Work As Divine Service

Work as Divine Service
Domenic Marbaniang
PCG, Itarsi 9 April 2005

Introduction
A.The Prattle About Work – Shopkeepers, Housewives, Office bearers, Teachers, etc.
B.Views About Work – Physics (Energy in transit), Sociology (“the expenditure of effort to supply goods or services, whether by physical, mental, or emotional labour, and for use by either self or others” /Encarta/), Philosophy, Economics, Psychology (Freud - “Will to Pleasure”, Adler- “Will to Power”, Frankl- “Will to Meaning”), Religion.

I.Work is a Dynamic Feature of the Triune God
God is love – Unity in Community within the Trinity. Communication, Conference, Consideration, Cooperation, Co-action.
God is Creator, Sustainer, Savior, and Judge. Heb. 1:3 (Sustains), Ps. 121:4 (Doesn’t Sleep), 2Chr. 16:9
Jesus Christ came to serve, save, and finish the God-given work. He intercedes, will come back to judge.

II.God Created & Authorized Man to Work on Earth In Service of God
Gen. 1: 27, 28; 2:15 – Exploitation of Nature for Selfish Purposes is being unjust stewards. Ps. 115: 16.
Why man & not angels – so that man might reflect God’s praise being created in His image. (Eph. 1:6; Isa. 43:21; Mat. 5:16; Dan. 11:32; 1 Pt. 2:9,12).
A person who doesn’t work should not eat. 2 Thes. 3: 10; I Thes. 4:11, 12; Eccl. 9:10 (Do whatever hand finds). Old (I Tim. 5:8); Poor (Deut. 24:19; Pro. 19:17).

III.Work Must be Divine Service.
•Two Kinds of Services
a.Work in submission to God
b.Work in rebellion against God

A.Work in submission to God begins at the Altar; Work in rebellion against God begins at the tree of knowledge and is self-centered.
Altar – Acceptability (Sacrifice of the Lamb)
Acknowledgement of Divine Pre-eminence (First fruits, Tithes)
Neh. 10:37; Mal. 3:10; e.g. Cain & Abel;
Purity of offerings (Isa. 1:11)
Accountability to God (The earth is the Lord’s. Ps. 24:1)

B. Work in submission to God has eternity with God in its perspective.
•Eccl. The vanity, ephemerality, transitoriness of a materialistic worldview.
True Treasures (Mat. 6:19), Doing the Lord’s work (I Cor. 15:58)
Honor God’s servants (1 Thes. 5:12,13) – They care for your spiritual soul, Looking Up (Heb. 12:2; Col. 3:1,2).

C.Work in submission to God is aims to please God.
Gal. 1:10; Col. 3: 17, 22; Eph. 6: 5-9; 1 Cor. 10:31; At House, At Study, At Play, At Workplace.

A Tale of Something, or Nothing, and God

In the beginning was God and nothing. Then, God created something out of nothing. But, soon that something forgot she was once a nothing. And, forgetting herself and God, she assumed herself to be everything. And, assuming herself to be everything, she died to everything else and God. After many days, when this something had run out of everything she got, She came to her senses and "Who am I? Where am I?" she thought. Then, she realized she was a nothing without her God, And so returned to her original place in God. In the end was God and something.

Fight Against Corruption

Denmark ranks as the 1st among the world's least corrupt countries. Singapore ranks 8th. India ranks 65th. North Korea and Somalia rank 149th. A study of these systems reveal the following facts. 1. An Anti-corruption agency, independent of the police and executive is crucial to check corruption. Countries having multiple anti-corruption agencies don't seem to have much success. One cannot remove dirt with dirt; one has to use an agent that is intrinsically anti-dirt (soap-water). Singapore's "anti-corruption agency, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), is well resourced and independent. It is empowered to investigate any person, even police officers and ministers, and conducts public outreach to raise public awareness and shape social norms." (Lee Hsien Loong) 2. In countries like Singapore, the high-level officials are paid well and corruption is kept at bay at that level. The idea is that anti-corruption begins from top to bottom. "There is a...

Not I but Grace

I worked...yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1Cor. 15:10) I get tired and weary most times; grace, never. I feel weak sometimes; grace, never. I get confused at times; grace, never. I see darkness at times; grace, never. I wish to give up sometimes; grace, never. I fail many times; grace, never. I have misunderstandings at times; grace, never. I am afraid at times; grace, never. I feel broken sometimes; grace comes to heal. I feel estranged sometimes; grace comes to comfort. I feel purposeless sometimes; grace comes to guide. I feel powerless sometimes; grave comes to strengthen. I feel I am that I am because of what I am; grace departs.... For God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Marbaniang, Domenic

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