Post 18: The True Spiritual Harvest
Image: Photo of a horn-shaped woven wicker basket with various fruits spilling out of it, symbolizing a harvest of crops.
Post Summary: In this post, I discuss the meaning of "Spiritual Harvest" with scripture references. I also talk about how a person is added to God's harvest, how to participate in God's Harvest and what it means for those who are never added to the harvest.
Harvest Season and it's meaning:
Harvest season is the time of year when crops are gathered and collected from fields. During this period of intense work, farmers work to reap mature crops like grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts before the cold weather arrives, so that those crops can be saved from the harsh weather and stored for later use.
It typically occurs in late summer, autumn, or early winter and varies based on the crop and climate, though some crops can be harvested year-round. This work often requires extra help and/or specialized equipment to efficiently gather all the crops on time.
Harvest season also marks the end of the growing season, after which farmers can begin preparing their fields for the next year. Historically, harvest seasons have been a time for celebration, with many cultures holding festivals to give thanks for the food and bounty of the land.
Harvest-related feasts in the Bible:
In preparation for this post, I did some very brief research of harvest-related feasts in the bible and came across information pointing to 7 different Jewish feasts/festivals related to the Spring/Fall Harvests and agricultural seasons. The excerpt below from GotQuestions.org names the feasts and summarizes their overall significance.
"Beginning in the spring, the seven Jewish feasts are Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The Jewish feasts are closely related to Israel’s spring and fall harvests and agricultural seasons. They were to remind the Israelites each year of God’s ongoing protection and provision. But, even more importantly, they foreshadowed the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Not only did they play significant roles in Christ’s earthly ministry but they also symbolize the complete redemptive story of Christ, beginning with His death on the cross as the Passover Lamb and ending with His second coming after which He will “tabernacle” or dwell with His people forever."
For deeper study on these feasts/festivals, see GotQuestions.org article What are the different Jewish festivals in the Bible?
The Spiritual Harvest:
Agriculture was an important theme in Jesus' day and he often used agricultural analogies to teach the crowds and His disciples. One of Jesus' parables or teachings that describes this final spiritual harvest is the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13: 24-30), along with it's explaination (Matthew 13: 36-43).
In the Bible, a "tare" is a troublesome weed that closely resembles the wheat plant when it is young, making it difficult to distinguish between the two. Because the tares resembled young wheat, the wheat may be inadvertently damaged trying to remove the tares too early in the growing season, therefore the separation of the wheat and the tares should not occur until both plants have matured, making it easier to distinguish one from the other.
In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, Jesus mentions that an enemy came into a farmers field and deliberately polluted the field by sowing troublesome weeds or "tares" (bad seed or those who reject Christ) among the wheat (good seed or those who believe in Christ) in the field (the world and the church) while the farmer slept. As the plants grew, the farmers servants noticed and asked the farmer if the weeds should be removed but the farmer told them to wait until the harvest so the wheat would not be damaged. The farmer replies, telling the servants to let the wheat and tares grow together until the harvest, so that they don't inadvertently damage or uproot any wheat.
This parable teaches that believers and non-believers will coexist in the world until the end of the present age, when God's final judgment of the earth occurs. In this judgement, the evil ones (un-believers) will be separated and condemned to eternal torment in Hell, and the righteous (believers) will be saved and brought into eternity in God's Heavenly Kingdom.
How are we individually added to God's Final Spiritual Harvest?
The salvation of Christ Jesus is the only way we can be added to God's Final Spiritual Harvest (John 14:6). We are promised eternal life through the salvation of Christ when we hear the good news message of Jesus Christ and believe it (John 3:16). This message is that Jesus descended from Heaven to earth (Isaiah 9:6), lived a perfect, sinless life (1 John 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:21), sacrificed Himself on the cross for the remission, and forgiveness of our sins (Matthew 26:28, Luke 24:47) and was miraculously resurrected, defeating death, sin, and the grave (Luke 24: 6-7, 2 Timothy 1:10, Revelation 1:18)! Christ's death on the cross fully paid for ALL SIN, FOR ALL TIME! When we place our trust in His finished work on the cross, His blood payment for our sin debt we owe to God is applied to our account, and we are forever forgiven of our sins.
Believing that Christ is who He says he is and has done what he says he has done for us, according to the scriptures, grants us salvation! In Christ's salvation, we are reconciled back to God through His death (2 Corinthians 5:19), and saved from Gods own wrath that is coming upon the unforgiven world (Romans 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:9). When we come to believe in Him, we are born again, given eternal life (2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Peter 1:23), then set apart for the good work of laboring for the spiritual harvest until the culmination of the harvest (Ephesians 2:10, Timothy 2:21).
