We're just centered on a missionary week. And at the different times that we have the opportunity of opening the scriptures and speaking from them, I want to have it a definite missionary angle. I want to speak about the Lord himself today in his relation to the mission field and to the work of the Lord. There are two great titles of the Lord in the New Testament that I'd like to speak about today in relation to the work of God. And the first one is the Lord of the harvest. I'd like to speak about that this morning, the Lord of the harvest. And then this evening, God willing, I'd like to take another beautiful title of the Lord Jesus in Luke chapter nineteen, where he's called a noble man, a man of high birth, and how he calls his servants, and he gives them the responsibility of occupying till he comes. So this morning I would like to look at this lovely title of the Lord and some of the great principles associated with it in the Gospel according to Matthew, the Lord of the Harvest. And so we'll look at Matthew chapter nine. Matthew chapter nine and we'll read from verse thirty-five. Matthew nine, verse thirty-five. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom. and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad, and keep having no shepherd. Then said he unto the disciples, The harvest truly is plentious, but the labourers are few. Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. a little paragraph in chapter ten. And when he is called unto him as twelve disciples, he gives them power against some change spurs to cast them out, unto heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Jebedee and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the Republicans, James the son of Alpheus, and Levius, whose surname was Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans, enter ye not, but go rather to the lost sheep of the heart of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, blaze the dead, cast out devils, fleeting ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your presence, nor sit for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes nor yet stave. For the workman is worthy of his meat. And then to whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy? I dare to buy it till ye will think. until you come into one heart, salute it. And if the heart be worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it be not worthy, let your peace return unto you. Verse sixteen. Behold, I send you forth a sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise a servant, and harmless of droughts. Now I've done towards the end of the chapter. Verse thirty-seven. Verse thirty-seven. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. He that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. He that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life or myself shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that tempt me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward, and whosoever shall get the drink, unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water, only in the name of the disciple, where I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. It's possible that some might say this morning, don't you know that Matthew is a dispensational Gospel or the passage that we have read together doesn't refer to us at all? Well, now, I think we need to qualify that. I'm willing to admit that the Gospel according to Matthew has a special relation through the Jewish faith and that it is a dispensational Gospel. But I believe at the same time the great principles that we find in the first book of the New Testament I believe is a very real application to us. I think before we look at the passage itself on this lovely title of our Lord that we get here, as the Lord of the Harvest, it might be as well just to outline very briefly the chapters up until this point. I think we should always look at a passage in its context. Someone has said, if you lift a passage out of its context, lift a text out of its context, it could be a pretext. And we certainly want to look at the passage in the context where we find it. The Gospel by Matthew is the Gospel of the King. And right at the commencement, we get the credentials of the King. I think there are about half a dozen of them altogether, possibly seven credentials that he brings with it. And in the first four chapters we get those credentials. A King needs credentials. And the first credential is his genealogy. That's where he comes from. You know, a servant doesn't need a genealogy at all. We don't get it in Mark. But we do get the genealogy of the king. And the gospel according to Matthew and the gospel according to Luke. I think in Matthew's gospel it says genealogy through his refuted father Joseph. And in Mark it says genealogy down through his mother. And the two together we get the genealogy of Christ, of his wife of the king. to sit upon the throne of his father, David. I used to think when I read the first page of the New Testament that it wasn't important. But after I'd been to Africa for a little while, I realized that it was very important. Sometimes in learning African languages, we used to go into a little hut in the center of an African village, a place that we call Achota. And it was there that the law court was held. And sometimes when I had an outstanding case so that I was increased my vocabulary, And I learned a little bit about idiom, and that the different things connected with the African language that we were learning, was a little