Call To Obedience

Principles of the Christian Work Ethic #520

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 7:12). This verse is often referred to as the Golden Rule. It could also be called the foundation of the Christian work ethic.

The Bible is a wonderful book, and it contains the work ethic for the working man and woman. If you are a Christian, you are not to act like the non-Christians at your workplace and you are not to copy the ways that they work. Christians should be governed by the law of God and by His voice even at their places of work. You have a distinct Christian work ethic to take with you to your workplace. You need to meet with God every morning in prayer and then, because of God’s grace given to you, your actions and your attitudes at the workplace will reflect that you have been with God.

If others in your company go on strike, it does not mean that you should also go on strike. Being a Christian, you have a work ethic to consider. If and when others complain, you should not complain. A Christian should never take a sick leave day unless he is sick. If others take sick leave when they are not really sick, you should continue to go to work unless you are sick. Being a Christian, you will not abuse the privileges that your employer provides. A Christian will not lie. A Christian will not take advantage of the company he works for. A Christian will not steal. You will not take anything from your workplace that does not belong to you: not a machine part, not a tool, not a pencil, not a notepad—unless you have permission to do so or you are required to do so.

If you are a Christian, you will be punctual. You will not create any anxiety in your boss which will cause him to wonder whether you are going to show up for work or not. Because you are a Christian, you will not stretch your coffee break or your lunch break another five or ten minutes. You will not use the telephone at work for personal calls unless it is an emergency or unless you have permission to do so. Because you are a Christian, you will be working and not loafing when you are at your workplace. You will diligently put yourself into the assignment that has been given to you and you will go the second and third mile when appropriate. Ask God each day to give you wisdom and the energy to work as unto the Lord because the Bible commands: In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground... (Gen. 3:19).

Working diligently and sometimes to the point of sweating is the first principle of the Christian work ethic. Man was not made to be a loafer. Men and women who loaf on their jobs violate natural and spiritual laws, and they will come apart within themselves. They will not have the blessing of God. When man no longer works or he no longer has clear-cut responsibilities that advance the common good, he loses his dignity, his self-esteem, his self-worth and his inner strength. He not only becomes a burden to society, but he becomes a burden to himself. He will suddenly discover that he does not know what is wrong with himself and why he is not happy. He will be miserable. His problem is that he is violating God’s law requiring him to work diligently and sometimes in the sweat of his brow.

So dear ones, you must work. If you are on disability, give yourself to doing something that can help others in your community. Give yourself to some worthy cause and do not allow your personal pleasures, your family affairs or your grandchildren to get in the way. Even though you may be a volunteer worker and do not receive any pay for the work you do, treat that work as if your life depends on it. It is a tragedy that so many retired people allow their lives to circle around socializing with their relatives or grandchildren, or around their own whims and wishes. This is not God’s plan and purpose for you as a Christian. If you are not responsible to anyone and you can do whatever pleases you from morning to night, day after day, you will begin to disintegrate within yourself spiritually and emotionally. As a Christian, you can give yourself to the work of the church, to the work of prayer, to the work of teaching or encouraging others. Ask God to show you how you can be a helper and then do it.

The second principle of the Christian work ethic comes from the words: till you return to the ground. This does not mean that you are only to work until you retire or until you are sixty-five, but it means that you are to work until the end of your life. Because of this admonition, I have a great concern with people retiring at forty-five, fifty-five or sixty-five. Many of these people then begin to live a life of loafing during the rest of their lives. This type of lifestyle does not fit the Christian work ethic. You may say to yourself: “Well, I have worked hard all those years. I have earned my retirement.” But you need to first consider that you may have not worked nearly as hard as your parents may have worked. And secondly, even if you have, you are still supposed to work hard until you return to the ground because that is what the Bible says. Of course, your pace may have to slow down as you get older. You will not have the same strength that you had when you were younger. Some of you may have debilitating physical ailments. Some of you may have to retire when your employer makes you retire, but that does not mean that you have liberty to waste the rest of your life and only do what your Self wants to do. God is looking for thousands of men and women who will pray faithfully each day for revival. As a retired Christian, will your work that you are doing now be pleasing to God and Jesus on Judgment Day?

