[258 words]
The first English settlement in America was at Jamestown. Barely a year old, the settlement found itself in serious trouble. A primary part of the problem was that the colony was made up of “gentleman adventurers.” Captain John Smith, the leader of the settlement, understood the problem and sent an urgent message back to his sponsors declaring, “Send me some men.” Smith needed carpenters, blacksmiths, and masons. He explained that he had rather have a handful of those men, than a thousand of the ones that he presently had. The ship Good Speed shortly brought six such workmen to Jamestown. Within three weeks, they had cleared a plot and erected a furnace. Furthermore, they had set up a soap works and a sawmill. A little over a month after the workmen arrived, the colonists were inspired by their example and began working also.
Sadly, many congregations, like the Jamestown colony, are in need of men. They have “gentleman adventurers,” but not skilled men. They have watchers, but not workers. Like John Smith, we need to send out an urgent call for laborers (Matt. 9:37-38). We need men who will labor together with God (1 Cor. 3:9). We need elders, preachers, deacons, Bible school teachers, and soul winners. Like Ezekiel, we need men who will “Make up the hedge and stand in the gap” (Ezek. 22:30). Like Jeremiah, we need “men who execute judgment and seek the truth” (Jer 5:1). For sure, a handful of these men will be worth more than a thousand others.
Wade Webster