Scripture Reference: Matthew 9:35-38

I. The Waiting Harvest – Continued

A Christlike Commission

From Last Lesson: The five operations on the crippled boy were performed, and some two years later, the boy came back into the gymnasium.

Sangster spoke to a group of women later, “I was in the gym the day that the young boy came back. He picked up a basketball, dribbled it down the court and leaping off his feet, he placed it in the basket. My heart nearly jumped out of my breast I was so excited. I said to myself, ‘There is one boy that I have helped.’ ”

But, as Margaret related the story, her voice trembled. She asked the crowd of women: “Do you know where that boy is today? I wish I could tell you that he is a teacher, carpenter, an electrician, a doctor, a lawyer, a preacher, or governmental employee. Unfortunately, he is none of these. In fact, he is in the penitentiary. He murdered seventeen people!” Then Margaret Sangster said with great insight, “I was so busy teaching that boy how to walk that I forgot to teach him where to walk.” It is ever the job of the church to point people to Christ and to say to them, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

II. The Necessity of Enlisting the Layperson

Jesus knew that the success of His church was dependent on enlisting the layperson. He chose twelve disciples as He began His ministry, and there was not a single priest or Levite in the group.

When Jesus told His disciples that the laborers were few, they must have been shocked. The priests in Jerusalem were so numerous in Jesus’ day that they had to take turns in performing temple ceremonies. There were twelve tribes in Israel, one of which was the tribe of Levi. Every member of that tribe was dedicated to religious service. In the face of this, Jesus shocked His disciples by saying, “The laborers are few.” The temple dominated the landscape in Jerusalem, yet Jesus said the laborers were few. There were many synagogues, and yet Jesus said the laborers were few. Religion was the biggest business in Israel, and yet Jesus said the laborers were few.

If the world is ever going to be won to Christ, it must be won by the laypeople of the church. Jesus said that we need to pray for laborers. The difficulty of the church today is that Christianity has become too professional. We have a “let-the-preacher-do-it” syndrome. We must ever remember that all Christians are in full-time Christian service. The minister works at the church. The laypeople work outside the church, but they, too, are in full-time Christian service.

A man was once asked, “What is your occupation?”

“Being a Christian.”

“No, what’s your chief interest?”

“Being a Christian.”

“No, what is your business?”

“Winning people to Christ. I work at my other job to pay expenses.”

That must ever be the attitude of every member of Christ’s church.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.