The Golden Rule: Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them... (Matt. 7:12), describes the third principle of the Christian work ethic. You should do your work for others as you would like for them to do their work for you. I have been told that the five most spoken words at the work place are the following: “This is not my job.” And I would say because Americans are often saying these words, there are now many foreigners moving into the United States and taking those jobs. They are buying up land, buildings, stocks and bonds, and they are even building their factories in or near many small towns and cities. As an employer, foreman or supervisor, you may have asked one of your employees to do something and they have answered you by saying: “This is not my job; I wasn’t hired for this; I am not getting paid to do this.” If you are an employee, do everything the boss tells you to do with a smile as long as it is moral and never, never say “This is not my job.”

Following is the fourth principle of the Christian work ethic is: ...be content with your wages (Luke 3:14). This is what John the Baptist said to the Roman soldiers. Apparently, the soldiers had been striking or they had been murmuring about their pay and therefore John told them to repent. “Repent of what?” was the question. The answer was that they needed to repent of having a murmuring, striking or complaining spirit because they were not embracing: ...be content with your wages. The Apostle Paul said a similar thing when he said, ...be content with such things as you have... (Heb. 13:5). Here is the point: remember that as a Christian, you do not really work for your employer, factory, hospital, lawyer or other entity. You are working for God. God is your boss. You are working in your workplace, first and foremost, for the glory of God! God is the one who made you. God is the one who has given you the job, and He is the one who will give you a raise when He thinks it is called for. In the meantime, remember: Now godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim. 6:6). That means that you are gaining ground for God’s kingdom with the help of the Holy Spirit as you are working.

The fifth principle of the Christian work ethic is: Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest... (Ex. 23:12) even as God rested; Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Ex. 20:8); and Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy... (Deut. 5:12). It is nearly impossible for you to build a strong Christian home when you, as the father or mother, are working on Sundays. Firemen, policeman, hospital personnel and ministers need to work on Sundays, but there is no need for Christians with other types of employment to work on Sundays. Six days of work has been the norm for centuries. You must be careful that all of your days belong to God.

Certainly, there are other aspects of the Christian work ethic, but above are some starters for you to consider. Pray that your work will glorify God and your attitude towards your work will be pleasing to Jesus.

Greater Works Than These... #116/518
Reimar A. C. Schultze

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father (John 14:12). This verse has puzzled many believers because Jesus did not say exactly what these greater works would be. The greater works that the believers would do after Jesus’ ascension and after the Holy Spirit has come are certainly not any of the works that Jesus did while He was with His disciples. The greater works are works that Jesus did not do. So then, from this passage we can classify the works of God into two categories: first, there are the works which Jesus did on earth with His disciples which we shall also be able to do; and second, there are the greater works which He did not do while on earth with His disciples that we shall be able to do through the help and power of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we would do well to first consider what these greater works are not!

1. Healings. All who believe in Jesus have the authority to do miracles of healing as Jesus did. Since Jesus did them while on earth, they cannot be included in the greater works. These works of healing included: healings from blindness, from leprosy, from diseases of the blood, from diseases of the ear and the tongue, from infectious diseases, and from crippling and paralyzing conditions in the body caused by birth, disease, accident or sin. They also included the raising from the dead (Matt. 11:5) and whatever other diseases there were among the children of Israel (Matt. 12:15). Jesus was also ...healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people (Matt. 4:23). So then, dear friend, any healing of any disease is not part of the greater works category. These greater works do not include healing of bodily infirmities. The greater works would come after He had gone to His Father. Further, notice that even though Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, His disciples were not. His disciples did miracles of healing without having the Holy Spirit because Jesus ...gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2). Miracles of healing are wonderful and anyone who has ever been healed from a painful or disabling affliction appreciates the tremendous blessing of divine healing. Hallelujah! But remember, healings are clearly not part of the greater works that shall be done!

