20 The Gospel Workers of God

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Lk 10:2).

The people of Zion are the workers in charge of the spiritual harvest as they are living in the prophetic age of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is the spiritual harvest season. Although we are lacking in many ways, God has made us gospel workers and entrusted us with the gospel.

During the autumn season, when everyone is busy harvesting, a wise and diligent worker will refresh the spirit of his master, but a sluggard will be as irritating as vinegar on the teeth of his master or smoke in his eyes (Pr 10:5, 26). We need to think about what kind of workers we are in the eyes of God, and renew our mindset as faithful gospel workers.

Those Who Do the Work of God

There are various types of workers in the world: a worker responsible for something small or minor, a secret envoy carrying out a clandestine mission, an emissary who performs a special errand, an express messenger in charge of something urgent, a minister who performs official duties on behalf of his or her country, and a royal messenger whose job is to deliver the king's order. Then, what should we call those who carry out God's errands?

Those who perform heavenly errands are called angels, and they are the messengers of God. There are various kinds of workers who are sent on an errand to complete a small work, a secret work, a special work, a royal work, an official work or an urgent work; however, those who carry out the most important errand are the messengers of God.

It is said that there are three types of workers: those who work for themselves, those who work for the work itself, and those who work for God.

Those who complete an errand for God are not the ones who work for themselves or for the work itself, but they are those who work only for God. As God's messengers who carry out errands for God, we should reflect upon ourselves to see if we are working on the right foundation of faith in God.

Ro 14:7-8 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

The verses above show what kind of mindset we should have as the workers who are sent to fulfill the work of God. We are not the workers who work for ourselves or for the work itself. We are the ones who work only for God. As we are sent to this earth to carry out heavenly errands, we must concentrate on the work entrusted to us and fulfill our role and mission as the messengers of God.

Throughout history, there were people who risked their life to complete an errand for the king of their country, not looking after themselves. They poured their heart and soul into completing an errand for a king of this world.

When the Japanese empire tried to deprive Korea of national sovereignty after taking away her diplomatic rights, Emperor Gojong of Korean Empire sent three secret envoys to Hague, Netherlands.

They attended the International Peace Conference and did their best to carry out the emperor's secret order to let the world know the injustice of the Japanese invasion; however, they failed as Japan schemed to hinder them and the other countries turned away from them, and this, in turn, made Lee Jun, one of the three envoys, meet his fate.

People give their whole mind, even risking death, to do an errand for the king of this world. As the messengers who have been sent to complete God's errand, we should carry out the work of God faithfully, with all of our heart and soul. In everything we do, we should first think about whether we are doing the work for ourselves while focusing only on the work itself or working for God who has sent us. Only when we work faithfully for God will we be able to fulfill the mission that we have received from God.

The Apostle Paul's Mindset for the Gospel

The Bible shows that there were many people who faithfully worked for God when He sent them to fulfill His errand. One of those faithful workers was the Apostle Paul in the days of the early Church.

Ac 21:10-13 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles. " When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?

I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

Paul performed the errand of God without wavering in any situation he faced. He showed his determined will to faithfully fulfill the mission of preaching the gospel, by saying that he was ready not only to be bound, but also to endure even more difficult situations, regardless of what they were.

Ac 20:22-24 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

Since the Apostle Paul possessed this kind of mindset, he was able to display the glory of God wherever he went. As one of the greatest prophets in the early Church, he led many souls to the way of salvation. The messengers of God, who are sent to fulfill God's work, should have the same kind of mindset that the Apostle Paul had. If one does not have this strong sense of duty and determination toward their work, they will be unable to complete any of the important errands that are entrusted to them, whether they are sent on a secret mission, a special mission, or a royal mission.

Gospel Workers Called to Save the World

God has entrusted us with the errand of leading all nations to salvation. This is the most important errand in the world.

Mt 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

God, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, has commanded us: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you." God has chosen and anointed us to complete this errand in these last days.

We are neither an errand clerk nor a royal messenger, rather, we are the heavenly angels who are running an errand for God. A secret envoy, who has been sent to another country on this earth, will not spare even his own life in order to fulfill the mission that his king has entrusted to him. What about us, the angels, who are carrying out a holy mission that God Almighty has entrusted to us? We should never neglect our mission, nor should we worry about what other people think of us.