notebook and a pencil. I used to sit in the corner and watch them while they were conducting the law court. And one thing I always noticed, and that is before they started it all, every man there had to tell us genealogy. It's the first thing that an African teaches a child is where he comes from. And the judge, he would lift his hand and he would say, My father came from so-and-so, his father so-and-so, his father so-and-so, his father so-and-so, his father so-and-so, his father-so, his father so-and-so, and then, look at the ten members of the genealogy. And then, of course, they're all sitting on their bare feet. And they put out one foot, and his father so-and-so, upward, come as big Joe. And then his father so-and-so, his father so-and-so, his father so-and-so, and then over to the other foot. And he went right back to the very commencement of the tribe. And when he got to the commencement of the tribe, it was always a woman. It's a metriary. Her name was Kaputi Kambumba. And then he would clap his hands, and all he did, there's my genealogy. That's where I come from. And the term they used for it is to tie the belt. Pujici Giniya. To tie the belt. That's my genealogy. And after they had... gone right round the ring and everybody there is a forsaken part and they block it, I've told you genealogy, then they would look at me and they would say, and they would say, can you tell your genealogy? And I would look my hand out and say, my father was so and so. And his father was so and so. And my grandfather was so-and-so. And I was able to go as far as my fore-singer. And when I came to my thumb, I just had to stop. I wasn't able to go any further than that. I said, why? To us it's not important at all. It doesn't matter if it's trapped where I came from. And sometimes if you go a little bit far back, you might discover some things that you're far better not now. But in any case, we say it's not important. But you know, among Africans, they have to tell their genealogy, or else they have to keep quiet. They're not allowed to open their mouth in the law court unless they're able to tell their genealogy. On the very first page of the New Testament, you get the genealogy of the king. And it is infinitely important. There's only one man today among the Jewish people who's able to give his genealogy. That is the man who sits at God's right hand. All those genealogical tables that the Jews preserved for centuries, they were all destroyed. in AD seventy when the temple was burned down and there's not a Jew today in the world could tell you where he comes from but there's a man at God's right hand and he has a credential on that credential first of all is his genealogy and we get it right here in the Bible now there are seven of them all together I'm not going to go over them but the first four chapters of the Gospel according to Matthew is the genealogy of the king and then when we come to chapter five and six and seven How can we get the credentials of the king? The next thing we find is the constitution of the king. He's going to be king in the coming days. And I believe that literally for one thousand years he will sit upon a throne with the imperial diadem upon his head and with a scepter in his hand. And he will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. And I believe that the constitution of a kingdom, the constitution whereby that kingdom will be ruled we get on Matthew five, on six, on seven. And then in chapters eight and nine, we get the confirmation of the game. There are ten miracles here, five in one chapter and five in another, and the ten in four different categories, the power and the authority of the game. It was confirmed by those miracles that he performed, their deliberately chosen, and they did it in a very beautiful way in chapters eight and nine of the Gospel, according to Matthew. Now, when we come to chapter ten out of the passage that we've read here this morning, we find the Lord Jesus calling his disciples together. And here we get the commissioning of the king. Here he's sending them forth with a proclamation. And he calls his disciples and he sends them forth. This is what we want to look at this morning. And here we got this lovely title, the Lord of the Harvest. There was a tremendous need in that day, just as there is today. And I want you to notice that the introduction... To this chapter we find at the end of chapter nine, and the first thing we get here is a vision of need. Looking upon the thieves, looked upon the people in his day, really was moved with compassion. Because the people that he met on that day were his sheep, not having a shepherd. We get a vision of need. My dear friends this morning, as we look at the world in our day, in every part of the world today, any man that has any concern about the work of God, Not only in our own country, but in every country in the world is a tremendous need today. And the foundation of what we get here in Matthew chapter ten is first of all that vision of need. Lifting up our eyes and looking on the fields that are quite already to harvest. And the Lord himself was moved with compassion. And he saw these people as sheep, not as sheep without a shepherd. And he reads here that he was moved with compassion when he saw the need. So the second thing we find is a burden of prayer. And it said, Pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his house. First of all, the vision of need, and then the burden of prayer. And then we come into chapter ten, and we get here an enabling call. Now