Have you ever asked God to show you what you look like to Him? Sounds a little strange, I know. A few years ago I was going through a particularly intense time of spiritual warfare in ministry within India. It was tough and dangerous in many aspects. The problems just went on and on with no end in sight. In those circumstances many of us begin to question if we are OK spiritually or if we have a personal problem causing the troubles being faced. So I asked God to show me what I looked like to Him.
He showed me a portly Roman soldier wearing a tunic and traditional armor. As I looked more closely he was sweaty and had numerous wounds on his body. The soldier obviously was tired, but I took note he was still standing and a bloody sword in was firmly held in his right hand. This picture brought both peace and understanding to me. I was not “beating the air”, wasting my time or looking for trouble. God was using me as a soldier in combat. I was NOT skinny, muscular, or untouched by the enemy. But I was still standing. Eph 6:13
Recently, I again found myself asking God how I looked to Him. True to His Nature, God answered that request. This time I saw an old farmer standing in a corn flied leaning on his hoe. Strangely the field was located right beside a “super highway” or expressway.There was stark contrast between the old fashioned means of farming by hand and hoe while compared to the fancy expensive high tech vehicles traveling nearby at extremely fast speeds.Strange picture! I actually spent some time on the internet searching for a photo of a farmer with a hoe in a corn field. Nothing I found represented what I saw.
Recent Events
A few months ago I joined Face Book. My reason for doing so was perhaps unusual. Over 2 ½ years ago I flew to Hawaii and met a young man who shared his heart for over 8 hours. I briefly met him again in Hawaii, but eventually lost track of him. For the next two years I prayed daily for him on my Personal Prayer List. I began to search for him and found he was on Face Book. The only way to contact him was by joining.
Over the past few months it has been a great joy to be joined and reunited with many friends from the past. It is wonderful to be able to see their family photos and write on each others’ walls, chat or send private email. In the past couple weeks an interesting phenomena began to occur. Let me try to explain what I mean.
At this writing I have about 215 “friends” in the network. Many others have hundreds while some have fewer. The people I see and read about are from a wide range of age, gender, ethnicity, economic status, profession and the list goes on. To say the least, it is a diverse group of people mainly from North America, but a few in other nations. I read about what they are having for dinner, the books they are reading, which sports event they are watching, how their weather is. There are also reports of ministry, prayer requests, praise reports and then just friendly personal interaction.
I get brief glimpse into the lives of many who are so busy and active on a daily basis. They wield new high tech phones, I Pods and other gadgets that I cannot pronounce much less know what they do or how to operate them. There is a new vocabulary that did not exist when we lived in the USA over 30 years ago. There is new religious terminology that I am not familiar with. There are foods being eaten and beverages drunk that I have to guess what they are. There are sports teams being discussed that did NOT exist when I last lived in America. Forget politics. I know much more about Asian leaders than any of those serving in the USA or Europe. About this time someone reading this may say, “Hey missionary it is time to return to the USA to live”. I would be lying if I denied that thought has come to me also. Then I look around me in the “corn field: of Japan and realize this is where God has called me to both sow and reap.
Corn Field vs. Super Highway
I believe there is a place for both in God’s Kingdom today. Earlier in the day I was praying and thinking about past ministry in Asia. Several years ago I visited India with a bishop who has since died. We traveled around by car visiting 7 local churches in one day. At one church we met a lady pastor who was widowed many years before. The bishop told me that she had won 70 families in that village to Christ. As I looked around the building I noticed there were gas lamps. They did not have electricity. This church was located right next to a nice paved road, yet they did not have electricity. I asked the bishop how much it would cost to install electricity and he told me US $50. I happened to have that much cash in my pocket and presented it to the very happy lady pastor.
Later that week we held a large national meeting with over 5,000 people in attendance. At the first service I noticed the silver haired lady pastor beaming as she sat on the straw covered ground. She asked if she could approach for a greeting. She came forward with several other ladies from her church to express appreciation and to report that they had lights in their church building. Without electric power, sound equipment, a cell phone, or a motorcycle that simple widow lady had successfully introduced Jesus Christ to 70 Hindu families in her village!
Personal Application
Japan is considered one of the world’s most difficult mission fields. So much so that many denominations have decided to not invest in Japan due to low numbers of churches or church members to be reported. It is extremely expense to live in Japan and to conduct ministry there. There are numerous social and language barriers that resist the Gospel. Why Japan?
The “corn field” of Japan needs to be cultivated, planted, weeded, watered and cared for just as much as any other field upon the earth! The 127 million Japanese need to be loved and taught the truth of the Gospel as much as any other people group on the earth. If the cost of seed is higher here that means that the return will be greater when the crops come in. Some types of crops take longer to grow and mature than others. All of the world man is attempting to clone or produce super-sized plants that will grow quickly and produce huge returns in the harvest. Not all fields can be planted and harvested with large commercial equipment. The land area is smaller and the soil does not support the weight of that equipment.
1 Cor 3: 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. NIV
John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. KJV
Conclusion
I don’t mind being a lone farmer working with a handheld hoe in my hand. This work is not about the farmer. The most important elements in my opinion are the Lord of the Harvest, the Gospel Seed and the fields (people who need to hear the Gospel). Of course, someone must prepare the soil and bear the seeds to the fields and care for the new plants.
Matt 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. KJV
Rom 10:13 Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. 14 But how shall they ask him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them unless someone sends him? TLB
Those two scripture references pretty well sum up the situation. It does not matter what mode or means by which the Gospel is shared - mass media, crusades, tracts, local churches, pastors, or missionaries. Millions in Japan have not heard the Gospel for the first time. There are far too few missionaries and pastors in this field. So what can we (you) do about it? Glad you asked! Nearly 40 years ago I wrote and taught about missions. The principle is still the same today or even in the days of Apostle Paul.
I believe each of us can do one or more of the following three things about missions:
1. Pray – pray for workers, pray for safety, provision, anointing, revival and God’s Favor.
2. Give – in times of plenty or famine, God’s children are responsible to give what they can.
3. Go – There is no other way to put this. It means getting up and leaving where you are to go where the Harvest Field is. Most will never be able to do this. Many more could than are actually going. It could be for a Prayer Journey. It might be a short term work team for building. Others can go for a church camp or to teach in a seminar or retreat. Some could go for short term mission trips and retirees could finish out their time on earth training and mentoring young ministers and believers on the mission field.
May God bless you as you pray, give or go!
Dan Corbett
“Reaching One Among Millions”
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