The Just One Challenge!

In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."  How many more workers would it take to make a difference?  The answer is just one more.

That's why Ozark continues to issue the Just One Challenge:  will you pray for just one more worker for the harvest field?

The Difference Just One Can Make

Just one can make a difference.  Just one splash of paint changes the landscape of the canvas.  Just one little mustard seed, in God’s hands, grows into a large tree.  Just one little boy’s lunch, in God’s hands, feeds a vast multitude. 

• Just one more kingdom worker could plant a church, reach a far-off village or lead a student to Christ. 
• Roy Weece, longtime campus minister at the University of Missouri, baptized over 10,000 people in his lifetime. 
• Gwen Stone, with her husband Sam, raised sons Jeff and Dave to love God, and now both lead strong, evangelistic churches. 
• As a result of Ajai Lall’s church planting ministry, over 150,000 believers in India now worship the risen Christ. 
• Throughout her 30 years in Christian higher education, Eleanor Daniel helped design VBS curriculum, teaching countless children across the nation about Jesus. 

In God’s power, every single kingdom worker can leave a lasting influence.  Will you pray for just one more? 

Who Should I Pray For?

Ask God to show you one person—a potential kingdom laborer—for whom you could pray.  They might be young people or mid-career folks.  They might be the brightest students in the youth group, because God’s mission needs the best leaders.  Or they might be rather average, because God delights in using unlikely people (1 Corinthians 1:27). 

Just one more kingdom worker would make a difference, so here's the challenge:

1. PRAY FOR JUST ONE MORE. Pray the prayer Jesus commanded in Matthew 9:38. Ask God to show you one person you could encourage toward full-time ministry. If you already know one, pray for that person by name. Wear the white wristband we're providing as a constant reminder to pray for another harvest worker.
2. LOOK FOR JUST ONE MORE. Keep your eyes open for potential kingdom laborers. They might be young people or mid-career people. They might be the brightest students in the youth group, because God's mission in the world needs the best leaders. Or they might be rather average, because God has a habit of choosing unlikely folks to make a big difference (1 Corinthians 1:27).
3. SPEAK TO JUST ONE MORE. Plant seed-thoughts in the minds of promising leaders. Ask them if they've ever considered full-time ministry. When D. P. Shaffer heard a first-grader quote a large portion of John 14 in front of the congregation, he patted the boy's head and said, "You are going to make a good preacher someday." That boy's name was Bob Russell, who never forgot those words and went on to lead Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky to great growth.

The Just One Challenge is simple: Pray, Look and Speak. This challenge, by the way, is for kingdom recruitment, not just for OCC recruitment. I long to see such a wave of new kingdom workers that all of our Bible colleges are flooded with students. We certainly want the Lord to send many our way here at OCC, but my heart's desire is not just a college bursting at the seams with students. My heart's desire - and the desire of God's heart - is to see heaven bursting at the seams with people our graduates have won to Christ. People matter deeply to God, eternity is almost here, and He wants just one more laborer to spread the good news.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Will you accept the challenge?

~ OCC President Matt Proctor