there are about a dozen principles here connected with the work of the Lord, but I'd only like to speak about for a little while this morning. They are important. and there are things that are largely ignored today. But if we want to do the work of the Lord and want to follow the instructions and the principles lived on by the Lord of the Harvest, I think we'll have to study carefully, Gospel by Matthew chapter ten. On the Lord of the Harvest, and for mission the disciples, he laid down certain principles here connected with the work. So let me say, first of all, as far as the immediate context is concerned, it's perfectly obvious. that these principles and these instructions that we find in Matthew chapter ten apply to those that the Lord was sending us that applied to those disciples, those apostles, the men that the Lord was sending, that is perfectly obvious. And he told them to go not unaware the Gentiles that they were the sheek of the lost sheep of the heart of Israel. Now look at the primary application. And you have to recognize that. It has a primary application. to those men that the Lord was calling and sending and fitting to do the work. But then secondly, as we look a little further down the chapter, it's perfectly obvious that the Lord is referring to a future day. And he's speaking here about the coming of the Son of Man. On some of the things that he says from verse sixteen, down to verse twenty-three, we believe have an application in the coming day. We believe that after the church is lifted out of this scene, after the church is complete, We believe in a coming day there will be a missionary body. Again, says what? We believe that God will pick up the people of Israel again in a coming day to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. And obviously this second paragraph in the chapter refers to that time. It has a secondary application to those tribulation days when a remnant of Israel will go forward proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom at the coming of the Son of Man. But I think that's very great. I believe that there are general principles today gone here that apply to every age. And the Lord here, sending forth his disciples, they laid down certain principles, I believe, that refer to us at the present time. Now the first thing I'd like to speak about for a moment or two, the Lord in calling his disciples, we get first of all the principle of sovereignty. If we were to compare Mark chapter three, where we get the parallel passage, the Lord Himself, out of the multitude of his disciples, he chose whom he would. He chose whom he would, that they might be with him, and that he would send them forth to preach. Now the great principle we find here, in kind, on sending forth labors into the harvest, they must be called by the Lord of the harps. On the principle of sovereignty that we find here, we find exactly the same thing at the present day. I have been very much distressed in recent years, particularly since we came home from Africa, by the fact that many, many of God's dear servants in recent years have been called home, one after the other. I can look back to at least sixty years among God's people. And as I meet back over my little lifetime, there were men of God that God used not only in the homeland but in the foreign field for the proclamation of the gospel. But one after the other, These dear servants of God are being taken home. And one thing that is distressing me is the thanks that there are very, very few coming forward today to fill their shoes. One thing that has burdened my heart in recent days that God would raise us, God in man, and send them forth into the harvest field, not only here at home, but in the far reaches of the earth. You know, many of our young people today are having opportunities that we never had. Most young people are able to get a college education, sometimes stay in school until they're twenty or twenty-five years of age. And we're not critical of that at all. Those that have that opportunity, they're getting a tremendous, a tremendous privilege today in being able to go to school, up until that point on getting a thorough, thorough education, with thankful and grateful for it. But my dear friends, the fact is that among our young people today, among our young men today, there's not the exercise about the work of God, both at home and abroad that there should be. Instead of being exercised about the things of the Lord and the spread of the gospel, very often it's a good position in business. And the thought of this in mind is, how much will I get? What will I get out of it instead of considering the need that there is in the work of God today, in the great harvest field? Now, where are the men coming from? Where are we going to get them? My dear friends, instead of looking around, instead of looking at the human level, I think we have to loosen up. The principle that we find here in Matthew chapter ten, connected with the work of God, is first of all, is the principle of sovereignty. He called unto him whom he would. And it was the Lord himself. It was the Lord of the Harvester Call. Do you believe in a call? I've heard people say that the fact is a meme, that that in itself constitutes a call. I don't believe anything of the kind. I believe there's just as much need here in the United States as there is in the middle of Africa. I believe there's as much need in Harlem and in other areas here in the United States as there is in the darkest part of Africa. And we wouldn't be silly