WANTED: WILLING LABORERS FOR THE KINGDOM
MATTHEW 9:35-38
As I continue along my journey up the King’s highway, I have witnessed some eye-opening situations in the church today… The Lord has allowed me to observe some troubling signs of the times… I’ve had the opportunity to see what I believe is perhaps the greatest problem facing us today... It is a problem that I believe has plagued, infected, and infested the body of Christ; the church as a whole. Let me suggest to you that the greatest problem facing us is not the gang problem on the outside, not the drug pusher on the outside, not the moral values of our youth, not ungodliness... Not unrighteousness, not darkness on the outside, not sin on the outside.... Let me suggest to you that the greatest problem facing us today is not what’s going on, on the outside... but what ain’t going on, on the inside…!!! We’ve taken on the mindset of the Laodicean church, which was neither hot nor cold concerning the things of God… They went about their usual routine of doing things.
The fact of the matter is that they were in such a state, that the Lord Himself said that because they were neither hot nor cold, that he would literally ’spit them out of His mouth!’ And the problem is that our lukewarm churches of today are rapidly becoming a nausea, which grieves the heart of God…
In the book, “Every Believer, A Minister,” Dr. Rex D. Edwards graphically paints the pathetic picture of far too many Christians today. “We sing the words of the hymn ‘Onward Christian Soldier,’ and wait to be drafted into His service. We sing ‘Oh, For A Thousand Tongues,’ but don’t use the ones we have… ‘Serve the Lord with Gladness,’ yet we complain when someone asks us to do something…” To prevent ourselves from falling into this category, we need a to change our mindset about the church.... God’s church! It’s time that we, as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again… Move from a state of survival to a state of Revival…!
That is what the church is doing today.... Surviving! It’s time that we move from a state of existence to a state of persistence concerning Kingdom business… We have a survival mentality in the church.... "We’re neither hot or cold… We’re just Lukewarm… Operating at room-temperature… Unenthusiastic… Nonchalant… Just simply surviving..." And because of our lukewarm, narcosis-like attitude towards the things of God, we’re finding many vacant seats among the pews…!
But I came by to let you know that God has called the church to do more than survive...! God has called the church to do more than exist...! He wants us to move from a place of survival to a place of Revival.
In order for us to be successful, there are some concepts that we must grab hold of… Jesus shows us here in our text that there is a job to be done… There is a need that must be fulfilled… I believe what Jesus is telling us here is that there is a need for some workers… There is a need for some laborers… There is a need for some folks who are willing to get their hands dirty for the cause of Christ…
We live in a world today where everybody is looking for somebody… Major corporations are looking for college graduates with marketable skills… Hospitals are looking for medical students and scientists who have graduate at the top of their class… Financial institutions are looking for people with MBA’s and top-notch portfolios ready to take on Wall Street single handedly…
The Marines are looking for The Few And The Proud… The Army is looking for those who are willing to Be All That They Can Be… The Navy is looking for those who want not just A Job, But An Adventure… The Air Force is looking for those who want to Aim High…! Everybody is looking for somebody…! You’ve got men looking for women… Women looking for men… And unfortunately in some cases, you’ve got men looking for men and women looking for women…! Everybody is looking for somebody…! And because we’re living in such perilous times…
Because we’re living in such a messed up world… Because there’s much to be done… Our text informs us that the Lord likewise… Is looking for somebody…!
The Lord is looking for someone who is willing to give their all… The Lord is looking for someone who is willing to help in the harvest of the lost… The Lord is looking for someone who is willing to labor… For the Kingdom…!
But what constitutes a willing laborer…? What separates him from everyone else…? How do I make sure that I’m doing my part in our move “From the Seats To The Streets…?” The text gives us three points to consider as we seek to reach others through the harvest. The first thing we must do is….
I. RECOGNIZE THE TASK
Notice what the real issue is here… He says in verse 37: “Harvest is truly plentiful… But the laborers are few” In other words, there is much work to be done… But there aren’t enough workers to do it…! “What kind of work?” (Glad you asked!) Look at the text again… “The harvest….”
