We must learn to work together in doing God's Work—as He commands. Work in accordance with the will of God. It was not that individual Christians felt some subjective inspiration and decided to make themselves into "preachers" or "ministers" or "evangelists." Today, there are countless "ministries" that put up a Web site, or hand out tracts in their community, and think that this satisfies their obligation to go "into all the world." 5:17). 1:9; Titus 3:4-7). 4:11). 1:20), God had foreordained his plan to save men. Notice Proverbs 12:1: "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." God is now using this very Work—spearheaded by the Tomorrow's World television program and this magazine—as a major part of His prophesiedend-time preaching of the true message of the coming government of God, based on His laws and of warning His people of the coming Great Tribulation. This is a vital part of our training as Christians! The Bible states that God worked for six days and rested on the seventh day. Paul is saying that no fallen person can be justified before God by his conduct. He personally trained the Twelve Apostles, plus at least "seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go" (Luke 10:1). For God's word tells us, through the Apostle Paul, that Christ "Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ" (Ephesians 4:11–15). Menu Search. 1:5). It is his "word," because he speaks to us in its sacred pages. So, God inspired Samuel to state: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. from Northwestern College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a M.A. The work of God is both passive and active. Thus, in that verse work does not refer to an activity or a task that we do; it refers to particular deeds in our behavior. It means doing your job well so that your boss will not think poorly of your Lord. These words are used in Scripture in relationship to God’s programs, principles, and plans that relate to salvation, sanctification, and God’s ultimate glorification. We in this Work know that we must go through the "doors" which Christ opens in order to reach those billions who have not been or ever will be reached by personal evangelism alone! You readers of Tomorrow's World recognize that in this very magazine we are teaching that Truth—as we also do on our Tomorrow's World telecast and on our www.TomorrowsWorld.org Web site. He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? We are neither saved nor kept by our own works. 1:9). They will not be satisfied sitting "by themselves," apart from the Work that is teaching the real Truth of the Bible and going "all out" to spread that Truth around the world as a witness. The Bible so called because the writers of its several books were God's organs in communicating his will to men. Thus, work reveals something about the one doing the work. The psalmist wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Ps. We should commit to our local church body and help to bring the world of work into the church and the church into the world of work. Printer friendly. Because of volume we may not be able to promptly reply to submissions using the form below. "For the work of ministry" and to bring unity to the body of Christ. Today, the University has over 11,400 students on campus with 39,000 in the Distance Learning Program (now Liberty University Online), and he is the Dean of the School of Religion.Dr. God had predetermined the plan, which Peter said, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). Those whom God has elected hear his call to salvation. Etymology. Their sin separated humanity from God (Romans 5:12). In that "body"—directed by Christ through the Holy Spirit—He places some as apostles, some as prophets and some as teachers (v. 28). This is done only when the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you or upon you, directing, instructing and showing you what to do. The work of God is founded upon his self-existence; and, because God always has existed, he knew all things from all eternity. They do not want to humbly play their part as members of an organized "team"—the Body of Christ in this age! From “before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet. Verse Concepts. The work of God is based upon God’s sovereignty. In the midst of so much religious confusion in our world today, these simple yet powerful words of Jesus Christ can help us understand the Work of God, and can help us recognize whether we are part of His true Church—the Church that is faithfully carrying out the dual responsibilities of preaching the true gospel and caring for the believers God calls as a result of that preaching. But, if you have the genuine "fear of God"—a profound respect for the true God and His word—then read the following with an open mind and heart. Paul is expounding here on what he said (5:21), that we are to submit to one another “in the fear of Christ.” Nothing that we do sh… God’s Will of Command. The definition of the word spirit does not provide information as to what it looks like. Luther says, "To depend on God's Word, so that the heart is not terrified by sin and death, but trusts and believes in God, is a much severer and more difficult thing than the Carthusians or all orders of monks demand." He knew that God’s people had sinned and deserved the judgment of God. Get more workplace scripture like this delivered to you by subscribing via email or Messenger. For : years I thought that God was sitting in heaven waiting for me to "do the right thing," or to "believe the right thing," so I would be in: the right position to receive what He had for me. Dr. Elmer Towns is a college and seminary professor, an author of popular and scholarly works (the editor of two encyclopedias), a popular seminar lecturer, and dedicated worker in Sunday school, and has developed over 20 resource packets for leadership education.His personal education includes a B.S. God's Truth, as revealed in your Bible, is plainly seen by those whom He calls, but most of the world today remains blinded. There are many things which can make your work as God’s work. from Dallas Theological Seminary also in Dallas, a MRE from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and a D.Min. The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.". Paul then explained that the elders must be able to stop the mouths of "insubordinate" confused talkers who just want their own way (vv. God used the devil to accomplish something in the life of job while God remained passive. Is that your attitude toward doing God’s work, including evangelism? 1:11). Christ responded: “This is the work of God (i.e., from God – a genitive of source), that you believe on him whom he has sent” (6:29). Worship means using our minds and hearts and bodies to express the worth of God and all he is for us in Jesus. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Faith in this is the basis for salvation. Today, the only truly effective way to reach the nearly seven billion human beings with God's Truth is via radio, television, the Internet and publishing. What does it really mean to have faith in God? 7:25). Alone and desperate after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14), the Lord assured her that He was aware of her plight and that He would make of her unborn son, Ishmael, a great nation. He has written over 2,000 reference and/or popular articles and received six honorary doctoral degrees. Do you honestly think, for one minute, that Christ's command can be accomplished by nice and well-mannered people just sitting around and talking to each other, or setting a good example and being a "light"? Paul drives home through repetition the centrality of our relationship to Jesus Christ as Lord. Psalm 19 says that God reveals Himself to the world by His work. