“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 children of Zion, who are living in the prophetical age of the Feast of Tabernacles, the season of harvest, are workers in charge of the spiritual harvest. Although we are lacking in many ways, God made us gospel workers and entrusted us with the gospel.

In autumn when everyone is busy harvesting, a wise and diligent worker refreshes the spirit of his master, but a sluggard is like vinegar to the teeth of his master and smoke to his eyes (Ps 10:5, 26). Now, let us have time to check what kind of gospel workers we are to God and renew our mindset.

Those who do the work of God

There are various types of workers in the world: a worker doing something small and minor, a secret envoy carrying out a mission in secret, a special envoy running a special errand, an express messenger doing something urgent, a minister performing an official work, and a royal messenger delivering the king’s order. Then, how can we call those who do an errand for God?

The people who do a heavenly errand are called angels, messengers of God. Among various kinds of workers who are sent for a small work, a secret work, a special work, a royal work, an official work or an urgent work, the one who does the most important errand is the messenger of God.

As well, 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 do an errand for God are not those who work for themselves or for the work itself, but those who work only for God. As the messengers of God who do an errand for God, we should look back upon ourselves if we are working on the foundation of an upright faith.

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 verse above shows what kind of mindset we should have as the workers who are sent to do the work of God. We are not the workers who work for ourselves or for the work itself. We work for God. As we are sent to this earth to do the errand of heaven, we must concentrate on the work, and fulfill our role and mission as the messengers of God.

In history, there were people who did not look after themselves but even risked their life to do an errand for the king of their country. 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 envoy among the three, meet his fate.

People give their whole mind, even risking death, to do an errand for the king of this world. As we are the messengers who have been sent to do God’s errand, we should endeavor to do God’s work much more. Whatever we do, we should first think if we are doing something for ourselves or for the work itself or for God who sent us, so that we can faithfully fulfill the mission that God has entrusted us with.

Apostle Paul’s mindset for the gospel

In the Bible, there are many faithful workers among those who were sent by God to do God’s work. Apostle Paul was such a worker in the times of the early Church.

Ac 21:10-13 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Aga bus 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 never wavered in any situation, but did the errand of God. Saying that he was ready not only to be bound but also for more tough things, he showed his firm will to fulfill the mission to preach the gospel.

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.”

As he had this kind of mindset, Apostle Paul was able to display God’s glory wherever he went, and became the greatest prophet who led many souls to the way of salvation. This is the mindset which those who are sent for God’s work should have. No messenger who is sent for a secret work, a special work or a royal work is able to carry out the important errand entrusted to him, without having this mindset and determination.

Gospel workers called for saving the world

God has entrusted us with the errand of leading all nations to salvation. This is a more crucial errand than any other work 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 said to 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.” In order for us to run this errand, God has chosen us today.

We are neither an errand clerk nor a royal messenger, but the heavenly angels who are running an errand for God. Even a secret envoy, who was sent to another country on this earth, did not spare his life to fulfill the mission that his king had entrusted to him. What about us, the angels, who carry out the holy mission that the God of heaven has entrusted to us? We must not neglect our mission nor read into what other people think.

The gospel work entrusted to us must not be done for our own sake or for the work itself. We should think of God who has entrusted the work to us and try to work for God. Unless we have a determined resolution like the Apostle Paul who said, “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,” we will live lukewarm lives of faith, being pushed by the current trends of the world along with secular people.

Those who work for themselves stop working when they do not want to work, and play when they want to play, and are apt to be tempted by the world. However, those who work for God have no time to turn their eyes to do other things. Through the parable of talents, we can confirm the results of those who work for God and those who do 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!’ The man with the two talents also came . . . 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 . . . ‘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 could bring out ten talents and four talents respectively. However, the one who had received one talent brought out nothing but took out the one talent he had hidden in the ground and returned it to his master.

What was the difference among them? Both the man with five talents and the man with two talents did their best to accomplish their duty, thinking how much their master would look forward to the fulfillment of the work. Thinking of their master who had entrusted them with the business until his return and of their master’s joy and happiness and of their future, they worked hard and gained five more talents and two more talents respectively. They are those who work for their master who is compared to God; they always have God in them, thinking, ‘Though I have few talents, how can I fulfill the mission God has entrusted to me?’

On the contrary, the servant who hid the talent in the ground thought of himself. Since he thought of his honor and prestige, physical tiredness and difficulty, he could not step forward to take on the work willingly. He is a kind of person who works for the work itself. The master regards that kind of man as wicked and lazy.

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 if we are working for our own sake or for the work itself. Whoever thinks of God and works only for God can gain many talents.

The resolution and faith of gospel workers

The reason Apostle Paul was able to bear many fruits of the gospel and bring forth many talents was that he had the righteous faith to only think 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.

Though Apostle Paul was persecuted a lot while preaching the gospel and went through much hardship and suffering, he always worked for God. Since he preached the gospel with a resolution, “If we die, we die for the Lord, if we live, we live for the Lord. Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord,” wherever he went, good results of the gospel were brought forth. As it is said, “By their fruit you will recognize them,” God shows us through the Bible the good faith of Apostle Paul, which brought forth amazing results of the gospel. All this becomes a good lesson for us today to teach us that we too, should do like that.

When we preach the gospel with such a resolution of faith, Satan the devil, who hinders us, will become powerless as if he is nothing.

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.

However severely Satan hindered the faith of the saints of the early Church and tried to stop their work, he could not block the acts of faith of those who were firmly determined to fulfill the mission given by God without fail. What made them have such a firm faith that the world was not worthy of was the will to carry out the work of God faithfully.

As for an errand, there is an errand for a friend, for parents or for a king of a country. However, we are now carrying out the errand of God who is the Most High at the top of all things. God does not entrust His errand to anyone. If Lee Jun had been lacking in wisdom and loyalty, Emperor Gojong would never have entrusted the secret order to him. God does not entrust His errand to anyone, but only to those who are approved by Him (1 Th 2:4).

We are the angels sent by God. The mission to save our neighbors, our local society, our country and furthermore, the whole world is heaven’s errand that we must carry out with all our heart and mind.

When we pay attention to this work, always thinking of God the Father and God the Mother, we will all be able to gain ten talents as gospel workers. Let us become the children of Zion, who will welcome our Father with joy and glory on the day of Father’s coming by fulfilling our mission of the gospel faithfully.