Spectators Clients Critics and Fellow Laborers 1984

Since about the first of the year, we've been enjoying a time of renewal and refreshing here in this body and in many of our personal lives. The Spirit is coming in with fresh life, clearer vision, and even the judgments of the Lord, the flames that have sometimes burned our lives over these months, have turned out to be life-producing, quickening. And what we've been experiencing here, we hear has been happening in many parts of Detroit and all over the earth, really.

So, of course, the question we then ask is, what does this mean? Because every time there is any kind of stirring or move of the Spirit, there is in that move of the Spirit a call from God to something new, something specific. So what's going on? What is He telling us now? And the message that seems to be coming to us more clearly is nothing world-shaking or new. It's nothing we haven't known before.

And yet, even though we've known it all along, we also are aware that this is something we have yet to obey in a much more aggressive way. We're becoming conscious that the move of the Lord here and really all over the earth is obviously for the raising up of labors, for a harvest which may well be, could be, the last one. So reading from Matthew 9, verse 35, And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity.

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the labors are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labors into His harvest.

And He called to Him His twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and heal every disease and every infirmity. The harvest is plentiful, the labors are few. You know, look out there, it didn't look like it, but now He says, that's a harvest out there.

People will respond, we just don't have enough labors. Pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth labors into His harvest. Then He gathers His twelve, gives them authority, and sends them out.

And you could say, that Jesus' entire ministry, was an attempt to find labors. All the time seeking labors. And whenever He found people who would respond and be labors, with tremendous joy, He would raise them up and send them out.

Reading from Matthew, chapter 4, verse 18, and the background to this, obviously Andrew, Peter, James, and John didn't encounter Jesus for the first time in this episode. They've been down to the Jordan River, and been hearing John the Baptist, and were eager about the Kingdom of God, and had been inquiring of Jesus. But now comes the moment when they have to do something.

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Immediately, they left their nets and followed him.

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in the boat with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets. And immediately he called, them too. And instantly they left the boat, and their father, and followed him.

What he's after is people who work with him. He doesn't want to be a one-man show. He doesn't want to be God's man for the hour.

He wants a body ministry. People, men and women, working together. And he calls them immediately into work.

Back in chapter 9 of John, verse 1, as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth, and his disciples asked, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, it was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We, notice that we, must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night comes when no man, no one, can work.

All the time he's looking for laborers, raising them up, teaching them how to work, and teaching them how to keep at it and keep on laboring, all the way, as long as it's day, before the night comes when no one can work. And even when Jesus says, come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, he obviously does not mean, come in here and lie down, I'll cover you up and put you to sleep. Because the very next words he speaks in that episode are, take my yoke upon you.

And the yoke is something that has to do with labor, you put these two oxen together, under a yoke so they can work. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, and I will teach you how to have rest while you work, so that you'll never burn out, you'll never get tired, you'll mount up on wings like eagles, you'll run and not be weary, you'll walk and not faint. The call is for laborers.

He talks about this all the time, and people say, wait a minute, wait a minute, you're talking about works righteousness. I thought we were saved by faith, I thought we were saved by grace. True.

You know, salvation is a gift from God, we don't work to get to heaven, we work because heaven has already come to us. But when salvation, life, healing, come into us, God doesn't wrap us up in cellophane and stick us in a warehouse until the rapture, or whatever it is, but he sends us into the harvest field, and there is no such thing as having salvation, and sitting around. As Jesus went out, proclaiming the kingdom as a gift of sheer mercy from God, healing the sick is a sign of that gift.

He got four kinds of people who responded to him. There were the spectators, there were the clients, there were the critics, and then those who became fellow laborers with him. Perhaps the most abundant were the spectators.

They had no TV, no movies, no racetrack, no theater, no concerts, no cocoa hall. So you had to go out and find your entertainment. And this man was the most interesting personality to come along for quite a while.

And so you got your family together, you packed the lunch and you went. Sat on the grass and watched him. And for many it was like watching him perform.

