Good Works and Working for God

I selected this image with careful consideration to deal with something head on in our ranks which is elitism and  hypocrisy in our leaders (and I know you hard-core, militant uncompromising preachers will get ruffled seeing a bare breast, or a nipple slip, at least you will have something to preach about Sunday!) There  is a  predominantly fixed mindset and problem which we will get to, that has run through the local churches  like a rash over the last 2o years.  You protest so much and take such offense, and yet when someone tells you that you and your cronies have been sucking off the same protestant, Fundamentalist teat for decades, it just doesn't register.

It's like a preacher I knew took his shoe off one Sunday moring and chunked it across the room on the wall where it left a scuff.  No one knew what to do!  Did he loose his mind? He was making a point and said, "Now some of you care more about the fact that I scoffed the wall, which I meant to do, then the fact that..." and then he proceeded in his point.  A great illustration!  

This woman in the image is doing a great work for God! Much like Tabitha in Acts 9. Tabitha was full of good works, alms deeds, She used her talents and gifts while SHE was with them.  She made coats and garments, while she was with them.  She used her members.  The body of Christ was established on this in Acts.  Simply gifts and talents being used to minister to others.  She didn't stand out.  Most likely poor to boot. Simply doing what she could.  This is a work of God.  That was a ministry.  That was her calling so to speak.  

We are Christians not because we say we are or go to this church or that church.  People in the NT were called Christians because they shone forth fruits of righteousness associated with Christ. He desires us to have his fruits of righteousness, as in the holy spirit actually bearing those fruit in us, so that we can have fruit unto God and unto perfection.

Now obviously, we know salvation is not of works but by grace.  We know when we see good works in the word of God, we must strive to work these works, not for salvation, but because of salvation. We absolutely should be pressing toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.  This is how we shine to the world, and are able to have utterance to speak of the gospel of our salvation.

The Bible has much to say of good works, and much of it has nothing to do with the pulpit, or the fundamental ministry minded men or their traditions.  On the contrary, the ministry found in the New testament was a life.  It wasn’t when it was time for church.  Their lives were their ministry.  They were to “maintain” good works for “necessary uses”.  The purpose was not to take from the poor in the body.  It was to have to give to the poor in the body. Many NT preachers, not only fed their local assemblies with spiritual messages of edification and instruction, they also fed them with alms deeds and cheerful giving of various things and labor from their own sweat and blood from their own work. 

Where they went was their ministry and their field of harvests.  They were not instructed to pray for calls beyond, or burdens for godless heathen, they were instructed to “maintain good works” and to not “rob” the people. They didn’t just make ministries up, and go, “Church, give me money!” People gave to them cheerfully of their own free will because of their labor among them!  And these men many times went without, giving it right back to other poor Christians.  You see this principle strong in the Lord Jesus Christ and Paul!

This use of a currency within the body was for the body.  There was never in missions funds, tithing carried over, faith promise type gimmicky programs set up.  The filthy lucre of their day literally funneled in and out.  It is “filthy lucre”.  It is the root of all evil. Why should it set and corrupt!  The body of Christ doesn’t have any Temple structures that have treasuries and storehouses built into it like in the OT and Christ’s day! It’s so different today is it.  Ever wonder why we hold on to so much law and procedures from previous denominations and cultures?  Cha-ching!

The body of Christ they led to God and meet with was their ministry. They were meeting in their own dwelling places.  There was no local church on the corner for them to meet.  And they (the apostles) often dealt primarily with the ministry of the body of Christ, and not the world.    We have forgotten this now, and forsaken the body to save the world.  I guess it goes to explain how apostasy has a far reaching affect, as we knew it would.  Through the edification of the body came the increase!  They did not work the work of God so to speak, they were the work of God (workmanship).  His workmanship, his body.  This is how he gets the glory, and not us.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

That they may SEE your good works!  We work for God, to gain men.  Interesting the Lord did not say, that they may hear your good works.  Now Paul puts a strong emphasis on the preached word, as he should, but I think sometimes we neglect the more obvious means of gaining men. We forget about the “in our face” practical situations of life.  We get locked in our manners and modes of evangelism, and church services that we forget what it was then.

We have forgotten about our common dialogue.  Our common perception.  Our very ways, our daily life, our daily conducting of our business.  Our trades, our skills.  Our friends, our customers, our close acquaintances on the job, that see us day in and day out.  Where are our good works with them.  Forget Sunday!  What about with them?

We are to take the light of the glorious gospel of Christ to sinners. We hark much about evangelism and going into all the world, and we don’t even have any affect on our co-  workers, or people in our neighborhood.  You have to wonder about our missionary problems today?

People can see a difference, through our works and our words and our general conversation of life. Many times, it is our works that pave the way for our words.  It is the good works that people see in our day to day lives that prompts the door of utterance, and the “reason of the hope”.  People get curious about why believers do what they do, so they ask.

Now we know preaching is the method of God’s choosing, to deliver the word to the edifying of the body and the seeking of the lost.  And we should preach!  However, God will also strongly use good works to interest the sinner.  Preaching has it’s confinements, and orders to it in Paul’s epistles.  There will be a reason they ask of the hope that is in you.  And we will have utterance through the spirit to possibly led that sinner to God, in meekness and fear.  

