It's Harvest Time!

Thank you for that wonderful worship this morning.

Good morning, church.

Three things that were not in my notes, but I've got to mention them up front since Tim

actually said something about football.

I wasn't going to talk about football, but we will be having a tailgate over in Charlotte

later on this afternoon.

For those of you who are volunteer fans, I did graduate from University of Tennessee.

Anyway, we won't go there.

Sorry.

Finally.

The second thing I want to say, again, thank you for this invitation, Pastor Daniel and

Pastor Jeff.

I was in the back talking to Jeff before the service began, and I was really asking how

long the service was.

I said, well, how long do I have, an hour?

And he said, if you take an hour, they're going to walk out in the middle of it, so I'm watching

the time.

And secondly, thirdly, if my dates are correct, we've got a lot going on today with the missions

conference.

But I do believe, I saw on my iPhone, that today is Pastor Appreciation Day.

And if I'm wrong, you need to appreciate your pastor anyway when you've got a Bible believing,

fully proclaiming the whole counsel of God as you do in this pastor.

So can we praise God for our pastors here in this congregation?

Let me do the most important thing I can do this morning and read from God's Word, the

Word He's laid on my heart for this service this morning here at First Baptist Church of

Pickens.

a very familiar passage when we're talking about missions and about harvest time and going

out into the fields, which are so ripe for us to show the good news of Jesus Christ from

Matthew chapter 9, beginning with verse 35.

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming

the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

And when He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless

like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Therefore, and this is a command, by the way, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send

out laborers into His harvest.

So I want us to begin this service in prayer and that we pray earnestly.

In the original language, this word for prayer basically means to beg, to cry out, to implore

upon Almighty God for the Lord to send out laborers into the harvest field.

A command from the Lord Jesus Christ, something that was on His heart, that only God can do it.

And my prayer this morning for this service, in which I'm going to share a very simple passage,

is that even today you will hear the call of God upon your life or upon those that you know

the call is up around in their life for Him to send out laborers into the harvest field.

It is harvest time if we've ever been in one in our entire lifetime.

For such a time as this, it's harvest time.

It doesn't require seminary.

It doesn't require any professional education other than the fact that God's call is on you

and you must go.

It has nothing to do with how old you are or how young you are.

Caleb really came into his own when he was 85 years old when he cried out,

Lord, give me my mountain.

So all of us senior citizens in here, if you've never answered the call, it's not too late.

This world needs a fresh anointing from God and the Holy Spirit to send the good news of Christ Jesus

to those who have never heard it.

As we were talking about the Afghanis even this morning, how could we forget that picture

of the last day our troops were in Afghanistan formally and the plane was taking off

and the crowds on the runway and even some who clung to the outside of the plane to try to escape that nation?

How can we fail to see the images of the homeless in our streets?

The desperate, the bullied, the lost, the forgotten, the refugees, the mentally ill,

those who have never heard the sweet news of the gospel of Jesus Christ,

that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.

What sweet news for somebody today that our sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus.

What wonderful news that someone needs to hear.

If you know Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord, there is therefore now no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus.

No shame, no guilt, no fear.

Oh God, may we be that people that God uses in this hour of creation.

Father, I ask you to take these few moments and use them for your glory.

Lord of the harvest, I pray in the name of Jesus and by the conviction of the Holy Spirit

that even today, now, you bring forth harvesters for your glory.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Well, I bring you greetings from Dr. Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board.

I was with him and the trustees just a few weeks ago in Chicago,

and we heard the good news, hopefully you have as well,

that Annie Armstrong Easter offering surpassed all of our prognostications.

$68.6 million that our Southern Baptists have given for the mission work

to plant churches and to spread the gospel in North America.

So thank you for your giving.

You're part of 47, 46,000 churches, 16 million Southern Baptists

who have given sacrificially even during the pandemic.

We continue to give.

So thank you, thank you, thank you.

With that money, we've planted over 1,000 churches since 2010, the last 10 years.

With your prayers and your offerings,

yes, we have 3,720 endorsed Southern Baptist chaplains

who serve in places where the churches cannot often go,

1,500 chaplains in the armed services,

chaplains in hospitals and health care and hospices,

chaplains who are on disaster relief deployments

and corporate chaplains serving in Fortune 500 companies

and prison chaplains and law enforcement chaplains

and community service chaplains.

Let me just give you just a couple of quick stories.

Chaplain Captain Jose Rondon, a graduate of North Greenville University.

