GID5 Chapter 4 - Tools for the Harvest

Harvest time is a time to reap. Jesus mentioned one harvest tool when He says, “As soon as the corn is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:29) in the Parable of the Growing Seed. The sickle is a stick with a handle on one end and a sharp curved metal piece on the other. This is what the labourer uses for harvesting grain.

The tools in this chapter are to equip the labourer to share the good news about Jesus to others. As you become familiar with each tool, you will get a sense of when to use each one. The Lord of the harvest Himself will guide you as you become His labourer in the harvest.

In Book 2, we introduced the concept of witnessing as part of the horizontal relationship we have with others who have yet to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Here you will learn to develop your story of your encounter with Jesus. We will use the example of the Apostle Paul who gave his testimony during his trial before the Roman procurators who adjudicated cases in Caesarea. Read Acts 26:1-29 and answer the following questions:

This tried-and-true resource gives you the Bible verses to explain why we need Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross to solve our greatest problem: separation from God. When you’re not sure if friends have surrendered their lives to Christ yet, this is a great way to help them make that decision. Draw this diagram on a piece of paper to walk someone through the gospel step-by-step. It helps to have the verses handy, bookmarked in a Bible or Bible app. The numbers show you the order in which to share.

Accept Jesus, Which is as Simple as A-B-C

Talk to Jesus Right Now — You can talk to Jesus right now to receive him. You can repeat after me or put this in your own words:

The Adventure Ahead — Now that we’re restored in our relationship, we get to join him in the restoration of all things on Earth that are broken and damaged by sin! This includes helping your friends have a relationship with Jesus, bringing justice where there is injustice, healing where there is pain, and hope where there is despair.

An evangelistic Bible study is a Bible study designed to help enquirers have a grasp of the primary teaching of the Bible on God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many such materials available at different levels of difficulty, depending on a seeker’s degree of exposure to the Bible and its teachings.

A very simple one for those with little exposure to the Christian faith or the Bible is called ‘Knowing God’. It consists of 4 short chapters, each on a different aspect of God’s character. Selected verses (on average 10 verses) on each character attribute in the four chapters are set out for the seeker’s reflection. No homework is required except to read the selected verses in advance. The discussion can take place even if the seeker comes without prior preparation.

This study booklet is ideal for those who have little or no prior knowledge of God or the Bible. For this group, it is a natural progression to start with God then go on to Jesus Christ and the gospel after this booklet. This booklet is available for downloading from the Navigators Singapore resource website by clicking on the following link:
https://navigators.org.sg/donation/resources/blogart62

Another evangelistic Bible study available from the same resource page as above is called, ‘You and Your World: Beginnings and Endings - A Biblical Perspective’. This study has four themes, namely, Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and the New Creation. (These themes constitute what is called the ‘four-chapter Gospel’ as opposed to the ‘two-chapter Gospel’ of the Fall and the Redemption of man, typically used in many modern gospel presentations including the Bridge to Life shown above.) While this Evangelistic Bible Study takes more time, the more complete understanding of the Gospel is worth the effort if the seeker is willing to give more time. You may download this Bible study by clicking on the following link:
https://navigators.org.sg/donation/resources/blogcat17/blogart55

You will need to register and create an account if you have not already done so in order to have access.

Reading any one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), story by story (in bite-size sections) is another effective way to introduce seekers to know the gospel story. Let the seeker engage with God’s Word. Remember, God’s Word is ‘alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’ (Hebrews 4:12).

John’s Gospel is commonly used because it was ‘written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’ (John 20:31). John’s Gospel has a great introduction to who Jesus is. In addition, the initial chapters record Jesus’ conversations with Nicodemus, a religious leader (John 3), a woman of questionable morals (John 4) and a paralysed man (John 5), all of whom came to know Jesus as their Messiah and God. Some have responded in faith when covering these initial chapters.

1. Remember, sowing tools and harvesting tools are different. Farmers do not use the sickle for sowing. It is used when the grain is ripe. Thus, the labourer who seeks to reap the harvest of souls for Christ must know that people are ‘ripe’ before he uses the harvest tool(s) at his disposal.

2. Not every season is a harvest season. Sowing is equally important. Sowing precedes harvesting. In sowing, we sow the seed of the gospel in various ways like living the way Jesus wants us to live, having speech ‘seasoned with salt’, doing good works, speaking of God or Jesus when the opportunities are presented, and so on. It is exuding the fragrance of Christ. Then when people are ready, the prolonged conversations on the gospel can take place with the possibility of reaping.

3. Start with mastering your testimony and the Bridge to Life. Then progress to using the other tools suggested like the Evangelistic Bible Study. ‘Knowing God’ is fairly easy to use. With perseverance and time, you will become a skilled labourer for the harvest.

4. There are of course other tools that can be used. The ones above are recommended for their simplicity and effectiveness in leading others to Christ. You will be adept in using them by practicing, and when confident, by weaving these tools into your conversations with seekers. It will come with frequency. Don’t worry about the wrong order of the truths in the presentations. It has been shown that even then, people have come to faith.

5. Prayer is the unseen but powerful tool. We cannot do the work of evangelism without dependence on God. Talk to God about those you are witnessing to. Prayer is the key to the harvest. Plead for their souls. Petition God to work in their hearts. Pray that they will respond in faith to the gospel.