Trabalhar para Deus
Trabalhar para Deus vai além do ofício secular. É dedicar a vida inteira — palavras, ações e atitudes — ao serviço do Reino, reconhecendo que cada tarefa pode glorificar o Senhor.
Servindo ao Senhor em tudo
Quando trabalhamos como para Deus, cada ação se torna um ato de adoração. Não importa a tarefa — o que importa é o coração dedicado.
23 Whatsoever ye do, labour at it heartily, as {doing it} to the Lord, and not to men;24 knowing that of {the} Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance; ye serve the Lord Christ.
15 Strive diligently to present thyself approved to God, a workman that has not to be ashamed, cutting in a straight line the word of truth.
22 But be ye doers of {the} word and not hearers only, beguiling yourselves.
11 and to seek earnestly to be quiet and mind your own affairs, and work with your {own} hands, even as we charged you,12 that ye may walk reputably towards those without, and may have need of no one.
Chamados para as boas obras
Fomos criados em Cristo Jesus para boas obras, que Deus preparou de antemão para que andássemos nelas. Não somos salvos por obras, mas para obras.
10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has before prepared that we should walk in them.
16 but knowing that a man is not justified on the principle of works of law {nor} but by the faith of Jesus Christ, *we* also have believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified on the principle of {the} faith of Christ; and not of works of law; because on the principle of works of law no flesh shall be justified.
8 But God is able to make every gracious gift abound towards you, that, having in every way always all-sufficiency, ye may abound to every good work:
12 So that, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much rather in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,13 for it is God who works in you both the willing and the working according to {his} good pleasure.14 Do all things without murmurings and reasonings,15 that ye may be harmless and simple, irreproachable children of God in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation; among whom ye appear as lights in {the} world,16 holding forth {the} word of life, so as to be a boast for me in Christ's day, that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain.
A missão do cristão
O chamado a trabalhar para Deus inclui a Grande Comissão: fazer discípulos de todas as nações, cooperando com Ele na expansão do Reino.
19 Go {therefore} and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit;
16 He that believes and is baptised shall be saved, and he that disbelieves shall be condemned.
9 For we are God's fellow-workmen; ye are God's husbandry, God's building.
10 For we must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of the Christ, that each may receive the things {done} in the body, according to those he has done, whether {it be} good or evil.