The Nature of Christian Work

A hymn that I learned to sing in college says, “We’ll work till Jesus comes.” Because there is such a thing as Labor Day, this post deals with the nature of Christian work. The passage we will meditate upon, however, is not quite conventional. In fact, at first sight, Luke 8:1-3 does not seem to offer much about the nature of Christian work, but actually, it offers three fundamental things about Christian work that all Christians should know about.

Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Unnamed and Unpaid

One of the interesting things about this passage is the fact that apart from the three named women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna—all the other women are unnamed. The only description we have from the text about these workers are that they are “some women” (8:2), “many others” (8:3), and “these women” (8:3). Many of these active workers who travelled with Jesus “from one town and village to another” (8:1) were basically unnamed. Maybe there were so many that it was simply too tedious to write all of their names. Maybe they were coming and going because they had obligations elsewhere so they were not really prominent. Maybe they had quiet and shy personalities that made them less noticed. Whatever the reason was, there were many women workers who accompanied Jesus who remain unknown to us today.

This is one of the natures of Christian work: anonymity. Majority of the workers of the kingdom are unnamed heroes. These are workers who are unrecognized and unappreciated. They are nameless, faceless, and invisible. They are hiding behind the curtains, unwilling to receive the spotlight. But they are there, doing the work of the kingdom alongside those who are under the spotlight. To be honest, given our fallen human nature, it is hard to be nameless. We feel that it is unfair to be unrecognized. It is hurting not to be appreciated. It is hard not to desire recognition, appreciation and applauses. But if we listen to the words of Jesus, this was precisely what He wants us to do: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matt 6:1-4).

Help and Support

The passage says that these nameless women followed Jesus wherever He went and “were helping to support Him and the disciples” (Luke 8:3). The Greek word used for support is diakoneo, which literally means “to serve.” The word can actually refer to any activity or ministry, which is why even scholars have yet to reach a consensus about what specific kind of service these women were doing. What is crucial, however, is that while Jesus and the disciples were preaching, teaching, and healing, the nameless women served in other ways. While Jesus and the disciples were fulfilling their roles, these women were also fulfilling theirs. This was what Paul admonished about in Romans 12:6-8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Rom 12:6-8).

The word diakoneo is very important, particularly because it means serving in whatever way is needed. Furthermore, if we compare these unnamed women to the named male disciples, we actually see such striking contrasts, which also enables us appreciate the lives of these women.

First, the women stepped back and out when it was needed. In contrast to their self-effacing attitude, we see the disciples who were already at the forefront arguing with each other about who was the greatest among them: “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest (Mark 9:33-34; also 10:35-41). The women disciples stayed behind the curtains and served silently and joyfully even without being recognized, while the disciples who were already seen by other people were still competing for even greater status. The women did not compete with the disciples for prominence and recognition. They did not occupy key roles where people can see them. They were serving behind the scenes. They were invisible to many people. The women exemplified the true meaning of diakoneo, because to serve is to do anything that is needed to be done without being recognized.

Secondly, the women stepped up and in when they were needed. Again, diakoneo means serving by doing whatever needs to be done. The contrast with the disciples is again striking. In Luke 9:1-3, when Jesus was welcomed by the people, the disciples were at the forefront while the ladies were at the background. But the moment Jesus was arrested, there was a reversal of roles. The disciples went at the back (in hiding!) and the women stepped out. Apart from John, the disciples were nowhere near Jesus at the crucifixion, but women were “near the cross” (John 19:25). The disciples were nowhere to be found when Jesus was laid down in the tomb, but “the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it” (Luke 23:55). It is customary in Jewish culture that when someone dies, the family members and closest friends should bury him or her. In the case of Jesus, the disciples were too afraid to even honor Jesus in His burial. His burial was handled by a not-well-advertised disciple Joseph of Arimathea, and surprise: unknown women. The disciples were unwilling to visit the tomb for fear of the Jews, but the very first thing the women did as soon as Sabbath was over, was to visit the tomb to serve the body of Jesus (Luke 23:56-24:1). These women were not afraid of the religious leaders. They did not care for their lives so long as they can serve Jesus even in his death.

