IDENTIFYING THE RIPE FRUITS FOR HARVEST

The ripe fruits I'll be talking about are the souls to be saved by us Christians.

Matthew 9:35-38

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

John 4:35

35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

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When the season of harvest comes, every good farmer who has planted, who has tendered his plants, who has laboured or who is labouring will go to his farm and first of all he will identity the ripe crops for harvest, all the crops cannot be ripe for harvest at the same time even when they are planted the same time and that is why its a season.

With this seasons you have time, we may be born the same day, we may go to school the same time but we may not become the same thing or arrive at the same time and that is why the Bible clearly states that there is a season and a time for everything.

According to the book of Psalm 30, my time are in your hands oh lord and so we shouldn't compare ourselves with anyone because our time is in the hand of God.

Just like in the spiritual, every potential soul will not be ready to accept Jesus Christ at the same time, that is why we Christians should not give up on a soul we have been preaching to and praying for to be saved because his own day will come when he will receive revelation and he will give his life to Christ and you will see that it's the harvest time for him.

How to identify a fruit ripe for harvest

1} The sick and the afflicted

When you see the weak, the weary, those who are sick, those who are afflicted with one ailment or the other, know that they are ripe for harvest. According to the book of Matthew Jesus healed many people as he preached, why? because that healing will bring them to a place where they will believe and trust him for salvation.

Mark 3: 10 &11.

For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

Just like the story of The Possessed Mad man of Gadara who Jesus healed, the Bible said that after he was made whole he followed Jesus Christ.
Also with the woman with the issue of blood, after she was healed by Jesus, she became a follower of Jesus Christ.

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Mark 16: 15-20

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well

As Christians the Bible made us understand that we have the power to heal the sick and deliver the afflicted and by doing this we are going to bring them closer to God.

2} The Poor and Hungry

Those who are suffering, the poor, those who are vulnerable, those who are oppressed, they are ripe for harvest because they need help and as Christians it is our responsibility to come to their aid, and as we do this let us tell them that Jesus loves them and bring them closer to God.

Matthew 25 vs 35 to 40.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

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There are those who are hungry because they are jobless, they are jobless because they have no opportunity, they are some who are lazy but there are those who are willing to work but have no Job and so they are hungry. Even fake ministries have used this technique to drag people to their church because they are vulnerable and as believers it our sole responsibility to come to their aid and as we do that we preach the gospel to them and bring them close to God.

Luke 9 vs 13 to 17.

13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

3} The battered in Marriage and relationships

There are those who are battered in Marriage and relationships, it is so important that Jesus stopped on a journey to talk to the Samarian woman at the well, she had problems with her marriage. There are those who have committed suicide, there are those whose marriage are broken and they are vulnerable, that is where the Gospel comes in. The Bible made us understand that this Samarian woman have been married 5 times and her present husband then wasn't properly married to her. There are 80% of homes in our society today that are not properly married, baby mamas everywhere, teenagers with kids that don't even know their fathers, these people are vulnerable. The Samarian woman had an encounter with Jesus and she was saved and she became a follower of Jesus Christ.

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John 8 also talked about a woman caught in the act of adultery that Jesus saved and she became a follower of Jesus Christ and the first female follower Jesus had, even when Jesus Christ resurrected she was the first to see Jesus, Mary Magdalene.

4} Those who lack direction in life.

There are those who lack direction in life especially the youths, Jesus Christ said they're like sheep without Shepherd, which means they have no guide, nobody to give them direction. As Christians is is our duty to help them, tell them the plan of God for their lives.

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Luke 15 vs 11 to 22 talks about the story of the Prodigal Son, also known as the Parable of the Lost Son which followed immediately after the parables of the Lost coin and the Lost Sheep. With these three parables, Jesus showed what it means to be lost, how heaven celebrates with joy when the lost are found, and how the loving Father longs to save people.

5} Those who are searching for the Truth.

There are those who are hungry and thirsty for the word of God, we need to identify them. John 3 talked about Nicodemus who was a leader, a teacher, a lawyer but yet didn't know the truth and he came to Jesus Christ by night and said to him "no man can do these things you do except one that comes from God", Jesus Christ saw that this man needed the truth, he was searching for it, he was hungry for it, there are those like that but nobody to preach to them and as Christians we should take advantage it and preach the gospel to them, we should tell them the truth and never Compromise, by doing this the lord will touch their hearts and bring them closer to heaven.

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Luke 19 vs 1 to 5

1.Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

Zacchaeus also wanted to know the truth, he sort to see Jesus, he made effort to see Jesus and he was saved, he became a follower of Jesus.

Conclusion

As believers it is our sole responsibility to win souls for the kingdom of God and now that we can identify the ripe fruits for harvest, we should employ these strategies and bring souls into the kingdom of God.

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