CHRISTIAN WORKERS AND DISCIPLESHIP PATTERN FOR THE HARVEST

THEME: VISION OF THE HARVEST IN THE LATTER TIMES

LESSON: SEVEN

TOPIC: CHRISTIAN WORKERS AND DISCIPLESHIP PATTERN FOR THE HARVEST

TEXT: Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 16:18; Matthew 5:13-15; 1 Timothy 2:4-6; John 3:14-21; Habakkuk 2:14;

OBJECTIVES

● To show the attitudes and examples laid by early Christian workers and disciples to witnessing the Gospel.

● To give visibility to the fields of harvest around a believer and how he ought to labour within those around him.

INTRODUCTION

● The Lord is committed to filling the earth with His glory, both geographically and within every heart. Though darkness may seem to prevail, God’s answer is not apart from His people. His strategy is His Church, through which He reaches the ends of the earth and reveals His light to the world (Habakkuk 2:14; Isaiah 60:1-3; Matthew 5:13-15, 16:18).

● God’s workforce on the earth consists of believers who submit to being filled and yielding to the dealings of the Spirit, the process of discipleship, the leadership of the Church, and the continual pursuit of growth, accountability, and transformation (Matthew 9:37; Acts 2:8; Matthew 28:18-21)

● While there is a distinct role of the evangelist within the fivefold ministry, every believer is called to witness the gospel in everyday life. Believers must become Christian workers, and must remain sensitive to represent the Lord and not their own selfish interests in every relationship and encounter with others (Mark 16:15; 2 Timothy 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:20)

● This awareness and readiness create room for the Holy Spirit to lead and empower believers to uphold righteousness and effectively ministering God’s love and truth to those around them. The believer's progress in the truth makes him more effective at reaching people, because he witnesses from a personal knowledge and experience of the truth they have partaken of (2 Timothy 4:2a; Acts 4:20; 1 Timothy 2:4).

THE ROLE OF DISCIPLESHIP IN EVANGELISM

● The new birth marks the beginning of harvest, yet it does not fully express the Father’s ultimate intention concerning harvest. He patiently waits for the precious fruit of the earth—men and women who are not only born again, but also cultivated, transformed, and matured to bring Him pleasure and glory (James 5:7; Colossians 1:28; Mathew 28:19)

● The continuity of the harvest and the process of bringing pleasure to God are accomplished through discipleship. Therefore, every believer must be enrolled in the school of discipleship, where continuity in the Word goes beyond merely reading the Scriptures unto yielding to the Spirit’s training and becoming firmly established in doctrine (John 8:31-2; 2 Timothy 13-14)

● Through teaching, training, and personal encounters with the Lord, disciples become firmly persuaded of the hope within them and are able to communicate it to others with understanding, conviction, and the influence of the Spirit (1 Peter 3:15; 2 Timothy 1:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:5).

● The Lord’s command for the disciples to begin outreach from their immediate surroundings reveals that every believer is called into His workforce and entrusted with the responsibility of reaching those around them. Therefore, believers must be committed to ensuring that all within their sphere of influence encounter the gospel of the Kingdom (Acts 1:8)

THE CHRISTIAN WORKER AND HIS IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT

● A Christian worker is more than one who serves within a local assembly or church department; he is a believer committed to the work of God within, around, and through his life. This is a commitment to the full outworking of salvation. Therefore, we will now consider the immediate environment of the Christian worker through scriptural case studies.

● Family: The family is the believer’s first field of responsibility and one of the primary grounds for God’s work within and around him. Since God sets the solitary in families, every believer must become conscious of their responsibility toward the elders, contemporaries, and younger members within their household and extended family (Acts 16:31; Psalm 68:6)

I. Andrew immediately after meeting Jesus went to bring His brother Peter to meet the Lord. (John 1:40-42)

II. Jesus encountered his biological brother who did not believe in Him before His death and Resurrection. (1 Cor 15:7)

III. The generational transfer of faith from Lois to Eunice and to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5)

● Household & Acquintances: Beyond biological family ties, God extends opportunities for salvation to those placed within a believer’s household and daily associations through His providence. Therefore, the believer is called to represent Christ and bear witness to those within his household and among his acquaintances (Joshua 24:15; Genesis 18:19; Romans 16:10; Philippians 4:22)

I. The Jailer extended the message of salvation he heard to his entire household. ( Acts 16:25-34)

II. Cornelius made provision for all his household to hear Peter’s message which led to him and His entire household getting born again and filled with the Holy Ghost. (Acts 10)

● Workplace: Career, business, and the marketplace are not intended merely for selfish gain, but also function as fields for God’s work and witness. In these environments, believers encounter people from various walks of life, and while maintaining lives free from covetousness and corruption, they are called to minister the gospel through both godly conduct and verbal witness.

I. James, John, and Peter are examples of men who encountered Christ in the marketplace while carrying out their daily professions. They had previously met him at Jordan but did not fully commit to follow Him until He encountered them at their place of work. Likewise, many would only respond at the workplace (Luke 5:1-11)

II. Lydia was a seller of purple cloth, a successful businesswoman in Philippi. She used her resources and home to support the gospel. After receiving Christ, she opened her house for ministry and fellowship. Her business platform connected her to people and opportunities for kingdom service. (Acts 16:13-15,40)

III. Paul worked as a tentmaker. While working, he interacted with people daily and preached Christ. His occupation gave him access to communities and relationships. This was how he met Aquila and Priscilla who were also fellow tent makers. (Acts 18:1-3)

● Neighbourhood: This refers to the immediate community surrounding a believer’s daily life, including next-door neighbours, members of the same compound, streets, and other social or public spaces regularly engaged in.

I. Peter’s preaching on the day of Pentecost was to those in the neighbourhood.

II. Dorcas (Tabitha) served her community through her craft, acts of giving, and good works, and would have ministered the gospel through the lives she touched and the compassion she showed to those she reached out to. (Acts 9:36-42)

● Online Platforms: Believers can use online platforms to spread the gospel, encourage others, and share godly content. Though the adversary uses these mediums for evil, believers must be regulated and inwardly governed by the Holy Ghost, not coming under their influence, but using them as tools for preaching the gospel.

TERRITORIAL EVANGELISM & MISSIONARY OUTREACH

● Beyond the believer’s immediate sphere of influence, the Church carries a corporate responsibility for territorial evangelism by raising, training, supporting, and sending missionaries into various territories, regions, and nations for the propagation of the gospel (Acts 13:2, Acts 9:15)

I. The Church at Antioch prayed, fasted, and sent forth Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. (Acts 13:1-2)

II. The Early Church continually supported and partnered with ministers sent into different regions. (Phil 4:15-16)

● This is a collective responsibility of the Church. As believers are sent into various territories, communities, and nations, the Church must continually stand with them in prayer, support, encouragement, and oversight for the advancement of the gospel. (Acts 11:29-30; Romans 10:15)

● Apart from territorial evangelism sponsored by the corporate Church, believers who move to different territories for work, school, business, relocation, persecution, or any form of scattering must be spiritually grounded through discipleship to stand as missionaries in those locations, being succours and pointing many to Jesus through their lives, conduct, and preaching of the gospel. (Acts 8:1-4)

CONCLUSION

God’s ultimate harvest are men who have been led men in the knowledge and obedience of the truth, removing ignorance so that His glory may fill the earth. Every believer has a part to play in this divine agenda (Habakkuk 2:14; 1 Timothy 2:4).