At once they left their nets and followed him,
-Matthew 4:20 (NIV)
Will Train
The recent shortage of available employees has had a serious impact on how businesses operate. The “We’re Hiring” signs are abundantly displayed to attract potential employees. Employers are taking out all the stops to entice an unknown set of applicants. Above average wages, unforeseen benefits and paid holidays are offered as an incentive to coming to work for the company. Many employers tout that they will train the right person. With a relatively unskilled labor market, it is imperative for future employees to know they do not need to have any previous experience.
The attempt to tip the scales in favor of employers, the bet is on investing in the labor market in exchange for some loyalty to the company. For some businesses, the training program may only last for a day or two. For the more technical jobs, training could be an on-the-job training program that last more than a year. The amount of training is dependent on the number of skills required to get the job done.
I sometimes wonder how Jesus would have handled the current employment crisis. He was pretty effective in going to the disciples with the commandment of “Follow Me”. Would he have ever considered to add "Will Train the Right Person?" Well, the disciples didn’t exactly know the whole story, but “training” was involved in early years of following Jesus. There was no bigger job than “Go make disciples” and the Greatest Commandment was no easy task.
God knew that sending Jesus into the world was a great training opportunity. Lead by example and make sure the people know how to carry My Word. The Ten Commandments would serve as a “training manual” and other chosen ones would be instrumental in telling the stories of the Bible. God knew the importance of training and through Him made trainers among the people.
As a church and a congregation, we all bear the responsibility to share our faith and to “train” others about the faith. “Will Train” should be a direct statement to anyone who comes to the church. We’re not all equipped the same way and our faith development takes many paths. God calls us to ask the question, “What good is our faith, if we keep it to ourselves”. Have we taken the baton from the disciples in our attempts to make disciples from our midst?