Fat Sheep

In Luke 10:2 we read this:
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest".

What do you think of when you read this? Who are the laborers?
Do you think Jesus wanted us to get giant combine harvesters and get them to do all the work for us?
Do you think of your pastors as the combine harvesters?
Do you think Jesus was thinking of mass production?
Now I know probably none of you thinks this is the correct interpretation.
But.
How many of us treat our pastors like they are combine harvesters?

"The pastors are suppose to do all the work. That's their job".

Are they?

Did Jesus do all the work? Or, as the context of this passage(Luke 10) shows, did he send out his disciples to do the work?

Laboring sheep?

As I discussed elsewhere (Sheepdog blog), Jesus used sheep to illustrate our relationship with Him, but when it comes to this illustration, where are the sheep?
Are sheep laborers?
Laborers are workers not consumers. Sheep are consumers.
While the sheep illustration demonstrates our helplessness before God, it ends when it becomes time for us to mature and begin the work that the Lord has left us here to accomplish.
Our lord is working in this world and we are His workers.
His laborers.
Like sheepdogs who labor tirelessly for their master.
There will always be new sheep coming into the fold, but there should also be just as many graduating to "laborer" status.

The plague of consumerism

Go ask some of your friends to help you sell something. Most will probably tell you they don't like to sell.
Go ask some of your friends to help you buy something. Most will come to life with example after example of what great bargain shoppers they are. They will recount for you the innumerable times they "got a great deal".
We are expert consumers and we are never satisfied.
Never satisfied, just like sheep. Sheep are capable of eating themselves to death. Did you know that sheep are not smart?

Bargain shopping is good, don't get me wrong. It's just that we have become a society of outstanding consumers/buyers and terrible sellers.
We can blame whomever we like for this problem, but it won't help the situation.
The most important thing we must do is realize where we have brought it into the 'church'.
We must acknowledge how all of us have been infected by it and we must renew our minds to think a different way. The Christ way.

We have become 'churches' full of sheep who are eating themselves to death. Gimme, gimme, gimme.
What does a good little sheep say when he likes a church?
"I like that church. I get fed there".
What does the good little sheep say when she doesn't like a church?
"I'm leaving because I don't get fed there".
Oooooh, so deeply spiritual, it sounds.
Lazy fat bloated sheep.

Don't hear me wrong. Learning God's word is one of the greatest things we can do for ourselves. It will change us from the inside out.
The problem I'm getting at is the sheep who has been feeding on a good diet for a long time and Paul comes along and says, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child".
Do you realize what a dig that is? He just said that "You people are still dumb fat sheep!"

Paul also says this, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect".
And this:
"But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. 

I'm hiding behind Paul right now so I can say that he said it, not me. He speaks quite strongly.
Let it sink in though. Let it challenge you.
We ebb and flow with life and have better times and worse times, but take a good look at yourself and see if your mind is being renewed and whether or not you are still a child.

Baby steps

You might be progressing in baby steps, but progress is progress. Sometimes we are our own worst critics.
We tend to forget that if we went ten steps forward and one back, we are still nine steps forward.
Consider over the next few weeks where you are at with your walk with the Lord. Talk with Him about it. Ask your friends about it. Be open. Be honest.

"Hi, my name is Marc and I'm an alcoholic", or "Hi, my name is Marc and I'm a fat sheep".
Don't be ashamed, we all get fat. Just do something about it.

Jesus said, "As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me".

You can do nothing unless Jesus, by the Holy Spirit who dwells inside of you directs it. But I'm going to guess that many fat sheep can't hear the Spirit over their constant chewing.

Put down the fork and listen. Rest in God and let Him move you to action.
You might be a little slow until you lose a few pounds, but at least you'll be following your shepherd.

Here's a place to start. How about you set your alarm at 10:02(Luke 10:2) to remind you to pray for more laborers? And when you pray, pray for yourself also. Ask that God would raise you up to be a laborer and send you into the harvest.

Pray big. Expect big. Our God is a big God.



Song:
For a Time Such as This



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