and stupid enough to ignore that fact. There's need everywhere. But the fact of a need does not constitute a cause. I believe that every servant of God, every... kind of God, of a responsibility to convey the gospel. But when God calls a man to do a specific task, and sends him to a specific area to do the work, it's always the result of an individual call to that individual person. If I couldn't move back through a time in my life when God laid his hand upon me, and took me into the secret place, and spoke through my heart individually, and called me into his work, Many, many times I'd have run away. I'd have dropped everything and gone back home again. But when one is able to look back to a specific time in our life, when God laid his hand upon one and spoke to their heart and called him, sent him into the work of God, this is one of these stabilizing factors in the life of any servant of God. You know, it's an amazing thing when we look at the man in the Bible that God calls. We're all different. The variety of men. There are seven in the Old Testament scriptures where we get a detailed outline of their call. You get Abraham, you get Daniel, you get Elijah and Elijah. These individuals in the Old Testament, Gideon for instance, in the book of Judges, different individuals. There are seven altogether where we get a detailed outline of how God called them on sentence or two, a specific task. We get exactly the same thing in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul is an outstanding example. The different times that God called him on the Apostle Peter. I think at least four or five times people were spoken to by the Lord himself and given a specific task to do. But all these men were different. I'm going to look at them, the different kinds of men that they wear, their background, their training, their education, and their family and all the rest of it. The principle in sovereignty is this, that God calls different types. And from the most obscure places, he calls them and he fits them and he sends them into the work. And this is the first great principle, the principle of sovereignty. And my dear friends, while we would love, love to go to some young man or some young woman and lay her hand upon them, you're just the very kind. You're the very one that God has to do His work. My dear friends, I never would feel like doing that. I would say, hands off. The one who does it is the Lord of the harvest. And when he calls a man and picks them and sends them, this is one that God will use. So the first great principle we find here is the principle of sovereignty. So the second thing we find in the chapter is the principle of compatibility, not as he sends them forth two by two. And I think when we look both at the Old Testament and the New, we find this illustrated again and again and again. I don't think that there's very much encouragement for a lone wolf for a free lunch or for somebody that's not accountable to anybody. When God calls people to do the work, he generally calls them two by two. So it's Moses and Aaron and later Moses and Joshua. And then you think of Elijah and Elisha. Herb that we've already mentioned. These are examples in the Old Testament. And when we come into the New Testament, we find exactly the same principle. It was Paul and Barnabas. And it was Paul and Luke. And later it was Paul and Timothy. And the principle in the Bible connected with the work of John it is he generally called an older man and a younger man. And the two worked happily together in the work of the Lord. I went into the Lord's work when I was twenty-one years old. And over there in Africa I was awfully dreadful in fact that there were good men over there in those days. It was an honor and a privilege for me who's just a boy to be linked with giants. And there were giants in those days. I never thought of criticizing them. There may be some things about their ways as to conduct their work that I might have had doubts in my mind or maybe a question mark, but I never was worth it. And I learned as life went on that there was a good reason for us. You know that in which we live there's an awful lot of criticism between old and young. The old talking about the young, they say, we don't know what the young are coming to today. We don't know where it's going to end up. And then the younger folks, they come back and they say, don't trust anybody over thirty. That's the kind of thing that's said. My dear friend, this kind of talk, I think that what you need to do is to get down to the Bible. On these great examples that we find here, it's a lovely thing to see an older man and a younger man working completely together. not any mutual criticism at all, but the two working together in love and affection. And the younger man willing to submit, his will, willing to submit, possibly any criticism that he might have, to the older man. Thank God there are older, wise men among us today, both in the work of the Lord, at home in abroad. And it is a lovely thing to see a younger person working with an older one and learning from him and submitting through him. And it goes on in the work of God. It's certainly the example that we find in the Bible. For these six pairs that we find here, the Lord called them, and he sent them forth two by two. Because it was so easy to speak about the different types we find here in these men. I want you to notice the last one. Read here Simon the Canaanites on Judas Iscariot. Poor Simon the Canaanites. Link for the men that hadn't the root of the matter