A spiritual transaction takes place.  It should never be 1, 2, 3.  We preach, and we do 1, 2, 3?  The bible speaks much about “communicating”!  And it is not always preaching, in fact, less then we think.  More of the preaching concerning specifics sins, and instructions are for the body.  The preaching of the gospel is for the lost!  Our life is what wins others more then any thing else, not our ministries and our appointed services.

Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. 

Almsdeed - Full of Charity.  We know the importance of Charity, and her good works.  This was a “member of his body inparticular,” simply serving the body.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

It’s individuals, not nations.  We are not the kingdom builders.  

We are his creation, a new creature, in him.  He is the wise master builder.  He is the master of the clay.  It’s him in us! We should walk in them.  The good works, which God before ordained that we should walk in them.

1 Timothy 2:10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

Not just professing godliness.  If you don’t have good works unto godliness, then don’t profess godliness.  This is the essence of the hypocrite.  The world is right in many of it’s claims of Christian hypocrites.  How much have we done to reproach, scorn, and drive away?

2 Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Today with our professional ministries, and career minded preacher boys, we see the ministry and the service of the Lord has become something else more reminiscent to Temple priesthood, then to a selfless servant of the body of Christ.  

The man of God is to be thoroughly furnished.  Again, we see that the builder is furnishing us, and refining us  unto good works.  Many preachers take this man of God thing to far.  I have seen visiting preachers call a pastor a man of God when they haven’t even formally been introduced.  How does he know?  Our integrity and honesty has been forsaken for hastiness of approval of a position.  Men of God? Please?  

The implication  of 2 Timothy 2 is a man growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, walking with God, serving him and others out of a pure heart.  Good works is not just preaching, pastoring a flock, receiving the tithes and offerings, street preaching, passing out tracts, and teaching every now and then for some physical building, for some physical pay check, loafing, mooching, leeching, and robbing the body.  

There are many a Baptist pastor, missionary and evangelist that should just be honest with themselves and their people, and just get a job and quit robbing folks.  Why should they, when they are getting so much from the flocks? 

Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

This is not just being zealous doing something for God.  A Christian needs to be zealous in good works, not just simply zealous!  You can be zealous in bad works too!  Zeal is not a indicator of the spirit working in us.  What we do in our zeal has to be orderly and according to his word.

As Zealous towards God - Acts 22:3

Zealous of spiritual gifts that ye may excel to the edifying of the church - 1 Corinthians 14:12

Galatians 4:16-18 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.

18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

If we are his workmanship, and we know how he purified us to himself, and  we know how he made us part of his body, we should be zealous unto good works.  Some are zealously affect you, but not well, and they would exclude you.  So they can have the effect for themselves.  

It is interesting how that verse reads in Galatians.  People can be affected by zeal, but it is not well, and cause people to be EXCLUDED!  You know this spirit of error I am talking of.  It’s the same elitism, the groupism, the ministry minded garble that is divisive and separating.  So men can have their kingdoms, ideals and agenda’s.

Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

The same way we are to be ready to answer, and ready to preach, we should be ready to every good work.  You can be ready to preach, and it is a good work, but can you also obey a magistrate, as the word commands, or do you just have to “obey God rather then man” as Peter and the other preachers?  

1 Timothy 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Titus 3:14 And let our's also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.

Good works can be spiritual and physical. This necessary uses mentioned in Titus 3 is just what it sounds like.  Things that are necessary.  “Let OUR’S”, Paul was teaching his converts this admonition. Maintain good works! Providing things decent, in the sight of God and men. 

2 Corinthians 8:21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

Most Pastors could care less how they appear to men outside of their Church family! Some even get off on the fact that they offend the outside so fast.  The way we operate today, the world knows and men know what kinda games “the church” is playing.  

If one did not maintain “good works” for necessary uses, i.e., they were relying on corrupt works for their necessary uses, then it is unfruitful! (Titus 3:14).  Paul spoke this way about being a castaway in 1 Corinthians 9! Simply maintaining good works is good and profitable unto men (Titus 3:8).  They know you are honest.  

Travel, food, raiment, money, upkeep for a horse, etc.  This was necessary uses to these men.  The message was not to dishonestly profess to be godly so you can expect some bloated egotistical salary, but to maintain good works because you are godly.  To have a trade, to have a skill craft.

All of this sort of sentiment, that we see in the early preachers and apostles had to do with the drastic change in the system.  Paul’s gospel and doctrines brought many new things to believers, and one being, “preaching the gospel of Christ without charge”!  So these men worked, physically, and spiritually!

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 

James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 

1 Peter 2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

What is our conversation? Conversation - General course of manners; behavior; deportment; especially as it respects morals. A keeping company; familiar intercourse; intimate fellowship or association; commerce in social life. 

3. Intimate and familiar acquaintance; as a conversation with books, or other object.

4. Familiar discourse; general intercourse of sentiments; chat; unrestrained talk; opposed to a formal conference.

Just sayin...