It is important to note that any person who has not been reconciled to God through faith in Christ is inherently hostile towards God and cannot do anything that would be pleasing to Him (Romans 8:7-9). God's Will is that man be saved through faith in Him (2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:4) and those who live in unbelief outside of God's Will cannot be a laborer in His eternal Kingdom. All who continue to reject Christ and His free gift of Salvation do not have Christ's payment for sins applied to them, therefore their sins are not forgiven and they will still have to pay for their own sins and will remain under God's Wrath (John 3:36).
The wage of sin is death (Romans 6:23), but this death refers to spiritual death where the person who is under God's Wrath is cast, body and soul, into eternal torment, forever separated from the grace of God in a literal fire-burning hell (John 3:18, Luke 12:4-5, Revelation 21:8). All who do not come to believe in Christ and be forgiven before they die (Hebrews 9:27) will meet this fate of eternal torment and separation from Gods Grace (2 Thessalonians 1:9, Matthew 25:46, Revelation 14:11), thereby will not be included in Gods Harvest!
In my own life, I was added to God's Final spiritual harvest and became a laborer in God's Harvest the day I believed and trusted in Christ's sacrifice for the payment of my own sins against God and was thereby saved. In the first 3 posts I shared in the Personal Faith section of my blog, I discuss my life prior to my salvation and the time leading up to when I finally believed and trusted in Christ and was added to God's Final Harvest. You can find links to those posts listed below:
Laboring in the Harvest:
As a born again Christian, "Laboring for God's Harvest" means using your gifts, time, and talents to share the gospel message of Christ, serve God through serving others, and embodying God's love and work for His purposes on Earth. We become laborers in God's spiritual harvest the moment we place our faith and trust in Christ for salvation. In gratitude for such an amazing gift of eternal life, we ought to prioritize laboring for eternal reward, and fulfil our ministry of reconciliation that God has given to those He has saved (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
In Matthew 9:37-38 (NKJV), Jesus says to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest'” .
Just prior to Him saying this, Jesus was going throughout many towns and villages, preaching, teaching, and healing. When He looked out and saw the multitudes (vast crowds) following him, He recognized that they were spiritually lost, referring to them as "the harvest". This passage is also emphasizing the need for more people to be involved in this work and that we ought to pray to God that He would send more laborers out to sow the gospel seed for the redemption of souls.
Sowing Seeds:
Evangelism is the act of sharing the message of the gospel (good news) of Christ Jesus with the goal that those who do not know or believe in Him might come to believe in Him and be saved!Sharing the salvation message of Jesus Christ is one of the most important ways we, as Christians, "sow seeds" into God's Eternal Harvest.
In biblical times, the message of Christ was shared mainly through personal conversation and in-person teaching. In more modern times like today, we can also use technology and media (e.g. blogs and YouTube videos) to spread the good news message of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. I truly believe the most effectual way is by personal conversation and in-person teaching.
In the Great Commission passage, found in Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV), Jesus says “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In this passage, Jesus gives his followers instructions for their on-going work after his resurrection, which includes the command to spread the Gospel globally and help new believers grow in their faith. This is evangelism at it's core, which can be understood as both a command from Jesus and a way for God to build his kingdom.
I like how bible refers to this spreading of the gospel through the analogy of sowing seeds. One key passage that describes this is the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-8), along with it's explanation (Luke 8:11-15). In this parable, Jesus teaches a crowd about a sower sowing seeds on four different types of ground/soil and what happened to the seed as it fell on those different types of soil. Jesus then explains that the seed represents the word of God and the different types of ground or soils represent the human heart and how those who hear the word will come to receive it in the heart.
Watering of seeds:
It is also important to note that the spiritual harvest is an ongoing, organic process that involves different roles, much like a physical harvest. In the sharing of the gospel, some people may be the original sower of the seed (first sharing of the gospel) , while others may "water the seed" (be an additional touchpoint for the gospel), but it is God's work of reaping the final harvest.
1 Corinthians 3:6, which states, "I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase". This verse, written by the Apostle Paul, illustrates that while both he (Paul) and Apollos played a role in ministry, it is ultimately God who causes spiritual revival and/or growth. The context of this verse is that Paul is addressing divisions that arose within the church in Corinth, where some followers were arguing about which apostle was superior.
The key takeaway from this passage teaches that human effort in ministry is important, and we as believers in Christ, are called to fulfill our ministry of reconciliation, but our opinions should not be a source of division. The ultimate focus should be on God, who is the one who revives the spiritually dead back to life through Christ's death and brings spiritual growth.