The gospel work that has been entrusted to us should never be done for our own sake or for the sake of the work itself. We should only think of God, who has entrusted the task to us, and strive to work for God. If we spend our time hanging out with people in the world and being tossed about in the storms of life, we will become lukewarm in our faith. We must have a determined resolution like that of the Apostle Paul who said, "If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." Those who work only for themselves will stop working when they no longer want to do the work. They will play when they want to play, and they will easily be tempted by the world. In contrast, those who spend their time working sincerely for God find no time to turn their eyes to other things. Through the parable of the talents, we can see the final result of those who worked for God and of those who did not.

Mt 25:14-29 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five.... His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master's happiness!' Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, '... So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you. His master replied, You wicked, lazy servant! ... Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.'"

The man who had received five talents and the man who had received two talents were able to produce ten talents and four talents for their master, respectively; however, the one who had received one talent produced nothing. When his master returned, he presented back to him the one talent he had merely hidden in the ground.

What is the difference among these three servants? Both the man with five talents and the man with two talents did their best to perform an errand from their master, considering how much their master would look forward to the fulfillment of their work. They worked hard and were able to gain five more talents and two more talents, respectively, as they considered their master who had entrusted them with an errand, saying, "Put this money to work until I come back." Focusing on this, they imagined their master's joy and happiness as well as their own future. These two cases represent those who work for God, who is compared to the master in the parable. They always set their minds on God, thinking, "Though I have only a few talents, how can I faithfully fulfill the mission God has entrusted to me?"

On the contrary, the servant who hid the talent in the ground thought only of himself. Since he thought of his own honor and prestige, as well as the physical tiredness and difficulty he experienced, he was unable to willingly take on the work. He is the kind of person who works for himself and for the work itself. In the end, the master called him a "wicked, and lazy servant."

Let us think once again about whom we should work for. If we are not fully taking on the role of the angels who run an errand for God, we need to examine ourselves to see if we are working for our own The Faith and Resolution of Gospel Workers

The Apostle Paul was able to bear many fruits of the gospel and bring forth many talents. This was possible because he possessed an upright faith and thought only of God.

2 Co 11:24-28 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

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The Apostle Paul always worked for God, even though he suffered many hardships, persecutions, and difficulties while preaching the gospel. Wherever he went, good results of the gospel were brought forth, because he preached the gospel with a strong resolution: "If I die, I die for the Lord, ifI live, I live for the Lord. Whether I live or die, Ibelong to the Lord." Through the Bible, God shows us the great faith of the Apostle Paul, which produced amazing results of the gospel. As it is said, "By their fruit you will recognize them." All of this serves as a good lesson for us today, teaching us that we, too, should have a firm resolution to preach the gospel God has entrusted to us.

When we preach the gospel with such a resolute faith, Satan will become powerless as if he is nothing and be unable to hinder us in any way.

Heb 11:28-38 ... who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.

They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

No matter how hard Satan tried to hinder the faith of the early saints and to stop their work, he could not block their gracious acts of faith because they were firmly determined to fulfill their God-given mission without fail. Our ancestors of faith showed such a great faith and resilience that the world was not worthy of them. This enabled them to carry out the work of God faithfully.

There are many types of errands: an errand for a friend, an errand for parents, an errand for a king, and so on; however, we are now carrying out the errand of God who is the Most High and above everything that exists. The errand of God is not given to everyone. If Lee Jun had been lacking in wisdom and loyalty, Emperor Gojong would never have entrusted the secret order to him. God has not entrusted the heavenly errand to just anyone, but only to those whom He approves (1 Th 2:4).

We are the angels who have been sent by God. Our mission is to save our neighbors, our community, our country, and the entire world.

This is the heavenly errand that we must carry out with all of our heart and mind. I believe that when we devote ourselves fully to this work while always thinking of God the Father and God the Mother, we will all be able to gain ten talents as true gospel workers. As the people of Zion, let us all fulfill the gospel ministry with the same spirit of faith as the apostles and saints of the early Church. By doing so, we will all be able to welcome our Father with joy and glory on the day of His coming.