Title Ephesians 06:5-9 Work and Believers
Contents
Workers and believers' (Ephesians 6:5-9)
Are you happy and satisfied with what you are doing now? Are you rewarded again? Then you are a happy person.
Most of our immigrants are living with a lot of pain. You don't know how tiring and difficult it is to live in the midst of being unfamiliar with the language, culture, and society. This is not just a problem for the first generation. Especially as Asians, we who live in the United States have problems that we have to overcome in the mainstream society even when we are 2 or 3 years old.
Especially, first-generation people don't know how many people socially make a living doing things they've never done before. In Korea, a former company executive runs a hamburger shop, and a former officer runs a grocer and laundry. Many people get up early in the morning and go to work today as they feel pain while giving up their respect, achievement, and worthiness.
This life situation is called social displacement in sociological terms. Like a tree standing on a slope, we live today with painful efforts and psychological pressure and anxiety to stand upright.
When did work start and why?
In the beginning, after God created the heavens and the earth, He created humans, placed them there, and gave them work. Its job is to rule and manage the world that God created. The first thing to do is to give it a name, and these days, it is to create a list ledger for efficient management. The work of Adam and Eve in the beginning was to participate in God's creation work and to manage the things God created as co-workers.
However, after a while, they took the place of God by their own desires and pride, and they began to sin. As a result, he said, "Cursed is the earth because of you, and you will toil all the days of your life to eat its fruit; in the sweat of your face you will eat food, and eventually you will return to the dust" (Genesis 3:17-19).
Before sin, what we did with God for the joy of creation was broken. When our relationship with God, our co-worker, was broken, work became more of a burden like thorns and thistles, conflicts and pains like thorns and thistles, and a heavy burden to bear in order to make a living. This was not what God intended. God sent Christ to make this heavy burden light and meaningful.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. My burden is easy and light. Come and learn from me." Today's message is for believers living with faith in Jesus in a foreign culture and society.
When I was unbelieving, I worked to make a living, but now he tells me to live with the value of new work. Those who believe in Jesus Christ are called to the holy work of building the lost kingdom of God on this earth. Where is the field where the saints are sent to build the kingdom of God? It is first our home and second our workplace. What we are doing is a place where we should build the kingdom of God from the eyes of faith. Occasionally, some believers have a wrong understanding of faith and work. First, I think that work and faith are separate. Faith is spiritual and work is real, so I think of it separately. That's a really bad idea. Because the true value of faith is revealed through work.
Second, work is viewed as nothing more than a means of making a living or earning money. Either way, I think that all you need to do is earn money to earn a living and donate for missionary work or good works, but this also has a problem. This is because the Lord is accomplished through the donations made through missions and gospel work, but it is achieved according to how we live in the field of our lives. That is the work of light and salt.
In particular, today's sermon is about the attitude of life in the workplace to which you were sent. There is an important premise here. It means that what I am currently doing is a position of a mission sent by God. Where I work can be tough and poor. What I do can be high and low in human eyes.
However, from the eyes of faith, it is the field where the kingdom of God is to be established.
If you look at the word given today, you will see the relationship between slave and master.
Paper was a slave at the time, and slaves were objects, not people. He could not complain that he was not treated personally, and the life of a servant depended entirely on his master. It is said that there were 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire at that time, and everything was done by slaves. Chores, doctor, teacher, bookkeeping, secretary, labor, etc. And this slavery was handed down from generation to generation. The great temples, the cities of art hewn and carved out of heavy marble, were all done by slaves.
However, with the establishment of the church, slaves came to the church, and so did the masters.
He is speaking to the slaves and masters who have come to church. At first glance, it seems that they advocated slavery, but there is a high meaning behind it. It is the preaching of the gospel and the construction of the kingdom of heaven through it. In fact, it is said that Christian slaves were faithfully working in each household and admiring their masters and evangelizing them, behind Christianity becoming the state religion of Rome. What can I do with their hard work and pain until they reach that feeling?
how? There were many martyrs and persecutions. Today, at least there are no visible slaves or masters as in the past, but working people form a relationship between an employee and an employer, between a superior and a subordinate, and even an employer has a relationship to serve in a business relationship. What should be the posture?
