The Heart of the Missionary
- Miguel Gonzalez
- Mar 19
- 5 min read
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. (Matthew 9:36-38)
Recognizing the signs of the times
In a century where appearance and reality blend in the ever-spinning mixer of social media, actions speak louder than words. The CEO pastor, the preacher influencer, and Gen Z—the church-hype generation—are part of our daily experience, both in our communities and online. This phenomenon should be acknowledged, but is it wrong? No! Every expression of ministry has its place. The harvest is plentiful, yet two thousand years later, the laborers are still few.
In today’s church, there is a radical passion for the Lord unlike anything I’ve seen before—not because it is new, but because social media amplifies it. It has become part of the culture, displayed for all to see—and that is a good thing. In an era of relentless marketing campaigns, we often see an ad 50 times before considering the product. In the same way, people may need to hear the gospel repeatedly—perhaps dozens of times—before committing to follow Jesus. Gen Z is not ashamed and neither should any other generation.
We live in a time where weariness is synonymous with anxiety and feeling scattered with depression. Many walk through life without purpose, without light, without a guide. We are all somebody’s sheep. But while some have a Good Shepherd, others are like iPad kids—guided and entertained by whatever they find online. Even today, so many remain without a shepherd.
The harvest is ready. Do you see it?
The heart of a laborer
What does this stir in you? Anxiety? Overwhelm? Jealousy? Envy? Or do you feel compassion for the lost sheep?
As Jesus went from city to city, preaching and teaching, he felt compassion because the people were lost. Is your nation lost? It probably is. But here’s the thing—we are not called to be a church of mere diagnosticians. Identifying the problem accomplishes nothing on its own. The church must be compassionate—a church that not only recognizes the pain of lost sheep but also moves to act accordingly. That’s what Jesus did.
Yet, acting accordingly may not look the way we expect. Instead of immediately rallying an army of followers, Jesus waited. He first instructed his disciples to pray (Mt 9:38, Lk 10:2). A person who prays is someone who longs to be in tune with what God is saying and doing. A heart that moves with compassion is a heart aligned with God’s own heart. To pray is to partner with the Lord, standing in agreement with His will.
The harvest is ready. But is there compassion?
Ekballō
“Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:38)
The word for “send out” in this verse is ekballō. Throughout the New Testament, this word is most often translated as throw out, drive out, or, in its fullest sense, cast out. Ekballō is used when Jesus cast demons out of people, drove merchants from the temple, and even when He said to tear out an eye if it causes sin.
But ekballō does not mean that God forces people into service as laborers. Instead, it speaks of a transformative process—one that compels us to count the cost and submit ourselves to the Lord of the Harvest. It is aggressive. It creates disruption. And this is what prayer does.
Prayer, as a disruptor, is just as much for the situation we’re praying for as it is for us, the intercessors. As we pray for the harvest of souls, the hearts of people become more tender to His calling, and our own connection with God’s heart for the lost is strengthened. As we pray for our families, cities, and nations, the power of God and the work of the Holy Spirit bring deeper conviction of sin and righteousness.
Prayer also changes us. It makes us more inclined to love people well, to share the gospel boldly, and to shine His light in a dark world. It works both ways. Prayer disrupts our thoughts and feelings, tearing down what is misaligned and realigning us with God’s heart.
The harvest is ready. Lord, we ask, will You do it?
Apostellō
These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on a road to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near (Matthew 10:5–7)
The word for “sent out” in this passage is not ekballō—it is apostellō. In English, both words are translated the same way, but they do not carry the same meaning. “Apostellō means send forth, send out; it is sharpened to focus on the purpose and goal of the event in question and hence on the sending forth and completion of the assignment, the verb assumes the meaning of commission.”
Prayers, according to Matthew 9:38, are not primarily about stirring up others’ zeal for the lost. Rather, they disrupt the hearts of those who pray, making them part of the answer to their own prayers. This is the essence of ekballō—moving from a compassionate intercessor to a zealous laborer. Ekballō is like being sent from basic training into the battlefield, launching you directly into the action. Apostellō is about having a mission, objectives, and strategies to accomplish the victory.
According to Luke’s Gospel, this prayer instruction was given to the seventy disciples after the twelve had already been sent (Lk 9–10). In Matthew’s account, Jesus told the twelve to pray for laborers before they themselves were sent (Mt 9–10). The differences in timing might seem like a contradiction, but that would be missing the point. Jesus made this a priority in His teaching. He spoke about it because He cared.
You must first be ekballō before you can be apostellō. We see this pattern repeatedly: with the disciples (Mt 9–10, Lk 9–10), at Pentecost (Acts 1–2), and with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2–3). Every single one of these assignments was birthed in prayer before being carried out in action. Before being commissioned, there must be a compassionate heart—one that is disrupted by prayer. Prayer disrupts people unto being sent.
The harvest is ready. Here we are, send us!
References:
Horst Robert Balz and Gerhard Schneider, Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1990–)