You may have heard of him in 2018.

He was at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Some of you veterans may have heard of that place.

And over an 18-month period of time,

God used him and his chaplaincy team

to lead over 2,000 young men and women

in the United States Army going through basic training

to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

My pharisaical robes got on me when I keep seeing these numbers rising.

And by the way, it's not about numbers.

But it is kind of interesting when you see thousands coming to Christ.

So I did what anybody else would do.

I sent a team to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri,

to see what was going on, to see if Jose was not,

maybe he didn't know how to count,

or maybe he was embellishing the numbers,

but it was true.

So then we have to ask collegiate ministers and others,

what's the reason that these young 18- to 24-year-olds

are going to the gospel as they hear it

and they're making Christ Savior and Lord?

It's because so many of them, first of all,

at least in the armed services,

have never held a Bible in their hands.

As an 18- to 24-year-old, we give them Bibles,

they begin reading the truth, the whole truth,

nothing but the truth, and that's what they are interested in.

They're not interested in relativism or secularism.

They're truly interested in truth,

and not just any truth, but the truth of God, spiritual truth.

They're interested in relationships,

meaningful relationships with people

who have found purpose and significance

in their lives through the gospel

and meeting Jesus as Savior and Lord,

and they're looking for community.

Oh, my goodness.

We're talking about the bride of Christ.

May our churches,

may First Baptist Church of Pickens

one day soon be filled with young people

that are flocking here from our public schools,

that are coming here to find that truth

in Jesus Christ alone.

I could tell you about Chris Rice,

a young chaplain down at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Every 11 weeks, we make soldiers

out of these young men and women.

Every 11 weeks, he'll baptize some 70,

some 100 young men and women

who have come to saving knowledge of faith

in Christ Jesus as their Lord and their Savior.

I could tell you about Michael Slaughter,

a young Navy lieutenant up in Chicago

with the regional training command

where every cycle of those basic trainees

as we make sailors out of these young men and women,

some 200, 250,

have made professions of faith in Christ Jesus,

and they come for believer's baptism.

That's great news,

but let me give you some bad news.

Can I just give you some bad news?

Baptisms are down in the Southern Baptist Convention.

According to Lifeway Research,

we have dipped to a level that we haven't seen

since 1918 and 1919.

After the influenza,

the Spanish flu that took so many people's lives.

Hey, let me tell you something else.

Church attendance is down.

I've heard a statistic once

that while we're meeting in this wonderful place,

about 11 churches close their doors

every week in our denomination.

Those answering the call to the gospel,

those answering the call to be laborers in the field

as pastors, as missionaries, as chaplains,

those numbers are down in our Baptist colleges

and our seminaries.

We so desperately need a harvest of laborers

who will go out into the field.

May we pray the Lord of the harvest

sends more laborers into the field.

That's what this passage is all about

in Matthew 9, verses 35 through 38.

Matthew 9:35–38

Some refer to this as a turning point

in the gospel of the book of Matthew.

It's a key that needed to be understood.

If you read Matthew 3 through 9,

beginning with Jesus' baptism,

where he fully identified himself

as righteous before God,

he who was without sin was baptized,

going into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights,

preparing himself for his mission,

being tempted by the things

that we're all tempted about,

the lust of the eyes, the pride of life,

and the pride of this world.

And yet he committed himself

to serve Almighty God

with his mind, body, soul, spirit, and strength.

And then in Matthew 4, verse 17,

Matthew 4:17

Jesus began to preach

the gospel of the kingdom.

Do you know what the gospel of the kingdom is?

Jesus put it this way

in his first public address

from the book of Isaiah.

The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor,

to proclaim liberty

to those who are captive,

to set free those who are oppressed,

and to proclaim the year,

the time, right now,

of the Lord's favor.

You read the following chapters

up to chapter 9, verse 35,

and you see that he healed the sick,

cleansed the leper,

cast out demons,

and raised the dead,

broke fevers,

with a word,

healing every disease,

every sickness.

Brothers and sisters,

I don't know where you come from.

I've been Southern Baptist all my life,

but I believe that we may see

in this dark and dying world

the day when God uses his labors

with a word

to heal the sick,

cleanse the leper,

yes, cast out demons,

and raise the dead.

I don't hear one amen in this room.

Look, this world needs some good news.

Does it not need some good news?

