THEME: CHRISTIAN SERVICE AND COMMITMENT IN GOD’S VINEYARD
LESSON: TWO
TEXT: Matthew 9:35-38, Acts 6:1-7, Romans 12: 1-10, 1Corinthians 12-27
INTRODUCTION:
In our last lesson, we learnt that the core responsibilities of any believer in a local assembly (more specifically in NLWC) are commitment to doctrine, obedience, spiritual growth, the brethren and to spiritual authority under whom all intending labourers in the vineyard would serve the Lord. Today we trust God for utterances to talk about the harvest.
The Harvest and The Labourers
What is the harvest? The harvest is men, women, teenagers, children, old and young humans from every tribe, nation, tongue, people and kindred. These are the people Jesus died for, whom He wants to save and make come to the knowledge of the truth.
The Two Phases of the Harvest (2Timothy 2:4)
The two major work the Lord wants to do on earth is to have all men to be saved (born again) and to have them come to the knowledge of the truth) the salvation of the soul.
These two phases are like removing the harvest from the field/sea and preserving the harvest. And each of these phases has a different way by which the harvest is approached. The first phase is purely getting people born again and the second is preserving what has been harvested.
The Body/Church Phase
The actual harvest where great labour lies is the church phase where the fivefold ministers are sent to labour. The actual harvest is the souls of recreated spirits (born again) that need to grow from babyhood to maturity.
Biblical Metaphors of the Church (1Cor 3:9)
Scripture uses some things we can relate with to describe the church of God like:
- A family/household (Gal. 6:10, Eph. 2:19,3:15)
- A building/temple (Eph 2:20, 1Cor 6:19, 2Cor 6:16, 1Peter 2:5)
- A garden (John 15:1-4)
- The human body (Romans 12:4, 1Cor 12:11-17)
All the examples above wax old, dilapidates, lose their beauty and essence or wear out when they are not been taken care of. Meaning the church needs labourers and co-labourers.
The Church is a supernatural and organic entity which comprises many components that are meant to work together as a system or body. The Church is the spirit, soul, and body of those who are quickened from the dead by their faith in the Lord Jesus. It is a spiritual system where labourers are sent to labour therein. In the ideal scenario, every member of the same body ought to play their role (Eph 4:16, Col 2:19). So, everyone in a local assembly is supposed to have a part they play in making the church (a local assembly) come into her destiny. This will also have a great impact on the general body at every level to fulfil their God-given destiny.
Who owns the Church (Mathew 16:16-19, Act 20:22, 1 Peter 5:2) The Church belongs to God and any service rendered to her is a service unto God. So, both labourers and the co-labourers are all working for God and their reward principally is life. We know that God is rich in life and life is what He rewards with. Everything, both visible and invisible, responds to life. Also, all affairs of life respond to the life within
Who is a Labourer? A labourer is one who forgoes all rights, privileges, distraction, comfort etc., first, to follow the Lord and work for him without a sense of entitlement for reward (Luke 9:58-62,10:1). A labourer is one who is ready to do dirty jobs; he is a toiler. This definition is very limited because the first labourers are the Godhead and every other person who labours under them are co-labourer.
It is good to also note that God transferred the right to labour from Himself to men labouring and serving His purpose among men. These labourers are shepherds; what the harvest lack are shepherds, as another word for labourers is Shepherds (Matt 9:36-38). This is not limited to the office of a Pastor only but to those who are called to the fivefold ministry.
Divine Ordination of service and commitment
God created all things, but He involved His creatures to achieve His purpose amidst creatures. In this instance, God is the labourer and the creatures are the co-labourers. The divine order of service and commitment is that labourers do not stand alone. Every labourer must have co-labourers. God is the first labourer and He worked with angels/men to achieve His purpose on earth.
God also encountered some men and gave them specific assignments that will affect generations on earth. God always surrounds these men with other men who will join forces with them to achieve His purpose in their generation (and generations to come).
Examples:
- Moses, Aaron and his Sons (Exodus 28:1), Bezalel (Exo.31:1-6): The Lord called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, to become a nation of priests unto God and a peculiar people. This task cannot be carried out by Moses alone, so God had to ordain men who would work with him to achieve this goal.
- David and his Men (1 Chronicles 12:1,17,18,22,23,38): The Lord wanted David to be king over Israel but it could not have been achieved alone by David, so God raised many mighty men to fulfil His will alongside David.
- Jesus and His Disciples (Luke 6:12): God indeed gave the Lord Jesus men who were ordained from the foundation of the world that would help Him become the saviour of the world. He was the word made flesh but could not do this alone without the men around Him.
- The Early Apostles and the 7 Deacons (Act 6:1-7): The disciples were once co-labourers under the Lord Jesus but they were moved to a higher estate after Jesus’ resurrection. The Lord had to raise 7 men to be co-labourers, to ensure the ministry of the word prospers.
- Paul and his Fellow labourers (Romans 16:1-15, 2 Cor. 8:32, Phil 2:25, Col. 4:7 etc.,): Paul received a special message from the Lord for humanity. This work was enormous and significant and he needed men around him to be instrumental in achieving the great task.
Conclusion
Finally, we can see that it is out of order for a labourer to stand alone in the work without his co-labourer. We all have roles to play in the work of the Lord that the Lord has committed to His servants our Parents – Pastor and Pastor Mrs Emeka Egwuchukwu. Amen.