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.He is co-founder of Liberty University, with Jerry Falwell, in 1971, and was the only full-time teacher in the first year of Liberty’s existence. Every week they keep a feast to the honour of the apostles and angels; they come to mass with great devotion, and love to hear the word of God. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Pet. Ephesians 2:10. Now the other meaning for “the will of God” in the Bible is what we can call his “will of command.” His will is what he commands us to do. Sometimes this may not be readily seen by us, but with Paul we must recognize “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! God created us for fellowship with Him and He desires us to walk with Him (Micah 6:8). But, when God opens people's eyes, they can see for themselves where His Truth is being preached, and they want to be a part of that effort, helping to carry out the Great Commission that Jesus Christ gave to His disciples. Christ responded: “This is the work of God (i.e., from God – a genitive of source), that you believe on him whom he has sent” (6:29). It is not that little "home Bible study" groups are forbidden. The work of God is consistent with his nature. 21:1, 11, 13). Those who responded to God’s call were those that God had chosen for salvation. Christ commands His followers to be a "light" to the world (Matthew 5:14-16). The armor of God is a metaphor in the Bible (Ephesians 6:10-18) that reminds Christians about the reality of spiritual battle and describes the protection available to them.The full armor of God that Christians are called to put on comprises the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit. Many churches call Christ "King" but do not teach the truth about His literal rule. However, any thinking person should realize that although these personal actions of evangelism may be good and helpful, they do not even remotely commence to accomplish the "Work" of preaching Christ's message to the billions of confused people all over this earth. (Proverbs 24:11–12). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king" (1 Samuel 15:23). At other times, the work of God is passive. We know that God has an eternal Plan for the salvation of those who call upon him. Today, if we really do love our fellow human beings, and want to reach them with God's Truth, we will certainly go "all out" to use the modern tools at our disposal to preach God's message to every nation on this earth! Certainly, there are also other aspects of doing the "Work" of God. The classic example of this is found in the life of Job. Almighty God tells us that He places genuine leaders in His Church, in roles such as apostles, evangelists and pastors. "'And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. The Bible is referred to as the Word of God meaning it can be considered a direct line of communication from the Lord, interpreted by the authors of the respective books. So, true ministers should have been "taught," just as Jesus taught His disciples for three-and-a-half years. God's inspired instruction in the book of Proverbs reminds us of this principle again and again! Here, God used His human servant, Samuel, to tell King Saul of Israel what to do. Jesus is the perfect representative of the image of God, and we are being made like him. 1:18; 4:1; 2 Thess. Paul used the verb protitheemi, translated “Purpose,” in terms of his overall plans (Rom. The Bible has a phrase that describes the non-Christian. Then he began to see how God was working to raise up a wicked nation to judge Judah. When someone appeals to God and seeks forgiveness in Jesus, his sins are removed, he is cleansed, his relationship with God is restored, and he is made a new creature (2 Cor. First Peter 2:2-3 says, “As newborn babes, long for … If you require more immediate assistance please visit our “Contact Us” page. What does GOD stand for? Foreknowledge speaks of God’s knowledge of the future (Acts 2:23; 26:5; Rom. When the devil was permitted on two occasions to test job, on both occasions divine limits were set on the testings. Jesus did not stay home and act as a good neighbor. If you wish to be a king or priest in Christ's soon-coming Kingdom (Revelation 5:9–10), you must humble yourself, you must be teachable and you must be willing to submit yourself to the leadership that the living Jesus Christ places in His true Church. 2:11). Others emphasize that God offers salvation to all men because Christ died for the sins of the world. And by doing our work as a service to others, we can also therefore do it as an offering to God in Christ (Ephesians 6:7). The nature of God demands the sovereignty of God in all areas of his work. What, then, is the meaning of work in verse 3? Remember, the gospel—the "good news"—is Christ's message of the coming Kingdom of God. Dear reader, you need to fully prove whether you are in that "one body" of true Christians who are faithfully striving to keep God's commandments and do His Work! It is this kind of truly surrendered individual who will soon be ruling this entire world under Jesus Christ in His Kingdom! EL ROI: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – Sarah's servant, Hagar, called God by this name when the angel of the Lord appeared to her in the wilderness. 1:26; 7:20; Eph. Even in the book of Proverbs, God's word instructs us, "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. Even though the cross was in the eternal plan of God and a part of his sovereign will, those who crucified Christ did so as a rebellious act of their will. It refers to fearing God in light of the final judgment (Peter O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians [Eerdmans/Apollos], p. 449-450). The work of God is committed to glorify God. Creation Preparation Purpose Doing God's Works Working For God masterpiece vocation Life Purpose craftsmanship Identity In Christ Being Chosen Character Of Saints Beginning Accepting Christ Sanctification, Nature And Basis Becoming More Like Christ New Birth, Described As. 2. For example, because God is creative, we can be creative in our work. If you would not do shoddy work for Christ, then don’t do shoddy work for your boss. When the word says, “Hope in God!” it does not mean, “Cross your fingers.” It means, to use the words of William Carey, “Expect great things from God.” Scriptural Evidence. If work can be pleasurable, then what are the components that need to come together to make God and work more in sync. We need to be reminded constantly that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men” (1 Cor. Yet, how many people assume they are doing God's Work by talking to a neighbor or two? Everything was created and exists for his glory. The apostle wrote of God’s predestined plan for the world because he loves the world he created (John 3:16), then he died for the sin of the world (John 1:29), and calls everyone to partake in that plan. The work of God is based upon God’s wisdom. 1:27, 28; Eph. Now let us go to the Scripture to see where I get this understanding of biblical hope. 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