First, we must do our best to benefit each other.
Employers tell their employers that employers do their best to fulfill their responsibilities to their employees. It is a very modern idea to exploit other people so that only I can live well. In order for each other to live, each other must provide the best service and pay a reasonable price for it.
At one time, Apple Computer Company developed the first personal computer and took the computer world like a wave. The IBM computer company was not ready to make personal computers, mainly because they only made large computers. It didn't look like it was going to be a game. But one day, an announcement was made that Apple Computer was going bankrupt. it surprised me. No, I wondered why that capable and excellent company had to go out of business.
It turned out that the reason was that they did not share their knowledge, skills, and interests. The companies involved turned to IBM, and as a result Apple was forced to shut down. This case teaches us a serious lesson. When you unilaterally pursue your own interests, you may see profits in the short term, but eventually you will fail. We must live together. By guaranteeing the other's interests, we must have a mutual coexistence mindset that can also guarantee our own interests. I met a business owner a while ago, and during the conversation, I was really moved to hear the words, "Now, I have to make a profit in the right way and return the profit to society."
A couple on a trip found a farmhouse nearby when they were panicking because of a car problem in an area in Ohio where there was no gas station. They asked a farmer to drive the car to a nearby gas station, and they asked for $50. There was no other way, so I got into a broken car and was dragged away, but on the way, it was a waste to pay $50, and I was embarrassed because it seemed expensive. So, thinking I was going to give the old peasant a gamble, I stomped on the brakes of the car. After a long time, they reached the village and the farmer returned with money. Unfortunately, however, the couple had come a long way with brakes, and both wheels and brakes were damaged. It is the foolish result of people who only know their own interests and do not know how to live with them.
Second, we must go beyond mutual coexistence and have an attitude of mutual service.
Serving at work is really hard. I think that if you work hard, you will be given unlimited work, or if you are gentle with your subordinates, you will be rude, saying that you can do whatever you want because that person is a good-natured person.
You may be misunderstood for good intentions, you may be disadvantaged, and you may be hurt as a result, but if you work with a steady attitude of faith, there are times when you will surely reap benefits. Opportunities are sometimes deprived of those who push in without mercy, but when we act with faith rather than greed, we must believe and hope that the joy we find in letting go of our selfish heart and the greater opportunity God gives us will come.
If you don't get rid of greed, life becomes heavy and difficult. However, the life of faith is the life for the purpose of accomplishing the kingdom of God here, and when we live a life of service centered on Christ, there will come a time when we are recognized by God and recognized by others.
Today, in the short verses from verses 5-9, we read the words ?쏿s to the Lord??twice, which means to do your best with a religious attitude. The people of the world do their best for their own greed, but believers should have a different purpose. It is to do our best to serve in the given workplace in order to establish the kingdom of God.
?쏷hat person is a believer who goes to the Valley Church, and if he entrusts him with work, he must be able to be evaluated, and he must be recognized for the quantity and quality of work. There should be no blemishes. A person who is acknowledged as "losing that person would be a huge loss to the company". It is the only way to glorify God and build the kingdom of God in my workplace when I hear the evaluation that "our company is doing well because of that person who attends Valley Church".
The boss of a company has a problem. We need to hire a managing director, but there is no such thing as a sharp number. Then, an announcement was posted within the company, telling everyone to come and work at the company on the coming holidays. Everyone came out on the holidays, grumbling, but they didn't work, idling, chatting and complaining. However, one person Mr. Kim worked diligently as usual. A few days later, a newsletter was posted within the company. Mr. It was about appointing Kim as managing director. It was because of his unwavering sincerity and loyalty.
We hope that our Valley alumni will be recognized saints wherever they are. It is to take on the role of salt and light, and it is the way to establish the kingdom of God where I stand. ?쏡o not blindfold, as pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God in your heart, as to the Lord??(6-7).