A PROFESSION WITH ZERO UNEMPLOYMENT!
By Kerry A. Olson

The recent global financial crisis has reached levels unseen for decades by all industrialized nations with many individuals losing a large percentage of their life savings invested in the stock market, as well as record levels of unemployment in many nations of the world. While people are desperately trying to hold on to what they have or as my dad says, “Get all they can and can all they get!”, God is looking for people willing to give him all they have by laying down their lives for the expansion of His Kingdom.

Having served God for half of my life as a missionary and mobilizer of Latino missionaries I can say with authority that there is NO nor will there ever be, unemployment on the mission field! But don’t just take my word, Jesus stated more than 2000 years ago that “the fields are white unto harvest, but the laborers are few… Pray therefore that the Lord of the Lord of the harvest send forth workers unto his harvest (Matthew 9:36). While the lack of workers seems to be a timeless spiritual truth according to scripture, it should not discourage us from obeying God and praying that more workers be sent out to the world's least reached.

Each year I have the opportunity to visit our missionaries around the world and without exception there is always a lack of workers. Whether in the large cities of Asia or in the middle of the desert in Northern Africa, the cry of the few existing workers serving there is the same, “Send us more workers!”

HOW TO SEND MORE WORKERS!
Pray that the Lord send out more!

“Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest that he send out laborers into his harvest.” - Mateo 9:39

In very few occasions Jesus instructs us as to what we are to pray for. In this instance, he not only instructs us to pray for the sending of workers, but actually uses the word, “beseech” or “cry out” or intercede that the Lord of the harvest send out workers into his harvest.

Joy Dawson of Youth With A Mission has said that “not praying is the sin of pride, because it’s thinking that we can accomplish something without God.”

How many Christians really understand this principle and are actively praying (crying out) to God that he send forth laborers into His harvest? I am afraid too few. There is much pride and self sufficiency within the body of Christ. The church is doing a thousand things within the context of its four walls, but has forgotten the millions of unreached outside them who have not heard the Gospel, and who will not hear unless we understand that we are to be interceding that God send forth workers into His harvest, as well as consider going ourselves!The interesting thing about prayer and intercession is that often times we ourselves become the answers to our own prayers. Someone has said that you should be very careful when you are praying that the Lord send forth workers into the harvest field, because you might hear him say to you, “You go!”

Seeing correctly!

Are you seeing correctly? Do you have both your spiritual and natural eyes open to the world around you? On another occasion, Jesus spoke of the need to “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are ripe for harvest” (John 4:35-36). This speaks to me of taking our eyes off of ourselves and not being egotistical. George Otis Jr. has said that “we will only become successful to point in which we identify ourselves with the vision and hear of the Lord Jesus.” Jesus said that “He who seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will save it.” (Luke 17:33)

Jesus came to seek and save that which is lost. The purpose and strategy of God has not changed over the centuries. God’s desire is that no one perish that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:19). Looking at the world, it’s evident that God’s will is not being done today and we the Church are at fault.

Someone has said that “this generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls.” God will not ask us for an accounting for the past generation or for those who have not been born yet, but for our own generation. Jesus said that we are to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Could it be that most Christians today are not identifying with the vision and heart of Jesus for the multitudes? I fear that the majority are much more worried about their own well being, their savings in the stock market, etc. rather than that which interests God himself.

According to the Word of God, a large part of the answer in seeing more workers being sent out to the harvest field, is in “lifting up your eyes” or having the correct perspective, God’s perspective! (John 4:35) This takes the focus off of ourselves and places the focus upon a world which needs us, as well as realizing that God needs us as well to bring about His will on earth. God wants to use your life in fulfilling his purposes. Without God we cannot. Without us God will not.

Be filled with compassion!

Upon seeing the multitudes, we cannot but avoid being moved with compassion because the Holy Spirit resides within us. Compassion implies action. Compassion without action is like seeing a building on fire and feeling sad for the people trapped inside and doing nothing. Compassion requires and implies action!

The entire Bible reveals a God full of compassion. Jesus time after time upon seeing the multitudes (Matthew 9:36; 14:14: 15:32, Matthew 1:41; 6:34, 8:2) had compassion on them and expressed that action by healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, casting our demons, providing food for the multitudes and raising the dead (Luke 7:13).

I John 3:17 teaches us that one cannot have the love of God without expressing compassion. Jude 1:22 states that compassion makes the difference! Are you making a difference in the world?

Bob Pierce of World Vision has said, “May my heart be broken for the same things that break the heart of God.” Again, the problem is our selfishness, having our eyes fixed upon ourselves and our own needs, which is totally humanistic, a wrong perspective.

Conclusion

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them,.. Then he said to his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few, Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:36-38)

God’s strategy to complete the evangelization of the world has not changed
over the centuries: the sending of workers into his harvest. The need for more
workers is urgent and even more so today, because I believe we are in the last
days. The nations (etnos in Greek) urgently need our testimony in order for the
task to be completed and for the end to come ( Matthew 24:14).

If you are looking for a “job”, a strategic profession which is worth giving your life for because it deals with eternity it self, accept God’s challenge to work where the work is more abundant, more needful and where the need for additional workers is urgent.
On one side of the coin, it is indispensable and crucial that you know that God is sending you to the mission field, because knowing that is the only thing that will keep you on the field in the difficult times. The other side of the coin is as someone has said, “He who has a verse <<go into all the world and preach the Gospel>> does not need a call. The call has been given!

While there is truth in both of these statements, the actual lack of workers in the mission field is not because people do not have a call or do not understand the biblical mandate, rather that people want to live their lives as they desire and have not consulted God on the subject. Remember that there always has been and always will be a profession with zero unemployment. There is no unemployment on the mission field! Therefore have your eyes open, be filled with compassion and cry out to the Lord to send out more workers to his harvest and ask don’t forget to ask God is he might be calling you!

Taken from an article originally published in Spanish entitled: Una Profesión con Cero Desempleo por Kerry A. Olson. Click here to the read Kerry's original article in Spanish.