Called and Sent

"And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" — Romans 10:15

The Harvest and the Labourers

"The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest." (Luke 10:2)

We are living in the last days. Multitudes are in the valley of decision. And if we do not take the offensive, those souls will be lost.

Are you willing to become a labourer in this harvest?

How are these captive people going to know they can call on the name of the Lord if you do not tell them? Are you willing to stand by and watch them march through the valley straight into hell? Are you willing to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give account for those who went there because you were unwilling to labor?

But Willingness Is Not Enough

Here is the crucial qualification, and it is easy to miss:

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Romans 10:13–15)

If you are willing to be a labourer, then you must be called.

The wear and tear of laboring in this harvest — emotionally, physically, spiritually — is so great that we cannot hope to stand in it if we are not definitely called by God.

So there are two things to do: tell the Lord you are willing to serve Him — and petition Him to make His call to you very clear.

We need the assurance of knowing we have been sent. Without it, the first serious cost will finish us.

And Then Obedience

However, we cannot play games. Once we are called, we must be obedient to that call.

"No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)

It is a very serious matter to refuse God's call. Jesus said that if we do, we are not fit to be members of God's kingdom.

Which explains a sentence that has puzzled readers for centuries:

"For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:14)

Why are few chosen? Because few are obedient. The chosen ones are the obedient ones.

"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." (1 Samuel 15:22)

Do Not Enter Lightly

Ask the Lord to initiate a covenant with you — if that is within His will.

But do not enter into any covenant with the Lord lightly. We are in a life-and-death battle, and our own life and soul is at stake, as well as the lives and souls of many others.

Just how much is a soul worth to you?

Are you willing to sacrifice the privacy of your home? To lose your reputation? Perhaps to lay down your life so that one soul may be saved?

Can we do anything less than follow our Savior's example?

Point to Ponder

Willingness is not enough. The wear and tear will finish anyone who is not certain they were sent.

Verse to Remember

"And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" — Romans 10:15

Question to Consider

Am I willing to serve — and have I ever asked Him to make His call clear?

Today's Practice

Do the two things, in order, today.

First, tell Him you are willing. Out loud, plainly, without conditions:

"Father, I am willing to be a labourer in Your harvest. I am not naming my terms. I am telling You I am available."

Second, ask Him to make the call clear. This is the step almost everyone skips:

"And Father, I am asking You to make Your call to me unmistakable. I do not want to go where I was not sent. I need to know I was sent, because I will not survive this otherwise. Make it clear enough that I cannot doubt it later, when it becomes expensive."

Then wait, and watch. Record in your notebook anything that comes, with dates. Confirmation often arrives through people who know nothing of your prayer.

And count the cost honestly while you wait. Go back to the page you wrote in the lesson on counting the cost and read it again. Ask: is a soul worth this to me?

Then answer Him.

Prayer

Father, the harvest is great and the labourers are few, and I have spent years assuming someone else would go.

I am willing. I am telling You that plainly and without conditions attached.

But I am also asking You to send me rather than let me go on my own initiative. Make Your call unmistakable. I do not want to be found in a battle You never assigned me, and I do not want to collapse under a cost I was never given grace to bear.

And when You do call — hold me to it. Do not let me put my hand to the plough and look back. Let me be among the chosen, which is to say, among the obedient.

How much is a soul worth to me? Change my answer until it matches Yours.

Here am I. Send me. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Few are chosen because few are obedient. The chosen ones are simply the ones who went when they were sent.