Recently I attended a conference in Nebraska and found some encouragement. I wanted to share it with you here. Believers living in the Midwest, Churches of Christ tend to be smaller, fewer, and far between, know the discouragement that comes when it feels like you’re not making any progress. Actually, most of us from any part of the country understand these feelings as well. I have felt that way numerous times over the years.
Two different speakers at the conference, independently, reminded those of us attending of a word from God that I had not considered in a great while. It turned out to be really encouraging to me, and I hope it will be to you as well. It is 1 Corinthians 15:58:
Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Anytime we feel like our deeds, ministry, or church is not having very much effect, it’s important to remember that “in the Lord your labor is not in vain,” regardless of how we feel. And because that work isn’t in vain, it is right to both stand firm in our faith and also to abound in the work of the Lord. This is not a “consoling delusion” that isn’t really true. Rather, it is the word of the Lord!
I’ve often thought that the deceitful scammers who send us texts and emails trying to obtain our private information could make a decent living if they would just work as hard at a real job as they do on their scams. I certainly don’t think we are deceitful scammers in God’s work, but I do think sometimes we fall prey to the notion that there must be some quick, easy way to reach people and grow churches. I confess I have sought such a silver bullet both consciously and unconsciously across the years.
One of the people I talked to at that same conference in Nebraska said the church he was working with had been dwindling but was now being revitalized. Hopefully I wasn’t once again looking for a quick, easy solution when I asked him what accounted for their new growth, and he certainly didn’t give a silver bullet. His short reply was “a lot of elbow grease and the Holy Spirit.”
This simple answer is profound. It rings true to Scripture’s recurring emphasis on the need for both the power of God (Zechariah 4:6; John 6:44; 1 Corinthians 3:6-7) and the dedicated involvement and work of us human beings (Haggai 1:2-15; John 9:4; 2 Corinthians 6:3-10). The first matter he mentioned, the “a lot of elbow grease” part, also rings true with “abounding in the work of the Lord.”
Like that man’s answer, 1 Corinthians 15:58 is also simple and profound. It encouraged me once again to resist any notion that there is some quick, effective solution for reaching people and growing churches. Instead, we will be much closer to the emphasis of Scripture and the ways of God if we focus on prayer and abounding in the work of the Lord, leaving the growth to Him. Regardless of what results may then ensue, what we are doing is not in vain.
Empowering Subjects 