At the edge of our neighborhood, there is an apple tree. And over the past few weeks every time I drive by I see the tree weighed down by apples, then slowly they keep dropping because there is no one there to pick the harvest. The apples are there, ripe, ready to be harvested.
Tonight, as we kick off an electric season of Ignite, we are stepping straight into that kind of situation.
In Luke 10:2, Jesus told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Let’s be crystal clear about what Jesus is saying: it is not a harvest problem. The harvest is plentiful. There are kids and students in our schools and neighborhoods who will be saved if someone tells them. As the Apostle Paul asks in Romans 10:14, “How are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”
There are young people starving for love, truth, and community who will be fed if someone steps up to serve them. As James 2:15–16 challenges us, faith isn't an abstract theory. Faith shows up where people are hurting, naked, and without daily food.
Christ has already completed the work of redemption on the cross. The harvest belongs to Him. Yet in His lavish grace, God chooses to work through ordinary people, through our voices, our hands, and our presence. He doesn’t merely suggest we do something about it; He commands us to run to our loving Father and ask Him to raise up workers for this field.
Because, let’s be honest, harvest work is work. It takes grit, patience, and real commitment. When we ask God to send out laborers, we aren't asking for spectators or crowd managers. We are asking Him to raise up a generation of servants who:
Rest in the living Hope of Jesus: grounded in His forgiveness, not their own performance.
Experience genuine belonging in community: knowing they never labor alone.
Are sent with clear purpose: living out their baptismal calling right where God has planted them.
Grow in wisdom, spiritual discipline, prayer, and God’s Word, holding fast to the truth that anchors their lives. That is what “sending out workers” looks like, and that is our assignment as we enter our prayer time.
Let’s intercede for our Ignite leaders, small group mentors, and student leaders. Ask the Lord to sustain them with increased discipline, deep wisdom, and an unwavering commitment to studying His Word.
Then let’s pray that every child and student who walks in tonight encounters the Word of Christ. Pray that the Holy Spirit works through every leader's voice to create, sustain, and anchor saving faith in these young hearts.