I read an article recently

that says that this pandemic

of 2020 and 2021

has done something to us psychologically,

and we have not paid

the price

and not really seen

how it has affected us

mentally

and emotionally

with the isolation

and the rolling traumas

and the loss

financially,

relationally,

and death.

We have not paid the price.

We've not caught our breath.

Do you see the crowds

that are struggling

with this world?

What did Jesus see?

The Scripture says

He saw the crowds.

I think one of the reasons

that we don't see the crowds

is that we don't pick our eyes up

off of our iPhones

or our Facebook pages

long enough to see

the people walk.

It's interesting

watching people cross the street

in Chicago and other places

and they got their hand

just like this.

That's very dangerous.

You know,

that's hazardous to your health.

But I think if we just took a moment

in the supermarket,

in the mall,

in public places

and just kind of

looked around

we'd see the crowd.

Jesus traveled

in His lifetime,

earthly lifetime,

over 200 towns and villages

in a 40-mile radius

of Galilee.

And the more He spoke

about the gospel

of the kingdom of God,

the bigger the audience.

That ought to tell us something.

The more we talk

about the good news

of Jesus Christ,

about one who has come

to set us free

from our sin,

who forgave us of our sin,

cleansed us of all of our

unrighteousness,

I think people want

and need to hear that.

Do you see

the crowd?

What crowd are you talking about?

How about the college?

Do you see

the 31 million

men and women

in our campuses,

universities,

colleges,

graduate schools?

33 million.

And Tim,

you may have to correct me,

but the last I saw,

it's less than 1%,

0.68%

of our collegiate students

have any kind of active faith

in Jesus Christ.

let's talk about

our veterans for a moment.

I spent 38 years

in uniform.

I know something

about that tribe.

How many veterans

we got in here?

Can I see the hands?

I got a few in here.

Thank you for your service.

Since 1775,

when Washington

stood up the Continental Army,

less than 1%

have ever put on

this uniform.

44 million Americans

since 1775

have worn the uniform.

What's interesting

is that 24 million veterans

are alive today.

It's a large group.

What are our issues?

Post-traumatic stress,

moral injury,

suicide.

You hear the news

about suicides.

23, 25 veterans

commit suicide

every day,

one every 65 minutes.

The news that's breaking now

is it actually

might be higher

because our veterans

are also overdosing.

Oxycodone,

fentanyl,

other drug-inducing

means to

dull the pain.

We haven't found

a solution yet.

our veterans

need our ministry

to them.

Our collegiate

young men and women

need our ministry

to them.

The Pew Forum

on Religion

and Public Life

says that

the Protestant religion

of Christianity

is no longer

the major denomination

in the United States.

We have lost

a number of our members

to the nuns.

And I don't mean

the Catholic variety.

I mean those

who have no

religious preference.

And then we have

the duns.

Those who are done

with church.

They're done

with something

they haven't seen

lived out in the lives

of those who profess it.

They say,

why would I want

to experience

the abundant life

in Christ?

Because as I look

at your countenance,

I hope it's not catching,

but I don't want it.

Look,

the kingdom of God

is about righteousness,

peace,

and joy

in the Holy Ghost.

And it has nothing

to do with our

current circumstances.

Does anybody know

what I'm talking about

in here?

I want the power

of the resurrection.

But the apostle Paul

says you've got to

also want something else.

You've got to

experience and want,

and you will experience

and want as a child

of God,

a joint heir

with Jesus Christ,

the fellowship

of his sufferings.

We can do all things

though through Christ

who strengthens us.

Do you see the crowds?

A crowded world

of almost 8 million people.

Do you see the crowded cities

where many of our

North American Mission Board

missionaries have gone

to these large cities,

giving it all up

and going to these huge cities

to share the gospel?

Cities that are infested

with extremist ideology

and secularism

and everything else.

Here's the good news.

The harvest is ripe.

I heard someone say recently

that the harvest always comes

at that darkest point

in time.

And how much darker

can it get

than we're living in right now,

brothers and sisters?

We should be expecting God

to break forth

and do something

because people are desperate

do you see

the crowds?

I spend a lot of time

in crowded airports.

It does not get any easier.

I don't care what level

of points you have

with Delta

or American Airlines.

I was in a Memphis airport

several years ago now,

but it's one of those visions

that I just can't get

off my mind.

I was at the baggage claim

waiting for my bag.

I saw a young man

in front of me.

Had a baseball cap on.

Go Army.

