By: Prof. Sunday Isehunwa
This is a guest post by one of the great men in our
time. In every generation God always has some remnants that He has kept from
the corruption of their time. It is my pleasure to share this post from one of
the few remnants that we can still rely on to hear the truth of God’s word
preach in this nation and the world with all my readers across the globe.
“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is
an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his
vineyard...” (Matthew
20: 1-16)
God wants us to serve Him after
He has saved us. He told Abraham that he wanted to bless him so that he could
become a blessing to the whole earth. (Genesis 12: 3). Jesus Christ told Peter
that “when you are converted, strengthen your brethren...” (Luke 22:32). If God has saved you and delivered you, be
ready to always share the good news with others so that they can also taste and
see that the Lord is good.
While it is good to serve God, it
is very important to serve Him in an acceptable and effective manner. Our discussion today will start from Matthew
20: 1-16, as we learn some basic principles that will help us to serve God
acceptably and last long in His service. We shall also learn about some
attitudes and mistakes we must overcome in order to serve God faithfully and
excellently well.
GOD IS
PASSIONATE FOR HIS VINEYARD
The first lesson we want to
highlight in this Scripture is that God is very passionate about his people,
his church, and his vineyard. He, as a passionate householder “went out early
in the morning to hire labourers...” It was the concern and passion for his
vineyard that made him rush out early in the morning, and afterwards to still
go out at specific periods, and even an hour to close-out time, to seek
labourers. He desired to cultivate the vineyard, grow it and have fruits. In
like manner, whoever wants to serve God today must be ready to serve him with
passion, and great zeal.
The scripture says we should be
zealous for good works. We are commanded not to be slothful in business but
fervent in the spirit, serving the Lord. (Romans 12:11). Jesus Christ had a
strong passion for the Father’s vineyard, and served the Father with zeal, as
it is written: “How is it that ye sought me? Know ye not that I
must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49).
“And his disciples remembered that it is
written, the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up” (John 2:17). “I
must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night
cometh when no man can work” (John 9:4). It was passion for His vineyard that
made the Lord Jesus Christ to appear specially again to Peter, forgive, restore
and to commission him: “Feed my lambs”. (John 21:15). May the Lord restore and
rekindle someone today in Jesus Name.
Many people want to serve God
with all ease, and at their convenience. But the scripture says we should
preach the word of God and be instant in season and out of season, or in other
words, serve God when it is convenient and when it is not. (2 Timothy 4:2).
If God has many workers among us
but if we become slothful and go to sleep, the enemy will still ravage the
vineyard of the Lord. “but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares
among the wheat...” (Mathew 13:25). In these last days, we need a revival of
zeal, and a baptism of both the Holy Spirit and of fire.
GOD SEEKS
LABOURERS
In our text
in Mathew 20, the householder went out to hire labourers. And he never seemed
to have enough workforce all the time. Jesus said, “The harvest is indeed
great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that he send labourers into his harvest” (Luke 10: 2).
There are
many pastors, evangelists, preachers and church workers God today. But there
are few labourers. Those who are ready to work real hard, tirelessly,
selflessly are few. Many people are pursuing their own interest, while they
claim to be serving God.
Many people are seeking God’s
anointing and power but only few understand that real anointing will drive them
into the vineyard to work real hard. Like in the days of Elisha, the more the
anointing, the more the responsibility. God never uses lazy people. But if you
receive His anointing and chose to be lazy, you might be destroyed early.
Read also:
Dating
and Relationships
At a time, the kind of anointing
on Moses’ life was enough for seventy ordinary men to carry (Numbers 11:25).
And truly by that anointing, Moses alone was able to do what seventy people
could not do. May you receive such anointing afresh in Jesus Name. But the day
came when Moses started complaining and he asked God to reduce the workload,
and this God did by reducing the anointing on him and giving the workload and
anointing to others. Unfortunately, Moses started having unusual troubles with
the children of Israel, one of which caused his ministry to end abruptly.
David received an anointing to
war and to kill even giants. He testified that “He teacheth my hands to war; so
that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms” (2 Samuel 22:35). But a time came
that David was idling in the palace instead of fighting in the field, he fell
into adultery. “And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time
when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him,
and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah.
But David tarried still at
Jerusalem”. (2 Samuel 11: 1-27). Idleness and premature retirement from the
place of active service is opening up many of God’s workers to premature
destruction. The love of ease and pleasure has a way of easily driving away
from the heart the spirit of sacrificial living and commitment to God. And if you want to serve God acceptably and
also last long in His service, pray today to be delivered from laziness and
from spiritual slumber. Ask God to clothe you afresh with the grace to work
hard, and be among the few labourers in His vineyard.
