Working

 Labor Day is a holiday that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. It was first nationally recognized in 1894 and today marks the 'unofficial' end of summer. And I think there's a growing appreciation for those who work hard to keep things running after the last few years with shutdowns and supply chain issues. Hard workers deserve recognition and appreciation. Labor Day is generally a time for cooking out and get-togethers when we celebrate labor by taking a day off.

How important is our work...? Of course earning a living and providing for your family is important, and even Biblical. The Bible has a very high view of work. But to what extent does your work impede the work that God has planned for you? Have you ever thought of it that way? Our physical labor is a part of the work to which God has called us. And I'm not suggesting we shouldn't make money to provide for our family's needs - we should. But does our larger view of work also include 'work' that has nothing to do with a paycheck? Do we view doing God's work as vital as we view our 'paying jobs'...? And do they have to be in competition with one another?

A large oil company needed a public relations officer for their expanding work in China. One executive knew of a talented local missionary and offered him the job with a salary that was double what he was currently making - but he turned it down. The company increased their offer to four times his annual pay. But again the missionary refused. They asked, "Isn't the salary big enough?" His reply was direct, "The salary's big enough, but the job isn't."

What's 'most important' to us? What is it in our lives that's 'big enough' to take priority, to push other lesser things aside? Everyone will have different answers – but for the Christian, for the person who has surrendered his or her life to Christ – the answer has to be less about our work and more about how that relates to God's work. When we accept Jesus...

I. We have a job

Yes, we receive the gift of salvation in Jesus – but we are also asked to give something of ourselves. This job is about a lot more than just earning a decent living. That's a fine thing, and part of the plan – but God has bigger plans for each of us.

Think of it this way - Why God doesn't just 'take us home' immediately after we come up from the baptistery? Wouldn't that be easier? As soon as we accept Him, we could just go right up to Heaven… Isn't that the purpose of this life – to learn about Jesus and then accept Him? Well, that's part of life, but not everything. If we immediately went to Heaven at baptism, who would be left to teach and baptize others?

We have work to do as seen in Jesus' Great Commission from Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)...

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. (17) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (18) Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Those disciples were called to make more disciples - to work at spreading the Good News of Jesus! And did you notice something in that passage - the phrase 'but some doubted'? Here was a group of people who had seen Jesus' miracles firsthand - but some doubted.

Do you ever have doubts that God has any use for you in His plans? But those doubts are actually reasonable when you understand that without God's help - we can't do the work to which we are called. Jesus is calling us to make disciples - to help people become more like Him. - I can barely make myself more like Him - how can I do that for others?

I can't - on my own. It's God doing the work through us. It's a matter of submitting to Him and allowing Him to do the heavy lifting - so to speak. And keep that in mind as we talk about our job - the work that needs to be done. And as reminders of what that ongoing mission is – Know, Grow, and Go. - To Know God, to Grow in our relationship with Jesus and each other and Go - which represents two purposes of our job. To review - the first is…

A. Go Serve

Service, being about God's work, needs to be a natural part of your life if you're to follow Jesus. It's part of what God created you to do! And not just so we could be busy, but 'work' for a purpose. It says this, referring to Jesus in Ephesians 4:11-12 (NIV)...

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, (12) to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

We are to serve, to minister, to work in order to build up Christ's body, the Church! Each of us has different gifts and abilities, and our abilities and opportunities to serve will change in different seasons of life. But as the seasons change - our mission does not! How we carry out that work will change - but our mission does not!

And neither does the One who calls us. Our usefulness to God's purpose has little to do with our abilities but in us placing our trust in Him! Servants come with all sorts of different abilities and gifts and ages - our job is to be willing to let God use us; to be available to be used! And that's the problem most of us face - we may get so busy with our plans that we forget that God created us for His purposes! And one of those purposes is serving in order to build up God's Church - the body of Christ!

And another part of our "Go" purpose, our work, is to…

B. Go Share

We are not to keep the Good News of salvation in Jesus to ourselves! We've been commanded to take it to the world!

There are so many people who have no idea who Jesus is and that He died to save them from Hell. Part of our mission is to tell them of the saving love of Jesus! And that does take work on our part. It's one thing to try and live a good, moral life among the world as a testimony to witness to people. But just living a good life doesn't win anyone to Jesus. At some point - there has to be an intentional exchange of words.

I don't want to discourage anyone from being a good example - but I do want to encourage you to use your words. Invite someone to a Church service. Ask someone if you can pray with them. Tell someone about what Jesus has done for you. And yes - for many, that's real work! It can be hard to have a spiritual conversation with someone who may not be interested in spiritual things. But if they never hear about Jesus - they will be lost!

And even as a preacher - I don't always feel like I have the right words. But we have to rely on this one truth - Jesus' promise...

Matthew 28:20 (NIV)

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Don't underestimate the fact that you are NOT alone! We have been given God's Spirit in us! I don't fully understand God's Spirit - but I do know that Spirit in us can give us words, OR can use our stumbling, feeble words to draw people to Jesus! The power is not from us but God's Spirit!

