Churchwork
06-15-2006, 09:03 PM
Christ Has the Preeminence in the Work of a Christian
Christ should have the first place in our work—"For good works, . . . that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2.10). Christ is good works, since the very aim of all God’s work is Christ. We therefore ought to walk in such works. Leaving aside the fact of our daily occupations, we are all doing God’s work; hence we should walk in the good works of God.
Serving God and working for God are vastly different. Many work for God, but they are not serving Him. Faithful works—if they are really for Christ—are judged by motive and purpose. Doing God’s work has its pleasure as well as its pain. Though there is hardship, there also is ease. It possesses its own interest and attraction. Oftentimes we work for interest and not for Christ. Many rush here and there to gain fame in works. They have indeed done some works, but in reality they have not served God. God works from eternity to eternity for the sake of giving His Son the preeminence in all things. Therefore we too must work for Christ. Unless God cleanses our motive and intent, we cannot be blessed of Him. We work for Christ, not for sinners. The measure of our success in work is determined by the measure of Christ in our works. Oh, at the very start of a work may we allow the Holy Spirit to lay open the thoughts and intents of our heart so that we are enabled to discern if it is of the spirit or of the soul.
We must not labor for our own increase, for our own group, or even for our own pet teaching; we ought to work solely for Christ. We rejoice if God can gain something. We are glad whenever He has something to gain even though it does not come from our work. We are not out to save our teaching but to save sinners. Not out to gratify our own heart, simply to satisfy the heart of Christ. In case we prosper and gain, the Lord will be hindered and will suffer loss. Were we to be content with God’s gain we would be delivered from pride and jealousy.
Frequently we seek our own glory as well as the glory of God. God saves souls for the sake of Christ, not for our own sake. Paul planted and Apollos watered. The work was not done by one person—lest people would say, I am of Paul, or, I am of Apollos. The whole approach of work is for Christ and not for the workers. We are as bread in the Lord’s hand. After people have eaten, they thank the One who gives bread and not the bread itself—which is, us. From start to finish the work is all for Christ, never for ourselves. We are content with the work and position which our Lord has appointed to us or arranged for us. We should not "glory in another’s province in regard of things ready to our hand" (2 Cor. 10.16). How we like to desert our own ground and tread on another’s field. The question is not whether we are able to work, but whether God has commanded us to work. Sisters, for example, need to keep their place (1 Cor. 14.34,35); they should not be teachers, that is to say, they should not be those deciding with authority the word of God (1 Tim. 2.12). In all our works we must let Christ have the preeminence.
Christ Has the Preeminence in the Message of a Christian
Christ should also occupy the first place in our message. As those did in the early days of the church, so we today ought to preach "Christ Jesus as Lord" (2 Cor. 4.5) and to know nothing among others "save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2.2). Christ is the center of God’s purpose and plan. The cross stands at the center of God’s work since it operates to fulfill His purpose. The cross works to set aside all which is of the flesh so that Christ might have the preeminence. Our central message should not be dispensation, prophecy, type, kingdom, baptism, leaving denominations, speaking in tongues, keeping the Sabbath, holiness, and so on; it ought instead to be Christ. The centrality of God is Christ. We must therefore also take Christ as our center.
After a person is saved he should be taught to consecrate himself to be a bondslave of Christ: to accept Him as his Lord of all.
The truths in the entire Bible are organically united, just like a wheel with all its spokes. The center is Christ. Not that we do not preach truths other than the central truth, but that we need to connect all the other truths to the center. We should know two things: (1) what this particular truth is—what does it talk about; and (2) what is the relation between this specific truth and the center. We ought to pay attention to the center, though this does not exclude the teaching of the other truths related to the center. After Paul had declared that he was determined "not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified", he then proceeded to say that "we speak wisdom, however, among them that are fullgrown" (1 Cor. 2.2,6). Only after people have consecrated themselves and have accepted Christ as their Lord are we able to speak to them the deeper truths for edification.
When we work we should always draw people to the center and show them that Christ is Lord. It is impossible for us to undertake such work on a purely objective basis. We first must be broken by God so as to make Christ the preeminence in our lives before we help others into accepting Christ as Lord so as to allow Him to have the first place in their lives. Unless we live out the life of Christ as being preeminent in us, we are unfit to preach this message to others. For we ourselves need to be the message we would preach. How we must let Christ have the preeminence in small things of the day in order to preach the message of Christ as center. Oh that each of us would put Christ on the throne!
As long as God’s will is done, what does it matter if I am placed in the dust! A "good" from the Lord exceeds all the praises of the world (cf. Matt. 25.21,23; Luke 19.17). The smiling face of heaven far surpasses all the angry faces on earth. Heavenly comfort transcends earthly tears. The hidden manna is to be enjoyed in eternity. May the Lord so bless His word as to win us as well as win others.
"His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matt. 25.21,23). "And he said unto him, Well done, thou good servant: because thou wast found faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities" (Luke 19.17).
