GOD'S VINEYARD SERIES - 4

And said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. [Matthew 20:4]


"...Go ye also..."

Why is it that the Lord did not give the details of the necessary activities and all He expected to be performed in His vineyard, to these ones who were just newly recruited into His service? Was He just assuming that they would automatically know the right thing to do once they got into the vineyard? Why did He just say "go ye also into the vineyard...", and the people went their way? It is because currently in the vineyard, there are labourers already labouring. There are quite a lot of people, who have been in the vineyard labouring faithfully, whose footsteps are a clear guide for the upcoming workers to follow.

" ...go ye also..." God knows that there are some fathers who have gone before us into the vineyard, whom He had groomed into His perfect image. Their legacies are a clear footprint for upcoming disciples to follow without derailing. God expects us to watch how these fathers laboured. He (God) is not first giving some meticulous details to us new people coming in, instead, He wants us to watch the men He had used mightily and follow on in their footsteps. The legacy of the fathers is a clear example for us to emulate - the way they prayed, their passion for the Word, the power in preaching, how they loved God and gave themselves wholly unto Him. God is not wanting us to be mere followers of instructions. He is not trying to make perpetual "followers" or "babes" out of us, He wants to make Disciples instead, He is hungry for men, not boys. So He says...go ye also...

One of the drawbacks of today's Christianity is the labours of trying to make good followers of men, without trying to mature those followers into disciples. There is a huge pride in growing the church numerically without a corresponding growing of those men to be conformed into Christ's nature and power. We love to rear flocks and keep the flocks perpetually under us without grooming them to be real disciples, capable of taking over the baton. The multiplicity of programs that are held is about a great man who has received so much from God and is releasing such abundance upon the people. People go to eat from his pot, but they never learn how to prepare their own food. They are made good, loyal and perpetual followers, but they are never encouraged to sit in the presence of God individually to search scriptures, dig their own wells and get fed directly from God. Program where men are taught to stay with God and with Scriptures to receive freshness and treasures from heaven are scarce.

Commitments of men to public ministry are daily demanded, whereas, public ministry may make beautiful devoted followers, it never makes men correct disciples. Public appearances and ministry may provide glorious information for the populace, but you never become a disciple in the public. Growth is not a public occurrence. Growth never takes place openly, it happens only in the private dark closets. Plants don't grow under the watching eyes of the public, and men too never grow with eyes staring. True growth only happens in the hidden place. It takes place slowly in the closet. Public, church ministry is wonderful, but correct growth that makes disciples of men (not just followers) takes place quietly when a man is alone with God.

Several times when Jesus had finished speaking to the public by teaching them some great lessons, the disciples were often never satisfied with that kind of public information. They knew that deeper truths remained unreleased in the lips of the Master, therefore, they went to Jesus privately to seek for further, deeper revelations. These close-door, private communion with Him were the secrets of their growth, which made them great for God.

Congregational revelations are good, but they don’t make disciples indeed. Communal and community anointing are wonderful, they could keep Converts in the faith, but they are not sufficient for the hungry disciple, who seeks to go far with the Lord.


"...into the vineyard..."

When God calls, it is definite, it is not arbitrary or vague, there is nothing like "God called me but I don't know what He means...". If it was God, then it is definite and clear - into the vineyard. Does "into the vineyard" mean "into full time ministry"? Not really!

The vineyard is not the church building, it is a spiritual farm located in the midst of the world. The Lord wants me to keep the farm running UNTIL THE CLOSE OF DAY (till I die). There is no leave, no break, no coming in and going out, no laziness,... I must labour, I must till the ground, take out the tares to allow breathing space for the wheat... The Lord's vineyard is in the offices of secular business, His vineyard is on our streets, in our environment, in the church, everywhere, and God calls the youths to get engaged in the vineyard and stop idling away in the marketplace of social networks, in the marketplace of technological gadgets, in the marketplace of lusts and concupiscence, fashion and beauty...


"...whatsoever is right, I will give you..."

The Lord is gracious, and He has promised the faithful that His blessings will never elude them. One thing I see here is that the Lord's promise of the penny is actually at the end of the day's work, not while working. It is very wrong to think that the actual benefits, the actual blessing, the actual reward of our love and service to God is the good health He grants us, the good life, the promotion, the goods of this lifetime which our flesh enjoys, no, those are not the actual reward that He promised, those are just the fringe benefits to keep us firing on without discouragement or being envious of the disobedient people who are excelling in the marketplace.

We must be very careful not to settle down for peanuts. We must be awake and alert not to be carried away by riches, goods, gadgets, healing and the rat race of riches, thinking that 'yes, God has blessed me'. This is not the ultimate, it's not the real blessing. We must not settle for crumbs, while we forget the real bread. We must not be blindfolded with the pig's husks while the true meal is awaiting us in the father's house. The true reward ONLY COMES at the end of the day's work, at the end of our labours here on earth, the true riches, the true blessing IS NOT AVAILABLE ON THIS SIDE OF LIFE, it's waiting for us IN HEAVEN. What then am I seeking for? True riches or peanuts?

I'll rather have Jesus than silver or gold,
I'll rather be His than have riches untold,
I'll rather have Jesus than worldly applause,
I'll rather be true to His holy name.

Than to be the king of a vast domain,
And be held in sin's breadth sway.

Lord Jesus, all I need is you, nothing less, nothing else...Selah