A MESSAGE TO ALL GROUP MEMBERS
Our group is called the “The Harvesters”. When you have finish reading here, I think you will see why the name fits. The Harvesters is a group that will be reaching out and making a difference in the lives of those the Lord places before us in our community. The ultimate goal is seeing more souls come into the kingdom.
The primary focus of the group will be reaching out to help and touch those in need in our community. Not only in the area of food but in other areas of their lives where we can make a difference. Since I expect that many in the group will have some form of interest in agriculture in one or more of its fascists, growing things, livestock, ect., we will be using those interests to learn and reach out to those we can be of assistance to.
A portion of what the group will endeavor to accomplish is to learn how to be more self-sufficient and not so dependent on outside entities and sources to take care of our own lives and families. Recognizing that God, Jehovah Jireh, is our ultimate provider, He does expect us to do our part. There in lies the “service” element of the group. It’s important that we remember that as we ourselves become less dependent upon others in certain areas of our lives, we become better able to help those we will come into contact with as the Lord places them in front of us.
The method by which this is going to be accomplished is not by looking at the way man does things but by the way faithful servant’s of God have done this for thousands of years. By incorporating what the Word says in these matters and following the directions laid down in His Word, we will become more useful servants for the Lord.
The underlying focus here is going to be looking at this from an agricultural perspective because it’s such a natural fit. This not only means we’re going to interested in crops but livestock also so anyone interested in almost any form of agriculture will benefit from the group. We will be looking at the how, what and why agriculture played such a big role in the lives of those in Biblical times. We will learn how to grow crops biblically and how to biblically raise livestock. One of the most important elements of the group will be looking at certain individuals God has specifically mentioned in His Word, those who were involved in some form of agriculture. Our goal here is to discover what can be learned from them that we can copy and become better for doing so.
Agriculture was one of the primary occupations by which folks made a living though out the Bible (and even before). Thousands upon thousands of people made their living by farming, shepherding and herding as well as other agricultural pursuits during those times. We want to discover and learn what characteristics in their lives and what other factors lead God to specifically choose these people for inclusion in His Word. Why did He choose those He did from all those other thousands. In doing so, we plan to make what we lean an active element of our walk with the Lord.
In a nutshell, we will be looking at historical Biblical Agriculture, Learning how to grow things and raise livestock Biblically and Learn how to take those things we learn from those people in the Word God has chosen and implement all these things into our lives.
This group is not going to be a just “sit around the living room and discuss things from the Word” type of group. The Harvesters group is going to be an active group. Taking what is learned and putting it into practice. Granted, our group may be looking at things a little more deeply but in order to fulfill what I believe is God’s design and purpose for the group a little deeper study into His Word is going to be necessary.
The active element to the group is that while all these other aspects of the group are taking place, we will be seeking out those in our church and community that we can be of assistance to with the expectation that they will see Christ and His Love in and through us. They will also see how knowing Jesus personally has not only made our lives better but happier. When they see these things taking place in our lives, I pray that the Holy Spirit will poke and tweak their natural tendencies and cause them to want those same things in their lives. This has been the way Karen and I have operated in ministry all our lives. I guess I pretty much equate it with the concept of Friendship Evangelism.
Because of the nature and activities of the group, I don’t believe this is going to be one of those groups that operates on a specific time frame where we start on one date and end on another. As long as there are people and families in need, the Harvesters will have work to do. I hope this helps give a little clearer picture of how I see the Harvesters group operating. I can provide the entire program and study layout if you want.
