The Grin Reaper

by Richard

We’ll probably camp out in John 4 for the weekend because it’s one of those chapters with a lot to say. So watch during the weekend for some more postings on this chapter.

Picture the scene! Jesus has just demonstrated to a Samaritan woman that He’s the saviour of the world. She runs off to get the Samaritan village to come and meet the Messiah. Meanwhile, the disciples come back from a shopping trip and it’s time for a nice, quiet, picnic lunch with Jesus beside Jacob’s well! All of a sudden they look up and the Samaritan village is approaching. “Oh no” they say, “We are going to be disturbed by a bunch of gawking gypsies!”

So Jesus tells them “Look the fields are ready to be harvested (John 4: 36). They are coming towards you! I want you to finish your sandwich and get busy helping me save some people!”

And Jesus goes on to explain about sowing and reaping. Some people sow the word of God into people’s lives and others come along and reap a spiritual harvest. Both the “sower” and “reaper” work together for God, and have a heavenly joy as they compliment each others gifts.

Well, this is where the “Grin Reaper” bit comes in. I believe that I am a sowing evangelist, if you want to call it that. I’m good at getting the word of God into peoples lives and making them think about faith. But I’m not so gifted (yet at least) in helping people come to faith in Christ. Whereas Troy Cady, for example, who used to work on the Mountainview team, has an amazing ability to show up at the right time and to say just the right things to help people to believe! I think one of the holes that we have at Mountainview is for someone who has a strong gift in “reaping evangelism”. If we are going to see large numbers of people come to Christ in Madrid I believe that we will need someone like this in our church.

So here’s what I’m doing. I’m praying that God would send us a joyous, reaping evangelist…The Grin Reaper. I’m praying that he (and his family) will somehow, through Christian Associates or otherwise, find Mountainview. I’m praying that this might already be his nickname! I’m praying that when we see the power of God at work, plugging an important staffing hole in Mountainview we will have the faith do follow Christ at a deeper level and have stories that will make the doubters think! I pray that we will have incredible joy as we see sowing and reaping gifts working hand in hand at Mountainview.

Jesus send us the GRIN REAPER!