God bless you, church! How many of us can give thanks to the Lord because He has set His gaze upon us? We who deserve nothing. And you know what? I was thanking the Lord during this time of worship, and I thanked Him for that, because one day He set His gaze upon me, one day He came looking for me, one day He knew my need and He found me. And for that I thank Him, because He reached me, Amen? Because He had mercy on my life, on my family, and that is why I am here today.

And I want us to turn to the Word in Matthew 9:35. The theme of this passage is: "The Workers Are Few." Verse 35 reads: "He went through all the towns and villages. Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every affliction.” When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were—how was the crowd? Harassed and helpless.

I loved this passage because I saw how Jesus views the crowd. Jesus does not see people as a nuisance or annoying, even though a great multitude was following Him. There were so many people trailing behind Him. Yet the text says that when Jesus saw the crowd, “He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

Here, we see that Jesus perceives the needs of the crowd. And what does it say Jesus was doing? Let us begin at verse 35. Jesus went through all the towns and villages. What was Jesus doing? He was healing. What was the work Jesus performed? Healing—isn't that right? And Jesus, upon seeing the need, did not remain idle; rather, something moved Him to act. And what was it that moved Him? Compassion. Amen? Compassion led Him to those places. He did not wait for the sick to come to Him; He went to where the many sick people were, He went to the towns.

Imagine Jesus in those times. Back then, there were no motorcycle taxis to get to 17th Street, and there were no airplanes. Yet, for Jesus, the events that unfolded, or the limitations that existed, did not prevent him from reaching the places where there was need. But today it caught my attention, because what were the needs in that place? If you would help me out a little here, what were the needs? It says that Jesus went about the synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. And it asks: What was He doing? He healed every disease. There was no disease that Jesus could not heal, and there is no disease that Jesus cannot heal. It says: “And every affliction.” Upon seeing the crowds, Jesus felt compassion.

"No matter what our need may be, when we draw near to Jesus, He sees our condition and sees our need."

So, as we saw earlier, what were the needs? Illnesses. What else? Ailments. What else? They were burdened, as it says, right? That the people following Him were burdened. Burdened, perhaps, by the illnesses they had, the ones they were struggling with. Perhaps many came seeking help for other types of needs, but they drew near to Jesus. And in the face of those needs, Jesus is not indifferent. No matter what our need may be, when we draw near to Jesus, He sees our condition and sees our need.

So we see Jesus, upon seeing, and I want everyone to repeat after me: What did Jesus do? Upon seeing, upon seeing the need. But there is another need in this passage. What was the need that existed in that place? More than diseases, more than healing, there was a shortage of workers willing to labor in God's work.

It says that when Jesus saw the crowds, He felt compassion. But it also says that, in verse 37, speaking to His disciples He told them, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.” So, what was the greatest need in that place? There were many sick people, meaning there was a great need. And Jesus went from one town to another; He would arrive at a new place and move on, yet there were not many, for even though multitudes followed Jesus, there were few who were willing to labor in God’s work.

But the Lord comes and tells them what the problem is. It is the lack of laborers. The lack of people willing to commit themselves to the Kingdom of God, who are willing to strip themselves of everything, just as the disciples did. As Pastor preached to us last time, they left their nets behind, they left what they were doing in order to follow Jesus. Yet, in this passage, there were not many who were following Him.

But Jesus says to his disciples: “Pray! Pray!” For what? Pray to the owner of the vineyard, pray to the owner of the harvest, that he may send laborers into his vineyard.”

How many of us are in need of a job? There are many of us who already have a job, aren't there? But there are others who do not. How many of us have, at some point, been in need of work? And how many of us have prayed to the Lord for a job?

As I was reading this, the Lord reminded me that one of the reasons I left home was because of the hardships we were enduring. That is what led me to leave my house and go look for a job. I started working at the age of nine. I began babysitting two children. Can you imagine a nine-year-old girl looking after two kids? What do you think I did with those children? I played. The lady would leave us food, everything was already prepared, so my only responsibility was to play with the children. That was my job. But that began to generate an income for me. Someone who had come from a village where we went hungry, where we lived in want. Where, often, we had nothing to eat. There were times we went to bed without eating simply because there was no food. This necessity drove me to seek work. I didn't fully understand why because I was just a child, but my mother decided that it was time for me to go to work.