Hearing what he said, they were fresh new things. And not only did he talk, he did something. People got healed.

Wonderful. Until Jesus, as he always did, would turn around and demand some kind of response. Now what are you going to do? And as soon as he called for action, their eyes would glaze over, and they'd go on their way.

Because they didn't come to be called into any kind of labor. They came to be entertained, to be made to be feeling better than they were, but not to change. If we sit around, pray, sing, share in the gospel, but never get into action, if we read the Bible and read all kinds of spiritual books, but never get into the harvest field, then we're nothing but spectators.

We may know our doctrines backward and forward, we may be able to express them very clearly, but we're spectators. And what happens to spectators as far as the kingdom is concerned? Luke chapter 13, verse 25. When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door saying, Lord, open to us.

And he will answer, I do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say, What do you mean? We ate and drank in your presence. You taught in our streets.

But he will say, I tell you, I do not know you. I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.

The kingdom of God is not for spectators. Then there are the clients. There were and are.

These are the people who came to Jesus for healing, for themselves. Perhaps they brought family or friends for healing or for some kind of help. But they came to Jesus as if they were coming to a torch drive agency.

You know, when you go to a torch drive agency, you come and get your service and you say, you know, they're getting paid by the torch drive. I got what I want. I'll go my way.

And I don't even bother to say thank you. Why should I? The nine lepers who were healed and kept going without even turning around to say thank you were clients. Jesus was the agency.

They were the clients. The man who was healed at the pool of Bethesda and shortly after turned around and informed on Jesus to the authorities who were out to get him. That man was a client.

The multitude who were fed from the five loaves and two fish and then who took their boats and followed him to the other side of the sea the next day for another free meal were clients. Much of modern American Christian evangelicalism encourages people to be clients. The whole thing is, you know, come and get the goodies.

And people come. And they get healed. And they get delivered.

And they get blessed. But if our lives don't change, if we never get around to being in the harvest field, we're clients. Another kind of client is to go to Jesus for the power to heal or cast out demons or prophesy or whatever and then take the power which comes and use it for my own ends.

My kingdom instead of fitting into his kingdom. Then I'm again a client. I'm making use of him.

What happens to such clients? From Matthew chapter 7 verse 21 Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them I never knew you. Depart from me you evildoers.

The kingdom of God is not for clients. Then of course there were the critics. How come your disciples don't wash their hands before they eat? How come your disciples pluck rain on the Sabbath day which is not lawful? How come your master eats with tax collectors and sinners? He cast out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.

These people were following Jesus. They were watching him. Every movie made.

See but they were watching him not to learn but to tear him apart. Many of these people began as disciples. But when Jesus began to talk about whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.

About becoming broken bread and poured out wine. About sharing in the cross. About dying to self.

They would then say that's a hard saying. Who can listen to it? And they would go back and would switch from being spectators or clients to critics. So where are the critics today? They're everywhere.

They're in the church and they're out of the church. They're rich and they're poor. They're wise and they're simple.

You don't have to be clever to be a critic. You can be dumb to be a critic. A lot of people think to be critical is a sign of great intelligence.

Jesus warns especially of the critics. Warns of the danger of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Because the arrogance that is able to stand back and criticize holy love is a very, very dangerous arrogance.

The kingdom of God is not for critics. See, but as Jesus continued to proclaim the gospel freely among... He didn't say, well, you're a critic. Get out of here.

You're just a spectator. You're a client. I don't want to be bothered.

He just kept on preaching and sharing everything with the clients and the critics and the spectators. As he did this, he also found people, men and women, who would respond. Who drew near, got under the yoke with him, and began to labor at his side and learn from him.

Here's Matthew, tax collector. He has seen Jesus before, too, probably lingering on the edge of the crowd. And then one day, Jesus walks past this man's office and says, follow me.

Matthew gets up with great joy. It's not like, gee, if I don't, I'll go to hell. And Jesus doesn't say, now I want you to pray the sinner's prayer.