HE AGREED ON
THE TERMS
In our text in Matthew 20 we read
that before the householder sent the first set of labourers into the vineyard,
he negotiated with them and agreed with them on the terms of engagement. As you
prepare to serve God, you must take time to understand the rules and the
conditions that govern His work. God rules will neither change with time nor
with your status. He will not vary the terms from person to person, because He
taught us in His word not to use different weights and measures for people. (Deuteronomy
25:13, Proverbs 20:10).
He is ever constant, consistent
and faithful to His word. God’s work must be done at His own terms. The Scripture enjoys us to carefully obey the
rules as we work for God. It says, “Every man that striveth for the mastery is
temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we
an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as
one that beateth the air...” (1 Cor 9:
25-26).
See
also: When
Jesus saw their faith
In Isaiah Chapter 6 verse 8 we
read one of the usual terms of condition of service: “Whom shall I send and who
will go for us”? God wants us to work not for ourselves but for Him. In Isaiah
52:11, we read another condition: those who bear the vessels of the Lord shall
touch no unclean thing. In Luke 10:7 we read another condition that shows He is
committed to adequately compensate His workers: the worker deserves his wages.
Your labour in His vineyard can
never go unrewarded (1 Cor. 15:58).
Also, the scripture says, “you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out
the grain...” (1Timothy 5:18). But the ox is not expected to eat the whole harvest,
leaving nothing for the Master!
In 1 Corinthians chapter 3:
10-23, we read about some other terms of service that every worker in His
vineyard must agree with Him. First, there is no other foundation that can be
laid aside Jesus Christ. There is no other Saviour or Name under heaven by
which men can be saved. Furthermore, you cannot serve God and mammon at the
same time. Ruth was told to glean only from Boaz’s field and not any other’s.
We cannot combine Jesus with
idols. In addition, we must labour with the right materials and build with
gold, silver and precious stones that can stand the test of time and fire.
Every man’s work will be tried before they are rewarded. We must serve in
purity and not defile or pollute the temple of God especially with sexual sins.
We must serve with divine wisdom and not the wisdom of this world.
HIS VINEYARD
IS VAST
Another important lesson from
Matthew 20 is that we must know that His vineyard is very wide and big. It was
big enough to take several labourers at the same time. The job was much such
that men had to be hired at different times and they had enough to do until the
end of the day.
There is enough room and enough
work for all of us in His vineyard. The
vineyard is vast because it extends to all the nations of the world. “And he
said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature” (Mark 16: 15). Jesus said, ‘the harvest is plenty...’. In God’s great
house, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and
of earth; and some to honour and some to dishonour (2 Timothy 2: 20). “For as the body is one and hath many
members and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also
is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12).
If you will serve God acceptably,
you must be prepared to labour with a large, accommodative heart. Do not
condone a sectarian spirit. There is no room for competition, mudslinging,
strifes and fighting among workers because of ‘space’. Accept that you will not
be the only Apostle, prophet, evangelist or pastor in town.
Accept that your Church or
ministry is not the only anointed one in town. Understand that God is already
looking for fresh hands that will join in the work or take over from where you
stop. We must not continue to make the
same mistake of some disciples of Jesus Christ by discouraging and opposing
other workers who do not belong to our church denomination.
“And John answered and said, Master, we saw
one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not
with us. And Jesus said unto him, forbid him not; for he that is not against us
is for us” (Luke 9:49-50).
REWARD FOR
SERVING TO THE END
There is reward for those who
serve in God’s vineyard. The scripture says, “Therefore my beloved, brethren,
be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as
much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians
15:58).
In our text in Mathew 20, we
observe that the reward is right, enough, according to grace and as He wills.
He uses the same standard to reward all the workers, and the reward is
according to agreement he had with the earliest workers. But please note
particularly that the reward came at evening, after the day’s work was
completed. “So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his
steward, call the labourers, and give them their hire beginning from the last
unto the first” (Matthew 20:8).
This implies that unless you
labour unto the end, you may lose your reward. Elisha did not receive the
double portion of the Spirit on Elijah until he followed and served till the
end ( 2 Kings 2).
Some of you have already put your
hands on the plough but you must not look back no matter the challenges facing
you. I pray that as many of you who are already fainting or discouraged like
Elijah, may your strength be renewed today so that you may continue to serve
God fervently.
It is only the athletes that
complete a race that will be considered for medals. “Know ye not that they
which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may
obtain (1 Corinthians 9:24). It is those that stewards that are found faithful
to the end that will obtain great rewards. “And the Lord said, who then is that
faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household,
to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom
his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Luke 12: 42-43).
Unlike in the public service, there
is no retirement in God’s service. But there can be reassignment. Be prepared
to work as long as you are in this world, until the night cometh when no man
can work. “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the
night cometh, when no man can work. As long s I am in the world, I am the light
of the world.” (John 9: 4-5).
Read also: How
Saul lost all for lack of preparation
And truly, Jesus served God even
while on the cross of Calvary. Elisha counselled and prophesied until the very
end (2 Kings 13: 14-21). Gehazi did not serve Elisha till the end and forfeited
the privilege of receiving the anointing for service. Years of labour can be
wasted if a worker in the vineyard suddenly backslides and abandons the Master.
