Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He made some promises, and gave a few commandments to His followers. When He said He would send the Holy Spirit as a helper and equipper in all that is needed to live successfully, that His people would never be alone, that He would prepare a place in heaven for His followers and that He would one day return for them, Jesus intended to provide clarity and comfort for those experiencing a type of separation anxiety. And there were also some directives; persevere and never turn back, abide in Him, teach others all that He taught, make disciples, and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is this last idea of sharing with others what God has done in one’s life, which is the call of every follower of Jesus Christ that I am considering right now. It has been said that evangelism is nothing more than one beggar telling another where to find food. It is beautiful to consider that Jesus’ love surpasses our ability to imagine; that none are beyond His reach to restore and heal.
When people take the words of Christ seriously, everything changes. Christianity is no longer merely a religious system but the power of God in the gospel to transform lives. (Romans 1:16) And the grace of God in Christ can cure every wound (Luke 4:18) and shine a light on the footpath for those walking in Him. (Psalm 119:105)
When observing the needs of the masses and the relatively few individuals willing to answer the call to intervene, Jesus said the harvest is great but the workers are few. (Matthew 9:37) It is this idea of reaping lost souls for the Kingdom of Heaven that Harvest Crusades had gotten its name.
Since 1990, Harvest Crusades have put on various large-scale events where people can invite friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ in a relevant and non-threatening environment. Since inception, over 370,000 people have recorded decisions to give their lives to Christ at these functions. This Sunday is Harvest America – where approximately 2,100 satellite locations across the United States will simultaneously broadcast the music and message from Greg Laurie. Calvary Chapel Ojai Valley is one of the places where people can connect with God through Harvest America this year. Last year was an experiment in getting the message of God out using the best of technology and personal invitation and was unprecedented in size and scope in the history of humanity. And untold tens of thousands of people turned over their lives to Jesus Christ that weekend all across America. It was beautiful.
We invite you to come to Harvest America at Calvary Chapel Ojai this Sunday starting at 3:30pm for live music by Crimson Crown and a message of hope by Greg Laurie. Come and Bring friends and family, co-workers and neighbors. People will experience the power of God to change a life. Will you?