He just says, follow me. And this man gets up and he's so glad to be asked to do this that he throws a huge party for all the tax collectors from miles around. Celebrate with me.

I'm going to follow Jesus. I've found my work. I know what I'm going to do.

And everybody rejoices and who knows how many others found their way into the kingdom through this. Everybody who began to follow Jesus as a disciple soon understood that to be a disciple means to labor in the harvest for you. As many as received him as believed on his name, to them he gave power to become sons of God, daughters of God, who are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God.

See, but if you're a daughter or a son of God, that means you get under that yoke and you work, you share the labor of the kingdom of God. You didn't choose me, he says, I chose you and ordained that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. And so what does it mean for us to be laborers? Simple.

Basically it means that we get under the yoke with him and we do two simple things. We proclaim the kingdom of God and we heal the sick. All of us.

You don't have to have somebody tell you you're a healer to heal the sick. You proclaim the kingdom of God that the Lordship of the Messiah has already come and that he has broken the chains of the enemy and he does set the captives free and then you manifest it to them. You know, you say, where is it that you're hurting? Where do you want God to show himself to you? What is your need? That's what he was doing.

And you don't have to sign and join our church. They don't have to give you any money. They don't have to do anything.

All you have to do is open the door at that place where the need is and in rushes the healing grace of God. We do this beginning where we are. This building is situated on top of one of the richest mission fields in the whole world.

Within three miles of the building we have probably 50 nations at least. All kinds of people. Plus then, add to that the fact that we're scattered.

Some of us live at great distances. We work in many different places. You know, we're just strategically located.

It's wonderful. All we have to do is go out and start to do it. Preach the kingdom.

Heal the sick. Preach the kingdom. Heal the sick.

Come on, do it. That's what he's saying to us. And as we do, we come against or experience four kinds of people.

We find the spectators. After a while they watch us. You know, we're united.

Here comes this guy down the street who wants to talk to me about Jesus on Verna Highway. Here's this person at lunch hour who wants to talk to me about Jesus. Come on.

At first, you're a curiosity and they'll sit back and watch and see if you're for real. But the minute you call for a response, they're gone. Then there will be the clients.

There will be people and they'll come out of nowhere who will sense that there is life to be had from you. Healing. Hope.

Some kind of blessing. And they will draw near and they will get it. You'll impart something valid from God.

They will go on their way having been touched by the hand of God. And once they have what they want, they're gone. And you don't come back and say, wait a minute, turn around.

You didn't even join my church. You bless them. Pray for them.

Love them. That's okay. And then there will be the critics who will watch us with contempt and speak of us with contempt.

If they malign the Master, what makes us think we're not going to get maligning as well? You know, it's amazing how often we get all upset when somebody begins to slander us or misconstrue our motives or talk badly about us as if this is something very strange and unusual. We ought to get used to it. That's part of it.

If they did it for him, they're going to do it for us. But if we persist generously and with great forbearance and with holy joy to proclaim the kingdom of God and heal the sick among the spectators and the clients and the critics, we will find fellow laborers. They are out there and they will respond.

And they'll get under the yoke with the Lord and they will labor at his side and ours with power to proclaim the kingdom of God. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest and the stirring of the spirit upon the earth now and in this place in recent months is for the purpose of raising up laborers, helping us to think of ourselves as laborers, giving us the courage to go out there and act like laborers, open our mouths and, you know, even if people think we're crazy, that's okay, to get out and do it. And he called to him and his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal every disease and every infirmity.

These twelve Jesus sent out charging them, go nowhere among the Gentiles, enter no town of the Samaritans but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and preach as you go saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You receive without pay, give without pay.

And now, you know, the door has opened. It's no longer just to Israel. Ever since the cross and the resurrection and Pentecost, it's to the Samaritans, it's to the Gentiles, it's to everybody.

What a wonderful thing to hear that call. And what light will come flooding down upon us when we seriously obey it. Let's think about that as we sing together 423 and then we'll go into prayer and praise and thanksgiving.

423, please rise.