And so I tapped him

on his shoulder

to tell him,

thanks for your service.

And when he turned around,

his face

was

almost inhuman looking.

Terribly scarred.

Burned.

It was hard to look him

in the eye.

I thanked him

for his service.

And as I was walking away,

his mother

tapped me on the shoulder

and she said,

please pray for my son.

I said,

well, I'm so sorry.

Was the wound

from an improvised

explosive device?

Did something happen

while he was in Iraq

or Afghanistan?

She said, no.

She said,

he came back from the war

with these war wounds

and he's tried

so many self-destructive things

and he continues

to jump in a fire.

An open fire.

And that's what happened to him

as he is just

almost burned

beyond recognition.

Do you see the crowds?

Do you see the desperate?

The scripture says

that we need

to have the eyes of Jesus

and see what he saw.

He saw the crowds.

He saw an opportunity

with the crowds.

A time that was

pregnant with opportunity

to take the gospel.

The second thing is

when he saw the crowds,

notice what happened.

He had compassion.

If you see the crowds,

there has to be a response

in today's world.

You hear the stories

of these refugees

who have escaped

with their very life

and something has

to happen internally.

Someone once said,

we'll never have a heart

for the harvest

of the gospel

unless we see

the Lord's heart

for the harvest.

as the crowd

thronged around Jesus

and brought him

their physical needs

and their issues

and their sacred stories

and their diseases

and their burdens

and their brokenness.

The scripture said

he had compassion.

I love studying languages.

This word in the Greek

for compassion,

which means pity.

It means your gut

turns splint,

nitsomai.

Boy, now that sounds terrible,

but actually,

a splint, nitsa,

is actually some kind

of a medical procedure.

A splint to me.

I can't even spell that.

I'll just say it.

But Jesus' internal,

his intestines churned

by what he saw.

Has that ever happened to you?

No.

2004,

I was at the Assassin's Gate.

Nice place to be

in Baghdad.

And there was an explosion.

A Volkswagen van

exploded

with about 500 pounds

of C4 explosive material.

And I can't tell you

what that did

to a crowded marketplace.

But you can only imagine.

Without getting too graphic.

It's one of those

combat memories

I hate to look at.

I feel like it's a stack

of photos

and I don't want to go too deep

and stay too long.

But I mean,

literally,

our troops

were helping the Iraqis

pick

a body

remains

out of trees.

And I remember

walking by

a young Iraqi

soldier

on his knees

in tears.

He was

in tears

just weeping.

I don't speak

a lick of

the Iraqi language

of Arabic.

But my gut

churned for him

as he was

kneeling and weeping

over

part of human remains.

I remember

touching my chest,

my heart,

a term of endearment

in the Islamic world

and I prayed in English

for that brother

and we both wept.

My heart churned

at what happens

in war,

the devastating

effects of war.

My heart churns

for young troops,

16,

18 to 24 year olds

who we send to war

and they see things

that human beings

should not see.

They come back

differently.

Losing

their innocence

and a

part of their humanity.

I see their faces

even now.

Do you have

compassion?

Do you allow

the things of this world

to go so deep

that you churn

with pity

and mercy

for them?

The thing

that Jesus saw,

he said he saw

people who were faint,

harassed,

other words.

They were worn out.

They were exhausted.

They were beaten up.

They were battered

and ripped

and torn.

One translation,

they felt like

they were skinned alive.

They were bullied.

That's what he saw.

The harassed

and the helpless.

Those who were thrown down.

Those who were

thrown aside.

Those who were

lifeless,

immobilized,

ready to quit,

tired and weary,

prostrate.

The man at the pool

of Bethesda,

there's your picture,

John chapter 5.

John 5 · chapter mention

His excuse

when Jesus says,

do you want to be healed?

He didn't say,

yes, Lord.

He said,

Lord,

I've been here

for decades.

I haven't been healed.

Helpless,

hapless,

like sheep

without a shepherd.

Brothers and sisters,

the religious leaders

of that day

were uncaring,

unconcerned.

They didn't lead

anybody to pasture.

They didn't tend

or bind wounds.

They didn't rescue.

They just gave you

more law,

more this or that,

more heavy burdens.

But Jesus came along

and he identified

with the crowd.

Isn't that wonderful

that our Lord

identified with us?

He was wounded

for our transgressions.

He was bruised

for our iniquities.

The scripture says,

the chastisement

of our peace

with God

was upon him

and with his stripes

were healed.

