The Work of God

The church is a local body of believers, not a building, a denomination or movement. The pastor and staff are responsible to teach, to equip the saints for service inside and out of the local body, not to take the Gospel to the streets. This is what we have missed as followers of Christ.

Feed the poor, touch the lost, missions to foreign nations, helping your fellow man when he’s down and out are all admirable ventures. What about that guy or gal at work who you sit next to all day every day? Do they see the risen Christ in you?

We have opportunities every day to be Jesus to those around us just by allowing the one who saved us to shine through our daily activities. This is not about being one of those obnoxious bible thumping Christians, yes I did just say that and go there, that don’t practice what they preach, this is about being Jesus to people.

Because of Jesus, we are a new person. Our slate has been wiped clean. It’s a new year. Let’s focus on allowing the teachings of Christ to flow through us as we walk through life each day. Preach the gospel always and when necessary use words.

Blessings

The Work of God
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us — yes, establish the work of our hands (Ps 90:17).

Martin Luther brought the word of God back to the people. Today, God is bringing the work of God back to the people. God never intended the clergy to be the primary distribution channel of His Gospel. You and I are the distribution channel – those of us in the workplace.

The local church is simply the franchise to equip and release His army into the world to affect every aspect of society. Today, God is establishing mini-franchises in the form of prayer groups and Bible studies in the workplace. He is igniting the silent remnant of workplace believers who have never realized, until now, that their work really is their ministry. It is a holy calling on par with vocational ministry.

Our local franchises (churches) should be viewed as mini battle ships designed to raise an army of qualified warriors who can pray, create, and influence their workplaces and industries with a biblical worldview. We must be reminded of God’s perfect plan found in Ephesians 4:11-13.

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

The next time you are tempted to pass ministry responsibility to your pastor, remember what Ephesians 4 says. After all, there are no part-time Christians in His Kingdom. We may get our checks in secular fields, but our ministry is full-time.