WORK GOD’S WORKS (3)

“Jesus answered and said to them, “THIS IS the WORK of GOD, that you believe in Him whom He sent” – John 6:29

Every Believer in Christ is called to WORK GOD’S WORK: “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “THIS IS the WORK of GOD, that you BELIEVE in HIM whom He sent” (Jh.6: 28-29). During His earthly ministry, Capernaum, in Galilee, served as home base for Jesus and His disciples (Mt.4:13). That’s where they returned after He had fed the five thousand on the other side of Galilee (Jh.6: 1-21). However, the crowd that had been fed by Jesus, wanted more from Him. So, they went to Capernaum in search of Him (vv. 22–24). As they found Jesus and entered into dialogue with Him, He made the profound statement about the WORK GOD requires!

Jesus began this discourse by telling the crowd that they were not looking for Him because of the signs He performed but because He had fed them (vv. 25-26). They were searching for Him because they were looking for wonders, for a show, and for the satisfaction of their physical necessities; not for salvation. Certainly, we need to have our physical needs met, but if we are exerting great effort to find Jesus merely for that reason, we have missed the point. He told the people not to labour for the food that satisfies temporarily, but perishes and cannot grant eternal life. To make obtaining it our chief end is a waste of time and effort (v. 27).

When Jesus was asked what the God-ordained labour is that leads to eternal life, He said that such labour consists in believing in Him (vv. 28–29). The Work of God begins with Believing, but not in the sense that we ‘earn’ salvation or work for it. Salvation is a gift of grace, not a meritorious deed (Eph.2: 8-10). Believing in God is the foundation of everything. If we don't have faith in Him, it's impossible to please God (Heb.11:6). We must trust that He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. The work of God is to believe in the one He has sent (John 6:29).

Beginning with Believing, the following are other tasks expected of every Believer:

Obedience: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jh.14:15). Chief among these is to love God above all else (Mt.22:37-40). It’s not enough to say that we love Him – our actions must reflect that love. Doing so not only puts our lives in the right direction but also transforms us into someone God can use. One crucial commandment is Baptism, an outward demonstration of an inward decision to follow Christ: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk.16:16). It's not a requirement for salvation but a way of announcing that we belong to Him and are dead to sin (Rom. 6:3-4).

Bearing Fruits or good works is the natural result of a life yielded to Christ: “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (Jh.15:8). When we obey His commands and walk in His ways, we will produce fruit that brings glory to God. The fruit will vary from person to person, but it will always be Godly evidence of a transformed life.

Praying: “Pray without ceasing” (1The.5:17). Prayer is communication with God, and it's essential to pray for strength, wisdom, opportunities to serve, and boldness to speak the truth. As a means to that end, we can ask God for everything we need to further His plan through prayer (Heb.13:20-21).

Witnessing: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me” (Acts 1:8a). We must share the gospel. This work is critical for all Christians because it's how people come to know Christ. And we must be intentional about it. We must go out into the world and proclaim the good news of the Gospel boldly and with conviction (Mk.16:15).