He was the God-man.

He suffered

everything that you

and I will ever suffer

yet without sin.

He never allowed

their circumstances

to take away

the gospel of the kingdom

about the fact

that we can do

all things through Christ

who gives us the strength.

Let me tell you

very quickly,

I know my time is,

I know the Methodists

are going to be out there

somewhere with their,

of course,

we're going to eat here.

I don't know

if they're going to join us.

I don't,

I can't speak

for the pastor

but I remember

Mondays are a good time

when a lot of pastors

decide they're going

to resign

from the ministry.

So pray for your pastor

especially on Mondays.

I had a situation

as a chaplain

that I just couldn't

get fixed.

It was awful

and I lost sleep over it.

You ever lost sleep

over problems?

I'm not going to ask

that question.

I remember waking up

in the night

and said,

Lord,

I quit.

I've been in the ministry

20 years.

I've been preaching

by the way

since I was 14 years old

similar to your pastor

who called at a young age.

I didn't have a chance.

My mother named me

after a general,

Douglas MacArthur

and a Baptist preacher,

Forrest Lanier.

But I quit.

Lord,

I'm not who you,

I'm probably

in basic Christianity.

I'm not ready

for the advanced course

or the war college

in Christianity.

I quit.

I feel weak,

helpless,

ignorant,

like I'm starting

all over again.

I quit.

And you know what

the Lord said to me?

Congratulations,

I've just recommissioned you.

You're exactly

what I need

in your brokenness.

Because when you

are willing to admit

that you are weak,

God says in 2 Corinthians 12,

then I'm going to be strong.

For my grace is made

perfect in your weakness.

So brothers and sisters,

if you've been called

to the harvest,

don't blame it

on the fact

that you're too weak

to testify

about the goodness

of God in your heart.

That you're exactly

the person

that God wants

instead of one

who has some slick

evangelistic tool

that they can use

and they've memorized it.

But if anybody's

going to be brought

to the kingdom,

it's by God's power

through the Holy Spirit

who convicts.

The wind that blows

as it will.

I've got to bring

this to a close.

Jesus saw the crowds.

He was moved

by what he saw.

And then he said something.

The harvest is plentiful

but the laborers are few.

Here is a command.

Pray, beg, plead with God,

the Lord of the harvest,

to send out laborers

into the harvest.

Now, why would God

not answer

the prayer of his son

and the prayer

for the good news

to be carried

by people

into the harvest field?

The harvest is ripe,

it's full,

it's ready.

There's an urgency

with that kind of praying.

Brothers and sisters,

there's an urgency.

Do you realize

how many people

right now

on this globe

are dying

and going

to a real hell

because they've never

heard the gospel?

or they've never

accepted it?

The harvest is ripe,

the laborers are few.

Send out the laborers

into the harvest.

Well, what kind of,

what's a harvester

supposed to look like?

So I'm going to give you

a job description

for a harvester.

One,

God is looking

for that person

who says,

Jesus Christ

is sufficient

for all my needs

and he's proved

himself

over and over

and over again.

He's taken

the rough edges

of my life

and he's smoothed

them out

through the furnace

of affliction.

These temporary

things that are

doing nothing more

than making me

stronger to serve him

so that I have

a testimony

to share

of the goodness

of God.

I met,

I met a harvester

last night.

I don't know

if she's here.

I walked

into the hotel

where I stayed

and spoke

to this woman

who was sitting

there folding towels.

Boy, let me tell you,

she's had it hard

here this last

year or so.

She's had three

or four recent

surgeries.

Her house just burned.

Her husband

just left her

and I saw

the countenance

of God

on her life

who continued

to tell me

how much

God had blessed

her and kept

her and strengthened

her through it all.

I can't see

in the back row

right now

but I'll tell you

what,

she had a smile

of an angel

on her face.

That's what

you and I

need to be.

If you want

to be a harvester,

we've got to look

like we're harvesting

souls for the glory

of God.

We've got to be able

to tell people

that Jesus' grace

is sufficient

for all of our needs.

We might be weak

but he's going

to be strong.

The one who

began a good work

in us,

he's going to

bring it to completion.

Yes,

in this world

you're going

to have troubles

but brothers

and sisters,

be of good cheer.

I have overcome

the world.

That's what Jesus said.

That's who

he's looking for.

Individuals who say,

I know in whom

I have believed.

Though he slay me,

I'm going to trust him

and then I'm going

to tell somebody

about his faithfulness.

