James 1: 22-23 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. If any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.”
Just after retirement, a group of us that had worked in carpentry, plumbing, electrical and related areas of construction formed a group called The Area Christian Builders.
We built church additions, projects at children’s homes and other Christian related venues. At times we had as many as 20 people on a job. The relationships we established both among ourselves and the people we served have lasted a lifetime.
Most of our work was done in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Our bumper stickers read “My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter,” (Matthew 13: 55-56).
On a roofing job, one of the women in our crew asked if I could show her the basics of roofing. Techniques of applying three-tab or architectural shingles requires about a five minute orientation and she nailed down several squares of roofing on that job (a square is 100 square feet).
On a small storage building at a children’s home, nine of us divided into three groups. Group one built the floor framing and deck, group two built the wall framing and sheathing and group three built the roof trusses. By three p.m., the roofing was on and the doors were built and hung. By four o’clock we were on our way home. That one made headlines!
These people were the work horses representing several churches and denominations. I never heard a curse word uttered or any inappropriate comment made on the job. They epitomized the meaning of a Christian worker.
James 2: 17-18 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
The Bible teaches we have eternal salvation by our belief based on faith. Ephesians 2: 8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Confusion exists in the minds of many concerning our salvation and how it is earned. We cannot earn eternal salvation! Jesus paid the entire price of the redemption of mankind by His sacrificial shedding of blood and death on the cross of Calvary.
The Old Testament sacrificial lamb went to his death bound and forced. Jesus could have called 12 legions of angels (Matthew 26: 53) but did not. He went voluntarily to the cross to shed His perfect blood for the sins of the world.
The concept of a “faith based belief in Christ Jesus” is scripturally sound and scripturally factual. But James points out unequivocally, our works are a demonstration of our faith; not that we have to prove anything, God knows the heart (Romans 8: 27).
Revelation 20: 12b “the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Opinions are a dime-a-dozen on this verse but implied is that we are judged according to what we have done on earth. This is not to say we are saved by works. And it is not to say we will be excluded from Heaven if we work less than what we may regard as “required.”
I well remember installing the electrical system in a home for challenged adults the night after the 9/11 terrorist attack on America. With another electrician, we discussed what had happened that very morning in New York, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Penn.
Little did I realize that about 8 a.m. the next morning, we would receive a call from a disaster relief leader to serve in New York. As we watched the events of the previous day unfold, the phone rang. In a few hours we were on our way to the disaster site.
On site in New York were thousands of “work horses.” Christians and other Americans showed up to demonstrate our love for our country. Work horses and show horses are plentiful: which do you want to be?
We have work horses and show horses in our churches all over the world. The varying types are not limited to a single country or a single denomination.
Regardless of the work one is capable of, God will make you a work horse if you’ll allow it to happen. From concrete finishers to prayer warriors, God has a use for us (James 2: 17).
If there is any one single, most important area of work for our Jesus it is to fulfill His mandate to tell the world about Him. Our world is in a state of chaos and it becomes more and more extensive every day.
Without the teachings of God and their manifestation in our world, survival of civilization is indeed questionable.
Show horses may look good but it’s the work horses that make a difference. Leading people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ will indeed make a difference in our world we cannot begin to fathom.
The Bible teaches there is only one eternal salvation. That is by a faith based belief (Ephesians 2: 8) that Christ Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27: 35) for the remission of sin (Romans 4: 25), resurrected (Matthew 28: 6) and ascended alive into Heaven (Acts 1: 9).
Make a difference! Be a work horse!
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary. His email: vmy3451@gmail.com