in them at all. Mind you, there were practical difficulties in the Lord's day, just the same as there are today. And I could give some examples of what I know along this line too. But the principle of the Word of God is that they went forth two by two. And I think that the principle is that two men working together happily in the work of God, this I believe is the principle that sits on here in the chapter. You know, all of us at one time or another we get discouraged. And sometimes we get sick. Sometimes their difficulties arise, but when they do, one man is able to help the other and encourage the other. Again, one would love to tell stories along this line, but I just forbear. I just want to mention the principle we get here. First of all, sovereignty. The Lord of the Harvest is the one who picks up on sands and fits in the work. On the secondary principle is the principle of compatibility to working happily together in the work of the Lord. And I think both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, we find lovely examples of this principle in the Word of God and also in our own practical life today in the twentieth century. So the third principle we find here is the principle of simplicity. Now here is a tricky question, and possibly you may not agree with me, but I believe that the principle the Lord lays down here, I do believe that does hold good to the present day. Now, I know the passage in Luke chapter twenty-two, you might come back at me with that. But I think that what the Lord says here, the overall principle does hold good. Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your forces, nor strip for your journey. Neither tooth-coach, neither shoes nor yet stays, for the workman is worthy of his needs. I do believe that what we get here in utter faith and trust in God stepping out in faith and trusting God, I believe the principle does hold good today. You know, when I went to Africa, first of all, twenty-one years ago, forty-six years ago, when I was twenty-one years of age, there was one thing I wanted to try to prove to myself, and that is whether God would take care of me. Now, I didn't judge God at all, but I doubt it myself. And I went to the brethren and I told them, I'd like to go out to new tribes that in Africa and give my life the pioneer work. They said, Brother, we'd be very happy to give you a commendation. And then they said, What about an earthquake? In those days, of course, in going to a place like Central and Africa, you needed all kinds of equipment. On the brethren, there were about thirty assemblies in the city where I was commanded, and there were all unhappy fellowships. And I could have handled. All that was necessary were the words. But Brethren, they began to talk about an art fit and so on. I said, Brethren, all I want is your confidence, and I want your commendation. And if you're prepared to give me that, I'll just step out of some simple faith in God and see what will happen. Now, in October, in October, the letter of commendation in my pocket, an absolute not a promise of a penny from anybody. I stepped out in simple faith in God to go to Africa. Now that was about forty-seven years ago this year. And all I can say about it is this, we put the thing to a practical test under this word. I have never at any time ever mentioned funds or need to any human being. And all I can say is that God is as good as his word. As a matter of fact, during these years, usually... with it far more than we need. Don't go away with the idea that we go around like a beggar with our tap in our hands of people or make no need or send out letters appealing for this or appealing for that or appealing for the other thing. My dear friends, that's bringing the Word of God down to a very, very low level. And I do want to say affectionately to each one of my dear brethren and sisters here this morning that God is as good as His Word. We can say nothing but good about God. and we can say nothing but good about this beloved people. They too have been absolutely loyal. And many a time in the middle of Africa when we were completely cut off, sometimes for long periods at a time, we have never let the single thing. In nineteen forty-one, for instance, during the last war, in nineteen forty-one no meal came through for practically a year. And yet at that time, although there was no meal coming through, we never missed the meal. and we never went into debt for one penny to any human being. Our dear African brethren at that time, they too, were just full of devotion. So, at that time, when we find God was the way that they ministered to our needs at that time. I believe that the principle laid on here, it should be, by all means observed at the present day. We don't need to bring the work of God down to a commercial basis. I believe that in simple faith and trust in God, If we leave ourselves in his hand, I believe, he passes through difficulty, that it will stand to sin. There will be testing. And we have that kind of thing too. But find God. The Word of God is as true today as it was when the Lord sent this disciples out without purse or script. So here we get simplicity. Now, not only do we get it here, but we find the same principle... The same principle exercised in the Acts of the Apostles will have the opportunity before these days are over. I'll speak in a little bit of how these principles are applied in the Acts of the Apostles in the foundation on the development of the church. So this is a third great principle. Simplicity and utter