ROLES WITHIN THE CHURCH

PROCLAMATION

“The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number was thirty-eight thousand.  David said, ‘Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work of the temple of The Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.  Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise The Lord with musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.’ ”  1 Chronicles 23:3-5 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

In his old age before he died, David installed his son Solomon as king over Israel. (1 Chronicles 23:1)  The anointing of Solomon as king over Israel is also recorded in The Bible Book of First Kings. (1 Kings 1:32-39)  Then he gathered together all of the leaders of Israel, and the priests, and all the Levites, and he assigned the Levites their roles. (1 Chronicles 23:2-5)  As part of the preparation for his death, David not only gathered together the materials for building the temple of God, (1 Chronicles 22:2-5) he also gathered together the people who were to perform certain roles within the temple. (1 Chronicles 23:2-5)

APPLICATION

Every believer is a part of the church and as such has a role and responsibility within the church.  There is work for each of us to do within the body of Christ as part of the kingdom building efforts here on earth.  Based upon our different abilities and talents, we have different parts to fulfill within the church.  The Lord God has something special for each one of us to do within the church.

WE SHOULD COMMIT WHATEVER WE DO TO THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“Commit to The Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.  The Lord works out everything to its proper end …”  Proverbs 16:3-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

This proverb was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God. In this sixteenth proverb, Solomon changes his presentation style somewhat.  He offers several positive phrases or verses before stating one or more negative ones.  He still continues to compare and contrast that which is good and righteous with that which is not.  However, in this verse, he exhorts believers to entrust whatever they do unto The Lord.  By giving themselves and their actions over to The Lord, He will guide their plans.

Application:

We should do all that we do as if we were doing it for The Lord.  We should strive to do our best at whatever we do.  “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working, nor planning, nor knowledge, nor wisdom.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV)  In the end, only that which we do for The Lord God will matter.  We need to commit our works, our words, and our thoughts to The Lord so that we will walk His way and give Him glory.  If we do this, He will work things out to our benefit.

DO YOUR BEST AT WHATEVER YOU DO

Proclamation:

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."  Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV)

Explanation:

The wisest man to ever live, King Solomon, (2 Chronicles 1:7-12 and 1 Kings 4:29-34) the son of King David, wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to warn the young people, and all of the other people of God, to avoid just going through life relying on human wisdom and doing just enough to get by.  He encouraged them to do their very best at whatever they do.

Application:

I was taught that one should do their very best to be the best at whatever it is that they do.  The Bible teaches us that we should do our best, and that we should work as if what we are doing is for The Lord. (Colossians 3:23)  We are also taught that we should get busy and not procrastinate because this life is short. (John 9:4)  Whatever we do, and in all that we do, we should do our best to do it to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)  Nothing that we do should be done in a half-hearted manner.  Every thing that we do should be done to the best of our ability.  “Anything that is worth doing is worth doing right.” (Author unknown)  If it is worth doing then it is worthy of our best effort.  This life is short.  When we come to the end of this life and look back over our life, it will be much more rewarding and enjoyable when we have done the best that we could do in all that we have done.  We should do our best so that God will be glorified in our efforts.

GOD CAN USE US WHERE WE ARE

Proclamation:

"Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that The Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. ... Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him."  1 Corinthians 7:17 and 20 (NIV)

Explanation:

The Apostle Paul began this chapter to the believers in Corinth with a discussion on being married versus being single.  However, he also discussed being circumcised versus uncircumcised and being a slave versus being free.  His point was, with respect to God's call on their life, they should stay in the situation that they were in when God called them, and focus on what God has for them to do and not focus on their situation.

Application:

God can use us, wherever we are in life, regardless of our status, station, or situation.  What is important to God is our focus being on Him and our behavior, not our employment status, marital status, our health status, or economic status.  God has a purpose for each of us, and it is important that we bloom where He has planted us. (2 Corinthians 5:5 and Philippians 2:13)  God has blessed us to be in whatever situation we find ourselves in, and He will work it for our good. (Roman 8:28)  We need to appreciate wherever we are planted and count it all as joy. (James 1:2)  Whatever we do, we should do it to the best of our ability. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)  For whatever it is that we do, it should be done to the glory of God, because it is for Him that we are working. (1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:23)  

We Are Working For God And We Should Do Our Best

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."  Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV)

The wisest man to ever live, King Solomon, the son of King David, wrote these under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to warn the young people, and all of the other people of God, to avoid just going through life relying on human wisdom and doing just enough to get by.  He encouraged them to do their very best at whatever they do.

