Before we start, read John 4:1-42.
In this passage, Jesus is doing something profound. He’s trying to lift His disciples’ eyes beyond the physical and open them to the spiritual. But they were stuck—stuck on food, stuck on routine, stuck on material concerns. When they found Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman, they marveled, but none of them asked, Why? What is He doing? Instead, they worried about food. Rabbi, eat! they urged Him. And then, still missing the point, they asked, Did someone bring Him something? Their minds were fixed on earthly things when Jesus was calling them to something far greater.
And church, if we’re honest, aren’t we guilty of the same? Don’t we get so caught up in daily life—our jobs, our bills, our comforts—that we forget the bigger picture? Jesus tells us in verse 35, Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! The harvest is ready. Souls are waiting. But are we looking? Are we seeing the urgency?
Let me give you something to think about: Every minute, 156 people die without hope in Christ. That’s 9,360 people every hour. That’s a line of souls stretching 750,000 miles, circling the earth 30 times. And the question is, What are we doing about it?
The first-century church understood the urgency. Acts 8 tells us that when persecution came, they didn’t scatter in fear—they scattered preaching the Word. Everywhere they went, they spoke of Jesus. They didn’t wait for comfortable conditions. They didn’t wait for permission. They preached. And because of their faithfulness, the gospel spread across the known world in just 30 years.
Now, compare their world to ours. They had no cars, no planes, no internet, no mass media. Many of them were poor and facing political and social persecution. And yet, they evangelized with power. Meanwhile, we live in an age of unlimited opportunity—fast transportation, instant communication, and religious freedom. So why aren’t we seeing the same results? Why are we doing so little?
The answer is simple: We aren’t lifting up our eyes. We are distracted, comfortable, passive. We talk about evangelism, but do we live it? The first-century Christians were committed, enthusiastic, determined. They sacrificed their time, their comfort, their very lives for the sake of the gospel. Do we have that same passion?
Ask yourself: Am I truly committed to God? Am I making the most of every opportunity to share the gospel? Or am I more concerned with my own life, my own needs, my own comfort?
This morning, the call is clear. Jesus gave us a command in Matthew 28:19—to go into all the world and make disciples. That is not a suggestion. That is a command. If you are not fulfilling it, you need to ask yourself, why not?
If you are outside of Christ today, you need to make a decision. The gospel is simple: You must hear the truth, believe in Jesus, repent of your sins, confess Him as Lord, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. And then, you must remain faithful until death because only then will you receive the crown of life.
And if you’re already a Christian but have stumbled, know this—God is merciful. You can come to Him in repentance, and He will forgive. But don’t wait. Don’t delay. Souls are perishing. The harvest is ready. It’s time to lift up your eyes.
If you have a need today—whether to obey the gospel or to return to God—don’t wait.
