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Highland Church of Christ
Our aim is to serve Him in ways that He desires, learn about God, grow closer to Him and help you discover God for yourself. www.highlandcofc.org

The Church is for Workers

The church is for workers

We are created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). Our lives should revolve around work and service and the church has a divine mission to facilitate that mission. We all have at least three motivating factors that should move us to work for God:

  • We all have the mission to be zealous to maintain good works (Titus 2). We are given everything we need to accomplish good works (2 Tim 3:16–17). In fact, working for God is the difference between a living faith and a dead faith (James 2:18–20).
  • Love is the second motivating factor and Jesus tells us that if we love Him, we will obey the works He calls for us to do (Galatians 5:6, John 14:15, 26).
  • The end of the world should also be a motivating factor (2 Peter 3:10–12). We will face God in Judgment so this should help light a fire under us since He could come at any time.

The church is the household of God and therefore it is the family of laborers. We strive together individually and we strive together collectively. How far will our individual work go if we do not work together? Some Christians can’t even stand to be in the same room with each other so how effective will their work for the Lord be? As we see the need to bring the Gospel to the lost, that should bring us together under a common goal to seek to glorify God.

Labor must be accomplished

It’s not enough to just think about good things that need to be done — we have to act on it. If someone said, “I’m thinking about giving you a million dollars” but then nothing ever came of it, how would that make you feel? That must be similar to how God feels when we have the best of intentions and see the opportunities the church provides for us to be involved but we never do it. How many people have died with only good intentions?

The Mission of the Church

The efforts of a church are comprised of the total of the efforts of its members. We must be careful that we are not trying to do things in the church that the church shouldn’t be trying to do, as God has set out in His plans. The church has three main categories in which it should work:

  • Evangelism — Mark 16:15–16
  • Edification — Jude 20
  • Benevolence — Galatians 6:10

The Work of the Church is NOT

The mission of the church is misunderstood by many folks. It’s not to:

  • Take over your responsibility in the home. The home has specific functions to train children and raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. That’s not the church’s responsibility and it can never do as good a job as you can. The church still must do everything it can to teach about how the home should function and encourage one another but the guidance and fulfillment of God’s design are the responsibility of those in the home. Even the children are responsible for taking in and accepting the admonition of the Lord as they reach that age of accountability.
  • Entertainment. There is plenty of entertainment in the world without requiring it in the church. Rather than glorifying God in the worship setting, lots of folks unknowingly believe they should be entertained, or have an emotional experience, with a full band and light show on stage. We must remember that worship should come with a deep sense of reverence. God knows best what should be included in worship so all we have to do is look to His Word to understand what He asks. God calls for us to separate the carnal and the spiritual.
  • Cure all the social problems of the world. Jesus gave the greatest teaching on this earth but not everyone obeyed Him. He spoke with power, he cured disease and performed miracles. But people still didn’t obey Him. Jesus knew as long as people sin, there will not be a cure for social problems. The church’s responsibility is to preach the Gospel and it’s up to people to listen.

The Work of the Church IS

  • Evangelism. This means teaching the Gospel to all the world (Mark 16:16). It comes from God’s desire for all people everywhere to be saved — not the design of people in the church (1 Tim 2:3–4, 2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, we go to all nations to teach the Gospel. The early church carried out this commission and as a result there was a great persecution of Christians (Acts 8:4). But because of that persecution, they went everywhere preaching. This happened while members of the church were being beaten, stoned and imprisoned. What would they have to say of the people in the church today who have life so easy? The greatest problem evangelistic efforts at a local congregation will have is getting individuals to do their part to evangelize.
  • Edification. That is, to build up people spiritually. This is done through instruction from God’s Word and example (Ephesians 4:16, Romans 10:17). A good example sets a pattern for others to follow and it glorifies God. We are a letter written to everyone we meet and they learn from what we say and do (2 Cor 3:2). Sometimes the only Jesus that people see is Christ in the lives of Christians. This is such serious business that there will be people who make it to heaven because of the example of someone else. The church and individuals in it have a God-given command to edify each other (Romans 14:19, 1 Cor 14:26). Part of the reason the church meets frequently is to exhort one another when we come together (Hebrews 10:25).
  • Benevolence. God commissioned the church to give (Galatians 6:10). Despite the continuance of trouble on the earth, Jesus still went about doing good (Acts 10:38). The early church cared for the needs of others (Acts 2:45). There is plenty of need for it and it’s part of pure religion (James 1:27). A hard-hearted person does not possess pure religion. So if you’re stingy and unwilling to help others then it’s impossible to be pleasing to God (1 John 3:17). Benevolence is not to tally up a score to be saved in the end. Nor is it to be seen before other. It is to glorify God When the sheep and the goats are separated, He will tell the sheep its because they were benevolent to those who needed it (Matthew 25:34–46).

If you’re not working, it’s time to shift from good intentions alone and get moving today.

Based on a lesson by Robert Moss

We can help: HighlandCofC.org
1201 Sycamore School Rd
Fort Worth, TX 76134