Department of Church Efficiency? (Part Two)
If there was a department of church efficiency what observations would they make? What things could be corrected? We ask this question because in recent months the advisory board known as the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) has been established to find problems and solve how the government might operate more efficiently. Last week we discussed one of the suggestions of the D.O.G.E., which was that all federal employees would have to return to the office. We used this as an illustration of how all Christians who are physically able to assemble with the saints must be present at worship each Lord's Day. If there was a Department of Church Efficiency would they suggest that all members must be part of the work of the church?
Get Back to Work
It is reprehensible that we have to say this, but everyone has to work. In the secular world, we find it alarming that some federal employees are drawing a paycheck and benefits without actually doing any work. Sen. Joni Ernst was quoted as saying,
“When the Department of Health and Human Services did look at employees’ computer logins, it found that up to 30% of “teleworkers” on any given day were not actually working during the COVID pandemic, when the health department was presumably needed.”
Why is it important for all members to be active in the work of the church? First of all, it is expected. Work is expected in our personal lives and if we take our faith seriously we will long to work. You might remember such passages as 2 Thess 3:10 "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat." Or we might consider warnings against idleness are also calls to work.
Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness; and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound,they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (emphasis mine)
(2 Peter 1:5-11)
The child of God is called to diligent work producing the fruits of Christian virtue. Can one claim to have faith, knowledge, self-control, et al if they are idle workers? No, it is impossible. The Spirit said, "If these things are yours and abound, you will not be idle or unfruitful. So the inverse is true, if these things are not present in the life of a Christian, or even scarce, that individual is by definition idle and unfruitful. How else can the necessary works be carried out if one is not active in the body of Christ?
What Can We Learn About the Church From the Home?
The church is composed of workers. We are 100% workers. There is no division between some who work and those who do not. Certainly, the church is composed of servants and yes we serve one another, but there are different ways in which we are served, and which we serve. Think about the concept of the home. A wife may serve dinner for her husband and children. Is the husband in this scenario being served? Yes, his godly wife is rendering service to him. Where does this meal come from? First, we understand it is from the Lord who has provided all that we need. The Lord has also established the system in which one works so that he may eat (recall 2 Thess 3:10). This godly husband went to work and earned a living so that he and his entire household would enjoy the food that is bought from his wages.
In the home, some chores are necessary. My daughter cleans up the kitchen and washes dishes in service after the meal. My son takes out the garbage when necessary to clean up after the meal. We all have been served and we all in turn serve. Not everyone’s work is the same but everyone’s work is vital. Is this any different in the church? Absolutely not! The Lord's church was never designed to be some takers and some givers. There is not a separate distinction in the New Testament church of clergy and laity. We are all servants who are all served in various ways.
Consider the work of certain Christians; elders oversee the congregation, looking after them, protecting them, and making sure they are spiritually fed (cf. 1 Pet 5:1; Titus 1:9). The deacons take their charge from the elders in overseeing the works of the church (cf. Acts 6:1-6). An evangelist preaches the Word and teaches classes and personal Bible studies among other things (cf.1 Tim 4:1-5l; Eph 4:11-16; 2 Tim 4:1-2). Are these the only servants in the Lord's church in charge of everything? No, they are not. Yet, there is a prevailing attitude among some brethren across the brotherhood that insists the church exists to serve them and they serve no one in turn. This misguided thought leads to idle workers. This is not God's pattern. The sad reality in many congregations is that 10% of the members do 90% of the work. We must do better. Moreover, the promise from 2 Peter 1 is that when we put into practice our faith, we will never stumble.
The taxpayer in the United States expects those who are being paid salaries from the treasury to not only go to work but to do the work. The church that belongs to Christ is a church of workers, saved from sin to perform service to the Lord, one another, and even the lost. There is not one that is completely exempt from labor in the kingdom. I leave you with the words of Spirit, "Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. 'Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will" (James 2:17-18). Let's get to work!
Grace and Peace,
R.D. Beavers
