Serving Our Neighbors

The foundational tool of International Harvesters is Prayer.  It is the primary function of their core weekly meetings of Harvesters, wherein they gather as Harvester Field Units in the marketplace throughout the city.  

Prayer, that is real, genuine and from a pure heart.  [Communication with anyone, even with God, must be on a very personal level to be considered worthy of one's attention, even God's; and thus since God already knows our hearts and minds, our prayers must be a true and credible expression of our inner most being.  Thus Yeshua "Jesus" said, "For your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:8) and "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8)]

Prayer, that is directed toward the Father's heart, in the Name of His Son and filled with the power of His Holy Spirit, His very presence and glory.  [If someone requests of you to ask someone else for something in their name, or to give someone else a gift in their name, or to even do something for someone else in their name, they want that someone else to know and understand that what you are asking for, or what you are giving them or what you are doing for them is as though they themselves were asking for it, or as though they were giving it, or as though they were doing it for that someone.  This is what Yeshua "Jesus" meant when He said, "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you!"  (John 16:23).  It is as though Yeshua, the one and only son of God, were asking for it Himself for His own use.]  

Prayer, that is agreed upon by two or more fellow believers in God.  [When we gather with others believers and ask God for something in the name of Yeshua "Jesus" (as though He were asking His own Father for it) we are acknowledging to God, and to the others, that we believe that God will hear us and that He will answer us.  There is accountability outside of ourselves and there are several witnesses, wherein when God does indeed answer our prayers, we can justly testify that God answered our prayers and thus He deserves all the glory.  This is what Yeshua "Jesus" meant when He said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, I am there in the midst of them"  (Matthew 18:20) and "by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established" (Matthew 18:16 & Deuteronomy 19:15)  This kind of prayer is outside our hearts and minds and own imaginations, wherein others can not only hear and agree with us, but also witness God moving on our behalf to answer us.]

Prayer, that is in the marketplace, that takes place in our community, outside of our homes and churches.  [Yeshua "Jesus" prayed in secret and by Himself.  He also prayed to His Father and ministered to people in their homes and in their synagogues "their churches and their places of worship."  He also prayed to His Father and ministered to people in the marketplace, in their community, where they worked and lived.  He openly demonstrated His love for His Father, for His children by praying for and ministering to them where they were, in the markets, on the streets, in their places of business.  He allowed everyone, who had eyes to see and hears to ears, to know who He was and what He was all about.  Thus Yeshua "Jesus" said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  (John 10:10)]

Prayer, that takes place within the context of testimony, wherein God is being glorified and exalted.  [Paul said, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17)  When we gather together in fellowship with other believers and begin to share what is going on in our life and how we believe that God is answering our prayers, it builds up our faith and we are able to believe God for more of His will to be done in our lives.  Thus Yeshua "Jesus" said, "Have faith in God . . . whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:22)  And the author of Hebrews writes "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."  (Hebrews 11:6)  Then John states in Revelations 12:11 "And they overcame him (the enemy, the accuser of our brethren, the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony"  The Blood of the Lamb is in reference to what Yeshua "Jesus" did on the cross more than 2000 years ago and what has been rehearsed each year in the Feast of Passover by the Jewish people for more than 3280 years.  The Word of our Testimony is in reference to what God has done in our lives yesterday, today and what He is going to do tomorrow.  This is how we begin to defeat and destroy the work of the enemy in our lives!] 

When a Harvester gathers with other believers in a Harvester Field Unit, they begin by fellowshipping together, wherein they share with each other what is going on in their lives and how they see God moving in their lives on their behalf, and thus they share their testimonies with each other.  (If it is the first time that a group of Harvesters are gathering together, each one should be given the time necessary to share their personal testimony, beginning with their life before they met Yeshua "Jesus", how they met Him and what has happened since they met Him.  This will allow each Harvester to know more about each other, so that they can build a lasting and meaningful fellowship.)  Once several Harvesters (or all of them, if time allows) have shared their testimonies for the week, their Harvest Facilitator then leads them to begin to pray for each other in regards to the needs that were voiced during the fellowship and testimony times.  Then the following week, the Harvester Field Unit gathers again, fellowshipping together, sharing testimonies and praying for each other.  They also can incorporate a time for studying together a portion of scripture or a particular book of interest, although such should not be the primary focus of their gathering. They may also invite others who may not yet be believers to allow them to experience the fellowship, hear the testimonies and participate in their prayers for each other.  [Yeshua "Jesus" many times healed and delivered those that were sick or under the power of the enemy, before they ever acknowledge him as their God and Savior.  Many times, it was a supernatural event (a simple answer to a simple prayer) that opened their hearts to receive Him as their Lord.]  Finally, if and when a Harvester Field Unit welcomes its 13th Harvester, the Unit self-divides into two groups, wherein a Harvest Facilitator in Training leads the new Harvester Field Unit at a different location and/or time.   Once a group reaches 12 Harvesters, there are at least 90 different lines of communications that are possible between the Harvesters.  The addition of the 13th Harvester naturally divides the Harvester Field Unit into two or more sub groups based upon average models of group dynamics.  

*