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Thursday, February 25, 2010
The greatest work on earth
I recently read a preacher write that pastoring a New Testament church is the greatest work on earth. Is that so? On what authority? Does the Bible teach that?
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Sounds like an honest opinion! I would say the greatest work on earth is finding, following, and finishing God's plan for YOUR life.
What ever that may be: a teacher, a painter, a lawyer, a doctor, a preacher, a policeman, whatever!
The key is to "be" what you are where you are and investing what you have into the lives of others, by doing this you are doing the greatest work on earth, bringing redemption to a lost world.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)
I think we probably agree. To say preaching is the greatest work is unhelpful, inaccurate and certainly appeals directly to the pride of man. Paul wrote, "he desireth a good work", not "the greatest work on earth". The greatest work on earth is individual to each Christian -- to run the race that God has set before you.
I have never been one to be inclined toward manmade titles of theology, such as Hyper-Calvinism. The doctrine you are referring to has been around long before John Calvin, and long before there was hyper anything. I am sure you have heard the term "Arminianism." That usually refers to the other end of the spectrum.
But we cannot say that God does not work in ways as He pleases , without our help, in some circumstances. I think of the early Indian tribes. They knew there was a supreme being. But how? Know one ever told them about one. They certainly never read of one as this was long before printed materials. What else could it have been but God Almighty?
Granted, there are some things to which we will never have an answer for. But if we dig deep enough, we will find that things have not always been as they are now with respect to religion, among other things. Sometimes we come away disappointed.
If it is true that our duty is to bring redemption to a lost world, we are failing miserably. God Bless.
Anonymous, As I said before I meant no offense so please don't take any.
I'm not sure what you meant when you said "But we cannot say that God does not work in ways as He pleases , without our help, in some circumstances."
I believe God does what He wills when He wills by whatever means He wills. With reference to the indians, the Scriptures teach that God has written eternity on the hearts of men. There is a wonderful story of a missionary that illustrates this very fact. Don Richardson wrote of his experiences in the book "Peace Child".
I also believe God has commissioned the followers of Christ to disciple the nations, or to say it another way, to bring redemption to this world.
I agree with you that things have not always been the way that they are with respect to religion. And I also agree with your statement that we are failing miserably, in America especially.
But in many places their are multitudes coming to Christ and learning to follow Him and thus there lives and world is being redeemed.
I would like to ask you a question if you don't mind. As followers of Christ, in this world, what do you believe to be our duty?
To keep my response brief, I would say this should be our duty as Christians.
To live for the Lord with all of our hearts, by letting our light shine before men, to which by the grace of God they can see there is something not of this world in which we strive. Some men may never read a Bible, but they read lives each and every day.
7 comments:
Sounds like an honest opinion! I would say the greatest work on earth is finding, following, and finishing God's plan for YOUR life.
What ever that may be: a teacher, a painter, a lawyer, a doctor, a preacher, a policeman, whatever!
The key is to "be" what you are where you are and investing what you have into the lives of others, by doing this you are doing the greatest work on earth, bringing redemption to a lost world.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)
Blessings to you Brother Robert
James
I think we probably agree. To say preaching is the greatest work is unhelpful, inaccurate and certainly appeals directly to the pride of man. Paul wrote, "he desireth a good work", not "the greatest work on earth". The greatest work on earth is individual to each Christian -- to run the race that God has set before you.
I am not sure I understand the comment about how we can work to bring redemption to a lost world. Is it not only our Lord who can redeem by His blood?
Anonymous,
Please do not be offended, but you sound like a hyper-calvinist.
It is our Lord who redeems by His blood! And it is our Lord who has ordained that through His people the world be redeemed.
Or to say it another way, Jesus uses us to reach a lost world.
Blessings
James
Bro. Alderman,
I have never been one to be inclined toward manmade titles of theology, such as Hyper-Calvinism. The doctrine you are referring to has been around long before John Calvin, and long before there was hyper anything. I am sure you have heard the term "Arminianism." That usually refers to the other end of the spectrum.
But we cannot say that God does not work in ways as He pleases , without our help, in some circumstances. I think of the early Indian tribes. They knew there was a supreme being. But how? Know one ever told them about one. They certainly never read of one as this was long before printed materials. What else could it have been but God Almighty?
Granted, there are some things to which we will never have an answer for. But if we dig deep enough, we will find that things have not always been as they are now with respect to religion, among other things. Sometimes we come away disappointed.
If it is true that our duty is to bring redemption to a lost world, we are failing miserably. God Bless.
Anonymous,
As I said before I meant no offense so please don't take any.
I'm not sure what you meant when you said "But we cannot say that God does not work in ways as He pleases , without our help, in some circumstances."
I believe God does what He wills when He wills by whatever means He wills. With reference to the indians, the Scriptures teach that God has written eternity on the hearts of men. There is a wonderful story of a missionary that illustrates this very fact. Don Richardson wrote of his experiences in the book "Peace Child".
I also believe God has commissioned the followers of Christ to disciple the nations, or to say it another way, to bring redemption to this world.
I agree with you that things have not always been the way that they are with respect to religion. And I also agree with your statement that we are failing miserably, in America especially.
But in many places their are multitudes coming to Christ and learning to follow Him and thus there lives and world is being redeemed.
I would like to ask you a question if you don't mind. As followers of Christ, in this world, what do you believe to be our duty?
Blessings to you brother!
James
Bro. Alderman,
To keep my response brief, I would say this should be our duty as Christians.
To live for the Lord with all of our hearts, by letting our light shine before men, to which by the grace of God they can see there is something not of this world in which we strive. Some men may never read a Bible, but they read lives each and every day.
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