St Matthew, Chapter 9, verse: 38, The Apprenticeship.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mission of the Apostles) Part 4.  

Christ looks out amongst the crowd of people and sees lost sheep.  He sees people that are bewildered.  He sees people that are puzzled.  He sees people that have lost their spirit of life.  There is a need for shepherds to lead them and he is training the disciples how to be good shepherds.  The harvest is great but the laborers are few.  He says to the disciples,  "Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest."   

Christ is looking out over the crowd thinking about those souls that need healing.  But he is also looking out across the land and seeing the hundreds and thousands of people that are just like those that he sees, those who are also lost and in need of a shepherd.  The disciples are only twelve.  Their task is great.  They are the original ones who trained with Christ.  They are the ones who must duplicate themselves and train others, who will in turn train others, and so on.  The need must be met.  Pray that the Lord of the harvest finds workers to help in the harvest.  Pray the the Lord of the harvest sends forth workers in all walks of life to lead the people.  Pray that the workers are open to the head master, who will direct them here on earth.  Pray that the workers will be open to receive the Holy Spirit to guide them and direct them in the tasks that are needed today.

The Lord of the harvest is hiring today.  He is looking for workers.  He is looking for laborers.  He is looking for people who are open to receive the instructions of the Holy Spirit.  It does not matter if you have a degree.  It does not matter if you have a high school diploma.  It does not matter if you are educated in the scriptures.  The Holy Spirit will direct all.  The Holy Spirit will teach all, in the ways of the Lord.  The Holy Spirit will train each worker in their specific task and guide them along the way in their on the job training.  All that is needed is a willing mind and an open heart.

The  pay is unbelievable.  The benefits surpass all.  The rewards are out of this world and you get to see the results of your work.  Come shepherds, the flocks are waiting directions.  They need to be led to greener pastures.  They need to be protected from the wolves.  They need to be led to the waters of life.  They need you.  Christ is calling.  Christ is waiting.  Christ is seeking for workers.  Will you come and work for Christ?

St Matthew, Chapter 9, verse: 37, The Apprenticeship.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mission of the Apostles) Part 3.  

37 Then he said to his disciples , "The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few."  

Christ is traveling throughout the district teaching and preaching.  He watches the crowds that gather to hear him.  As he looks out over the crowds his heart is moved with deep feelings of sympathy and sorrow for the people.  He sees their pain.  He see their sorrow.  He sees the hurt in their hearts.  He knows their confusion.  They have heard great things about Jesus.  They have heard the miracles that he has performed.  They have a glimmer of hope in their hearts.  They have drowned visions of a better future for their lives.  They toil and sweat and labor without gain.  They are confused, puzzled, and perplexed, not knowing which way to turn or which direction to take.  

Christ comes and speaks to them about the gospel of the kingdom.  He tells them about the good news.  He offers a better way of life.  But the people are without spirit.  He knows the lessons that they were taught before.  He knows the confusion that they face having followed the teachings of the Pharisees.  He teaches something different.  He teaches something new.  He teaches love.  He teaches peace.  He teaches life.  And the people are dejected and puzzled.  They need a leader to lead them.  They need a good shepherd.

The disciples are their by his side, as Christ instructs the people and teaches the disciples to become leaders, good shepherds.  He teaches the people to love.  He teaches the disciples to love one another.  He teaches the people peace.  He teaches the disciples how to be at peace.  He teaches the people forgiveness.  He teaches the disciples how to forgive.  He teaches the people faith.  He teaches the disciples the power of faith.  He teaches all the things that they will need to know to begin this new life that they will embark upon after he has departed.  He shows the disciples how to live, how to have life, how to love, how to have peace, how to have faith in him.

Christ looks out amongst the crowd and sees the need.  He sees the need for leadership.  He sees the need for shepherds.  He sees the harvest of people waiting to be instructed in the ways of the Lord.  But there are few laborers.  Christ says, "The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few."   Few have followed in his footsteps.  Few have passed the test.  Few have qualified.  Few are ready to work.  Christ is hiring but the candidates are few. 

The Spirit calls today for laborers.  The harvest is great even today, but the workers are few.  All the workers are out chasing the pleasures of the world.  All the workers are out seeking the wages of sin in the world of the sinners.  They are blinded.  They are deaf.  They are misled.  They travel the wide path of destruction not knowing the road they travel.  Christ is hiring today.  Are you ready?  If you were called to follow Christ, to be a shepherd, would you take up the staff and lead? 

St Matthew, Chapter 9, verse: 36, The Apprenticeship.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mission of the Apostles) Part 2.  

Christ is traveling throughout the villages and towns, preaching the gospel of the kingdom.  The disciples are in their apprenticeship, learning first hand how Christ preaches and teaches.  They  are able to take in his every word, his every deed, all the small details that are not written by St Matthew in this gospel.  They are the next generation who must come after the work of Christ is finished on earth.

Everywhere Christ goes he draws a crowd.  The people have heard of his miracles and as soon as the word comes that he is in their village, or their town, a crowd gathers.  They are waiting to see him they are waiting to be near him.  They are waiting to hear his words, to touch him, to be healed.  They have no one else to lead them.  No one else to guide them.  No one else to teach them.  They are like lost sheep, wondering in the wilderness.  Christ sees the crowds gathered to see him.  He is moved with compassion for them because he sees that they are bewildered and dejected like sheep without a shepherd.

Christ has come to lead.  He has come to show the way.  He has come to lift the hearts of the people, to give them hope.  For their current situation is hopeless.  They are downtrodden.  They are dejected.  They are lost.  They are in need of direction and Christ is the way, the truth, and the light.  This was the message to his disciples, to his apprentices.  See the masses of people.  See the hearts of those who have no hope.  See the crowds that gather that are dejected.  See the great need for leadership.  See your mission.

Today as in times past, we live in a world that is cold, a world that is without care and without compassion.  We are filled with ideas of happiness and joy and love through our media outlets.  We come to believe that if we have the right job, the right car, the right clothes, the right amount of money in the bank, then we will be alright.  We reach those goals, live a life of party, enjoy our pleasures, and come to find that there is something missing in our lives.  We want more so that we can do more.  We want more money.  We want more clothes.  We want more cars.  We want more women or men in our lives.  We want more fame.  We want more honor.  We want more, and more and more.  Yet the desire for more only leads us down the road of destruction.  Some are able to continue others burn out along the way.  And then comes the dejection, the heartache, the pain, the suffering, the longing, and the depression.  The field is then ripe for the planting of evil in our hearts.

Christ came to uplift.  Christ came to give life.  Christ came to shed light in the darkness.  Christ came to give hope.  We do not have to live on the merry-go-round of life's ups and downs.  We can get off and live a life with Christ.  We can have hope.  We can have joy.  We can have peace.  We can have everlasting life.  Christ saw the needs of the people and he came to satisfy that need.   He came to heal.  He came that we may have life and have it more abundantly.   If you are dejected and bewildered, will you allow the compassion of Christ to lift you up?