What does diakoneo mean? To serve wherever, whenever, and whatever is needed to be done, especially the things that nobody wants to do. This is the comparison: the disciples were at the forefront during the glory days of Jesus and the women were only working behind the scenes; in Jesus’s humiliation, the disciples were hiding and the nameless women were the ones so courageous at the forefront.

Out of their Own Means

The women were not only unnamed and were willing to perform whatever service is needed wherever and whenever the needs arise, they were also helping in the ministry of Jesus “out of their own means’ (Luke 8:3). They were helping Jesus according to their own capacity. They did not rely on the help of others in order to help Jesus. They did not look at the wallet of others, but looked into their own purses, and they helped out of their own savings. We see this sort of story in Moses. When God called him, Moses was very reluctant because he did not see himself as a man of many talents and capabilities. But God asked him a very simple question: “What is that in your hand?” (Exo 4:2). God was not looking for something that Moses did not have. In fact, God used Moses in accordance to what Moses already had: a simple staff. This was the same with the women who served with Jesus. They served out of their own means.

Like these unnamed women, our required capital in serving is not much. These women were not the richest or even the most socially influential. In fact, as Herman Henstrickx commented, “these women came mostly from the lower and poorer strata of Jewish society and that they combined what economic resources they possessed to offset the cost of Jesus’ itinerant ministry. They majority of them were probably single (unmarried women, widows, divorced women and, with less certainty, former prostitutes) for only women of single status enjoyed some personal and economic independence.”[1] These women did not have much. They served out of their own small means. This is another meaning of diakoneo, serving not only whenever, wherever and whatever is needed to be done, but also however one might be able to do it.

Conclusions

Imagine a job hiring where the recruitments conditions are that you will not be recognized; in fact the company does not even want to know your name; you will stay at the background and are not allowed to compete for attention with the big guns; you will work hard but you will not be getting any applause; you will not be paid, and most importantly; you will need to use your own money and resources in order to work. Then there is a big PS: Be prepared that when your bosses do not show up for work, without previous notice you will be required to do their abandoned responsibilities.

Not many people are willing to work under these harsh conditions. There is no earthly gain. There is only sacrifice. In fact, most of the times, these people hear more criticisms and suggestions about how they might do their job better, than hearing words of encouragement and appreciation. But this is the life of service and work that we are called to do as Christians. The church is recruiting unnamed and unpaid supporters who would minister out of their own means. These are the people who would be involved in the harvest.

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[1] Herman Henstrickx, The Third Gospel for the Third World, vol 2B (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998), 113-7.

Spirit of Prophecy II: Evangelism

Acts 2:17-18; Revelations 19:10

When the Pentecostal movement started in 1906 at the Azusa Street Revival, it has attracted a lot of criticism. Because the services were characterized by dramatic worship services, speaking in tongues, and other ecstatic spiritual manifestations, it was immediately labeled as outrageous and unorthodox. It was simply dismissed as fanatic movement. In a front-page story entitled “Weird Babel of Tongues,” a Los Angeles Times reporter described the revival in the following way:

They cry and make howling noises all day and into the night. They run, jump, shake all over, shout to the top of their voice, spin around in circles, fall out on the sawdust blanketed floor jerking, kicking and rolling all over it. Some of them pass out and do not move for hours as though they were dead. These people appear to be mad, mentally deranged or under a spell. They claim to be filled with the Spirit.[1]

If Pentecostalism had attention in its early years, it was definitely negative attention. But today, Pentecostalism is enjoying an elevated status within the Christian Church. In a 2014 statistics, there were 631 million Pentecostals in the world, which amounts to one fourth of all Christians worldwide. But in 1970, there were only 63 million Pentecostals. In 46 years, Pentecostal membership increased 568 million. In 2014, the Church of the Nazarene had 2.4 million members. In the Philippines, the Church of the Nazarene has been here for 60 years, and our total national membership is only about 30,000.

Because of the rapid growth of Pentecostalism, they are now taken seriously by the Christian Church. The question is this: Why are they growing and not us? Is there a relation between their emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit and their fervor in evangelism? Looking at the growth of Pentecostalism today and their growth, there seems to be a strong relationship between being filled with the Spirit and empowerment for missions.