And so, I went to work. Do you know what my salary was? 60 lempiras. That is what I started out earning, 60 lempiras a month. I was just a little girl at that time, I didn't really understand. I just wanted to eat churros and buy whatever else I could with those 60 lempiras. But the lady I worked for managed the money for me. She didn't hand it all over to me. Instead, she would say, "I'm going to buy you some clothes this week, or this month, and next month I'll buy you a pair of shoes." So, for me, that job represented an income. It was something that began generating benefits to help meet my needs. How many of us believe that a job fulfills our needs, and not just our own, but those of our family as well? It is truly essential.

But as time went by, the Lord called me. Now, I was no longer earning just 60 lempiras. Instead, I was delivering tortillas at a place where I earned a little bit more. However, that job didn't give me the opportunity to attend church services. I couldn't gather with the congregation every day, the way they did here at the church.

I started on a Wednesday, and I began listening to the Word. I began listening to God’s plans, and I began to hear that there was something more for my life. Something more than just working, something more than wearing myself out day and night toiling to put food on the table for my son and my brother. Then the Lord began His work, didn't He? It started on a Wednesday, when I began coming to church. I couldn't come on Sundays because I had to deliver tortillas, and many of you who know me are familiar with that story. We had to deliver them. We would get up at one or two in the morning and grind until ten o'clock. And it wasn't as if I was finished then. Next, I had to go deliver the tortillas. It was back-breaking work, like slavery, but I had to do it because there was a need. That work provided something for my life, and not just for me, but for my family.

Not even I realized that there was work to be done in the house of God, that there was a need. I came because I had a need. How many of us have come in that very same way? But now the Lord wants to shift our mindset a little. To show us that, often, it is not only we who have needs, but that there are others who have needs as well. And it is not a need for physical food; it is a need for a word of eternal life. Amen?

Then God calls His disciples and says to them, “Pray, pray, for the harvest is abundant.” In other words, the harvest was not the problem, the need was not the problem, there were many needs. What was lacking was people who would commit themselves to the Kingdom of God.

We see today that it is the very same problem. Many of us come to the house of God, and that is wonderful, because we come out of a need. How beautiful it is when the Lord meets that need, satisfying and filling us. But how lovely it is to be able to serve as an instrument of God to bless another person.

So, I love this because he tells them: “Pray, pray to the Lord.” Here it says, “ask,” but in another version it says, “Pray to the Lord; pray to the owner of the vineyard, that He may raise up laborers to work in His vineyard.” There is a need, church, there is a great need. There are many people who, just like you and me, are lost in the world. Lost and without hope, bound by many things that separate us from the Lord.

I was bound to my job, and I used to say, “I can’t stop grinding away, because no one else is going to feed me.” How many of us have said that? “I can’t stop working to serve the Lord, because I have children to support.” And I am not telling you to quit your job. For the Lord does not always call people who are unemployed, He calls people who are already working, so that we may work in the Kingdom of God. Amen?

But at that time, I had to grind, so I started coming here. I remember passing by, the church was singing and praising the Lord, and I had to go down with my basket of tortillas to deliver them. When I returned, they were still praising the Lord. I would just watch and say, “Someday I’ll be there. Someday I’ll be there.” But I couldn’t stop grinding.

You know what happened? I actually had to get sick, to the point where I had to stop working. That was when I started praying differently. I began to say to Him, “Lord, give me a job so that I can serve You, give me a part-time job so that I can serve You and start attending church.”

At that time, I was sick and looking for work. I remember I was riding on a bus when I ran into a young woman. She asked me, "Are you working?" "No," I replied, "actually, I’m not." She said, "Well, there’s a lady who needs someone to help her out around the house." "Oh, that’s wonderful!" I told her. "And what’s it like?" "Well, look, she pays this amount, and it’s part-time." It was exactly what I had been asking the Lord for.

