Labour of love and Work of Faith

October 2010,

Andre Pelser

Paul wrote to the Thessolanican church that he remembers their work of faith and their labour of love. Isn’t amazing what the churches in the Bible were known for? They were not known for their prosperity, their praise and worship bands or their beautiful cathedrals. Instead they were known for spiritual qualities that far surpassed the earthly values. In order to have those qualities in the church today we should preach about it, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But a title such as Work of Faith and Labour of Love is not very enticing and even if you seek a cunningly devised title to draw hearers to the message, it is not easy to find, because we are dealing with spiritual realities and not earthly value systems.

Work of Faith

The word ‘work’ comes from ‘dunamis’ in the Greek that describes inward ability or power, physical, moral, mental. It refers to power in action, rather than power on display (like body builders). There has to be a certain state of mind – a mind to work. When the Spirit said, ‘Separate Barnabas and Saul to me for the work that I have called them to do’, in Acts 13:2, they were elected because they had a willing mind to go on a dangerous mission for the Gospel’s sake. Jesus said, ‘the works I do, you shall also do’, to those who believe in Him. We have to desire to be thorougly equipped and prepared to be vessels of honour fit for the Master’s use. In the book of Revelation Jesus says to the churches: ‘ I know your work’. We shall be awarded according to our works. As I travel throughout the world I met people from all kinds of walks in life. I often have conversations with strangers. One thing I do ask them is what kind of work they do. Most of them do not enjoy what they are doing. If you cannot attach faith to what you are doing, there will be very little joy. Because Kingdom Joy is joy in believing. You have to believe you are doing the right work at the right place in order to enjoy it. When I worked as a training officer in a finance company, the Lord sorted a lot of my wrong attitudes out. As an actor and musician it was not what I wanted to do, but I had a family and had to keep the pot cooking. So the Lord sorted out my attitudes, one by one. You cannot work somewhere and constantly be looking in the newspaper for a new job. You will make yourself (and everyone around you, including your family) miserable.

Once you believe you are doing the right kind of work, you will begin to flourish and see opportunities where you are. This applies for school work, working for a company or even the Lord’s work. Work is never enjoyable just by itself. It is when you do a ‘work of faith’ that joy is released.

We believe that a church is more of an aircraft carrier than a passenger liner. Everyone in church has a function. It is not a slave labour camp where people are whipped into performing for the ambition of the pastor, but it is a place where everyone can carry a share of the work, to make the burden light and the yoke of the ministry easy for all concerned. Pastors who try to do everything by themselves die before their time. So whatever you are required to do in church you have to do with faith attached to it.

Labour of love

Labour in Greek has four connotations: Ergon refers to pelasnt labour; kopos means to labour until you are weary. Pnos refers to the pain that result from hand labour and mochthos refers to the distress of suffering or persecution for what you are doing. Ergonizomai means that you labour to the point of exhaustion! If a mother prepares a meal for her family because she knows what is good and healthy for them, it is a labout of love. If a father works hard at work in order to provide for his family it is a labour of love. But there is a work that is done in the spirit realm that is also a labour of love. Paul talks about other apostles that have laboured to the point of exhaustion for the benefit of church members. He also reminds them that he has wrestled in prayer until Christ be formed in the believers. When last have you ‘laboured in love’ for someone? Nola and I often labour in prayers for Christ to be formed in the lives of people that we know and minister to. Some also labour in prayers for us.

The apostles said, ‘see to the serving of the tables, we will give ourselves to the preaching of the word and to prayer.’ Interceding for someone is hard work. I John 5:16 says, if you see your brother sin a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and ask God to forgive him and God will grant forgiveness for that brother because you asked. Unfortunately people would rather gossip than pray.

Why do people not attend prayer meetings? Because they do not want to labour in love. They will lead worship, they will take every opportunity to be on stage or in the public eye, but they avoid the private time with God alone in the closet. But our heavenly Father who sees in secret rewards openly. I once told the Lord that I didn’t like someone for certain reasons. The Holy Spirit asked me, ‘have you prayed for that person?’ I had to admit that I never prayed for that person. If you pray for someone – even someone you do not like (or that does not like you!) – it is a labour of love.

I asked God when I ministered in Mauritius recently, ‘what do you think of the world, Lord?’ He said, ‘I love my world.’ I asked, ‘even if the world is wicked and perverse, and they do not believe in you?’ ‘Yes,’ the Lord said, ‘I made it. It is my world. I love the world that I made and I love the people that I put in my world. Go and tell my world I love them.’ This made me think differently about reaching nations for God. Go and tell them God loves them. It is so simple. After three days of ministry in Mauritius two brothers took me to the airport and said, ‘how is it possible that we can love you so much and we have only known you for three days?’ ‘It is the love of God manifested,’ I explained.

They told me of how certain apostles came and bullied them into submission to joint their apostolic networks by signing contracts and promising to pay them a certain amount of money for the privilege of being part of that network. Then they told me of certain church growth proponets who came and did they same: they had to pay a fee to use the church growth system that promises growth and they had to sign a contract as well. It sounded like worldly franchise business to me. Many pastors and people have been hurt and disappointed as a result of these money making schemes in the church. But when I came and made no demands whatsoever, they felt the love of God. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. In this is the love of God revealed, that he sent someone…

I walked near Vondelpark in Amsterdam the last time I was in the Netherlands and all of a sudden I started weeping out loud, uncontrollably. ‘What is going on with me?’ I asked. The Spirit told me, ‘you sense the love God has for the world.’ You can love nations as you love individuals. There is no greater love than this, that someone lays down his life for others…this is what Jesus did. This is His great example. But you first have to experience God’s love before you can give it. I love Him because He first loved me. When no one would give me the time of day, God loved me and proved His love to me. Be assured that God loves you unconditionally and go and love others as God loves. Labour in love, work in faith until churches are know