God's 11th Hour Army

Matt 20:1-16
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. "About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the market-place doing nothing. He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' "'Because no-one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'
"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

For the Lord of the Vineyard, it is an important time. To be even looking to hire so many workers tells us that it is harvest and he needs all the workers he can find.

Every worker he finds he offers the same wage, a denarius, the going rate for a day's work.

At the 11th hour - he finds yet more people standing idle in the market place - and so offers them a day's wage for one hours work! Can you imagine that - being offered a day rate at 5pm, even though you'll knock off at 6pm?

When it comes to pay time, it's not the fact that the 11th hour guys are getting a denarius that bothers the first bunch, but the fact that they feel they should have got more. They've been at it for 12 hours and yet the fruit, the result of their labour is the same as for those who have been at it just one hour. The 11th hour guys in effect have a much better fruit or result from their labours, for though it's the same wage, it's achieved in just one hour, not 12.

My friends there is a principle in this parable that I find both frightening and encouraging. God is raising up an 11th Hour Army - even now we are beginning to see a flood of new people coming into His Kingdom - people who have no pre-conceived ideas, no hang-ups, no religious baggage, no fixed stereotypes - a people whose progress and impact will far outstrip many who have been in the church far longer. A people who don't know "how things should be done", a people who have no idea what our church traditions are and don't really care either.

You see, God is no respecter of persons - there's a harvest to bring in and He's offering the same salvation wage to those who join at the 11th hour as to those who've been at it all day. There won't be time for the EHA to pay their dues, no time for them to go through all the established protocols and training. There's a harvest to bring in and God will fast track His EHA (Eleventh Hour Army) - accelerate His purposes in their lives, equipping them in an instant by His Spirit. What looked like a pile of dry bones one moment will within minutes rise to be a mighty army in these last days.
That's the encouraging bit - what I find frightening is not God's part in all this, nor even the EHA - they're quite happy. What frightens me is the attitude of those hired earlier in the day!

Queuing Justice
Have you ever noticed that we British have an acute sense of justice and fairness when it comes to queues? The "I was here first" syndrome.

The Principle of the EHA is found throughout Scripture - and it's always the attitude of the elder or earlier worker that is disturbing.

Matt 21:28-31 - The man with two sons. Many sitting in church all their lives saying yes but not doing the business. Last minute rebels are going to repent and get stuck in. Tax collectors and prostitutes entering Kingdom before you.

Matt 22:1-10 Wedding banquet. Ever received a last minute invitation and been insulted?

Matt 23:13 - Not doing the business yourself, but blocking others. We early workers can unwittingly make the same mistake as the Pharisees - casting obstacles before the EH workers. We want them to prove themselves, to jump through the hoops, to get in line behind us - but God wants to release them! Managing revival in hindsight not foresight. Judgemental?

MESS! We want it all to be neat and pristine - but where there's life there's mess.
If we want genuine revival then we've got to be prepared for genuine mess! People are not going to come into the Kingdom all neat and tidy, clean and pure. I believe that revival will bring a severe examination of our church traditions, God will expose the religious spirit in His church, the EHA will kick over the traces, they'll be like a bull in the china shop. Praise God! Deliverance, Toronto.

Jer 48:11-12 - Resting on dregs (see also Zeph 1:12) Complacent, settled on dregs, lees. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.

Numbers 11:25-29 Joshua had been with Moses since youth - he was a first hour worker, and he was disturbed by the fact that these two "rebels" also received the Spirit. Moses was wise in his reply and his attitude. The attitude of the elder ones is so important - the temptation is to clamp down on the EHA, but instead of blocking them God wants us to mentor them, to release them, to guide them. Garth!

Luke 15 Prodigal son's elder brother. Angry at the 11th hour salvation of his brother, and now his brother is in there celebrating and he's outside, moping, missing out. So many people these days who have become offended for one reason or another and are sitting outside refusing to come in while younger ones are enjoying the party. Father says you've always been with me, everything I have is yours and always has been.

ELEVENTH HOUR ARMY! Notice that all workers are together at the 11th hour. The earlier workers were not being replaced, but rather being joined. But their attitude towards that is so important - to either welcome it, or reject it. Willing to change, to not be judgemental or condescending, to facilitate the new ones, to welcome them, to allow traditions to be shelved, to let