All of these are good and necessary but I believe that the greatest resource we have been given is people—God’s people. In Christ’s ministry, there was surely never a need, His ministry never lacked. He had all of the resources that He could ever need at His disposal. Yet, Christ realized this great need for laborers and instructed us to pray about it to the Father.
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and infirmity.
When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd.
Then He said to His disciples, the harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.
(Matt. 9:35-38 AMP)
In the book of Matthew, Jesus is ministering through cities and villages teaching and healing every manner of sickness and disease. The scripture says that He observed their condition.
They were so oppressed, so lost. They were harassed, distressed, dejected and helpless and He was moved with great compassion by their condition. Though He selflessly served and tirelessly ministered, He was just one man and there were so many people and so many needs.
Turning to His disciples, He desperately challenged them with these now famous words: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Christ realized that the greatest need was for anointed, compassionate laborers.
Like so many of us that work in missions, Christ realized that the desperation of human need was beyond His ability to adequately meet alone. At the same time, like so many of us that work in missions, He realized how hard it is to motivate people to practically respond to humanity’s desperate, lost condition.
Christ was caught up in the moment, possessed by the loving compassion of God for His people. At that moment, Christ was supernaturally connected with God as His heart was broken for the condition of His people. But the disciples, like so many disciples today, were disconnected and maybe even disinterested in what appeared to be such an overwhelming situation.
Christ’s answer was to turn to the Father in prayer. Our answer should be the same:
Oh Lord, Oh Lord of the Harvest, the people of the world, the lost and the dying, are your great love, oh Lord for them have mercy.
Lord of the harvesters thrust out laborers. Lord—you and you alone can influence the hearts of your people. Lord we need Laborers—some willing to plow to break up ground hardened by the centuries. We need some willing to plant—to sow the incorruptible and eternal seed of your Word.
God, we need some who are willing to nurture that seed—to water, to remove the weeds, to cultivate, to insure a harvest. Lord we need harvesters, evangelists, gifted in leading others into the truth, skilled in the Word, able to work miracles, anointed to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
We need people whose eyes are wide open to the desperation and lost condition of God’s people. Lord, what we need today are people—people that are willing to serve, to give, to die if need be, to labor with compassion among the nations. We need people whose hearts are broken for the condition of God’s people. This is what we pray. Amen—so be it Lord.
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Randy Mitchell and his wife Jessica have been married for 29 years and have three daughters. They currently live in Minnesota where Randy serves as the International Director of One World Missions. Randy graduated from Oral Roberts University and ministered in a pastoral role for ten years before starting One World Missions. Randy holds an earned Doctorate of Ministry with an emphasis on the Mission of God's People. Randy was an original signatory of the Toyko Declaration in 2010 and serves on the leadership team of the Global Great Commission Network (GGCN). Randy also serves on the Executive Leadership Team for the Global Mobilization Network (GMN).
Randy has served in both a pastoral role as well as missionary role for over 30 years. He has worked to train leaders and mobilize and equip for missions in over 50 nations. With One World Missions, he works with churches and networks of churches in the US and around the world, coordinating and implementing long-range strategy for missions by networking local churches and missions structures. Randy works on a global level to coordinate missions strategy, train church planters and catalyze mission movements.
Randy believes that the mandate to the church of Jesus Christ is missions. He believes missions work is best defined as any endeavor that has as its goal to bring individuals into right relationship with God. Along with evangelism, Randy believes in the necessity of discipleship and the development of local leadership. He believes the Great commission is global and that all believers are called to participate. This is demonstrated in OWM's commitment to catalyzing indigenous movements. God has placed a unique love in the heart of Randy for all the nations of the world. His priority in missions is to build relationships and through these relationships see partnerships arise for the purpose of extending God's Kingdom to all peoples. He believes that lives are inspired and transformed through friendships and that God works in our lives through the relationships we develop. His calling is to inspire anyone available, whether young or old, to reach out into the world with the love of Jesus. He believes that far more can be accomplished by working together than striving alone and for that reason he works to network and build relationships throughout the body of Christ to connect with people passionate about God and His mission.
Randy ministers at Global, regional and local conferences on a wide array of subjects including Mobilizing the Church for Missions, Global Trends and the Impact on Missions, Partnerships and Collaboration, Church Planting and many other subjects pertinent to the last days church. When not traveling to the nations of the world, Randy is studying and writing extensively about Mission and the Church.