God's Fellow Workers

1 Cor 3:9; For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God's garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God's building.  [Isa 61:3.] AMP 

On a sunny Saturday morning as I walked along behind the lawn mower, my seven-year-old son Jarred squeezed in front of front of me and grasped the mower's handle. Because he was so small, he did not have enough strength to steer the mower, so I pushed it for him. I had to walk much slower than normal to match his small strides. Consequently, the job took about twice as long as usual to finish. When we were done, Jarred rushed into the house, beamed up at his mother and said: "I helped Daddy cut the grass!"

It is easy to see ourselves in this picture when we read that we are "God's fellow workers." Just as Jarred didn't actually steer the lawn mower, we do not "steer" the affairs of the church but follow God's lead by paying attention to the directives He has provided for us in Scripture. We do not move the work of God forward by our own power, but must rely upon the empowerment and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

It is easy to think that our imperfect attempts to help God actually slow the work rather than speed it to its completion. This is true in many respects. The affairs of the church have been ordered by the Lord. One of the purposes of God's Word is to tell us "how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household" (1 Tim 3:15). Our opinions and personal taste have no place in those areas where God has given definitive direction.

At the same time, God has given certain believers the responsibility of exercising leadership in the church (Heb 13:17). The elders of the church have been commanded to "shepherd the flock of God" (1 Peter 5:2). The shepherd goes before the flock and provides the needed direction for those who follow.

It is also true that we are dependent upon God's power to fulfill the tasks He has called us to perform as His fellow workers. The apostle Paul ascribed his own success to this fact, yet in the same breath readily admitted that he had worked harder than any of his contemporaries: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me" (1 Cor 15:10).

Paul's claim in this verse raises a very important question: Is God sovereign in all that the church accomplishes, or do we play a determinative role in whether or not the church will be effective in its mission? God's Word affirms that both are true. Nowhere is this seen more clearly than in the promise of Christ's second coming. On the one hand, Jesus said that this day has been fixed by God, that He alone knows the day and the time (Matt 24:36; Mark 13:32). But despite this, believers ". . . look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (2 Peter 3:12). Empowered by the Holy Spirit, our efforts make a real contribution to the accomplishment of God's ultimate purposes. So in some mysterious way, we can actually hasten the time of Christ's arrival without interfering with His sovereignty.

The reality of human responsibility is evident in another way. We are told in the Scriptures that our efforts as God's fellow workers will be evaluated and rewarded. The apostle Paul carried out the tasks assigned to him by God like an expert builder, but he warned others to be careful about how they built upon the foundation he had laid. He also warned that the rewards received by those who serve God will be commensurate with the quality of the workmanship (1 Cor 3:10-15).

While we are God's fellow workers, we are also fellow workers with one another. Our gifts, abilities, and individual tasks differ. Nevertheless, they all contribute to the same purpose. We are not building our own individual kingdom. Our efforts are dedicated to Christ and His kingdom.

Several years ago, I met a man named Charlie who told me of the time when he felt God urging him to visit a nearby pastor. "As I lay there drunk," he explained, "God spoke to me and told me to get up and call the pastor and get saved." He went to see the pastor at his office, and during the visit the pastor prayed with Charlie to receive Christ. From that moment on, a number of changes began to take place in Charlie's life. He was one of the very few to be accepted at a unique private college in New York, where he was trained to be a civil engineer. One of the achievements he was most proud of was that he had worked on the Empire State Building. "Every time I went past it," he said with a grin, "I would think to myself, 'I had a part in raising that up.'"

Those of us who know Christ are part of a much bigger project. Every believer has a role to play in the construction of the church of Jesus Christ. We do not all have the same function, nor do we all have the same degree of visibility. Nevertheless, we all are necessary, and each of us will be asked to give account of our work. Will we be ashamed on that day to realize that we have squandered our God-given gifts and abilities on trivialities? Or will we see all our weariness, pain, and struggle disappear as we hear Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant"?

Heavenly Father, thank You for making me one of Your coworkers. Help me to labor skillfully with the strength and skill that Your Spirit provides. I look forward to the day when my work is tested and approved and I hear You say, "Well done!" Amen.

Thanks to John Koessler for allowing us to publish his material.www.johnkosessler.com

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John Koessler serves as chair and professor of pastoral studies at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. He is married to Jane and has two sons, Drew and Jarred. John is the author of ten books and numerous articles. He also serves as a contributing editor for the Moody Bible Institute publication Today in the Word, where you can read his monthly “Theology Matters” column. You can contact John via email at John.Koessler@moody.edu or by phone at (312) 329-4077.