The word, harvest, comes from the Greek word, therismos (ther-is-mos’), which means (in verb form) ‘to reap…’ To gather… Collect… Bring in…! (In the noun form) it refers to ‘the crop…’ The produce… The product… The yield…The people… The sheep… The lost, hurting, unloved… I don’t claim to be an agricultural major, but the last time I looked, harvesting was done OUTSIDE…! Harvesting is done in the fields…!
So that suggests to me that we’ve got to go outside of these four walls in order to get into the fields… So that we can reach others…! Let me put it like this, we’ve got to get off our ‘blessed assurance’ and go into the highways and hedges and compel men, women, boys, and girls to come to Christ…! The problem is we’re more concerned with ‘church work’ than with ‘Kingdom work…!’ We’re more concerned with filling the choir stand with singers than filling the pews with new disciples… We’re more concerned with church work instead of Kingdom work…!
We’d rather have raffles and sell cakes and pies instead of participate in street ministry and bring others to church with us… Church work… Instead of Kingdom work…! Some of us have the “Martha Mentality” (Luke 10:38-42)… Martha was so worried about her housework that she didn’t recognize that Jesus was there in the house… She was more concerned about the rack of lamb in the oven, than the fact the fact that The Lamb of God was in her living room…! (Rather sacrifice chicken [dinners] than give of our time, talent and ability)
We’re so worried about getting church work done, that we’re missing out on getting Kingdom work accomplished for the body of Christ…!
Not only must we recognize and realize that the harvest is Kingdom work, not church work… But likewise, we must recognize the fact that it is full-time work… It is full-time employment…. So many think that it’s a Sunday morning, 9:30-2:00 job and maybe an hour or two on Wednesday nights… But the Bible lets us know “that Satan the adversary is roaming to and fro as a lion seeking whom he may devour…” And if you know anything about lions, you know that they are always on the prowl… They are always on the hunt… They are always seeking their prey…
So if the enemy is always on his job… We should be on ours too…! It’s a full-time job…! There’s no such thing as a time clock when it comes to soul winning… (The “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve’s…!”)
A laborer ought to always be ready to share in the plan of salvation with others and help lead them to Christ... A laborer ought to always be ready to witness to others about the goodness of God… A laborer ought to always be ready to go out of his/ her way to tell a dying world that Jesus lives…! Whether the opportunity to share Christ with others arises on the job, at school, or just in general conversation…
We ought to always be ready to share the availability of God’s love for all mankind… God is looking for some willing laborers for the harvest…! If you’re going to be a willing laborer of the Kingdom, not only must you Recognize The Task, but you must also….
II. RELY ON YOUR QUALIFICATIONS
If you’re going to be a laborer for the Kingdom, you’ve got to rely on the qualifications that you already possess…! “How am I qualified?” (Glad you asked)
The Apostle Peter informs us that we are “…A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you may the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).” He’s saying, There is something different about us… We’re not like everybody else…! Notice the different descriptions used…He’s telling us that we have been called out of darkness into the light to be a witness, and because of this calling, I now have a responsibility.... To go into the fields and tend to the harvest…!
“How do I tend to the harvest…?” By becoming a laborer…! The word laborer, comes from the Greek word, ergates (er-gat’-ace); which means to be a toiler; a worker… But not only that, but it is also a teacher…
He is one who is able to instruct others in the Word, not only by teaching, but also by example… Matthew 5:16 says, “Let our light shine before men, so that they may see our good deeds and praise the Father in heaven.” Our light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity, so that others may see the example that Christ has set for all to live by…
Not only are we qualified as laborers because we are a chosen people, but we’re also qualified because we’ve got some experience in the field… We’ve got some experience being in the fields, waiting for the harvest… We ain’t always been saved…… (Work it!) But because we have been saved and redeemed by the Precious Blood of the Lamb, we can relate to others and have compassion for those who are now scattered in the field waiting for the harvest…!
