In John 4:35 Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” Jesus wanted his disciples to see more of the field than what was immediately in front of them. So, he instructed them to “lift up” their eyes in order to see farther out, to see the fields as he wanted them to see them. Too many only have a view of the area where they are, but Jesus wants us to view more than our immediate surroundings. He wants us to "lift up" our eyes, look farther out, and see all of the “fields”.
In Matthew 13:38, Jesus said, “the field is the world”. He who is Lord defined the “field” that we are to look upon as the "world". He wants us to see the entire world as a ripened harvest field.
I was once a home missionary and worked hard to see that home mission become established. Yet, even as a home missionary struggling to found an infant church, I knew that I still had to look beyond the borders of my own town to see the full scope of the fields that Jesus wanted me to see, i.e., to see the world.
I wanted to see the rest of the world reached, but we were struggling financially to pay $50.00 ⁄ month as the rent on a hall we were using for services. So, we stepped out by faith to give to foreign missions what we did not have to give. We held a Faith Promise service and committed our little group to give $100.00 ⁄ month.
The very next week a man telephoned and told me that he wanted to give our church $100.00 ⁄ month. We knew that God was giving back the money that we had just promised, by faith, to give to foreign missions. Our little church bawled and squalled, and gave the Lord thanks. Immediately we held another Faith Promise service and committed ourselves to $200.00 ⁄ month.
We desperately needed a church building, but we had no money. Never the less, on Christmas Day following our second Faith Promise service I received a telephone call from a man saying, "I understand that you are looking for a church building." I felt the Holy Ghost come all over me with an assurance that this was his doings. We agreed on that very day to buy the church for $20,000.00, a steal. As soon as we got into that building we held another Faith Promise service and increased our commitment to $400.00 ⁄ month.
From struggling to pay $50.00 ⁄ month we went to needing an income of over $850.00 ⁄ month. Yet, we never struggled for finances again. I have said all of this in order to say, dare to look on the fields, get involved, and God will enable you and bless you.
