Field Hands
"The field is the world" Matt. 13:38.

Our mission field includes

• every people group in every land.
• every person who dies today.
• all the babies born today.

How will you respond to this mammoth challenge? You could

• sit on your hands and do nothing.
• throw up your hands in dismay at the size of the challenge.
• offer your hands to join in the task.

To help you decide, let's reflect on the encouraging elements of Jesus' parable of the wheat and weeds.

1. The sower is the Son of Man. Although God uses us to convey His love and Good News to others, Christ Himself is the principal sower. The Lord is like the farmer who owns all the acreage. We are like farm hands who serve under His wise direction and use His powerful equipment.

Rejoice! Jesus Christ is the Sower!

2. The field is the entire world. Because Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:28), the Holy Spirit is actively striving to plant the church in every place, in every heart. God's global harvest plan is so extreme that it even included sowing His seed in your heart and mine.

Rejoice! God's field is the world!

3. God's enemies shall not triumph. Yes, Satan sows weeds among the wheat, and raises up false teachers, cults and false religions. At times these forces appear to win the day, but they will not win on the Last Day. Then, they will be collected by God's angels and tied in bundles to be burned.

Rejoice! In the end, all satanic and human efforts to thwart God's mission will go up in smoke!

4. The seed is good. Last summer I planted some pole beans. Anticipating great results, I built a metal framework for them to climb on. Well, they did grow tall, but not a single blossom or bean pod ever appeared, because the seeds were defective. What a lot of wasted effort on my part! Is your investment in God's mission wasted effort? No, because God's seed is good, so good that it bestows full and free forgiveness of sins. This seed makes all the difference between life and death.

Rejoice! People near and far shall be "born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Pet. 1:23).

In light of all these promises, gladly offer your hands to join in the task.

1. Look at your hands. How old are they? What tasks have they performed over the years?
2. Discuss the three options below. Which have you chosen in the past in response to God's mission? Why?
   a. Sit on your hands.
   b. Throw up your hands in dismay.
   c. Offer your hands.
3. What have your hands done and what can they still do to bring the Gospel to the nations? See Ps. 90:13.