The experience of sharing your faith with others will also produce a positive spiritual result in your own life... In an effort to bless others with the Word of God, we are in turn, blessed ourselves...!
Those who will not exercise their God-given qualifications not only fail to grow in Christ, but they lose the strength that he already had…
(Tell somebody), “God wants willing laborers…” Not only does He want willing laborers who will Recognize The Task… Not only does He want willing laborers who will Rely On Their Qualifications… But most of all (tell somebody)…The Lord wants willing laborers who will….
III. REALISTICALLY ENGAGE IN WORK
Because He’s called you, that makes you qualified…! Qualified and responsible for bringing others into the Kingdom… Because He’s saved you and called you… you now have a responsibility…!
For the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:1… “Present our bodies as a living sacrifice…” Because it’s your “reasonable service…” The word reasonable comes from a Greek word, logikos (log-ik-os’); that means, “logical by investigation…”
Paul is saying, “I’m calling on you to present your body to the Lord, because it is your reasonable service....” He says, “I have investigated it.... And it’s logical.... Or in other words, it just makes sense!”
As I began to meditate on that in my spirit, I couldn’t help but to ask, “Well Brother Paul, why does it make sense? Why is it so logical? You have investigated it... You have checked it out....
And the result of your analysis is that, ‘it just makes sense!’ But Paul, why is it so logical that I give my all and realistically engage in (to do it in truth…genuinely, not in words only) the work of a willing laborer for the Kingdom…?” (Better be careful when you question God [God’s people]…)
The answer is found in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.... He says, “What? Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For you are bought with a price…” Therefore it is your duty… Your responsibility… “To glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s!”
And as I began to realistically engage in the work as a laborer for the Kingdom… As I began to give my all and all for the service of the Master… I found out that He is able to use me for His purpose… So that others might come to know Him…! I found out that He is able to use me for His Glory… So that others may be brought into the saving knowledge of the Kingdom of God!
“The harvest is plentiful… But the laborers are few…!” And all I wanna know is… Who is willing… To be a laborer for the Lord… Who is willing… Win souls for Christ…?
You see, when you realistically engage in the work of laboring for the Kingdom… The full revelation of what Jesus says in Luke 4:18-19 comes into play… You too will find that… “The Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and that He has anointed you…” (Given you power to minister to all kinds of needy souls according to the will of God)… “To preach the gospel to the poor…” (Tell everybody about Jesus)…
“He has sent you to heal the broken hearted…” (Those who have been hurt by the world)… “To proclaim liberty to the captives…” Those enslaved by the power of sin)…
“And recovery of sight of the blind…” (Those blinded in darkness by the many tactics of the enemy)… “To set at liberty those who are oppressed…” (Those living crushed and shattered lives with no way of escape)…
And not only that…You’ll find out that… (Acts 1:8) “You shall receive power… When the Holy Ghost has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses...” When you realistically engage in the work of laboring for the Kingdom… You shall receive Power…!
Power to walk right… Power to talk right… Power to live right…! But most of all… Power to witness…! The word witness, comes from the Greek word, martus (mar’-toos)It is one who bears record of what has taken place… One who has had a personal experience… One who can testify of… One who can give evidence of…
What I’m trying to say is that because He has given us Power… You’ll have power to witness…!
You’ll have power to witness in Jerusalem…!
(That’s throughout your neighborhood…!)
You’ll have power to witness in Judea…!
(That’s throughout your city…!)
You’ll have power to witness in Samaria…!
(That’s throughout your state…!)
You’ll have power to witness even to the end of the earth…! You’ll have power to tell a dying world that Jesus lives...!
Well preacher, “How do you know that He lives…?” Because He lives in me…! You see, one day… “I was sinking deep in sin… Far from the peaceful shore…!”
I’m glad… That God sent His Son…
(“Because He Lives!”)
