The Harvest
Do you think it's possible that the Greatest Investment Opportunity isn’t in the Market—but in the Mission?
In 1974, Billy Graham convened the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism—a historic gathering that helped ignite the modern global missions movement. One of the most groundbreaking ideas introduced there came from Dr. Ralph Winter: the concept of Unreached People Groups—communities without any meaningful access to the gospel unless someone crosses cultural and geographic boundaries to reach them.
Fifty years later, we’ve seen incredible progress. Hundreds of groups once unreached are now reached. But don’t let the progress fool you—there’s still an urgent need.
A friend serving in a predominantly Muslim region shared this sobering reality:
A people group of nearly 20 million has just one young Christian couple working among them.
Another group of more than 1 million also only has a single, struggling family.
Social media, satellite TV, and digital outreach beam out fragments of the gospel—but in many places, there's no one on the ground to meet seekers, form groups, or plant churches.
In some cities, there are no believers, no churches, and no one willing or able to go.
So what do we do with this gap?
Jesus’ words in Luke 10:2 still ring true: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (NIV). What we often miss is the urgency baked into this metaphor. Every farmer knows: delay the harvest, and you risk losing the crop. The same is true in missions. If we wait, we lose souls.
This urgency isn’t just about people—it’s also about resources. I often reframe Luke 10:2 this way when speaking with Christian investors: “The resources are plentiful, but little gets deployed.” We pray for laborers, but forget that funding the mission is part of the mandate.
Missional enterprises, Business for Transformation initiatives, and Great Commission companies are proving effective in reaching the unreached—bringing the hope of Jesus into marketplaces and neighborhoods where traditional missionaries may never gain access. Business is not a distraction from ministry; it is the very vehicle that can carry the gospel to the hardest places.
So here’s the question: If God has entrusted you with financial resources, a portfolio, a nest egg, how might He be calling you to use them?
Matthew 28:19 commands us to “Go and make disciples of all nations…”(NIV) —not as a suggestion, but as a mandate. The Great Commission wasn’t given to pastors only. It was given to all followers of Jesus. That includes those of us with influence, affluence, or investment capital. Is any portion of your portfolio “going to make disciples”? If not, why not?
The harvest is ready. Workers are needed. But funding is scarce. The clock is ticking. Will your investments make a temporary difference in the market—or an eternal difference in the kingdom?
Let me finish with the words of C.T. Studd, a famous British cricket star who gave up fame and fortune to share the gospel in China, India, and Africa: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