I was taught that one should do their very best to be the best at whatever.  The Bible teaches us that we should do our best, and that we should work as if what we are doing is for The Lord (Colossians 3:23)  We are also taught that we should get busy and not procrastinate because this life is short. (John 9:4)  Whatever we do, and in all that we do, we should do our best to do it to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)  Nothing that we do should be done in a half-hearted manner, it should be done to the best of our ability.  Anything that is worth doing, is worth doing right, and it is worthy of our best effort.

Press On Towards The Goal Of Christ-likeness

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in The Church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul told them that although he was saved, he was not perfect.  However, he was pressing on towards the mark for which Christ had laid hold of him.  While he had not attained it yet, he was going forward towards it,  and he was not going to worry about his past as he worked toward the prize for which God had called him. 

We can learn from Paul.  All of us have sinned. (Romans 3:23)  We all have skeletons in our closets because of our negative sinful past.  However, once we have confessed our past sins, and asked God to forgive us, He forgives us and we should let go of them. (1 John 1:9)  We should not let our past sins, or our past successes hinder our present work, or block our future efforts.  God has a work for each of us to accomplish as part of His kingdom building project. (1 Chronicles 28:20 and Colossians 3:23)  As Paul said, we are all like a runner in a race heading for the goal of Christ-likeness, we are not there yet, but we must keep on running towards the goal.  None of us is perfect, but God can still use us. None of the men in The Bible were perfect, except for Jesus, The Christ.  They just believed and were willing to work for The Lord God, and He used them for His purposes.  We must likewise forget about our past and be willing to use our skills and abilities to work for The Lord. (Exodus 36:2)

Only What We Do For Christ Will Count

"... But each one should be careful how he builds.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."  1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth that the work which they do will be judged.  Their work will pass through the fire with them on judgement day.  Only that which they did to the glory of God will pass through the fire, and for those things they will receive a heavenly reward.  But everything else that they did will be consumed by the fire and will count for nothing.

As the song goes, "Only what we do for Christ will last.  Only what we do for Him, will be counted at the end.  Only what we do for Christ will last."  When this life is over, and when we stand before Christ, we will all be judged. (Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, and Revelation 20:12)  Each lost sinner will see their entire life presented before them, and all of the opportunities which they had to accept Christ, but they refused to.  They will then be condemned to spend eternity in hell. (Revelation 20:15)  Each saved sinner will have all of their life's work presented before them, and only that which gave God glory will be counted towards their rewards in heaven. (Matthew 16:27, 1 Corinthians 3:13-14, Philippians 4:3, Colossians 3:24, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 21:27, and Revelation 22:12)  When it is all said and done, only that which we do for Christ will be counted. 

We Should Always Do Our Best

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."  Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV)

The wisdom of King Solomon is also reflected in the Book of Ecclesiastes.  Here he is urging the people that when they work, they should do their very best, at whatever it is that they do, while they have the opportunity because death is coming.  After they die, they will not be able to do anything, or plan anything, or think anything, or know anything. 

Jesus, The Christ, said "I must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work." (John 9:4)  Jesus knew that He had to be serious about doing His Father's work while He was here on earth, because He knew that His days were numbered.  The same is true for each one of us, our time on earth is limited.  Jesus was all about doing His Father's work even as a child. (Luke 2:49)  We need to work as if all that we are doing is for Him. (Colossians 3:17 and 3:23, and Romans 12:11)  We should do our very best when we work, at whatever we do, because we are, in fact, working for The Lord.  This life is not a dress rehearsal, we need to get it right, because there will not be a second chance to get it right after we die.  For after death, then comes the judgement.  That is when we all want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21 and 23)  

Called For A Purpose

"May God Himself, The God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it."  1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NIV)

This is the Apostle Paul's prayer for the believers in Thessaloniki as he closes his letter to them.  He knows that God can bless and keep them, and he ends by saying that The God who called them is faithful, and He will do it.  God can and will bless and keep them.

I realize that this is Paul's prayer for a group of people that he loved.  He began this letter by telling them that he always remembered them in his prayers. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-4)  But what struck me, as I prayed over this passage of scripture was verse 24: "The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it."  Each of us has a special calling on our lives, to do a work for The Lord, not just preachers.  We need to know that God prepares, protects, and provides for those He calls and chooses. (Matthew 22:14, 1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 17:14)  God wants to use us, but we have to answer His call. (Revelation 3:20)  He can enable those of us who are willing to be used in His service.  He can, "and He will do it."

