New Book By Stephen Smallman - The Walk

Stephen will be speaking at our church September 18-20, 2009 on the topic of how children come to faith. The conference is free and if you are interested in attending please click here.

The Ethics of Work

Work is ordained by God. It was His creative invention from the beginning. The Bible declares that God worked (Gen. 1-2). By working we resemble God. Like God, you have the ability to work, make plans, implement them, and be creative. Additionally, God gave us the task of ruling over and taking care of His creation (Gen. 1:28, 2:15).

Work is for a lifetime. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground (Gen. 3:19). God intends that humans are to work as long as they live. Meaningful activity plays a critical role in being a human being - whether paid or volunteer. The magical age of 65 shouldn't end meaningful, purposeful work.

Work is not a punishment. God did not create work as drudgery, but as a gift of fulfillment to life. A human being can do nothing better than...find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment (Ecc. 2:24-25)?

Work has three purposes: to provide money or resources to supply the necessities of life; to provide for a quality of life in the satisfaction of doing a job well; and to serve God.

Work calls for obedience. Even when the boss isn't looking, a good worker is consistent and diligent to the task and loyal to the organization (Col. 3:22, 24). The real boss is Jesus Christ. See your job as service to Him - not simply your employer. Employers should treat employees with respect and fairness.

Work should be done with excellence. You are to render service, as to the Lord, and not to men (Eph. 6:6-7); not to be men-pleasers but God-pleasers. God's standard of excellence needs to be the human standard.

Work is honorable. All professions and all kinds of work, assuming they are legal and biblically ethical, are honorable before the Lord. There is no dichotomy between sacred and secular work. All work brings glory to God and fulfillment to you, if it is done to God's glory (1 Cor. 10:31).

Work provides an opportunity for witness. You manifest a powerful message, both verbal and nonverbal, of a supernatural approach to work. The world today needs this powerful witness.

From Christian Ethics in a Postmodern World by James P. Eckman. Copyright (c) 1999 by Evangelical Training Association, Wheaton, Ill.

We Gospel Because We’ve Been Gospeled

The New Testament is full of practical instructions of how to gospel one another: love one another (John 13:34,1 John 3:11), fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7), forgive one another (Eph. 4:32), accept one another (Rom. 15:7), serve one another (1 Peter 4:10), teach one another (Col. 3:16), be patient with one another (Eph. 4:2), bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2), pray for one another (James 5:16), submit to one another (Eph. 5:21), encourage one another, and build one another up (1 Thess. 5:11).

What if we do not see these instructions merely as commands to follow, but rather reflections of how we as a gospel community display the work of Christ? We gospel because we’ve been gospeled:

What if we do not see these instructions merely as commands to follow, but rather reflections of how we as a gospel community display the work of Christ? We gospel because we’ve been gospeled:

• We love one another (John 13:34, 1 John 3:11) because God is love (1 John 4:8).
• We fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7) because of the Trinitarian fellowship of our God (2 Cor. 13:14)
• We forgive one another (Eph. 4:32) as God in Christ forgave us (Eph. 4:32).
• We accept one another (Rom. 15:7) because we’re accepted by God in Christ (1 Peter 2:5).
• We serve one another (1 Peter 4:10) as Jesus came to serve and give his life as our ransom (Mark 10:45).
• We teach one another (Col. 3:16) because Jesus is the true word of God incarnate (John 1:14).
• We are patient with one another (Eph. 4:2) because God’s kindness and patience leads to repentance (Rom. 2:4).
• We bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2) as Christ Jesus bore our griefs and transgressions (Is. 53:4).
• We pray for one another (James 5:16) as Christ did for us (John 17) and continues to do (Rom. 8:34).
• We submit to one another (Eph. 5:21) as Jesus submitted to the will of the Father (Phil. 2).
• We encourage one another and build one another up (1 Thess. 5:11) just as Jesus builds his church (Matt. 16:18).

Do we see the gospel as something we do or as something we expect others to do for us? Do we understand that to gospel we must first be gospeled? May we be obedient to gospel one another as a display of Christ Jesus’ gospeling of us.

HT: The Resurgence