So that gave me a bit of a wake-up call, and I said, "But, mind you, I’m sick." Because it was true, I was sick. "Tell the lady, tell her that if she waits for me for a week, just until I recover, I’ll be there." And that’s exactly what happened. I recovered, and I went that very week. When I arrived, she told me, "The most I can pay is 1,500 lempiras." I said to her, "That’s fine, I’m interested." Because it was a part-time position, and it meant I would be able to start receiving discipleship and I would be able to start attending church more often. So, I liked that, and that is how I began to learn a little more about the Word of the Lord.

I wasn't making a fortune, but I had the time to be able to listen to the Word of God. A long time passed, and I remember that the Lord began to lead my family and me through various experiences. I recall that we even stopped working for a time because the church actually stepped in to assist and support us, helping us set up a small stall down here. I remember that we used to sell sweets alongside some of the sisters from the church. How much do you think we earned? Only enough to eat, for we made no profit whatsoever. Yet, we were able to attend the discipleship sessions. There, in that very spot, we would pray and ask the Lord to help us.

I remember that we used to cry together in that place. Because one of us had three left, the other had a few more, and we would ask ourselves, "Now what are we going to do?" And it reached the point where we had to close the stall because nothing was selling.

Then, I began to come to know the Lord. And the Lord had to deliver me from that mindset. The belief that I depended on a job to survive, and that I needed to be enslaved to a job just to have what I needed. The Lord showed me that in those places where there was no money, where there was no income, I could witness the hand of God at work. Sometimes, church, we didn't eat chicken. In that little shack do you know what we did? We boiled the chicken, so we could sell chicken tacos. What do you think we did with the chicken broth? We made chicken soup—but without the chicken, just using the broth.

I remember that our children were little, and everyone would gather there at the little shack and eat chicken soup, without the chicken. And other people from the neighborhood who were also in need would come by and eat the chicken soup, too. We sold the tacos so we could turn a profit, just enough so we could go back out and buy supplies again the next day.

For that, I give thanks to the Lord, because He taught me to trust in Him in that place, where there was no money, yet I could see the hand of God at work. He saw our need. He saw what we were going through, and He was never indifferent toward us. He always provided what was necessary, and to this very day, He has never ceased to provide for my life and for my family. Sometimes our strength runs out, but the Lord renews it once again.

So, I love this Word, because what the Lord is saying here is this: The need is great, there are many people who are in need of God. There are many people who need to hear the Good News of the Kingdom of God, yet there are not many who are willing to commit themselves to the Kingdom of God. For we are engrossed in our work and in the affairs of daily life, and we do not allow the Lord to be glorified in all things.

I give thanks to the Lord, for He has led me, day by day, to place my trust in Him and to place my hope in Him. Yet not merely to stop there, but to desire to share what Jesus has done in my life and in my family. For if today we possess what we have, and if today we are who we are, it is not by our own merits, it is because the Lord showed us mercy, and that is why we are here today. Amen?

"He saves us with a purpose, and that is so that now, you and I may become ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. "

But He rescues us with a purpose. He saves us with a purpose, and that is so that now, you and I may become ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. Those who bring good news to the poor, and those who go forth to proclaim liberty to those held captive. For I, too, was once sick. I, too, was once bound. While there may still be things the Lord continues to work out in my life, I have already begun to experience certain things in my life.

I love it because the Lord tells them, “Pray.” Often, we face problems and have needs, and we need to work on our spiritual lives. This is the year of work. The Word spoke this to us earlier this year, at the very beginning. This is the year of work, but work where? Often, right here, in our hearts. We need to work, we need to be taught. We need to be guided by the Word of God. But how many of us are truly committed, committed enough to say, “Lord, teach me. Lord, heal me?”

Just as many came to the Lord sick, and having arrived, were able to experience that healing and that freedom. Now they are able to go forth in complete liberty. I liked what our Brother Bryan said at the beginning, “He who has been saved, he who has received salvation, he who has received the grace of God cannot remain silent.” Amen? He who has seen the goodness of God cannot remain silent, for he has witnessed God’s mercy. And now, we cannot remain silent. Why? Because there is no other place where we can be saved but in the presence of the Lord.