faith and trust in God for those that carry on the work of God. First of all, sovereignty, the Lord of the harvest, calling his servant. And then compatibility, two men working happily together in the work of the Lord. And then thirdly, simplicity. This principle of utter faith and trust in God to supply every need. Now a fourth is gentle courtesay. The Lord, in sending forth a disciple, says, Into whatsoever city and town you shall enter into inquire in it who is worthy. And there abide, and you will think, and so on. And then he gives some instructions here of how a servant of God is to behave himself in going into a new environment or going into a new country. We have heard some people going, for instance, to Africa or to some other, maybe to Portugal or one of these other countries and they say, that's not the way we did it back home. And this is not the kind of food that we ate back home. And these are not the clothes that we wear back home. My dear friends, I think we need to stop. You get these ideas. and anybody that goes to a foreign country to a different culture. And taking the gospel of the grace of God among people, I think we need to be very careful about our behavior. When you come to our hearts, salute it. And when those in it that are worthy, if they receive you in that heart, when you sit at their table, each step before you're asking no conscience, asking no questions for conscience care. There was a lovely thing to go among people in the middle of Africa or some of these other countries and to see the gracious hospitality that's exercise. Why those people? They have their culture. There's a way of doing things. And any brash newcomer that comes among them and say, well, this is not the way we did it back home. They would immediately put a barrier between themselves and the people for whom to come. But to whom to come. But it's a lovely thing to see a man that's adaptable for a woman. that is adaptable in going among people that's able to adapt themselves to the conditions on another way, when heart, on when souls are the Lord Jesus Christ. So here we get gentle courtesies. Again, one would love to speak some little elaborate on this, but we just have to leave it for the sake of our time. It's the fourth principle we find here, gentle courtesies in our relations with the people to whom we bring the message. And then the facet of it. The Lord says this, Behold, I send you forth a sheep in the midst of wolves. Be therefore wise a serpent and harmless with doubts. Now, I think that we can understand the sheep and its innocence. But as wise as a serpent, what does this mean? Well, I think there's a very, very profitable lesson connected with the serpent. You know, there are many, many snakes and serpents that are perfectly harmless. And it's one of the most vulnerable creatures that there is. Some of them, of course, they have a poison fang. The Africans in talking about snakes, they say, the snake has teeth, and so has a man. It's a little problem that they use. You know, in spite of what some people say, a snake will try to get out of your way. If it sees you first, it'll try to get out of your way. But if it's cornered or frightened, then it'll lift its head and it'll strike. But it is a long body. And if you break that body anywhere along that long body, it's absolutely helpless if you break it back. And it knows that perfectly well, and it'll try to get out of your way. It's wise as a serpent. It's very careful not to get into trouble. You know, when we think of the servant of God among people, he should be as wise as a serpent, and at the same time as harmless as a dove. There are some... principles here connected with the wisdom that should be exercised in a relationship with other people. When I left for Africa the first time, there was an old preacher, my native lamb, and as he was shaking my hand, he said, Brother, there are three things that you'll need as you go forth with the gospel. He said, The first thing you'll need is a wise head, a head like a wise father. And the second thing you'll need is a heart like a loving mother. And the third thing that you'll need is a hide like a rhinoceros. You need the hay and you need the heart and you need the hide. Now, when I was young, I was very sensitive and obsessed very easily by certain things. But, you know, I hope I have developed a little bit of hide. I hope, too, I have developed a little bit of heart. You need the hay and you need the heart and you need the hide. But the Lord here can speak about the servant of God. He says, He is wise as a servant and as harmless as a doubt. There are some experiences that one has had in connection with the persecutions and those awful things that have happened over in Africa in recent years. And I think that sometimes if people had been a little bit wiser, they might have avoided trouble. I'm not going to go into detail about this, but there were two young women in the Congo. We happened to be an Elizabeth Villa the same. And they were living in a certain area that was completely surrounded by Congolese soldiers. There was no government in the country at all. The government had fallen. A government hadn't been recognized. And those two young women were advised both by the American consul and the British consul to get out. They didn't realize the danger that they were in. And a load transport was sent down there twice to bring them on. And to leave that area, they thought they were acting heroically by saying, They didn't realize that there are some things that