PREPARING FOR THE HARVEST

Preparing for the Harvest

John 4:34–38

This time of year is one of my favorites—the cooler temps, the breezy days, the pumpkins, and the corn stalks. It’s harvest season. The crops have been gathered, sorted, canned or sold, and the harvest has been counted.

Jesus told His disciples in John 4:35, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”This upcoming week is a big deal for our church. It is Harvest Week—God has given us two wonderful harvest opportunities: the Ladies Friends But God Event on Friday and the Men’s Steak Out on Saturday.

Understand, these are not just events to overload our calendars or busy work for our church. These are divine appointments for lives to be changed.

Illustrations of the Harvest

In the 1800s, a poor young girl named Virginia lived in Louisville, Kentucky. A woman invited her to Sunday School where she heard the gospel and was saved. Virginia went on to become the mother of D.L. Moody’s wife, Emma, directly influencing the ministry of Moody, who reached millions.

In 1934, a man named Mordecai Ham came to Charlotte, North Carolina, to preach a revival. Some local believers went out and invited teenagers to attend. A farm boy named Billy Graham showed up one night and gave his heart to Christ. He would go on to preach to more people in person than anyone in history.

If our Savior is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then He can still use our invitations and our laborers to win lost souls. These are not just “events”—they are opportunities to be part of God’s plan for the gospel. Every person is a soul, and every soul that attends our events or our weekly services will spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. We can personally influence them.

How Do We Get Ready for the Harvest?

1. Clean Hearts for the Harvest

Psalm 24:3–4 reminds us that only those with clean hands and pure hearts can stand in God’s presence. David prayed in Psalm 51, “Wash me… purge me… create in me a clean heart, O God.” After cleansing, he declared, “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (v.13).
We must not let sin and an unclean heart hinder what God wants to do this week. A dirty vessel limits God’s work—let’s go into these meetings with clean hearts.

2. Obedient Feet for the Harvest

In John 4:36, Jesus said, “He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal.” In verse 38, He adds, “I sent you to reap.” He dispatches us to move. Matthew 28 and Mark 16 command us to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

Romans 10:14–15 asks, “How shall they hear without a preacher? … How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.” Someone has to go. Someone has to invite. Someone has to bring the lost to Christ.

Edward Kimball, a shy Sunday school teacher, walked into a shoe store and shared the gospel with a young man named D.L. Moody. Moody gave his life to Christ and went on to preach to millions.

Let’s get this right:

• Edward Kimball won D.L. Moody.

• Moody won Wilbur Chapman.

• Chapman won Billy Sunday, the former baseball player turned preacher.

• Sunday influenced Mordecai Ham.

• Ham preached the revival where Billy Graham was saved.

And it all began with a shy Sunday School teacher who simply obeyed God and shared the gospel in a shoe store.

3. Serving Hands for the Harvest

Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” This weekend is not only about being present—it is about serving. It is about hospitality and helping, so that distractions are removed and the gospel can go forth.
Our hands can wave in greeting, hold someone else’s in prayer, or carry a burden to make the event smoother. Let’s use our hands to serve faithfully this week.

4. Eyes of Faith for the Harvest

Jesus said in John 4:35, “Look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” That word already is powerful. The lost are already present. The discouraged, the addicted, the depressed, the anxious—they are already in our midst.

This week, I was reminded of this truth in a personal way. Many know that Miss Sara, now in hospice care, was the one who invited my family to church back in 1976. If she had looked with her human eyes, she would have only seen a drunkard and a family with no value to the church. Instead, she looked with eyes of faith and saw what God could do—and my entire family was changed.

When I look at the Men’s Steak Out this weekend, I want to see not just steaks, tables, and decorations—but men who need Jesus. When we look at the Ladies Event, we must not just see a program, but ladies from all walks of life who desperately need to hear the gospel.

Conclusion

Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields.” The harvest is now. Let’s have clean hearts, obedient feet, serving hands, and eyes of faith. May God give us a harvest this week at West End Baptist Church!