Article 2017-12 Vineyard Ministry
Chapter 39: Vineyard Ministry
Introduction
From the parable of the workers in the vineyard we learn that time is short and that there is still a major part of the job to be finished. Everybody can be ‘hired’ who wants to make himself available; this applies to individuals as well as to churches and denominations. The original group of workers could not finish the job by itself; a last group of workers was needed. We learn that ‘redeemed suffering’ is an indispensable gift to finish the task.
Scripture reference
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard … About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the market place doing nothing …He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and saw still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long doing nothing?’ “Because no one has hired us,” they answered. (Matt. 20:1,3,5-7)
The story
At 06.00 a.m. he went to the market place. He had to find people! There was so much to do in his huge vineyard that he was almost desperate. Would he find enough people? Could they finish the job in time? He hired whom he found and sent them to work. Later, at 09.00 a.m. he went again and found some more, but not enough to get the work done. Midday and mid-afternoon he went again. All day through he took whoever he found. Evening approached. Would he go once more at 05.00 p.m., trying to find others, although there was only one hour of daylight left?
He looked over his fields and estimated that a fifth hadn’t been touched yet. He hesitated no more, and set out for the market place once again. To his surprise he still found many men hanging around. ‘Why are you standing there all day long, doing nothing?!’ he asked in exasperation. ‘Because nobody hired us,’ came the answer. ‘Well, if you want, come with me. I have plenty of work for you!’ And so he put his last shift to work too.
When the day was over he paid them, starting with the last, ending with the first, giving them each their denarius. They that had worked in the heat all day complained, expecting more, but the owner claimed his right to generosity and rewarded the last laborers as much as the first. Those that came last were the first to see the work finished; they that came first were the last to see it. The first will be the last to be rewarded and the last will be the first to do so. All laborers, whether they worked for one hour or twelve, received the same reward. What does this story tell us about world missions?
Scripture reference
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” … The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans) (John 4:7,9)
Comment
It tells us about any church, not engaged in sending missionaries. The ‘estate owner’, the Lord of the harvest, is desperate for workers in the un-evangelized world and goes to the market place all the time. He alone knows how much work is still to be done, although the day, the era of grace, is almost over. By 2005, at least a fifth of the world’s population has still never heard the name of Jesus even once. Time progresses fast. Most evangelical Christians agree that we have entered the ‘last hour of history’ before the Lord returns. One fifth of the job is still to be done, but there is only one ‘hour’ left to work!
In the ‘market place’ people make themselves available to work in His vineyard. Some said that they had not been hired, a lame excuse. In fact, they were not there. They did their own thing, which was of no value for the vineyard. The ‘day’ can also mean somebody’s personal life span, or a church’s life span. Some people or churches become valuable for vineyard ministry early in life, others later, and some only at the 11th hour. Those recruited at the 11th hour are blamed for doing nothing, all day long. This accusation applies to individuals and churches that did not participate in world missions.
Good news is that whoever accepts recruitment at the 11th hour still reaps a full day’s reward. They are the first to be paid. Bad news is that no more recruitment takes place after 05.00 p.m. Either the individual or church steps in now, or forfeits that chance and is judged like a lazy slave. After 05.00 p.m. a night falls in which none can work.
Scripture reference
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work (John 9:4)
Comment, continued
Many churches in the developing world have known the gospel for a century and a half, yet they never matured enough to send missionaries to unreached areas. They are still invited to join the worldwide missionary task force. They can finish the job. They are indispensable. Yet, many think that world missions is the white church’s job. But if the white church would have been able to finish the great commission it would have done so long ago – but it has not. Specific tools are needed to finish world evangelization, and those redemptive gifts are available in the non-western Church. What does that mean?
It has to do with suffering. The average remaining unreached people groups in the world have the following characteristics: they come from a tribal background and an oral tradition, have grown up in poverty, are familiar with deadly diseases and natural disasters, venerate their ancestors and are scared of evil spirits.
Many Christians in the Developing World have the same background. They suffered from some of these seven things, but then found Christ as their Redeemer. He redeemed them in their tribal background, can use their oral learning preferences, has provided in their poverty, healed their diseases, saved them from or in the midst of natural disasters, became the Ancestor that replaced all others and took away their fear for evil sprits.
Who then would be better suited to reach the remaining unreached people groups of the world? Is it these Developing World Christians or is it the spoilt, demanding, little resilient Christianity from the Western world? The answer is obvious.
The remaining unreached and least-reached people groups are waiting for Christians from the Developing World. They can reach them in the shortest possible time and at the lowest possible cost. On top of that, they stand much nearer to their target population than Westerners ever will, because of their culture, worldview and background; and because they saw Christ becoming victorious in the evils they grew up with.
The laborers that need to be recruited in the 21st century, the last hour, are not white. The latter could start the work, but it can only be finished well by those that are black, brown and yellow, those that, in terms of world missions, have been ‘standing there all day long, doing nothing’. Now is their time. And the good news is that they will reap the same reward as their pioneering colleagues of centuries past.
Discussion & dialogue
- Explain how Christ can turn societal disadvantages into redemptive gifts
- Discuss what specific redemptive gift(s) you learned about in this lesson, you and your church have, to participate successfully in world missions
- Explain how themes 3, 4 and 9 feature in this parable