How many of us are in need today? How many of us need the Lord to do something in our lives today, to do something in our hearts today? The Lord says: “Pray, pray.” Often, we want to preach, often, we want to sing in church. But often, we do not want to pray. For what? So that the Kingdom of God may rise up, so that men and women may rise up to preach the Gospel of God. Amen?

"Prayer is a fundamental part of our lives, of our growth and our inner healing, for it is through prayer that we are able to draw near to the Lord Jesus. "

Prayer is a fundamental part of our lives, of our growth and our inner healing, for it is through prayer that we are able to draw near to the Lord Jesus. Often, we desire other things from the Lord, but not prayer, prayer is the very last thing we want. What ministries are there in the church? What do they do? Right? On Thursdays, this happens, on Tuesdays we pray and on Tuesday fewer people show up. Because perhaps we want other things, but we don't want to pray.

Jesus says to His disciples, “Pray, pray that the Lord, the owner of the vineyard, will raise up laborers to work in His vineyard.” How many of us want work? And just as a job provides, so too does the Lord. When you place Him at the center of your life, He provides everything you need.

I want us to turn to a parable, right there in Matthew. In this parable, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a landowner who goes out at dawn to look for workers. He says, “The Kingdom of Heaven.” Let’s read that part first in verse one, “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.” What did that landowner go out to do? To hire workers. What does a worker do? He works.

So, when the Lord calls us into His Kingdom, He calls us with a purpose, and that is for us to work within His Kingdom. This is not about going out and doing things; it is about working on our own lives. What am I willing to do so that the Lord may carry out His work in my life? What am I willing to give up so that the Lord may carry out His work in my life?

The disciples left their nets, they left behind what they were doing. For what purpose? To embark upon the path to which the Lord had called them. Now, we see here that He goes out to seek, going out at various times, in search of workers. It is said that He went through the marketplaces, looking for people who were idle. He found some who were doing nothing and asked them, “Why are you standing around doing nothing?” They replied, “No one has hired us; no one has told us to go to work.” Then the owner of the vineyard said to them, “Go and work in my vineyard.” He promised to pay them a wage, telling them He would give them one denarius for a day’s work.

That denarius was the provision for one person, not only for him, but also for his family. The Kingdom of God benefits not only us, but also those who are in our household. The benefit is not solely for us, just as a wage is not solely for us. But it serves to benefit those in our household. Likewise, the Kingdom of God is a benefit not only for me, but also for those who are in my household.

It says that he spoke to them in verse 8. Let us read Matthew 20:8, “At sunset, the owner of the vineyard ordered his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and ending with the first.’ The workers who had been hired around five in the afternoon came forward, and each one received a full day’s pay. Therefore, when those who had been hired first arrived, they expected to receive more. But each of them also received a full day’s pay.” We see here that the owner of the vineyard goes out to look for laborers, hiring some in the morning, others mid-morning, others in the afternoon, and still others later on. However, these last ones, assuming let's say that the workday ran from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., were hired at 4 p.m. and worked for only one hour.

But it says that when that man called the day laborers, he told them, “Bring me the last ones,” and it says that he began to pay them. Just imagine us as workers, the boss comes along, hires us, and says, “Look, we’re going to pay you this amount.” Yet these other guys have only worked for two days, and he’s giving them the exact same amount. What do you think we would do? That is why, in those kinds of jobs nowadays, there are unions, right? To defend the rights of the workers, that’s true. Why do they stand up for workers' rights? Because they feel that what is being done to them is unfair.

So, many times we feel that what God does for us is unfair. But I would look at this and say to Him, “Lord, thank you, because I didn’t do anything like that. I didn’t do anything to deserve what you have given me. I didn’t do anything to deserve what you have given me today.” Perhaps those who had worked all morning felt entitled and were demanding what they wanted. But I would say to Him, “Lord, thank you, because your grace didn’t extend to me because I deserved something.”