In Spirit of Prophecy I: Encouragement, we started to look at Acts 2:17-18, particularly what it means to receive the gift of prophecy in the Holy Spirit. It highlighted that the gift of prophecy is the empowered and enabled ability to communicate the Word of God to people. It is the ability to utter comfort to the sorrowful, to light up the burdened, to encourage the weak, to edify the seeker. But the Word of God does not communicate itself. The Word needs to be spoken by the mouths of people who are filled with the Spirit. This is why it is crucial for the church to have people like Barnabas, the “son of encouragement” Acts 4:37). For people who are down-hearted and discouraged by the waves that assail their lives, we need people who can speak words of blessings. Going back to Balaam, who chose to bless Israel and not to curse them even if paid, we should always say: “I have received a command to bless” (Num 23:20).

But the gift of prophecy that the Holy Spirit gives to believers is not limited to our uplifting speech to one another. The gift of prophecy is the ability to communicate the Word of God to the world. This is extremely evident in Acts 2:4-11: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. ⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 

Declaring the Wonders of God

Those who are filled with the Spirit declare the wonders of God! We do not know what wonders the disciples spoke of, but I am certain they are wonders that they have experienced. This verse reminds me the actions of the shepherds when they saw Jesus Christ in the manger: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:20), and the action of the healed leper: “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice” (Luke 17:15). What is interesting about these verses is that they were declaring the praises of God not within a closed-wall sanctuary. They were praising God in public—with everyone to hear!

The scene in Acts 2 was probably quite chaotic, but imagine 120 disciples talking about the wonders of God! That would have been a mighty force. No wonder why the church during this time grew rapidly. People did not only experience God. They were also filled with the Spirit, and as a consequence, they declared the wonders of God in public!

We must remember that the disciples were ridiculed for declaring the wonders of God. But they were shameless. We need this sort of shamelessness! They were not ashamed to be labeled as fanatics, madmen, or even drunk. Out of the depths of their hearts, they declared the wonders of God for others to hear. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). We sing this song, thanks to Hillsongs: “I’m not ashamed of the gospel Lord / Your power, Your love / that saved my soul.”

Let me ask you: when was the last time you shamelessly declared the wonders of God to someone?

The Spirit Testifies about Jesus Christ

So if the gift of prophecy is the empowered courage, authority, and ability to boldly proclaim the Word to others, how is this related to the Holy Spirit? Why is it that Spirit-filled people communicate the wonders of God? Why is it that Spirit-filled people are on fire in proclaiming Jesus Christ to others?

The answer is found in the words of Jesus himself. When Jesus promised the coming of the Spirit, He said that “when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me” (John 16:13-14). From this passage, it is clear that one of the appointed divine works of the Spirit is to glorify Jesus Christ. The Spirit, when He comes to the world and dwells among God’s people, will make sure that Jesus is exalted.

There is an inseparable relationship between being filled with the Spirit and a Christ-centered and Christ-glorifying life. The Spirit-filled is one who thinks of Christ, who breathes Christ, who makes Christ at the center of his or her life, who lives in Christ, who lives like Christ, who glorifies Christ, who serves Christ, who honors Christ, who obeys Christ, who worships Christ, who proclaims Christ, who promotes Christ. Because the work of the Spirit is to glorify Christ, when we received the Holy Spirit, our lives are meant to glorify Christ. It cannot be otherwise. To live a life that does not glorify Christ is a distortion of our Christian identity, a betrayal of our God-given calling, and a blatant disregard to the Spirit who is the seal of our salvation (Eph 1:13-14; 4:30).

One of the ways the Spirit glorifies Christ is by making His name known in all the earth. This is why the work of the Spirit in glorifying Christ is closely related to His work of testifying about Jesus: “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me” (John 15:26). The Spirit-filled is one who glorifies Christ by testifying about Him. We can now understand the growth of Pentecostalism. They are growing in number because they are living in accordance with the Spirit who empowered them to testify about Jesus Christ.

