I’m posting this again because mysteriously, my site disappeared yesterday. So in case you only got a 503 error code screen when you opened it, here it is again. Apologies if you already read it.

Here’s the post …

Early last Spring, I was on my morning walk, which took me through an expansive patch of clover. It took my thoughts straight back to my childhood days when, as kids, we were constantly dodging the bees as they buzzed from flower to flower in the springtime. As I pressed on through the field of clover, I was being very cautious, no longer out of fear of getting stung, but out of respect and care for the little guys, having a new appreciation for their hard work.

But something didn’t seem quite right. I couldn’t actually spot any bees! I thought how odd that was. I then proceeded to look further afield to a patch of yellow flowers and noticed there were no bees there either. I started to look very intently across all the flowers I could see, in a state of disbelief, but no, I didn’t get it wrong, there were actually no bees in sight.

Where had all the bees gone?

Here in the City of Newcastle, NSW, our bees are gone. They’ve been euthanised as part of the varroa mite eradication program. Apparently, this mite arrived by ship into our harbour and latched itself onto our bees.

I have since discovered that this mite is in almost every other country in the world. Here in Australia, being an island, we had been protected all this time until at least two little mites decided to stow away on somebody’s cargo ship and take up permanent residency here. The program hasn’t been successful, of course, just as it wasn’t successful anywhere else in the world. So, we killed off our bees for nothing. And so our Spring, Summer, and our Autumn, and our flowers remain bee-less.

Why am I telling you this story? Well, let’s go back to the beginning. As I was on my morning walk that day and noticed the absence of worker bees, something hit me – the absence of workers in God’s harvest. Jesus told the disciples to pray for workers, saying the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37). Just like our fields of clover and trees of flowers for miles and miles around the City of Newcastle, the harvest is abundant, but there are no worker bees to collect the pollen and take it back to their hives to produce golden honey or to cross-pollenate for the production of our crops.

Without the bees, our food supply will suffer. And without God’s workers, our spiritual food supply suffers. Perhaps in an attempt to weed out the false, the church has all but wiped out God’s authentic workers, and God’s church is suffering without them.

Earlier this year, my husband, Derek, published his first book. It is titled Wanted Workers for the Work of God: A Renewed Call for Apostolic Ministry. Don’t be alarmed by the mention of the word apostle. I doubt this book is what many of you might expect, and I’m certain whoever reads it will get a surprise.

As he explains in the introduction, this book was birthed out of a time of prayer together when we began to understand God’s need for workers, not for harvest. The harvest is always there, but where are the workers?

You won’t find any elevation of apostolic ministry in Derek’s book. You won’t read about titles and special anointings. What you will read about is grassroots stuff—going back to God’s ways of preparing His workers for His purpose. The emphasis is on God’s ways, not ours.

The function, role, and position of apostles have been unbelievably distorted in the modern-day church. In fact, it has become circus-like in many nations and is deceiving thousands. Satan will always take what is pure and effective for God and attempt to distort and twist it, to misrepresent it, to make a mockery of it. But God will not be mocked.

Wanted Workers for the Work of God is not a step-by-step education on ‘how to be an apostle’. Nor is the author claiming to be one. And neither is it a light, fluffy read. What it is, however, is an unveiling of what has been there since the beginning: the apostolic ministry in its purest form, as God made it, which shook the known world. And it was started by Jesus.

With its foreword by Milt Rodriguez, Derek’s book is available in paperback and eBook on Amazon in your country, or click here for Amazon.com.au.

Prepare for something revolutionary.

This well-written book describes both the generous and serious aspects of the nature of God. For the dedicated or prospective follower alike, this book paints a picture of serving God that is spirit-inspired and well-researched. In a rare feat of good balance, this book describes both the difficulties and the tremendous rewards of following in the footsteps of Christ – and of being true to the call you may have received from him. This is not theology for lofty discussions, but practical, well-grounded help in both understanding the gospel and putting it into practice – a very solid read. – Graeme

This book really has changed my life, opening my eyes to a deeper understanding of the partnership between God and His workers and apostles. An easy and thoroughly enjoyable read, but also highly researched by an author who deeply understands the sacrifice, discipline and unmatched joy of true service in the Kingdom of God. Batty’s explanation of the necessity of wilderness years prior to dedicated service was particularly enlightening. What a beautiful relationship is available to those who truly seek to honour God with their whole life. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, particularly if one is interested in a more committed and inevitably rewarding journey with the Creator. – Clementina