2. Casting out demons (exorcisms). Jesus’ twelve disciples were able to cast out demons when they were sent out two by two (Mark 6:13). They were able to do this even though they were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, their hearts were yet hardened and they often quarreled among themselves about which one of them was the greatest (Mark 9:34; Luke 9:46 & 22:24). Again, casting out demons and devils cannot be part of the greater works that shall be done.

3. Other miracles which defy natural laws. First notice that bodily healings and exorcisms may be classified as miracles defying natural laws, but there are also other miracles pertaining to the body, the soul and nature. All natural laws are an expression of God’s faithfulness. The fact that objects always fall down is a sign of God’s reliability and mercy. God has created an orderly universe with principles that can be utilized to build things and His faithfulness provides benefits allowing science and industry to develop tools, machines and gadgets that make life easier. Yet, the same God who created and sustains this orderly universe also has power to deviate from His laws at any time He chooses to do so for your benefit and for His glory. This is what happened when Jesus changed water into wine, fed thousands with five loaves and two fishes, walked on water and stilled the storms. There is scant evidence that the disciples did any miracles defying natural law prior to Pentecost. After Pentecost, several miracles happened because of prayer and because of God’s power: so that they brought the sick out into the streets... that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them... and they were all healed (Acts 5:15-16); and Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them (Acts 19:11-12). Although these happenings are miraculous, they are not part of the greater works that shall be done.

Healings, exorcisms and other miracles were some of the works that Jesus did while He was preaching about the kingdom of God. These are some of the works that His followers would do and He also told them that they would do ...greater works than these. The greater works have to be something else: ...Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). When you see or hear about faith healers causing people to throw their crutches away, you are not seeing or hearing about the greater works of God; when you see people delivered from devils, you are not seeing greater works of God or when you see sudden, miraculous changes in the weather, you cannot classify them as greater works of God because they were commonplace with Jesus and His disciples. What then comprises the greater works?

Greater Works

Perhaps the greatest clue you have anywhere as to what Jesus considered the ...greater works than these which you shall do after He went to His Father is found in His high priestly prayer in John 17. The primary work, the greatest work that you can do as a believer and that the church should be doing is: that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me... I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me (John 17:21-23). Jesus desires that you and the church be in one accord. Before His crucifixion, Jesus healed people, cast out demons and performed miracles as He preached. He was not able to bring His followers to oneness because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. He told His followers that they would do ...greater works than these. They would accomplish what He could not accomplish: Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name... (John 17:11-12). These scriptures are proclaiming that the cry of Jesus was that they may be one as We are. Are you able to perceive that He is talking as one who has already left the world? As He was preparing to leave the earth, He was praying for oneness that the world may believe. Dear ones, whatever work is required to help people to get to oneness, that is the greater work.

On the day of Pentecost, Jesus’ prayer was answered for the first time: When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place (Acts 2:1) This was the first-fruit of the greater works! The disciples came to oneness, the power fell and the world began to believe. Thousands were immediately saved, sanctified and prepared for heaven. The power, the love and the presence of God was so great that material things lost all significance to the new believers. They sold all they had and gave away all that they received so that this greater work would never stop. Healings, exorcisms and other miracles can make life on earth more pleasant, but they are not able to bring the body of believers to oneness. Multitudes were healed by Jesus during His three years in Israel, but many of them eventually forsook Him and then had Him crucified. It was oneness that caused the Holy Spirit to be poured out on the disciples on the day of Pentecost. The greater work of God is not for a cripple to walk again, but for that cripple to walk with God! The greater work of a church is that all her believers ...speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Cor. 1:10). This is the focus of Jesus’ high priestly prayer. This is what Jesus is ever living to make intercession for even now. Seek sanctification and become one with your brothers and sisters in Christ and then you will become part of the glorious church because you are doing the greater works.