Those men received payment, not because they deserved it, but because the owner of that vineyard is generous, He is generous! If He had to pay us according to what we have done, none of us would be here today. But the grace of God reached us. Amen? The grace of God found us, and today we can enjoy that undeserved grace.

Often, we might think that, since these workers put in a full day's labor, they were entitled to greater rights than the others. Sometimes, too, within the Kingdom of God, perhaps many of us have already spent many years in the Gospel. A newcomer arrives, and the Lord raises them up and what do the veteran laborers do? Often, the problem in organizations lies not with the newcomers, but with the veterans! The complaints come from the veterans. The grumbling comes from the veterans.

The other day, someone said to me: “You know, this job, well it’s not really that good.” And I replied: “But it is good.” “No, really it is good.” Do you know why it’s good? Because I, who used to earn 60 lempiras, who used to earn 150 lempiras a month, now look at what the Lord has given me. And I say, “Yes, it is good. Yes, what the Lord has given me is good.” It is good!

How many years have you been there? Many years and I continue to see God’s mercy in my life. I still see the hand of God. I see God’s love all around me. Yet many times, when we have spent a long time in the Gospel, we are the very ones who go around complaining, who go around grumbling, who go around saying: “What is being done to me is not fair.” But here, for the Lord, it is not about those who started, but about those who make it to the very end. One day, we will receive that reward. One day the Lord will say, “Come, let us settle accounts. Come, faithful servant; you were faithful in little things, so I will give you much.” Amen?

"He who has seen the goodness of God cannot remain silent, for he has witnessed God’s mercy."

Many of us start working, but sometimes over the slightest little thing, we no longer want to continue working in God’s work. They looked at me, they didn’t look at me, they didn’t shake my hand, and so we quit. How many people go to various places looking for work? And they search, don’t they? They ask: “Do you have any job openings?” People say, “Yes.” Then they add, “But look, these are the rules here at the company.” But when you are in need, you say yes. Isn’t that right?

Sometimes, people ask you about this very thing. A young man arrives, quite handsome, well-dressed, and he is indeed the real deal, for he is a university graduate. He approaches the hiring manager and is told, “Yes, actually, we do have a position available, but it involves cleaning the restrooms.” “The restrooms? Me, a university graduate? Me, someone holding a bachelor’s degree? Oh no, that just won’t do. I didn’t go to college for that.” Yet, it was a well-paying opportunity. What happened? He simply didn’t have enough of a need.

So, often the Lord is seeking laborers to work in His kingdom. And look, at no job, at no company, will you ever be paid better than you are paid by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. No one, church, no one will pay you better than the King of Kings does. He is the owner of the finest enterprise. He is the owner of the greatest institution to which you and I could ever belong. Thank God for secular jobs, but there is nothing that compares to being able to be a part of the Kingdom of God!

So, one does not enter the Kingdom of God by virtue of how many years we have lived, or how much knowledge we possess, but rather because of the need that exists within our hearts. That is the only thing the Lord is seeking. Someone who has a need, someone who can experience the power of God in their life. Someone of whom the Lord can say, “I will be glorified in you. I will perform my work in you.” That is what the Lord is seeking. He is seeking laborers to work in His vineyard.

That is why the Word says, “So the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.” How many years have you been in the Gospel? Don't even ask me, because I lose count. But do you know what counts every day? It is that despite the years, despite the fact that I have grown old here in the house of the Lord, I still continue to delight in what the Lord can do. Every day, in every gathering, the only thing I bring is my need for Him. The need to hear a Word from Him. The need for someone at some moment, when I feel overwhelmed or when I have felt lost, to come, lay their hands upon me and pray. The Lord has given me direction. That is the only thing that sustains me every day. Knowing that I can come to the house of the Lord and that here I will find exactly what I need. Knowing that I can pray in my home and know that He is listening to me. Knowing that no matter what it may be, for Him, nothing is impossible.

We went through a difficult time in our family. I remember being so overwhelmed, I don't know how many people noticed. I felt so exhausted because the work we were doing was arduous. It was a time when I had to go to work, yet I also had to go to bed very late caring for my mother, as she was bedridden. There were many times when I had to get up even earlier just to pray and ask the Lord to give me the strength to keep going.

