This is true in so many ways, for example:
• Some handle their money better than others
• Some are better at sports than others
• Some do a better job in scholastics than others
• Some are more skillful in music than others. (1 Samuel 16:16 tells us that David was skillful at playing the harp, but he had to practice to become skillful)
• Some are better at making decisions than others
Illus: Did you hear about the Police Chief who was training some recruits? He told them, “You'll be faced with some difficult decisions, and it is important that when these times come, you make the right decisions.”
He said to one recruit, “What would you do if you had to arrest your mother?”
The new recruit said, “Call for backup!”
Some truly are better at making decisions than others. However, to become good at something we have to work at it the same way an athlete or musician must work at becoming their best.
Even though we may work hard to become good at something, we must always remember that it is God who has given us the ability to do these things.
God has given many the ability to achieve greatness, but consider this:
• Some of the best ATHLETES in the world will never be discovered because they are not willing to work to their full potential
• Some of the best MUSICIANS in the world will never be discovered because they are not willing to work to their full potential
• Some of the best MINISTERS in the world will never preach their first sermon because they are not willing to work to their full potential
• Some the most effective WORKERS in the church today will live a wasted life because they are not willing to work to their full potential
John 6:27, tells us, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life…”
Working for the Lord is not like working on a regular job. For example, Christians do not receive a pay check each Friday.
Wouldn’t it be something if we could get some folks to work for ALMIGHTY GOD as hard as they work for the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR?
• Those who labour for the Lord will not be paid with money to buy things that will perish
• But for eternity they will be rewarded with things that will be everlasting
HOW CAN WE BECOME AN EFFECTIVE WORKER FOR THE LORD? There are some things for us to consider, such as:
I. WE ARE TO WORK WITH ENTHUSIASM
Illus: Suppose I come before this congregation and say I read a book that has opened my eyes about how to fill this church every service and have people on the outside trying to get on the inside. I am sure your first thoughts to my comments are:
• Does such a book exist
• Will it really work
I can tell you wholeheartedly that such a book exists, and I can prove to you it has worked. The book I am referring to is the WORD OF GOD, and it reveals to us what filled the early church.
WHAT WAS THEIR METHOD?
They became excited about the Lord Jesus! We can never become EFFECTIVE WORKERS for the Lord until we are filled with ENTHUSIASM!
Look at Acts 2:47, “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
The early church grew by leaps and bounds! They had something everyone wanted.
WHAT CAUSED THEM TO ENJOY SUCH GROWTH?
The Bible makes it clear that they went everywhere ENTHUSIASTICALLY PRAISING GOD, AND HAVING FAVOR WITH THE PEOPLE.
And when they did this, the Bible says the Lord ADDED TO THE CHURCH.
Many churches are dying on the vine, and it is due to a lack of enthusiasm in the church.
• Some churches are afraid, I mean really afraid, to have some excitement in the church, and they are drying up on the vine.
• Some are afraid that if they get some excitement, it will turn into having “Wild fire” in the church. It might, but if it does, they need to deal with it.
It is better for the church to have to deal with some wild fire every now and then, than to have to deal with no fire at all.
A church will never be EFFECTIVE until the workers in the church become enthused about this wonderful God we serve.
Many folks can not understand why they have:
• Never been able to invite anyone to church and get them to come
• Never been able to lead someone to the Lord
The reason is that the ones they invite and try to win to the Lord know they go to church, and it is obvious from all their griping and complaining about the church that it is not doing them any good, so they won’t listen to them.
But when people are excited about something, the enthusiasm rubs off on others.
Illus: Zig Ziglar said, “Enthusiasm is more contagious than the measles or chicken pox. Once you have it, it will spread to your family and your church.”
Illus: When Dr. Odell Belger first got into the ministry, he and his wife moved to Columbia, S.C.. He did not have a job when he came. His wife asked him what was he going to do to bring some money home for them to live on. He happened to find a little magazine that had all kinds of inexpensive household gadgets, and he came across this little plastic gadget that would thread needles. They cost more today, but then they were only ten cents each. He had them ship him a case of these things. He then went into some neighborhoods and began to go door-to-door, enthusiastically selling these little needle threaders. When someone came to the door, he had one in his hand and with a big smile on his face he would ask them if they had ever seem one of these gadgets. They normally would ask, “What is it?” He would answer very excitedly, “It is a need threader, let me show how it works.” He would drop a needle into the little holder, press a little plastic button and it would thread the needle every time. Did you know that about every time he went out and sold those little plastic needle threaders in the late 60’s, he came home with 75 to 150 dollars a day. That was really good money back then.