So, when we talk about "Go" as part of our mission, our work – it has a two fold meaning – Go Serve and Go Share. And those purposes really go hand in hand. And it's in 'going', in serving and sharing that we take our focus off ourselves and focus on 'others'. And doing this work - intentionally allowing God to use us in every season with whatever gifts He has given us, in whatever role He sees fit for us to fulfill - it's then we can ensure that we are working toward...

II. The whole mission

We can't be satisfied with only completing part of the mission. Some congregations have different strengths in different areas. Some are better at fellowship, some music, others teaching, and others evangelizing. Even though we may be better at one part of our mission than another, we need to complete all of what God asks us to the best of our ability.

Let's say I tell my son Winston I want him to do something for me. I explain I need him to go to the garage, load the gas can into the back of the van, put my headphones on the front seat, and push the mower onto the trailer. Five minutes later, I come out and drive the van and the trailer over to my property, unload the mower, put my headphones on, get ready to mow only to discover the gas can never made it into the van.

So, I drive back home and ask Winston if he did what I asked him to do. How do you think I'd respond if he said, "Well, I went to the garage, I put the headphones on the seat, and put the mower on the trailer. Oh! I forgot to load the gas can in the back! But three out of four ain't bad, right?" Fortunately that's only a theoretical story – but if it happened, would I say, "Great job, son!" No – he may have completed some of the tasks, but he didn't fully obey.

Doing only 'part' of what you're asked to do isn't doing what you were asked to do. It's God's Will that every one of us learns to serve and to share! But it's not about 'guilted' into obeying - but about being blessed by being used by God for the purpose for which He created you! Jesus' words in John 13:15-17 (NIV)...

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (16) I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. (17) Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

And if we are to do the whole mission, all of the work that we are called to do - it requires us to...

A. Go out

Everybody in this building - is already here. They don't need an invitation. It's the people 'outside' of this building that need to be reached. We are to Go serve and Go Share outside of these four walls as well as within - and that encompasses the people in our daily lives!

Just two weeks ago, I spoke about 'the parable of the Wedding Feast' that Jesus told. And we read this passage from Matthew 22:8-10 (NIV)...

Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. (9) Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' (10) So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Always remember - it's not our job to decide who could or should be a part of God's Church based on how we perceive them as either 'good or bad'. The call goes out to everyone! And it's not even our job to convince them of the message, of spiritual realities. It's our job to 'go out' and share the word!

I think, many times, we forget or even deny the power of God's Holy Spirit. But it's NOT based on my words or eloquence or power but on the power of God's Spirit to convict people of the Truth - His truth!

When you reach out to a friend or neighbor or coworker and invite them to Church - whether they accept or not isn't necessarily based on your skill in extending the offer. What matters is your willingness, your faith in God and His power to call that person. …And one more reminder in fulfilling our whole mission...

B. Go home

Don't get too excited – I'm not sending you home just yet. At the beginning, I mentioned a missionary in China. Not all of us are called to a foreign mission field. But you have a mission field right where you live. I want you to not only think about serving and sharing the Good News here and outside of these four walls – but asking you to serve and share at home.

In the Old Testament after God had performed miracle after miracle - including the parting of the Red Sea and leading the Israelites through the desert - Moses was instructing the people in Deuteronomy 4:9 (NIV)...

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

The most influential minister your family should ever know is you! This is not in any way intended to be a slight to any of our hardworking volunteers in our children's ministry. But my wife is currently the most significant Christian influence on my kids, because they're with her more than anybody else!

God's truths are to be first taught in the home and then reinforced, supported and encouraged here. And I understand that's not how it always happens when a person comes to Christ as an adult – but it is our responsibility, our mission to model and share God's Word in our homes.

You know that Bible passage that says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." I've heard people say, "Well I did that, and it didn't work! My child wants nothing to do with the Church." I understand, sometimes you can do everything right and they still may reject God. There's no guarantee. But I can guarantee the outcome if they're never taught about Jesus…

This is the mission of the Church – you are the Church. I'm asking you to 'Go out' and to 'Go home'.

So What?

Well, I've invited you to 'Go', so I guess it's up to you to do it. And it's just that easy, right? I want to share part of an article from a preacher who was frustrated that his preaching didn't seem to make a difference in people's lives. And then he came to this conclusion – he wrote…

"I failed to teach them that they were created to obey God and worship Him perfectly, but because of the fall, they were unable to do the very thing for which they were created. They were dead. And dead people can't obey God. I failed to teach them that the cross of Jesus is the means by which God makes dead people alive and calls them to a life of obedience and intimacy with Himself. The work of obedience is done, not by people, but by Christ, who obeyed perfectly because you and I don't. Following God is a response to the grace of God."

I'm not trying to 'guilt' you or ask you to just try harder. I'm encouraging you to let go and let God guide you in your service – you work for Him, not me. Ask Him where He thinks your gifts and abilities would best fit. After all, He would know – He created you! If you're not serving in some capacity, you're missing out on blessings that God is just waiting to pour out to you!

And if you're not telling others what God has done for you, how He saved you and has blessed you – you're keeping blessings from others that God is waiting to pour out on them. Please find an area to serve and think of one person you could invite to service next week. I'm asking you to Go out and Go home! Help accomplish the mission of reaching the world for Jesus!