“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).
What is the work of the Lord that Christian are to do?
Personal Evangelism is certainly the work of the Lord. The Great Commission is to go to all the nations of the world and tell them about Jesus. And why would Christian not want to share their faith? It is almost impossible to see a rainbow and not point it out to someone else. It’s the kind of thing that just must be shared. You see one and you want to tell someone about it. If you are by yourself and see one, it’s frustrating. The gospel is such a beautiful expression of God’s love that it just must be shared.
Being a good example is the work of the Lord. Every Christian is to “be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). It is easier to talk about religion than to live out the ethics of the Christian faith. However, “We must lead by example first, then by precept” (Roberto Goizueta, President of Coco-Cola Company). That’s exactly what Jesus did.
Studying the Word of God is the work of the Lord. What Paul exhorted Timothy to do is applicable to every Christian. “Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:13).
Contending for the faith is the work of the Lord. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).
Exhorting others to good works is not an easy task, but it is the work of the Lord. “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13).
Earnest and heartfelt prayer is the work of the Lord. Paul exhorted the Church of Thessalonica to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Dial-A-Prayer has been around for years. The Tampa, Florida, chapter of American Atheists installed a 24-hour telephone line called “Dial-An-Atheist.” We wonder if anyone burdened by guilt, anxiety, or fear will seek comfort from “Dial-An-Atheist.” Most churches in the area are not worried about the competition.
When we do the work of the Lord, we can be assured that our labor is not in vain, it is not empty. We shall be rewarded for our labor if we do not faint or quit.
