We have seen that Christ’s spiritual meat is spiritual food that gives him strength and power. His spiritual food is “to do the will of Him that sent [Christ] and to finish His work.” Doing the Father’s will is spiritual food for Christ and His body. It is what energizes Him.
So, what is the Father’s will? “Will” is translated from the Greek word meaning “desire.” What are His desires? And how are we to be used by God to fulfill His desire, which is His will?
His Will, His Desire—The Harvest
Christ’s thoughts are about the harvest of souls that will populate His Kingdom.
We are working with Christ’s operative statement: “My food is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). Christ in the very next verse tells us what the Father’s will is. It is to make sure that the harvest at the time of the end takes place. To insure it, He needs laborers.
His will is to harvest His seed, His promises, and His word. Christ speaks of the harvest: “Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” Then He mentions the sowers and the reapers, which are to be taken spiritually and not literally. “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for.” Christ sends us to be reapers of precious souls in His harvest (4:35-38).
In the mind of Christ, He has sent us to reap what the patriarchs, prophets and apostles sowed in the earth. “One sows and another reaps is true,” He said. They sowed the seed of Yahweh’s creative genius in turning darkness into light. Pre-Adamites were scattered all over the earth. Yahweh then planted the seed of light by creating a new people—Adam and his offspring, about 6,000 years ago. The Bible is the story of how God used Adam and his seed to bring spiritual light to world.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Israel, Joseph, Moses, the Judges, the prophets—they all sowed the seed while they looked forward to the promise of His harvest. God promised a new spiritual body upon His return to earth. These sowers labored under the old covenant, looking forward to our day of the new covenant. These sowers did not get to see the harvest. They now await the reapers—the elect, those chosen to serve in our end time era.
God has chosen us to be reapers. “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor” (Jn. 6:38). [More about being “sent” later.]
God’s will is to bring all things to harvest at the time of the end. He desires to use his elect to be the laborers in that harvest. “Time” is the key to understanding His will. The Father has a timetable for everything. He has a time for the harvest of souls. He has called and now chosen certain people to be used as laborers in his harvest. They are the sons and daughters of God, shining forth as lights, exposing a present, crooked, and dark world.
The old patriarchs and prophets longed for our day. They died in faith but did not receive the promise. And that promise is eternal life in a new spiritual body, living in New Jerusalem. That promise includes living in the Kingdom of God that shall never be destroyed (Heb. 11:39).
End Time Reapers—A Special Relationship
The saints of old were the sowers of Yahweh’s plan; we have been chosen to be the reapers of His harvest. The reapers hold a special place in God’s will. Christ spells it out clearly: “And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given me but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (Jn. 6:39-40).
He will raise us up to reap souls for His kingdom. We can look into the future to see what the reaping is about. It is found in Matthew 9:35-38: Christ was teaching and preaching the kingdom of God and healing all who came to Him. “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.” It is all about the harvest. Christ’s mind was on the Father’s will, which is praying and asking God to raise up laborers.
The Father’s will is that Christ will lose none of us that the Father has given to Christ. The Father has given to Christ a set, certain amount of reapers for the harvest. God’s will/desire is that none will be lost. He will have His hand on us, leading and guiding us by the Spirit of truth, delivering us from danger, both spiritual and physical. For examples, look to the characters in the Bible and see how God protected them from Satan time and time again. God will do the same for us; He does not change.
This is what election is about. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” He knew us before we ever came onto this mortal plane. He has delivered us, gathering us up with a “strong hand and a stretched-out arm.” He helped our moms and dads, providing a path for us to enter the earth. He forgave our treachery and unbelief time and time again, using each sinful episode as a learning opportunity for us, readying us to be used—after true repentance—as one of His reapers in His long-awaited harvest.
There is much talk about what the will of God is. Here we have it straight out of the mouth of the Master Teacher Christ. Don’t know how or what to pray for? He commands us to pray that the Father will send more laborers into the harvest of souls. That is His thoughts on the matter. This is the truth and the way to have our prayers answered. “If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (I John 5:14). In agreement with His will. Now that we know exactly what His will is, we can confidently communicate with Him about His harvest and how He wants to use us.
We now know what His will is. Our prayers to Him should be petitions that center in on His harvest. For that is His will; that is His desire. The Father is joyful when we talk to Him about the things He is thinking asbout. He will help us.
But who are these who He will raise up at the last day? Who will be His faithful reapers? Who will walk and labor alongside Christ? Those who have His vision will respond. They will come, for they have been sent to work in the fields of His harvest. Kenneth Wayne Hancock