are worse than death. And after they had been completely surrounded, two very brave men had to risk their lives in going in and bringing them up, on bringing them down to Elizabeth, not only to preserve their lives, but also to preserve their honor. You have to be as wise as a servant. Some people make good martyrs. And I don't think that the Lord gives any encouragement at all to that kind of thing. He is wise as a servant. It doesn't mean to say at all that you need to be a carp. That's not the point, but you need to use practical wisdom in all your behavior in dealing with other people in a foreign land. So here's Sagacity. And then fidelity. He speaks here about fear. And then he speaks about family. And then he speaks about life itself. Now, for the sake of our time, we can't speak about this in any detail at all. But there's one principle at the end of the vantage I want to mention. And that is the principle of gracious, timely hospitality. The Lord, when he sends forth the disciples, he said, He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. He that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And he said, He that gives a drink of cold water only in the name of a disciple he shall by no means lose his reward. You know, if we think of this principle, the conclusion of this lovely chapter, and the instructions that were given to the disciples. I think we can say absolutely amen to this lovely conclusion. Gracious, timely hospitality. When I left home the first time, I was practically all known. But you know, in England today, and in Ireland, and in Scotland, and in Wales, there are literally thousands of homes, and all we need to do is to go knock the door. And as soon as they see you standing at the door, they put their arms out open wide, and they bring you in, and they give you the best on us. We go over to Europe, and in Portugal, we have thousands of friends over there in that land. And all other countries too, in Europe. And then to go down to the country that we know best, over there in Africa, we have literally thousands of friends, right across Africa, north and south and east and west. And whether it's the African with not a shoe on his foot or a shirt on his back, he'll bring you in and he'll give you the best that he has. Or you go down to these palatial homes in Johannesburg or in Cape Town or in Durban or Fort Elizabeth, exactly the same thing. And whether it's an African with hardly anything at all, or whether it's the millionaire, down there in Johannesburg, we get exactly the same treatment that bring you in and they'll give you the best of the highest. And then we come over to this dear land, the United States and Canada, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it's exactly the same thing. You know, these fraternal order in the world today that don't know the first thing about it, to me, one of the greatest miracles of Christianity is this principle of gracious, kindly hospitality. Even a drink of cold water given in the name of the disciple shall by no means lose its reward, and sometimes it's far more than a drink of cold water. We have just come down in St. Petersburg. We were there for two weeks, and the only meal we ate at home was breakfast, and every other meal we were invited out, and when we came away from St. Petersburg, we thought we would like to go on a starvation diet for about a month. We certainly realized what this gracious, kindly hospitality is. You know, look at the miracle. It's an absolute miracle, and what the Lord says here is perfectly true, a drink of cold water, given in the name of a disciple, shall by no means lose its reward. I have thought this morning of speaking a little bit about the results of these lovely instructions in chapter eleven, but I just want to conclude by quoting the lovely invitation that the Lord himself gave. I think the chapter letter is a perfect example of how these principles are carried out. And at the end of the chapter the Lord says this, Come on to me, fog ye the glaver, and are heavy rain, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. prime, meek, and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. What a delightful message we have to convey today to this earth-meeting is in every part of the world, this lovely message of grace and love and kindness from God Almighty. May God help us today to follow the instructions of the Lord of the Heart, and we'll see exactly the same results that we do. And shall we pray? Our God and Father, we do thank you for the beauty of thy word. We thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ standing amidst these men. Men so like ourselves. Men of different backgrounds, varieties, temperaments. And our Father, we thank you for calling them and sending them into the harvest feed. We do thank you that the Lord of the harvest still loops on the new day in every part of the world with us part of compassion. And our Father, we do pray that in these dark, dark days, Come among our dear young people, so that thou wilt raise up those who go into that harvest field and make the gospel long. Our Father, we who are here this morning are mostly in the latter part of life, but we do pray that we may have a real interest in the spread of the gospel, and in every possible way, whether it's holding the ropes at home or going forth ourselves, whatever sphere thou hast put it in. We pray that we may be faithful and loyal and true to thee and to thy holy word. We ask that in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.