Work Work Work

Work Work Work

Acts 18:1-3

For most Americans tomorrow is a holiday

Its Labor Day, & in the opinion of some, it is the most hypocritical of all of our holidays.

They say that if Labor Day is a celebration of the unique rights & freedoms that we, as workers, enjoy in our nation

That if we’re really thankful that we have jobs while some don’t

That if we’re really serious about labor being a blessing, then what we should do on Labor Day is go to work & tell the boss

"I’m going to work today, & I’m going to work for free, just for the joy of working."

But no, we’re not going to do that, are we?

Most of us will say, "I don’t want to work on Labor Day,

But I do expect to get paid for it anyway."

Maybe we’re not quite as dedicated to the celebration of labor as we thought.

So let me ask you a few questions

"Do you really like your job?

How many of you look forward to going to work on Monday mornings because you really miss seeing your boss?

How many of you miss your fellow workers so much that you can hardly wait to get back & see how they’re doing?"

Now if you answered "Yes" to any of those questions, then you’re in the minority.

Surveys reveal that 65% of American workers are unhappy with their jobs.

Many of them go to work simply because they have no other choice.

"I owe, I owe, so it’s off to work I go."

They would probably tell you that they are unhappy with what they do

Because it is the same old routine day after day

And their life seems to be a meaningless merry-go-round

With no real purpose to it.

Its kind of like Tennessee Ernie Ford sang, "You load 16 tons, & what do you get, another day older & deeper in debt."

Now this morning, I want to share with you what I believe will help you see our work as an exciting opportunity to serve God

One of our problems in life is that we divide everything into secular & spiritual categories.

We say that over here is the secular, & over there is the spiritual.

And we spend the best hours of every day in the secular world.

We say, "We’d really like to serve God, but we have to spend so much time on our secular job."

So we give God a few hours on Sunday morning.

Maybe another hour on Sunday night, & that’s about all for a lot of people.

The truth is God wants all of our time

This morning we are going to look at a very interesting couple in the N.T.

That devoted their time to their Lord

Some couples know how to make the most of life

They compliment each other

Capitalizing on each other’s strengths

And form an effective team

Their united efforts affect those around them

Aquila and Priscilla were such a couple

They are never mentioned separately in the Bible

In marriage and ministry they were together

Aquila and Priscilla met Paul in Corinth during his second missionary journey

They opened their home to Paul

And he joined them in tent making

That was their profession

But is was also their ministry

They used their home as a warm place for training and worship

Back in Rome, years later, they hosted one of the house churches that developed

We can learn a few things from Aquila and Priscilla

Things about what it means to labor for our Lord

READ ACTS 18:2-3

I. Work with your companions

Aquila and Priscilla quickly became close friends of Paul

Paul shared with them his wealth of spiritual wisdom

And they made the most of their spiritual education

They listened carefully to sermons and evaluated what they heard

When they heard a man named Apollos speak they were impressed by his ability

But realized that his information was not complete

But instead of open confrontation

The couple quietly took Apollos home and shared with him what he needed to know

You see, until then, Apollos had only John the Baptist’s message about Christ

He had only heard what John had said about Jesus

John and Apollos focused on repentance from sin, the first step

But the whole message is to repent from sin and then believe in Christ

Aquila and Priscilla told him about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection

And the reality of God’s indwelling of the Holy Spirit

He continued to preach powerfully

But now with the full story

This couple could have openly condemned Apollos’ incomplete message

But they chose to take him in

And do it in a loving manner

And show him the way of salvation