Workers

I heard this morning that the United States is one trillion pounds overweight. That's a lot of pounds per person. You can do the math.

In contrast to that estimate, we also have more diets, food supplements, websites, and talk shows devoted to the weight issue than any place in the world. We talk so much about weight loss and healthy eating. Thousands upon thousands of dollars are spent to study weight loss. The National Football League is pushing 60 minutes of exercise each day for kids in order to curb obesity in children. We're fixated on losing weight!

But it doesn't seem to be working.

Why? I think I have an idea.

There was a time when most people packed lunches and cooked their supper. There was a little window during the day when you had to get your hands on a couple of pieces of bread, dig some peanut butter and jelly out of the refrigerator, find a knife, put it all together in a sandwich, pack the sandwich in something to keep it fresh, then tuck the little package into a lunch bag. In addition to the sandwich, you had to have access to an apple or orange, and maybe a few potato chips, and pack those in the lunch bag, too.

Yes, this really happened.

There was also a time during the day when someone in the house cooked food for the dwellers of the house. It may have been a pot roast or some pork chops. It could have been spaghetti or even some hamburger helper. But at a designated time of day, supper was prepared and eaten--a home-cooked meal.

But this took work. It took time. You even had to do some menu planning and grocery shopping. Yes, more work.

People don't want to do the work anymore. It's easier to have someone else prepare the meal and hand it to you through a drive-thru window. No shopping. No preparation. No walking. No exertion. Just a credit card and voila! No work.

Jesus said in Luke 10:2, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Workers. We live in a day and age when the desire to do work is fading. We pay people to do things. We find convenient ways of avoiding work but still realizing a result. Our culture loves to talk ABOUT getting things done. Our culture loves to play games and work at having fun. But, according to Jesus, the Kingdom of God needs workers.

I believe that the Holy Spirit is creating a strong desire in believers to serve God and help expand His Kingdom. I know that there are people out there who are ready to do the work, the hard and wonderful work of the Gospel. I am convinced that Jesus' promise of a prevailing Church is true and Jesus' call to pray for workers will result in a harvest beyond all we can ask for or imagine.

But we need to hear Jesus' words carefully. We need to remember that Kingdom growth takes work. It takes workers. We need to ask for workers--in prayer and in settings where we gather with Christians. We need to be bold about the sacrifice and effort and gifts needed from believers for the sake of Kingdom expansion. We need to recruit the people of God to be about the worthy work of bringing the Good News of Jesus to others--not as professionals (we need them, too), but as workers who make the Kingdom harvest part of the fabric of their lives.

Without workers an inadequate Kingdom diet that threatens the health of the Church may be the result.

Workers wanted. Workers to be trained and sent. Missional Worker Training is ready to help.

Giving it Away

I was visiting an Area C church a little while back. The pastor mentioned to me that the church has a practice of giving 25% of its offerings to missions.

The church is not a "mega-church." The church doesn't sponsor conferences. The church doesn't try to be famous. But it is being bold, faithful, and outreaching. The church is hearing Christ's call and rejoicing in the blessings of being in mission.

I wonder if we have glamorized distractions. What if every church decided that instead of figuring out the "magic bullet" to "get the youth" or increase numbers or fit in with the latest church trends, it simply would determine to give itself away--boldly and radically.

The church I mentioned above gives money to many ministries. It also serves its own community with time and talent. A mission focus develops missional servants. A mission focus sends people out with the greatest news anyone could ever hear: Jesus is Savior. Jesus brings life.

I suspect there are droves of people in churches and in communities waiting for an invitation to bold mission.

What if we walked the talk and took the risk of being sold out for the Great Commission? What if we challenged people to the glorious and high calling of serving Jesus? What if we invited people to participate boldly in mission and ministry?

Missional Worker Training is coming to Area C of the Texas District. The goal is to recruit, train, and send workers into the harvest field.

What might happen if we are determined to give it away? What might the Lord do?