I can't keep this fire.

It's like a fire

inside my bones.

I've got to let it out.

Is that your testimony?

Because if it is,

the Lord,

he's recruiting you

right now.

Secondly,

he's looking for those

who are fully submitted

to Jesus

where you say

without reservation,

Lord,

I'll go everywhere

to everyone

with the gospel

of Jesus.

No strings attached.

Wherever,

Lord,

you lead,

I will go.

I can confess

to you

that I've had

my list

of those places

that I don't think

I could go

and I said,

Lord,

send me anywhere

but I'm not going

to fill in the blanks

but you know

what I'm talking about.

The Lord is looking

for those

who are fully submissive

to his plan.

And then last of all,

if you really recognize

that Jesus is sufficient

for your life,

he's proven it

and that you've submitted

to him,

there's only one other thing

you've got to do.

You step out

on God's word

and you serve his purposes

for his glory.

A few years ago,

I had a dear saint

in my life,

one of my prayer warriors.

She'd been in and out

on morphine

from the cancer

and she was under

hospice care.

I went to visit

this little 84-year-old woman

who'd not even

recognized her family.

They asked me

to come see her

because she was dying

and when I walked

into her bedroom,

she woke up

and she said,

Doug Carver,

you stand firm.

Don't you quit.

Don't you let go.

Don't you throw in the towel.

You stand firm

in the word of God.

I mean,

the way she said it,

I almost started apologizing.

Like,

hey,

what's going on here?

What's she reading

in my mail?

Does she know

my devotional life

because it's not the greatest?

That's what the Lord

is looking for,

to stand firm

in his word.

Brothers and sisters,

where this world is going,

I believe that

it's going to be

a challenge for you.

You're going to be challenged

maybe even with your life

should you choose

to believe

everything in this book

from Genesis to Revelation,

the whole counsel of God.

I close with this last story.

I promise.

I know you harvesters

are getting ready

to come down the aisle.

The pastor's ready.

Brother,

you need to come on up

so I know to quit.

A few years ago,

20 years ago,

30 years ago,

I had the opportunity

to meet

Richard Vermehron.

You may have never heard of him.

Founder of Voice of the Martyrs.

He spent time in one of the worst jails

in the world.

Underground.

About 12 feet underground.

For six years.

Can you imagine that?

They had to carry him in

because while he was in prison,

the guards tried to get him

to renounce Jesus.

He continued to profess Christ

as Savior and Lord.

He even witnessed to the guards.

He was a harvester

in this prison.

The guards had taken

hard rubber hoses

and beaten

the soles of his feet

so he no longer could feel.

He couldn't walk.

All the nerve damage

was so tremendous.

But you know,

as he stood up

to speak to us,

he had the look

of that little lady

I saw last night

at the hotel.

He had the look

of an angel.

He said,

you know,

really the guards

were pretty nice

to us in there.

He said,

they gave us

musical instruments.

Musical instruments

in a prison

12 feet underground

for six years?

He said,

yeah.

They gave us

steel handcuffs.

And he said,

we could sing with them.

This is the day.

Clink, clink.

This is the day

that the Lord

hath made.

And I thought to myself,

I'm never, ever

going to allow

the rocks

and the trees

and the hills

to outshout

my praise

to a God

who can do that

with a prisoner

for his faith.

All right.

The message

has been proclaimed.

It's harvest time.

I know,

I know that I know

that I know

God is calling

somebody,

not just somebody,

some people

in this room

to step out in faith

and say,

I'm going to be,

God is calling me

to be one of those

harvesters

in these days

in which I live.

As we stand

and sing here

in just a moment,

I want you to step out

with the very first

word we sing.

Your pastor

will be down here

and make this a day

where you are committing

or recommitting yourself

to be a harvester.

Maybe there's somebody

in this place

that has never heard

the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

The good news

that God

so loved the world

that he sent his son

to a broken world

full of sin

and corruption

and sinful people

and he died

on a cross

for our sins

to set us free,

to redeem us

from the slavery

to our flesh

and to forgive us

of our sins

and to give us

the promise

of eternity

in heaven forever.

If you've never

repented

and accepted

and turned to Jesus

as the author

and finisher

of your faith,

as your redeemer,

as your savior,

would you make

this day,

that day of salvation.

Father,

take this service now.

Use it for your glory.

Come Holy Spirit.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

All right,

let's go.