Listen, you get excited about something and you can sell snow balls to Eskimos.
Illus: Do you know why some restaurants have a booming business? It is because someone goes there and enjoys the food so much that they go everywhere talking about the great food they enjoyed.
Listen, if you pulled up at a restaurant and every person coming out had a frown on their face and was throwing up in the parking lot, most likely you would not eat there!
If we are going to be an EFFECTIVE WORKER for the Lord, we are going to have to get some enthusiasm in the church. IT IS ESSENTIAL!
Illus: The church is the place where we have our pep rally and we get excited about the Lord Jesus.
When you find a church full of ENTHUSIASTIC Christians it is going to grow.
The early church was noted for their enthusiasm in PRAISING THE LORD, and God was able to KEEP ADDING TO THE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.
There is a reason why Satan is trying to spread misery in the church, and it is because he knows we can not BE EFFECTIVE for the Lord with a frown on our face.
It is astounding today to go into some churches when they are singing, and three-fourths look like they are having a gallbladder attack and the other fourth looks like they are wondering where they are. This is exactly what the devil wants, because he knows that a church like this does not have anything that anyone wants.
When a church is enthusiastically worshipping the Lord with expressions of joy on their faces, God can use that church. Listen, we should be so excited and enthused in our worship there should be:
• Some hand clapping
• Some tears of joy flowing down the cheeks
• Some shouting of joy
• Some “AMENS” ringing across the congregation
TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR THE LORD WE ARE TO WORK WITH ENTHUSIASM, but also-
II. WE ARE TO WORK WITH EARNESTNESS
Philippians 1:10 says, “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be SINCERE and without offence till the day of Christ;”
If we are going to be EFFECTIVE WORKERS for the Lord, we are going to have to be filled with SINCERITY.
Illus: Someone said, “Pride in a job well done is the one kind of pride God allows you to have. Nothing brings more satisfaction than doing quality work, than knowing you've done the very best you can”. (Sadie and Bessie Delany, Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 2.)
Some of the happiest Christians on this earth are Christians who are WORKING AT THEIR FULL POTENTIAL FOR THE LORD.
Some of the saddest Christians on this earth are Christians who are not WORKING AT THEIR FULL POTENTIAL FOR THE LORD.
Illus: Often parents will ask their children to do something, and a child will say, “What will you give me?” To show how things have changed, when I was growing up and your parent asked you to do something, you did not ask them WHAT THEY WOULD GIVE YOU, because you knew what you would get if you did not do it.
Something that many parents are not teaching their children is that part of the reward for doing a good job is the PRIDE of knowing you did a good job.
When a child discovers pride in doing a good job, they feel good about themselves and what they have done.
A good worker is EARNEST (serious) about his job. They take pride in their job.
• They do not lay out of work because company comes to town
• They do not just work when the boss man is looking
• They do not take extended breaks and lunch hours
• They do not come to work 15 to 20 minutes late
They take pride in their job.
A good worker is EARNEST in his labor for the Lord.
Conclusion:
In our text, Paul said, in 1 Cor. 3:13-15, “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
This passage of scripture is talking about two things:
(1) It reveals that our works have nothing to do with our salvation
(2) It reveals that our works have everything to do with our eternal rewards
Whatever you do for the Lord out of love will be eternally rewarded. But if you did not do it out of love, your works will be tried by fire and will be consumed before you.
Illus: When the company founded by Andrew Carnegie was taken over in 1901 by the U.S. Steel Corporation, it acquired as one of its obligations a contract to pay the top Carnegie executive, Charles Schwab, the minimum sum of $1,000,000.
J.P. Morgan, of U.S. Steel, was in a quandary about this part of the contract.
The highest salary on record was $100,000. He met with Schwab, showed him the contract and hesitatingly asked what could be done about it.
"This," said Schwab, as he took the contract and tore it up.
That contract had paid Schwab $1,300,000 the year before. "I didn’t care what salary they paid me," Schwab later told a Forbes magazine interviewer. "I was not animated by money motives. I believed in what I was trying to do and I wanted to see it brought about. I canceled that contract without a moment’s hesitation. Why do I work? I work for just the pleasure I find in work, the satisfaction there is in developing things, in creating…. The person who does not work for the love of work, but only for money, is not likely to make money nor to find much fun in life."
Charles Schwab saw something in his work greater than just making money.
The person who works only to make money is operating at the lowest level of motivation.
There is indeed motivation in making money. But there are reasons far more fulfilling and satisfying.
I. WE ARE TO WORK WITH ENTHUSIASM
II. WE ARE TO WORK WITH EARNESTNESS
