying disciples is to do our part in fulfilling The Great Commission.

As multiplication occurs, an organic movement begins, which is called a Disciple Making Movement (DMM). Disciples are making disciples, who are making disciples, and the Good News of Jesus is going forward, from city to city, state to state, nation to nation, until the whole world hears. One person cannot accomplish this task alone. One church cannot accomplish this task alone. One denomination cannot accomplish this task alone. Only the global church, working together can accomplish this task. And we know that the Commission he gave to his first disciples is still important and relevant today, because we know that God's will is for everyone to be saved from their sins which leads to death and a Godless eternity. God wants everyone to know Him and to be in a relationship with Him.

Disciple Making Movements (DMM) are not intended to be added to a church's list of programs as ways for congregants and members to be involved in the church. DMM is a way of life, and it is at the center of the church.

As the Good News of Jesus is shared, and as it spreads from place to place, and as disciples multiply, Groups or house churches are formed. These are simple gatherings where believers come to love one another, care for one another, encourage one another, worship God, pray, have a meal, share the Lord's Supper, read passages of Scripture from the Bible, listen to what the Holy Spirit is teaching us and telling us to do, and holding one another accountable to do it. These simple churches meet in homes, coffee shops, parks, on a pontune boat, or wherever you want to meet. They do not contain any programs, or any costs such as church budgets or staff salaries, so that they can be simple to multiply and simple to reproduce. If Covid taught us anything, it is that the government can and will shut down churches, which hurt the church financially, and believers are unable to fellowship and worship the God they love. But with a simple church model, costs are not an obstacle, and Groups are still able to continue to gather for fellowship with one another and to worship the Lord.

As disciplemakers we seek persons of peace who consist of people who already believe in Jesus, people who have never heard of Jesus, and everyone in between. These persons of peace are key instruments, as they usually provide doors to communities, churches, work places, schools, etc, that otherwise would not be available, or open to us.

New followers of Jesus are immediately baptized and taught the things that Jesus taught us, as Jesus commanded in the Great Commission. They are discipled to become disciplemakers, and taught how to lead their own Group, reaching their own people within their circles of influence.

We are a global network of disciplemakers from within the global church body, and are always open to train anyone, anywhere to be disciplemakers, but we are currently praying and asking the Lord for persons of peace and disciplemakers specifically around northern Michigan. I'm asking whoever is reading this, especially if you're from any of the following northern Michigan towns, if you want to join us in helping to fulfill The Great Commission by making disciples:

Petoskey, Charlevoix, Gaylord, Grayling, Frankfort, Manistee, Empire, Roscommon, West Branch, Cadillac, McBain, Kalkaska, South Boardman, Fife Lake, Kingsley, Lake City, Harrisville, Oscoda, Tawas, Rogers City, Posen, Atlanta, Hillman, Lewiston, the Upper Peninsula.

Around northern Michigan we currently have disciplemakers and Groups in Traverse City, Sutton's Bay, Harbor Springs, the Upper Peninsula, and Alpena. Out of these disciplemakers and Groups, we are discipling others to become disciplemakers in Cadillac, Manistee, Canada, Nepal, Africa, Hillsdale College, Cincinnati, Ohio, Slovenia, and several other places that I can't think of at the moment. As you can see, the Gospel can spread to every person and to every place very quickly, and this is how we believe the Gospel spread so quickly among the early church in the New Testament.

It's no secret that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. For various reasons, most Christians do not share their faith with others, but we can provide you with simple tools to help you. We are asking the Lord to send laborers who will count the cost and be obedient to The Great Commission so that the whole world can hear about Jesus. If you are one of these people, a person of peace, then you are an answer to prayer. Please let me know so we can work together in fulfilling this great and awesome task, and bring glory to the One True God. 

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.