Christ should have the first place in our work—"For good works, . . . that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2.10). Christ is good works, since the very aim of all God’s work is Christ. We therefore ought to walk in such works. Leaving aside the fact of our daily occupations, we are all doing God’s work; hence we should walk in the good works of God.
Serving God and working for God are vastly different. Many work for God, but they are not serving Him. Faithful works—if they are really for Christ—are judged by motive and purpose. Doing God’s work has its pleasure as well as its pain. Though there is hardship, there also is ease. It possesses its own interest and attraction. Oftentimes we work for interest and not for Christ. Many rush here and there to gain fame in works. They have indeed done some works, but in reality they have not served God. God works from eternity to eternity for the sake of giving His Son the preeminence in all things. Therefore we too must work for Christ. Unless God cleanses our motive and intent, we cannot be blessed of Him. We work for Christ, not for sinners. The measure of our success in work is determined by the measure of Christ in our works. Oh, at the very start of a work may we allow the Holy Spirit to lay open the thoughts and intents of our heart so that we are enabled to discern if it is of the spirit or of the soul.
We must not labor for our own increase, for our own group, or even for our own pet teaching; we ought to work solely for Christ. We rejoice if God can gain something. We are glad whenever He has something to gain even though it does not come from our work. We are not out to save our teaching but to save sinners. Not out to gratify our own heart, simply to satisfy the heart of Christ. In case we prosper and gain, the Lord will be hindered and will suffer loss. Were we to be content with God’s gain we would be delivered from pride and jealousy.
Frequently we seek our own glory as well as the glory of God. God saves souls for the sake of Christ, not for our own sake. Paul planted and Apollos watered. The work was not done by one person—lest people would say, I am of Paul, or, I am of Apollos. The whole approach of work is for Christ and not for the workers. We are as bread in the Lord’s hand. After people have eaten, they thank the One who gives bread and not the bread itself—which is, us. From start to finish the work is all for Christ, never for ourselves. We are content with the work and position which our Lord has appointed to us or arranged for us. We should not "glory in another’s province in regard of things ready to our hand" (2 Cor. 10.16). How we like to desert our own ground and tread on another’s field. The question is not whether we are able to work, but whether God has commanded us to work. Sisters, for example, need to keep their place (1 Cor. 14.34,35); they should not be teachers, that is to say, they should not be those deciding with authority the word of God (1 Tim. 2.12). In all our works we must let Christ have the preeminence.
Christ Has the Preeminence in the Message of a Christian
Christ should also occupy the first place in our message. As those did in the early days of the church, so we today ought to preach "Christ Jesus as Lord" (2 Cor. 4.5) and to know nothing among others "save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2.2). Christ is the center of God’s purpose and plan. The cross stands at the center of God’s work since it operates to fulfill His purpose. The cross works to set aside all which is of the flesh so that Christ might have the preeminence. Our central message should not be dispensation, prophecy, type, kingdom, baptism, leaving denominations, speaking in tongues, keeping the Sabbath, holiness, and so on; it ought instead to be Christ. The centrality of God is Christ. We must therefore also take Christ as our center.
After a person is saved he should be taught to consecrate himself to be a bondslave of Christ: to accept Him as his Lord of all.
The truths in the entire Bible are organically united, just like a wheel with all its spokes. The center is Christ. Not that we do not preach truths other than the central truth, but that we need to connect all the other truths to the center. We should know two things: (1) what this particular truth is—what does it talk about; and (2) what is the relation between this specific truth and the center. We ought to pay attention to the center, though this does not exclude the teaching of the other truths related to the center. After Paul had declared that he was determined "not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified", he then proceeded to say that "we speak wisdom, however, among them that are fullgrown" (1 Cor. 2.2,6). Only after people have consecrated themselves and have accepted Christ as their Lord are we able to speak to them the deeper truths for edification.
When we work we should always draw people to the center and show them that Christ is Lord. It is impossible for us to undertake such work on a purely objective basis. We first must be broken by God so as to make Christ the preeminence in our lives before we help others into accepting Christ as Lord so as to allow Him to have the first place in their lives. Unless we live out the life of Christ as being preeminent in us, we are unfit to preach this message to others. For we ourselves need to be the message we would preach. How we must let Christ have the preeminence in small things of the day in order to preach the message of Christ as center. Oh that each of us would put Christ on the throne!
As long as God’s will is done, what does it matter if I am placed in the dust! A "good" from the Lord exceeds all the praises of the world (cf. Matt. 25.21,23; Luke 19.17). The smiling face of heaven far surpasses all the angry faces on earth. Heavenly comfort transcends earthly tears. The hidden manna is to be enjoyed in eternity. May the Lord so bless His word as to win us as well as win others.
"His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matt. 25.21,23). "And he said unto him, Well done, thou good servant: because thou wast found faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities" (Luke 19.17).