The logic is extremely simple. According to Revelations 19:10, “it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” If we have received the Holy Spirit in His fullness, then we testify about Jesus Christ. This was precisely what Jesus also said to the disciples before His ascension. They will receive power from the Spirit to become His witnesses: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Every Monday since May 27, I have been going to Tandang Sora, Quezon City to teach a class to pastors of the I Am Redeemer and Master Evangelical Church. I leave at 6:30AM, teach 8:00AM to 5:00PM, then arrive home at around 7PM. It is a very exhausting day. Last Monday, because my car has problems, I did not drive. So I took the taxi on the way back home. My plan was to instruct the driver about the way home, and doze off a bit. After all, I feel very tired. But it seems that God had a different plan. As soon as I stepped in the cab and told the driver about my destination—a seminary—I had a very strong conviction that it is really wrong to just end the conversation like that. So I asked about him and we conversed. Jay is 43 years old, separated from his wife, no kids, and is living quite a life. I counseled him to serve God by faithfully serving people as a driver. I told him that I have received my call to full-time ministry as a teenager, and have never looked back since then. What was amazing is that he admitted that a strong conviction about God and his duties to God have been pressing upon him over the last few days. When I heard this, I immediately knew that our meeting was ordained by God. So I counseled him and gave him guidance about what to do. We talked about God, Jesus Christ, salvation, the means of grace, and many others.

It is shameful to admit that while waiting for the taxi, I originally planned not to interact with the driver. But as soon as I went inside the car, I knew deep in my heart that I am not meant to be silent for the whole trip. I experienced what Jeremiah experienced: “But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jer 20:9). This was what I felt. I was unwilling to testify at first. I was already exhausted proclaiming the Word of God as a teacher for 8 hours that day. What more can God demand from me? But the Word of God is like a fire in my heart that I cannot contain. It needs to burst forth like pressured water trapped in a garden hose. 

Have you ever had this experience? The Spirit-filled person is one who declares the wonders of God, glorifies Christ, and testifies about Christ. Again, in the words of Jesus to His disciples:  “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27). You also must testify.

Paul admonished the church in Corinth to “eagerly desire the greater gifts” (1 Cor 12:31), which he later reveals as the gift of prophecy: “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (1 Cor 14:1). I make the same admonition today. Let us pray and seek for the Spirit’s gift of prophecy. Without this gift, our dream of harvest means nothing.

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azusa_Street_Revival#Criticism

The Harvest is Plentiful

According to a speaker during the Manila International Missions Conference I attended in 2015, there are approximately 180,000 people saved in the world per day. Right now, there are 7.3 billion people alive in the world. If the church reaches out to 180,000 people per day, then there are 65,700,000 people saved every year. This means that it will take 111.111 years to make the 7.3 billion people in the world to become a Christian. This will be in 2127.

Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful.”

The problem is that by 2127, world population will not remain as 7.3 billion. In fact, by 2127, the projected world population, according to the UN, is about 19 billion. This means that if we want the people of the whole world to be Christians by 2127, we need to reach out to 171,000,171 people every year during the next 111 years. This means reaching out to 468,493 people per day for the next 111 years. If we are reaching out to 180,000 people per day, then there are an estimated 288,493 who are lost per day for the next 111 years.

Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful.” 

Let us assume, again, that there are 180,000 people saved every day in the world. Currently, there are approximately 360,000 babies born per day. This means that one half of each baby born in the world everyday will not be saved.

Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful.”

Let us assume, again, that there are 180,000 people saved every day in the world. Currently, there are approximately 151,600 people who die every day. If there are only 31% of Christians (including 50% Roman Catholics) in the world, it means that among the 151,600 who die every day, only 46,996 are saved. The rest—104,604 people—are destined to go to hell. Imagine that: there are 104,604 people who are destined to go to hell every day!

Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful.”

Of the 7.3 billion people in the world, 2,173,180,000 are Christians, which is basically 31% of the total world population (50% are Catholic, 37% Protestant, 12% Orthodox, and 1% other). If there are 180,000 people reached out every day, it means that it takes 12,073.22 Christians to reach out to one non-believer per day; or that there is only one in every 12,073.22 Christians around the world who bear witness to Christ to one person per day.

Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”