Michael Milton

Michael Milton and Faith for Living, Inc.

An Autumn Appeal for Scholarships for a New Season of Pastors—and Believers

Folio 9 from the codex; beginning of the Gospe...
Image via Wikipedia

Dear Friends in Christ, I greet you in the Lord as we journey through another gift of autumn. As I travel through many parts of our nation, I am amazed at the beauty: it is as if the Lord has draped a multi colored quilt around the cities and towns and countryside of our nation, getting ready for another winter. Remember getting those quilts out of the cedar chest? They were like old friends, and each one had its own story. “This one was handcrafted by Grandmother. Oh, and this one, was made by Mama’s Sunday School class when she was sick that time.” The colors of autumn tell a story, too, of God’s faithfulness. As a minister of Christ serving a seminary, one story stands out in my mind as these colors of Autumn remind me of a harvest that is going on in the world now: it is the Harvest Season in God’s redemptive history. Now is the time when men and women and boys and girls are hearing the Gospel. God is wrapping His love and grace and eternal protection around His children as they repent and confess Christ as Savior. The quilt of grace is being extended to a new generation. But that harvest time needs laborers. This is what Jesus meant when He looked upon the world of men in His own day: “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send our laborers into the harvest” (Matthew 9:36-38 ESV). You see, as beautiful as the harvest time is, it is an opportunity missed if there are no laborers to go and gather the harvest. For winter is coming. We will soon feel the first northern winds that will signal a harsher time is on its way. Reformed Theological Seminary was founded to seek out, prepare and send forth laborers for the Lord’s Harvest. Some who have seen our campus—at Charlotte, for instance—say that it is at its loveliest this particular time of the year. If so, then that is perfect for our mission. We live for Harvest—at all of our campuses. This year the Lord has brought more new laborers to RTS. And more are preparing to go forth. Pastors for our own country, missionaries to the ends of the earth, and teachers and Gospel workers of various sorts—from church musicians to military chaplains to campus ministers and church planters—are being called and grounded in the Truth of the Scriptures and the Doctrines of Grace (the only sure protection against the bitter winter of unbelief). I write each fall to you to urge you to pray about how the Lord could use you and your offerings to support the scholarships here at RTS. Tuition alone does not sustain this ministry. We take no government funds. We rely solely on God moving on the hearts of His people to join with us in this Harvest work. Please consider making a gift in honor of someone or in memory of a loved one or a pastor who influenced your life. Your memorials will be recorded and sent out in a beautiful book at the first of next year. But the gifts? They go to pay for the preparation of pastoral families to be trained and sent out to God’s Harvest. Think of the Gospel going forth as being like grains of men and women and boys and girls who will hear the Gospel and grow up into a harvest for yet another generation we cannot even see! This truly is a multiplying ministry! The more sown the more gathered! Please pray about joining us in this new season of harvest by giving to support our pastoral and missionary students. You can give online, with security—in the site as well as for the destination—by going to this link. May God grant that as we move together through this Autumn season, we are aware that without the quilted beauty of God’s grace, we would all be lost and without hope. But in Christ, there is always hope, always divine warmth to see us through every season of life, even unto eternal life.

Related articles