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1.
The Christian
Employee/Volunteer
As Christians we have
clear instruction in the Word of God as to our responsibility in the
various relationships we have. Please note, the instruction is in our
responsibility. We are only responsible for our actions and attitudes,
not the actions and attitudes of others. We as Christians are
responsible before God for our obedience to His instruction in
His Word. We will find that His Word has much to say on service, in
fact, there are clear and specific instructions on the matter. In this
study we will examine the responsibility of the Christian
employee/volunteer to the employer/director. We as Christians must make
a choice to obey His commands and apply the Word to our daily lives. It
is through these choices and the application of the Word that we grow in
maturity.
Our responsibility and
goal as a Christian employee/volunteer should be to perform even
the most menial of tasks to the best of our ability for the glory of
God. Here is the key: it should be to the glory of God. The
question one must ask then is: Why am I
working/serving here? Is it for the glory of God?
Ephesians 6:5-9
v. 5: Servants
Employee:
anyone who is hired and paid a salary by another to do a
particular job qualifies as a servant.
Volunteer: anyone who has made a commitment to volunteer
time and services for a cause qualifies as a
servant.
A servant
is a person who is in subjection to authority.
Obedient:
A command word, which means to submit to
authority.
Fear and
Trembling: The idea being communicated here is
respect. We are to submit to those in authority over us
respectfully.
As unto Christ:
This is the key to our ability to follow these commands.
We are to obey and submit with
respect as if it were Jesus Christ Himself giving us
the order. The attitude of our heart should be—I am doing
this for You Lord. If Jesus were to ask you or me to do a
task, any task at all, would you respond with your whole heart?
If you didn’t agree, would you submit? This should be the
attitude of our heart when an employer/director makes a request
or gives an order.
Colossians 3:22-24
v. 22
Serve and obey not with
eyeservice as menpleasers. We are not to obey for
the appearance of obedience to please men. Our obedience
should come from a heart that wants to please God, with a heart
attitude that desires to remain loyal to the Word of God.
Sincerity,
singleness of heart. The Greek word translated as
sincerity actually is the word singleness and
carries with it the idea of sincerity, without self
seeking, generosity, and simplicity.
Matthew 6:24,
Luke 16:3: No man can serve two masters. WHY? Because he
will love the one and hate the other. If you are not single
minded in your service, you will have divided loyalties.
Fearing God:
respect and loyalty.
v. 24:
Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the
inheritance; for yyou serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:9
Obedient, well
pleasing: Do your utmost to please those in authority
over you.
Not answering
back: To answer back someone in authority
over you is displeasing to God. You may have a different opinion
than your employer/director but you do not have the right to
express your opinion unless the employer/director has
asked for your opinion, and when expressing your opinion you are
to do so with respect. If your opinion is rejected
you are to accept this in humility. As a Christian
employee/volunteer whose heart attitude is to be loyal to God’s
Word and to serve for His glory you will not be argumentative
when your opinions are not embraced.
v. 10:
pilfering, purloining. This means not
holding back. Often when we do not agree with those in
authority over us we will submit, but not with our whole heart.
We will do the job but not to the best of our ability. If we
react in this manner, we must realize that we are in rebellion
to God’s Word.
v. 11:WHY
because of the grace of God.
v. 12:
WHY because we are to live righteously according to the
Word of God.
v. 13:
HOW because of the hope we have of His return.
I Peter 2:18
…not only to the
good and gentle, but also to the harsh…
In the Greek, the word translated as harsh (froward, KJ) means
warped.
Return to and read Ephesians 6:5-9:
Servants, be
obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh,
with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;
not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will
doing service, as to the Lord, not to men, knowing that whatever
good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord,
whether he is a slave or free. And you masters, do the same
things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own
Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
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