Other ways we participate in the spiritual harvest:
We also participate in the harvest through sharing our personal testimony of Christ's redemption in our own lives. As others see and hear how God has redeemed us and is working in our lives, He can use our personal testimony to reach others, bringing them to trust in Christ for their own salvation and deliverance from the wage of sin and unbelief (Psalm 107:2, Mark 5:19, John 4:39, Acts 4:20, Revelation 12:11).
Living out the gospel in our everyday life is another way we can participate in the harvest. This also entails engaging in regular personal spiritual practices like prayer, Bible study, and self-reflection to grow in faith. It also means applying learned biblical principles to your daily life by treating others with kindness, patience, and love, thereby sharing your faith through your actions and words.
Participating in the harvest also includes walking with integrity and sacrificially serving others as though you are serving God. We can also participate in the harvest by motivating one another and encouraging fellow believers to pursue good deeds and service, rather than self-centeredness. Other ways to participate included building relationships, serving your community, and engaging in civic and church activities, with the goal of pointing people to Jesus, our Lord and Savior!
Bearing fruit of the spiritual harvest:
We bear fruit for God's spiritual harvest when a person to which we are witnessing or sharing about Christ places their faith in Him and are saved.
In the Parable of the Vine and the Branches (John 15:1-8), Jesus uses a metaphor for the relationship between Jesus, his followers, and God to teach us how we can bear fruit and be fruitful for the kingdom of God. In it, He (Jesus) identifies himself as the true vine (the source of life and nourishment), his followers as the branches, and God as the vinedresser who prunes the vines to produce more fruit. He mentions that we (believers) must "abide" or remain in Him to bear spiritual fruit. Here, He also teaches us that branches that do not remain connected to the vine will wither and die, while those that do remain connected to Him will bear fruit and be pruned to produce more fruit (V 1-8).
Some interpret this passage to be about salvation, however I do not believe this passage is talking about salvation. Salvation, and subsequently eternal life, is granted the moment we put our trust in Christ, and never be lost or taken away (John 6:39, John 10:28-29, John 5:24, Romans 8:1). In verse 3 of this parable, Jesus says " You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you." This means the believer has already been washed clean by their faith in Christ, and the word eternal means....well...forever! When I think about the context of this verse and the audience of this parable being Jesus's own disciples, who have already been saved or "washed clean" of sin through their faith in Him, I can only conclude that it is not talking about salvation, but the judgement of the believers works (2 Corinthians 5:10, Romans 14:10, and 1 Corinthians 3:11-15).
To abide in Christ, we must exercise faith, trust, and obedience, which involves a continuous process of connecting with God through prayer and his Word, submitting to his will, and recognizing his presence in your daily life. This intimate relationship is rooted in repentance and belief in the gospel, and it is expressed through a life that reflects Christ's teachings. In Jesus's teaching of The Parable of the Vine and the Branches, He promises that we will bear fruit if we remain in Him. God's word says that He is Faithful and will do what He has promised for those who have faith in Christ, and trusting Him means taking Him at His word.
The salvation of souls is the most important way in which our obedience to God and abiding in Christ bears fruit.
Bearing fruit in our own spiritual journey:
Spiritually, harvest season can also symbolize reaping the results or rewards of our own spiritual labor, such as recognizing Gods grace and blessings in the edifying relationships he has brought forth in our lives, seeing others being motivated to pursuit good deeds through your own influence, recognizing how God has been answering your prayers, and seeing spiritual growth in ourselves through obedience to God's word. As we remain connected to Jesus the True Vine (Matthew 15: 1-8), we will experience fruitfulness in our own personal lives as well.
This "fruitfulness" refers to recognizing the impact of the fruit of the spirit as we are growing in the knowledge and character of God. Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) says: "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law”. These "fruit" are not describing qualities we have on our own doing but are the natural result of abiding in Christ and living according to the Gods' Word. These fruit can also be observed by others around us, serving as additional witness of Christ's impact in our lives, and reflect how a life, transformed and empowered by God, should look in its actions and character.
Seasons of the Spiritual harvest:
The Spiritual Harvest is both an on-going work and a final work. It occurs both continually as people come to trust Christ, and will also occur as a final work in the culmination of God's Final Harvest when He will gather or reap believers into eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom. Within this work lies seasonality, so it is important to recognize your place in the "spiritual seasons" for growth. In multiple passages, the bible tells us that there are seasons or "periods" for all things (Psalm 1:3, Ecclesiastes 3:1, Acts 14:17).
