A Call For Workers

The first English settlement in America was in Jamestown. Barely a year old, the settlement found itself in serious trouble. A primary part of the problem was that the colony was made up of “gentleman adventurers.” Captain John Smith, the leader of the settlement, understood the problem and sent an urgent message back to his sponsors declaring, “Send me some men!” Smith needed carpenters, blacksmiths and masons. He explained that he had rather have a handful of those men, than a thousand of the ones that he presently had. The ship Good Speed readily brought six such workmen to Jamestown. Within three weeks, they had cleared a plot and erected a furnace. Furthermore, they had set up a soap works and a sawmill. A little over a month after the workman arrived, the colonists were inspired by their example and began working also. (I think I can hear the same urgent message coming from the Oval Office today. I’m just saying...)

[Matthew 25:14-30] Around 455 BC, Nehemiah led the third and final wave of exiles back to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding its walls. Despite the many attempts made by the opposition to stop their progress, Nehemiah and his counterparts were determined to complete the task at hand. What an amazing story of courage, commitment, unity, and hard work. And nowhere in the book of Nehemiah is this more evident than in the following passage: “So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart” (Nehemiah 4:6). Notice from the text that “WE, (not me) built the wall.” The work of God, past and present, is not about one particular person. Kingdom labor is not about who’s first or who’s greatest! In fact, Jesus said that the greatest in the kingdom are those having a servant mentality (Matthew 23:11).There’s no place in the kingdom of God for a Diotrephean attitude (3 John 9-10). We must remember that we are all in this together! Notice also that the text says, “We BUILT...” Those who returned were required to take an active part in the work. The wall would not have been completed had the people refused to build. To build up the kingdom of God requires active participation from those within it. Those refusing to build will one day answer for their inactivity (Matthew 25:26-30). In addition, notice from the text that, “...the wall was JOINED TOGETHER...” As the wall was coming together, so too were they! They weren’t working against each other, nor were they going in opposite directions. As they worked, they drew closer together (Nehemiah 4:7-23) and that’s how successful works get accomplished. When people are determined to work together instead of against each other, not only will they successfully complete the task, they too will be drawn closer to one other. (Is it any wonder why the founding fathers of our great nation patterned it after the wisdom found in God’s Word? I’m just saying...)

Sadly, many congregations of God’s people, like the Jamestown colony, are in need of men. They have “gentlemen adventurers,” but not skilled men. They have watchers, but not workers. Like John Smith, we need to send out an urgent call for laborers (Matthew 9:37-38). We need men who will labor together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). We need elders, preachers, deacons, Bible class teachers, and soul winners. Like Ezekiel, we need men who will, “...build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land...” (Ezekiel 22:30). Like Jeremiah, we need, “...but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth...” (Jeremiah 5:1). One servant is worth more than a thousand critics.