Combines are the tractors that farmers use to gather the harvest. They are extraordinary tools used to cut the crops, sift the grain from the stubble, and fill hoppers with grain for storage. Before the harvest begins, farmers work hard to make sure these majestic machines are ready for the task and then head to the fields.

Jesus gathered His small group, the 12 disciples, and He intentionally invested in their lives; pouring the Gospel, theology, and ministry into them. His reason for doing this was to prepare them to go, to be sent. For a while they were defined as learners and apprentices. Eventually, they would be defined as harvesters, missionaries, and “sent ones”. But to prepare, Jesus first had to get them ready for the harvest. And the way He prepared them for the harvest was to gather them in circles and invest in their lives.

Community matters, and just like the first disciples, God uses circles to prepare us for His mission and for the joy we find living out the purposes of God in our lives.