• GET TO WORK!!!!!
• Doing As Little As Possible And Yet Still Get Into Heaven?
• Introduction
• It is not uncommon in various circles of life to see people take the approach
of doing as little as possible – just do enough to complete a particular
task, no more.
• It’s bad enough to see this in the world, but it goes beyond frustration
to find that Christians do not put forth their greatest effort in the Lord’s
cause.
• They have joined the crowd that plans to do just as little as possible
in practically any endeavor.
• And it frustrates those Christians that see the need to increase their
spirituality.
• These saints do not intend to break a sweat for God. They have no desire
to put forth any “extra” time or money in God’s service.
• This is evidenced by not assembling with the saints as a faithful Christian
does.
• And they would appreciate it if the leaders of the local church would
not bother them by asking them to participate in the activities of the congregation.
• They say that they want to please God and go to heaven, but their attitude
and action demonstrate misunderstanding, apathy, and, laziness (Titus 1:16).
• What Did Jesus Do?
• Do any of us honestly believe that when Jesus lived on the earth, His
motto was, “When it comes to doing my Father’s will, I am going to
do just as little as possible?”
• We would never draw such a conclusion from what we read about Him in the
Bible.
• Jesus confessed that His “food” was to do the Father’s
will (John 4:34), later adding, “For I have come down from heaven, not to
do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).
• No true imitator of the Son of God will approach God’s work with
the idea of doing as little as possible.
• A member of the church that does not give their best effort in serving
the Lord is failing to do what God expects of every one of His followers.
• Apparently, these people just do not see it that way.
• God’s charge to the first century Christians in Corinth was to “be
steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord . . .” (1
Corinthians 15:58).
• We further read that God’s children are supposed to be “fervent
in spirit” (Romans 12:11) and “zealous for good works” (Titus
2:14).
• Again, the words “fervent” and “zealous” are far
removed from the pitiful approach of doing just as little as possible.(Just enough
to get by).
• Jesus had something to say about entering a certain gate: “Strive
to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and
will not be able” (Luke 13:24).
• Lazy, do-as-little-as-possible people should not get their hopes up about
living with God eternally, because for them it is not going to happen.
• 2 Peter 1:5-12 instructs us to make every effort to grow our faith and
spirituality, and warns of dire consequences of not growing.
• A disciple of Jesus who tries to “sneak by” by doing as little
as possible in His Kingdom does not really appreciate what Jesus did for us.
• He became poor that we might be spiritually rich through His poverty (2
Corinthians 8:9).
• The Christ willingly endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2), bearing “our
sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24).
• He loved us when we were worthless sinners (Romans 5:8).
• Yet for some their response to that sacrificial love is to do as little
as possible?
• That is unimaginable.
• Where is our gratitude?
• God’s grace gave and gave and gave some more for our benefit, yet
some will hardly lift a finger to work for Him.
• If you are not useful for the Master now, you will not be with Him after
this life is over.
• A child of God who approaches serving Him with such a mentality is like
leaven in the home and in the church – he is a destructive, hurtful influence.
• We have seen it ruin a family’s or congregation’s zeal to
work for the Savior.
• Salt that loses its flavor is good for nothing (Matthew 5:13).
• Remember what happened to the fig tree that did not bear fruit (Matthew
21:18-21)?
• In Our Homes
• In Christian homes, we need parents that give their greatest efforts to
teach their children the knowledge of God.
• Yet they indoctrinate them in the ways of the world so as to gain an advantage
and satisfy every desire of wealth, popularity, or fame.
• Spirituality is often not demonstrated or taught.
• Christian parents must prepare their own children to be able to stand
against the trickery of the devil by training them in the ways of the Lord (Ephesians
6:4).
• What The Church Needs
• It needs Christians who seek diligently to be approved of God (2 Timothy
2:15).
• It needs elders to protect the church against false teachers (Acts 20:28).
• So hard to find spiritually minded men willing to serve in that capacity
and have the qualifications according to the scriptures.
• The church needs preachers to be instant in and out of season (2 Timothy
4:2-5).
• So many may not teach error, but they fail to teach the truth in many
cases.
• What The Church Never Needs:
• These “do as little as possible” “Christians”.
• They rarely show up for services,
• don’t want to participate when they do,
• and constantly complain the sermon is too long, or offer some other kind
of complaint.
• We can just imagine that they NEVER study their bible outside of the building,
otherwise they would show evidence by their faithfulness.
• Time Is Running Out
• We must obtain the Lord’s attitude concerning the work of God. “I
must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night comes, when
no man can work (John 9:4).
• We are running out of time, and the longer we wait, the less we will be
able to do for the Lord.
• “Then said he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous,
but the laborers are few; Pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He
will send forth laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37,38).
• Stop doing “as little as possible” and begin doing “as
much as possible”.
• Remember that the Lord will not forget your work and labor of love! (Hebrews
6:10,11).
• Conclusion
• We all know a lazy attitude causes numerous problems in every walk of
life.
• No less important than in spiritual service.
• If I have been describing you, it is high time you repent and get to work
in the Lord’s kingdom (Acts 8:22).
• If you are truly a Christian who intends to be found worthy of the Lord
come the day of judgment, GET TO WORK!
By Carey Scott inspired by an article I read online
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