Church Weekly
25 Jul 2021

CHURCH WEEKLY

THE MOTIVATION FOR THE WORK OF THE GOSPEL (2 COR 5:11)

Dear Members in Christ,

The Motivation for the work of the Gospel (2 Cor 5:11)

What is it that makes men and women work and toil, often making great sacrifices to achieve their life goals? What is it that drives them to the uttermost, often at the expense of their health and family relationships? A man will work hard to keep his job and livelihood because his motivation is that he has a family to feed. A mother will labour hard for the household, make meals, and tutor her children, to teach them life lessons, often having to overcome great frustrations. But she will persevere because her motivation comes from seeing her children healthily nourished and growing up well, and is equipped for the demands of adulthood. Well, we all live and work based on some form of motivation.

What about our motive for service and spiritual work? What is our motivation for sharing the message of the gospel with others? The Apostle Paul gives us an insight into his motivation and his zeal for the Gospel work. We will learn from today’s passage that Paul has an overwhelming motivation for his zealous work. He writes in the epistle to the Corinthians:

“Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”  2 Corinthians 5:9-11

 

1. Our realization of our mortality and the judgment to come

In the passage above, Paul begins by teaching the doctrine of eternal life. When we consider the topic of Christian service, we do not always consider both this present life and the hereafter. The Apostle Paul writes about the connection of both realms when he wrote about labouring for the Lord Jesus. He writes, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.” (2 Corinthians 5:8,9). The Apostle Paul longs to be with the Lord Jesus, and we all should be too, for the glory that awaits us. But just in case anyone mistakes this to mean a fatalistic approach to life, the Apostle Paul asserts that “wherefore, we labour.”

In our consideration of the labour of a Christian, we must dwell upon firstly, the certainty of our mortality and secondly, that we will be with the Lord Jesus when our earthly life is over. The fact that we are limited by the lifespan of our mortal lives should spur us on to greater zeal and urgency to labour. The understanding that we will be with Christ should urge us to labour fervently and diligently to please Him.

Brothers and sisters, is our motivation for service patterned after the example given to us in the scriptures? Remember our service unto the Lord, beloved. The efficacy of our labour is not measured by numbers but by whether God is pleased with our service, or as Apostle Paul wrote, that, “we may be accepted of him.”     

Let us labour fervently to please the Lord, seek God’s will in prayer, and serve Him wholeheartedly. Remember that our time here is limited, and whatsoever gifts, blessings, talents, which the Lord has placed in our hands must be put to good use for the service of the Lord. Do you have musical talent coupled with a fervent desire to serve the Lord Jesus? Do you love to teach spiritual truths to children and have the Gospel seed planted in them? There are ample opportunities to serve the Lord here at Calvary Jaya. Let us know your desire to serve and we will pray for you that God will honour your desire.

 

2. Our accountability before the Lord Jesus Christ

While Paul makes it a point that the end of our mortal lives means being with the Lord Jesus, he also emphasized that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10. If our service and labour are pleasing to the Lord Jesus, it will be put to test at the judgment seat of Christ. This is referred to as the “Bema seat,” and the word in Greek means a judgment, like a tribunal. It is a place where a judgment is pronounced. To be clear, this is not a judgment about the salvation of the believer. At this judgment seat, the believer is judged “according to that he hath done.” It is not about the justification of the person, for that issue has been settled by the accomplished work of our Saviour at the cross. Rather, it is about the works and deeds that we have done for the Lord’s sake in our mortal lives.

The Apostle Paul further explains his motivation. He says, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men.” Paul is keenly aware of his own salvation experience, and how from the moment he had encountered the Lord, his life and service had been a journey of faith and reverential fear for the Lord. It is this fear, the reverence for the Lord, that drives him to continue to serve God fervently and zealously.

Dearly beloved, let us be also keenly aware of our accountability before the Lord. Whilst we do not share the mind-shaking “road to Damascus” experience that Paul had, we are educated by the scriptures to serve the Lord with love and reverential fear.

Is there a loved one, a close friend, or colleague who is still outside God’s kingdom? Let the Lord lay a burden in your heart to speak a word for Christ. For remember the words of Scripture that we will be called to account. Therefore “knowing the terror of the Lord,” let us go forth, sharing the precious Gospel of salvation. May God be glorified. Amen.

 

In Christ,

Dn. Lim Seh Beng