But I believe that one day, at a prayer group, someone looked at me and saw that I was overwhelmed and weary. Perhaps I hadn't said anything to that person, but they began to pray for me. I said to the Lord, “Thank You, Lord, for You know exactly what I need. I may not tell anyone else, but you see it.” The Lord prompted that person to pray for me. I remember weeping like a child, I could do nothing but cry. Then the Lord gave me a Word, saying, “The Lord will not allow you to bear more than you can handle.” That Word filled my heart. I said to Him, “Thank You, Lord. If You are allowing me to go through this, You know exactly how long it will last. Thank You.” That lifted my spirits. We were still facing the problem, but that Word filled my heart.

How many of us are in need of a Word from the Lord? When there is a need, we must pray. If someone is sick, we must pray. If there is a need that requires meeting, we go and pray. We go and pray!

I want us to turn to another example in 1 Kings 19. Here, it speaks of the story of Elisha and Elijah. I particularly like chapter 19; 19:19-20a reads as follows, “Elijah left there and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yokes of oxen in a row, and he himself was driving the last one. Elijah passed by Elisha and cast his cloak upon him. Then Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah.” I loved this story, because God’s call reached this man. The prophet of God arrived, looking for someone. What was Elisha doing? Was he on a hilltop? Was he deep in reflection? Or was he off searching for his inner self on a mountain? What was Elisha doing? He was working. It was not easy work. It says that he had twelve yokes of oxen, and he was leading the last one. He was a man, just imagine, someone working the land, someone plowing.

It says that Elisha found him and simply placed his mantle upon him. It says that Elisha rose, left the yoke of oxen, and followed Elijah. He followed him, and said, “Allow me to bid farewell to my father and my mother with a kiss,” said Elisha, “and then I will follow you.” “Go, then,” replied Elijah. “I will not stop you.”

Elisha left him and returned. He took his yoke of oxen and sacrificed them, burning the wood of the yoke. Imagine what this man did in response to God's call. God called him through the prophet. And it is not as if he was idle, he had work, and hard work at that. The Lord does not always call those who are unoccupied. He calls many people who are busy. He says to them, “I have work in My kingdom.” And this man did not refuse. He simply said to him, “Let me go, let me say goodbye to my parents with a kiss.” His parents were not an obstacle to his serving the Lord. His family was not an obstacle to his serving in the Kingdom of God.

Yet, his yoke of oxen was what generated income for Elisha. It was what provided food for his household and for his family. But this man came and offered his oxen as a sacrifice to the Lord. He offered up the very thing that provided him with security, so that he might now begin to place his security in the eternal God.

He divested himself of what he considered valuable. He divested himself of that which represented an income for him. It says that he offered it up, roasted the meat, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and placed himself at his service.

How many of us desire to work in the Kingdom of God? How many of us need the Lord to work within our hearts? How many of us, today, need the Lord to perform His work in us so that, once we have been healed, we may become a blessing to others? This is precisely what the Lord did with His disciples. He healed them, He prepared them, yet He also gave them authority. Empowering them to go forth and heal those who were sick. He granted them authority. He bestowed upon them His Holy Spirit, so that they might go and proclaim freedom to those held in captivity. He gave to them, just as Elijah gave his mantle to Elisha, the power, the authority, and everything necessary for His disciples to carry out the work of God. Amen?

How many of us need the Lord to give us what is necessary, what we need, so that a change may take place in our lives? How many of us today need something for our hearts? The Lord called His disciples, and they followed Him. Elisha was called by Elijah, and he left what he was doing so that he could follow Jesus. Often, we do desire what the Lord does, but we are unwilling to let go of what has been our security? That upon which we have depended for many years? Yet the Lord calls us to leave behind and to let go, so that we may receive the new things He has for us today.

How many of us today are willing to let go of what we have believed we need, what we thought was necessary to make us feel better? Yet the only thing, and the only One, that can truly satisfy our hearts is the Lord. Amen!