Why do we have to work? This is a question we often ask throughout our lives. In Pastor Tim Keller’s book, ‘Every Good Endeavor,’ the creation process of God is described as ‘work.’ “In the beginning, God worked. The Lord involved humans in the continual development of His creation work.” It is an incredible grace that the Creator invites His creation to participate in His creative work. God has called us to be His co-workers.
Working for the Kingdom of God does not merely mean spreading the gospel to those around us. It means having a stewardship mentality, doing our best in the tasks entrusted to us, and developing our skills. Whatever we do, doing it with a heart of serving as unto the Lord. Cultivating and developing the created world, the full of the potential that God has given, can all be work for the Kingdom of God.
This concept of work enhances our accessibility to one of God’s Vision Church’s three visions: ‘Christians at Work’. “Due to our spiritual and natural gifts, each of us can see and hear messages more clearly in certain fields. We have the ability to identify and recompose the materials of this created world. Moreover, we can use them in ways that bring more glory to God.” – Gordon MacDonald, ‘Ordering Your Private World’. Thus, work and calling are closely related. This naturally connects to the church. “The Greek word for church, Ekklesia, itself means ‘those who are called out.'” – Tim Keller, ‘Every Good Endeavor’
Ecclesiology defines the functions of the church as follows: Kerygma (proclamation), Leitourgia (worship), Didache (teaching), Diakonia (service), and Koinonia (fellowship). When we look at God’s Vision Church’s cells, ministry teams and clubs, we can see that each community has different characteristics. ‘Cells’ are pre-prepared communities where God has joined different people together. ‘Ministry teams’ are communities formed by individual choice, built through unique talents and service. Both communities share the function of Koinonia and add the functions of Didache & Diakonia.
‘Clubs’ are communities that gather based on personal interests. The advantage of clubs is that they fulfil ‘horizontal fellowship’ among the vertical and horizontal aspects of Koinonia. Through the fellowship of saints, we affirm our Christian identity and experience the growth of affection for the church. Clearly, active participation in church activities is directly related to building up the church together.
Work, calling, and church (community) are all interconnected. This fact can be deeply explored through books. We can find answers to many questions we have. The answers reached by our predecessors in faith, we can obtain simply by reading. Spoken words may burn away, but written words remain. Reading together has many benefits in digesting the written word. Vague ideas become clear, and ambiguities become definite. Wisdom and depth are added.
The soon-to-be-released book by Missionary Choi Jong-Sang, ‘From Paul,’ is a chronicle of Paul’s missionary journey. I hope we can all share in the joy of opening a new world through books. And as a member of the congregation, I hope we can build God’s Vision Church’s together through clubs and other community activities.