Planting/Sowing Season:
In our life and walk with God, we will have seasons of learning, in which Gods word is being sown into us through our bible study. In this phase, we may be growing in knowledge and faith in Gods word as we are learning how to be the "Sower". We will also have seasons where we are planting God's word in others, and praying that it will bear fruit.
Seasons of Fruitlessness:
In the life of the Christian, there will be seasons where we won't see any outward or immediate impact of our "seed sowing" but we must remain faithful and patient. The time between sowing and reaping requires patience, and a spiritual harvest requires sustained faith and trust, even when the process is slow. In our seasons of fruitlessness, we must labor on, as God has promised that our labor will not be in vain. (Psalm 107:37-38, 1 Corinthians 15:58, 2 Corinthians 9:10, Galatians 6:9).
Seasons of Pruning:
You will also have seasons of "pruning," where God removes things or people from your life that hinder your spiritual growth and maturity. This make look like distancing yourself from old friends and acquaintances who are not believers, especially if they openly reject what Jesus stands for. This could also look like finally letting go of a toxic relationship because you've been holding onto them despite evidence that the relationship is destructive. This may also entail getting rid of idols like Social Media, Technology or Phones, or even diminishing your relationship to anyone or anything in your life that you love or cherish more than God. We should be praying that God would reveal such things in our lives so that we can remove what may be hindering our growth in the Lord.
Seasons of Fruitfulness:
There will be seasons of fruitfulness, where you actually can see the impact your sowing of gospel seeds are bringing others to Christ and/or increasing your own personal faith through obedience to Gods word. This fruitfulness can personal salvation, salvation of others, and/or spiritual growth in our own lives.
Period of fruitfulness should impart feelings of joy and gladness. (Psalm 126:5-6, Isaiah 9:3, John 4:35-38). Those who find the salvation of Christ find joy in Gods grace which allows for the posibility of salvation to begin with (Psalm 51:12, Habakkuk 3:18, Isaiah 35:10, 1 Peter 1:8-9). They also express their joy by telling their friends and their neighbors what great things the Lord has done for them There is also much joy in heaven when one person is saved (Luke 15:7).
Seeing the fruits of your labor or faith can bring a sense of joy and fulfillment, and is great time of showing gratitude for God's blessings, both personally, and corporately among your local Body of Christ a.k.a local church (Psalm 34:3, Philippians 4:4, 2 Corinthians 1:24). It is also a time of sharing with others, recognizing that all provisions come from God who is the ultimate provider for all of creation (Matthew 6:33, Philippians 4:19, 2 Corinthians 9:8).
The harvest reminds us to see our work, family, and resources as ultimately belonging to God, not just to ourselves. God entrusts us with what he gives to us and we are called to be good stewards of God's blessings, which means using them not only for your own needs but also to bless others (Matthew 25:14-30, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Peter 4:10).
A Warning about bearing bad fruit
In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus teaches that it is possible to bear bad fruit by our actions. Jesus warns against false prophets by explaining that their true nature is revealed by their "fruit"—that is, the actions and teachings that come from their heart. These false teachers may appear harmless like sheep, but they are inwardly like destructive wolves who lead people astray with misleading or harmful teachings. Believers are warned that we must look beyond superficial appearances and test all teaching by Gods word to discern whether the teacher is true or false, which warning us that that the false teacher will inevitably reap bad fruit, both for themselves spiritually and for those who they mislead.
Luke 6:43-45 teaches us that what is in our heart is the source of our outward behavior and our life will ultimately reflect what is in our hearts, with good hearts producing good fruit and bad hearts producing bad fruit. This passage is part of a larger teaching on self-examination and the importance of our deeds matching our words.
The overarching warning about bearing bad fruit is that false teachers will bear bad fruit through their deception and will have a heavy price to pay (Matthew 18:6, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 Timothy 6:3–5). We must use discernment to recognize the bad fruit of the false teachers and separate ourselves from them (Psalm 119:125, Proverbs 2:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22).
Conclusion:
This concept of on-going spiritual harvest as well as God's final harvest serves as a reminder for believers to actively participate in evangelism and to share their faith with others, to be sowers and reapers for the "harvest of souls".
We must also be mindful of the false prophets, who Jesus says produces bad fruit and will be known by their fruit. We must be vigilant, testing biblical teachings we hear against the word of God and praying that the Holy Spirit help us to understand and retain the word so we will be able to recognize the bad fruit from the false prophets, and guard ourselves against deception in these last days.