“1 Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 2 At harvest time he sent a slave to the farmers to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from the farmers. 3 But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent another slave to them, and they hit him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; they beat some and they killed some.

6 He still had one to send, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.”

7 But those tenant farmers said among themselves, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!” 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

9 Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t  you read this Scripture:

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

11 This came from the Lord

and is wonderful in our eyes?”

12 Because they knew He had said this parable against them, they were looking for a way to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd. So they left Him and went away.”

Mark 12:1-12

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The misuse of the Lord’s Kingdom and resources is a serious thing. The mistaken heart that believes that these things are theirs, simply by right, as if they are entitled to it, is woefully off track. The United States was, for a long time, the leading point of growth and outward sending evangelism in the world. But then, over time, the church here got distracted, started setting goals for comfort, and stagnated into an inwardly focused mindset. She became quiet and apathetic, and let the culture dictate what was acceptable rather than living and being that example. Complacency ruined her effectiveness. 

According to the Gordon Cromwell seminary, the fastest growth for Christianity is now happening in China, Nepal and the Arabian peninsula (2013 study.) missionaries are being sent out by countries that we used to send missionaries to and some are even sending them to the U.S.. 

Our work in the vineyard has not been effective and the Lord has seen fit to hire more laborers. This is for His glory and our shame. We do not get to dictate how this work happens or when harvest is supposed to occur. No. The work of the laborers is given by the owner of the vineyard. He is sovereign over us and He is the One who gives direction and guidance. We have no say in the matter, that’s what sovereignty is, the rule of one over another. But God is no heartless dictator, He desires to see us grow and flourish and be successful, because that is His heart and that is for His glory. A stagnant church or culture does not bring Him honor. And so our response to His call should be to grab a hold of His will, claim it for ourselves, and focus our lives and efforts through it. 

An effective worker is one who respects and honors the will of the one who hired them on. An effective Christian is one who respects and honors the will of the One who redeems and restores their soul. We GoLove the nations and our neighbors simply because He told us to. He has commissioned the labor for those whom He has purchased by the blood of His own Son. His Holy Spirit strengthens and guides us. We simply need to trust and obey.