I pray for as many as are getting weary and fainting that you will receive new
strength today in Jesus name. And for those who like Jonah are running away
from a great call, may the sure mercies of God interrupt your journey; restore
your life and ministry today in Jesus name.
AVOID THE LABOURERS
MISTAKES
“Take that thine is and go thy
way...” (Matthew 20:14). This portion of the scripture reminds us of one of the
unpleasant sides of the story and some of the pitfalls we must avoid while
serving the Lord. Here, it seems that the labourers were not just paid for the
job, but actually paid off! None of them seemed to have been asked by the
householder to resume back the following day or at another time. The command
was: “...go thy way...”. The acceptable service we desire, is not one that we
are effective in His service only for a short while, but for as long as Jesus
tarries.
One of the mistakes of the
labourers was that they did not take time to understand the nature or character
of the householder who hired them. In
our text, we can learn that our God, the householder, is the goodman of the
house, who is good. He is gracious. He is just and fair. He is a Friend. But He
is also sovereign and can do as He pleases with His resources.
He can give dispense His
resources to us and our brethren in the way He choses. The labourers did not
know all these things. Just like in the world you must take time to know and
understand your employer, you must know and understand the God you serve. Jesus
taught us that you cannot worship Him effectively if you do not know Him (John
4: 22). Moses was an effective servant of God because He understood the ways of
God. (Hebrew 2:5, Psalm 103:7).
Another mistake of the labourers
was that they murmured. They murmured because each of them was looking at
others and comparing themselves. But we are enjoined to look at Jesus, the
Author and finisher of our faith. We are warned that those who measure
themselves and compare themselves with others are not wise (2 Corinthians
10:12). The murmuring also shows their ingratitude.
They did not understand that the
opportunity to serve in the vineyard was a privilege. They could have rotted
away idly throughout the day, smitten by the scorching sun. They could have
remained like some of their friends and peers who were ‘penniless’ because they
had not been hired.
One other mistake of the
labourers was that because of reward, they threw aside the bond of friendship
and love that existed between them. Those of them who had worked for several
hours became angry because their friends or brothers were getting equal reward
with them. Yet it is possible that some of them were even relations. It is
possible that during the hours of labour, their friends came to their rescue
when they became tired and fainted.
Nowadays, several servants of God
have allowed the gains of ministry to break ageless bonds of friendship. It is
a mistake that should never happen. Several are dejected because God has just
given ‘a penny’ to their brothers and relations! Because they felt unfairly treated by God.
On the other hand, some people
have become proud and arrogant because of one penny they have collected from
God. Serve God with love in your heart for fellow brethren. Rejoice with those
who rejoice. Serve God with humility even when great resources are have been
released into your hands.
Another mistake of the labourers
was that they did not understand the nature of the work in the vineyard and the
divine strategy that was at work. The nature of God’s work is such that not all
the workers are needed at the same time. Some are needed at dawn, others at
dawn or in the evening. While those hired early at dawn might be required do
more of clearing and ridging, those hired later will need to do more of
planting. Those hired in the evening might be needed to do more watering,
weeding and harvesting.
Therefore, a divine strategy is
to hire labourers at different times for different aspects of work. Another
divine strategy is to sustain momentum and hire fresh hands when the earliest
workers are getting tired and ineffective in doing the laborious jobs. There is
also the aspect of working with wisdom and the right equipment. A labourer who
worked for only one hour using a tractor or harvester will actually cover more
grounds than another that has laboured all day with bare hands.
Read also: Overcoming Suffering
For example, John the Baptist
perhaps laboured for about three years just like Jesus Christ. But the impact
of those few years is still being felt. It is not always how long you live or
serve but how well and effective. You need to serve with the anointing of the
Holy Spirit.
And because of the mistakes of
these labourers in Matthew 20, they were paid off by the Master after only one
day of service. We did not read that they were asked to come back the following
day. May we last long in His Service. May we not be laid aside pre-maturely.
Finally, there are some of you
who are still idle and uncommitted to God. We are already in the eleventh hour
and the night cometh when no man can work. It is not too late to release
yourself to God. Give him your life. Tell Him you are available for His use.
Pray that you don’t want your
life to be wasted and you don’t want to be empty and without anything to show
on the day of judgement. If you have not being doing the right things or are
making the same mistakes of the people we have just studied, repent today an
ask God for fresh impartation.
Dr. Sunday Isehunwa
is the author of ‘Running to win the prize: A case study of Ruth’, and many
other books and co-author of ‘The Making of a man of God: A training manual for
Christian workers’. He currently lives in Ibadan where he lectures at the
University of Ibadan, south west, Nigeria. He can be reach through: P.O.
Box 19750 U.I.P.O. Ibadan, Nigeria.
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