We Must Do The Work Of God

"As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one can work."  John 9:4 (NIV)

The Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, recorded the words of Jesus as He spoke to His disciples regarding the man who was born blind so that the work of God could be displayed in his life.  Jesus, The Christ, said He must do the work of God, who sent Him to earth, while it is day and there is still time, for the night is coming  when no man can work.  He knew that He only had a limited time to perform His earthly ministry and that the disciples would be a part of that work.

It is generally agreed upon by the Bible experts that when Jesus said while it is day, He was referring to the time that He was still with His disciples conducting His earthly ministry.  When He said that night was coming, He was referring to the time when He would be taken away from them.  He only had a limited time to be with them, to do the work that He came here to do, and to prepare them to do God's work after His death. Today, we only have a limited time to do the kingdom building work of The Lord. (Job 14:1, Psalms 90:12, and Matthew 24:36)  We must do the best that we can, while we can, while we are alive.  When this physical life is over, then comes the judgement, and we must give an account of our efforts. (Romans 14:12)

Do Your Best At Whatever

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."  Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV)

As he shared his wisdom with the people of his kingdom, King Solomon said do your best in whatever you do, while you can do it, because there will come a time when you will not be able to do anything.

None of us will live forever here on earth, death is coming.  So while we are alive and well enough to do things, we should do the very best that we can do.  For we don't know how long we will have the chance to do anything.  While we can, we ought to praise God in whatever we do, and we should do our best at whatever it is because we are doing it for Him. (Colossians 3:23)  We should thank God for all that He allows us to do. (Philippians 4:6)  

God's Favor Is Upon Us

"May the favor of The Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us, yes, establish the work of our hands."  "Psalms 90:17 (NIV)

In this, the only psalm written by Moses, he ends it by asking God to grant them His favor and to grant that their life and their life's work may have meaning and be what God has called them to be.  After being in the wilderness for forty years the Children of Israel had done not work and had produced nothing.

Only with God's favor and His blessing can we be productive and lead productive lives.  Unfortunately, we do not give God the credit for all that we do.  We think that we did it ourselves.  Only in God do we live, move, and have our very being. (Acts 17:28)  Through Him were all things made, and without Him nothing was made. (John1:3)  We should thank God for all that we do, and for every talent, skill, and ability that we have.

Didn't Get The Position Or Promotion You Wanted?

"No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man.  But it is God who judges; He brings one down, He exalts another."  Psalms 75:6-7 (NIV)

The Psalmist makes the point that God is the judge.  It is He that can exalt a man or put him down.

A lot of us complain because we did not get the position or promotion that we feel that we deserved.  We fail to realize that God is in charge, that is who we are working for, and He is the one who judges us.  He decides who He wants to promote or demote.   Maybe we need to please Him more and "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Only What We Do For Christ Will Count #2

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.  For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building."  1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians at Corinth that leaders like he and Apollos were not important, they were both just servants of God.  And just like all Christians, they had a job to do, working for The Lord, and they would be rewarded by Him according to how well they did their job. 

Today we should understand that our positions and what we do here on earth is not about us.  All that matters and what is important is what we do for Christ.  Our individual efforts are just a very small part of His overall plan for things.  We each have a job to do as part of His kingdom building plan.  We each need to make sure that we are doing what He has called us to do, because in the end, only what we do for Christ will count when we have to give an account on judgement day.

Work As If You Were Working For The Lord

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from The Lord as a reward. It is The Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism." Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the people that they should do their best at whatever they do, as if they were working for The Lord. His point was that ultimately they were serving The Lord.

As believers we know that non-believers will make judgements about all Christians based upon what they see in our behavior. Therefore, all of our daily activities can be viewed as kingdom building activities. So, we should always do our best at whatever we are doing, because we are a reflection of Him. In the end, He will be the one to reward us.

Aim To Please God In All That You Do

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for The Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from The Lord as a reward. It is The Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism." Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom ... The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: " Ecclesiastes 9:10-12 (NIV)

These two passages of scripture basically make the same point. As King Solomon wrote to all who would listen and the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Colossae, when you work, "... do it with all your might ..." and "... work at it with all your heart ..." as if you are working for The Lord.

Everyone who is old enough to have even a vague understanding of life knows that they will die, they just don't know when it will happen. There is a purpose for our life, and a purpose for everything that we say and do. However, if that purpose was not to give God glory, then it was a wasted effort. We should do our best at everything that we do, because ultimately we are doing it to please God. Man's abilities do not guarantee good results or a positive outcome during life, or at life's end. In the end, God will judge our efforts, and the reward for our labor will come from God, not from man.