Evangelism Lesson One

Evangelism and Farming

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the

labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send

forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).

FOCUS:: God is interested in farming.

Explain how it parallels to evangelism.

In the Old Testament God established His interest in farming, the oldest recorded

profession. The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were placed in the Garden

of Eden (a farm) and were told, “work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15 NIV).

Because Adam listened to his wife and ate the forbidden fruit, the ground was

cursed. He continued to farm through agonizing toil and sweat. Even though they

had sinned, their responsibility for farming continued.

God has always been involved in a harvest. He is the “Lord of the harvest” (Matthew

9:38). The Lord alone is in charge of His harvest (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). His people

are merely seed sowers (farm hands). We look forward to hearing Him say on

judgment day, “You were a good farmer! ”Well, not exactly, but we do want to hear,

“Well done!”

““The greatest Farmer the world has ever known is pursuing the greatest harvest the world has ever seen..”” ((Dutch Sheets in The River off God))

The Israelites were people of the land. Canaan was their inheritance. The

children of God were repeatedly told to “possess the land” (Deuteronomy 3:20).

Each family received their portion. It was their property, never to be sold, always

preserved. As evangelists we have been given the land—our village, community, or

city. The land is ours! We must possess it. Jesus ministered to an agriculturally

oriented society. Most citizens were rural people. Even those who lived in cities kept

farms outside of the city walls. They knew what it meant to work the land.

Life depended on what could be grown .The essentials of life came from the land

including food, clothing, and shelter. Daily life revolved around the needs of the land.

The daily life of the church revolves around our first priority, reaching the

unreached. We have everything it takes to reach them. We have the Bible, and it has

the answer for every question. Old methods of farming will always work. The

old-time religion found in God’s Word still works in reaping a harvest.

Farming is important to survival. Farmers make up forty-eight percent of the world’s

labor force. Sixty percent of Africans farm, and sixty-one percent of Asians. “Despite

the expansion of commerce and industry and the importance of these activities to

the economy, most Africans remain farmers and herders.”

Through farming, food is provided for the population so that life goes on. With a

harvest of souls the church will not only survive, but its future will be secured.

In the early days farming was a cooperative effort. Oxen and a plow were

passed from one field to another. Farming was so important to the children

of God that religious life revolved around four major feasts or celebrations.

According to Dale Rumble in Behold the Harvest several of these celebrations were

shadows of future spiritual harvests to be enjoyed by the church.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread reminded God’s people that they had been set apart

from Egypt and were not to be a part of a sinful nation. Jesus is our Bread of Life.

The Feast of the Passover reminded God’s people of their deliverance from bondage.

It was fulfilled in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Feast of Pentecost was celebrated when the wheat was ripe for cutting. It

was fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). This feast pointed to

the day that God would reap the harvest.The Feast of Tabernacles will conclude the

time of spiritual harvest with a final gathering of souls bringing His return.

God promised to pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28-29). This is likened to the

early and latter rains, which brought the crops to harvest. Farmers count on God to

send rain. Without the rains coming at the right time, crops dwindle and die. There

has to be a right climate for crops to grow.