Did you do your job

In 2000 my son was in an All-Star baseball game. He was up at bat 2 outs in the bottom of the 9^th, every boys dream. He got a pitch and put his bat on it. He hit that ball harder than any other ball he had hit all year. Right to the left fielder.

I pulled him aside, that disappointed little face almost in tears. I asked him if he had hit the ball, if he had hit it harder than any he had hit that year. Yes. Then you did your job. You hit the ball, put it into play. You got a pitch you hit it. You didn’t stand there looking. You didn’t strike out swinging.

You did your job. That guy out there in left field did his job. He caught the ball.

Now my son was extremely disappointed in the results of that at bat, But he did his job.

Let me explain for a moment how this works for me. I will get an idea in my head and it will simmer there for hours or days until I put it down on paper. There was one that sat there and I refused to do it for 8 days (yes I counted) I thought it was pretentious and that someone else should put it down in paper.  I had decided I wasn’t going to write anymore. I had decided that I was making no progress no impact, But it didn’t go away until I put it down on paper and that has been my most read piece of the last 10 years. If my people.

Now the question I am going to ask of you. Did you do your job?

You say what job.

I really didn’t want to call this a job, I wanted to call it our glorious mandate, or our responsibility, or God’s special chore for us. But as you will hear “job” is used a lot and is easier to get out as many times as I will in the next few minutes.

Your job is to go witness unto all the world.

Act 1:6  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 

Act 1:7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 

When you walk out of this church up above the door is a piece of paper. Do you know what that paper says? You are now entering the mission field.

Did you do your job? Did you go to all the world?

There was a preacher in Lynchburg virginia. Perhaps you knew of him. He took a map of the city of Lynchburg Va and set it out. He circled part of the city and called it Jerusalem, then a bigger circle around that and called it Judea, and then a bigger circle around that and called it Samaria.

He went through his town bit by bit, door by door. And he won his city for Christ.

he reached every door, every house in his city. He did his job.

Most of you know of Phillip and the Ethiopian. How he came upon a chariot and of the man who was reading the scriptures and needed someone to explain to him the meaning. Are you aware of just before that what happened?

Act 8:5  Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 

Act 8:6  And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 

Act 8:7  For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 

Act 8:8  And there was great joy in that city. 

Phillip went to Samaria and did his job. He preached Christ to all that city and there was joy in that city. Then Phillip went out after a mighty revival and witnesses to one. One who was searching even though he didn’t know what he was searching for.

Phillip did his job. He took the mandate of Christ quite literally.

Ananias had one job. We would never had heard of him had he not done his Job. God called him to go to one man, Saul of Tarsus. Ananias was afraid to go. For Saul was ravaging the church, killing and imprisoning the disciples. Ananias didn’t want to go, and I cannot blame him. Saul was armed with the authority to bind all that called on the name of Christ..

He did his job. He reached that one and that one has impacted the world ever since!

Act 9:15  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 

Act 9:16  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. 

Act 9:17  And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 

Act 9:18  And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized

Edward Kimball had a job. He was a Sunday School teacher and he taught a class at Mount Vernon Congregational church. He had a young man who was in his class named D.L. Moody. Mr. Kimball went to see D.L. Moody at his job where D.L. Moody sold shoes. Mr. Kimball spoke of Jesus’ love to Mr. Moody and won him to the Lord. Mr. Moody went on to shake two continents for the Lord.

Edward Kimball did his job.

Harry Monroe had a job at the Pacific Garden mission. He was there to help with the outdoor meetings, he went to a young man who had heard the hymns, the very hymns his mother had sung. They stirred his heart and soul, yet what if there had not been a Harry Monroe to go to him and say  “Won’t you come back?” This young man wasn’t even at the meeting proper he was sitting on a curb just outside of the meeting area with a couple of his friends.

You have probably never heard of Harry Monroe, but you have heard of Billy Sunday. What if Harry Monroe had ignored the prompting of God? What if he had turned from his job?

What might have happened had we answered all the prompting God has given us? Who might we have turned from despair to God?

Now most of us will never have that kind of impact. We will not reach thousands; we may not reach hundreds. We may reach just one.

But if that is the job God has called you to then do your job!

On the flip side of that coin, Who have we lost because we didn’t heed the call to speak, to touch a life, to witness? Who might we now have to see on judgment day sent into eternal torment because we did not heed the call? Because we did not do our job?

Tit 1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. 

They profess to know God, but in works, or inactions, they deny Him. How can you say you know and love God if you do not His Will?

What is His Will? That all may come to repentance.

James speaks of this, and you hear me use this in my prayers a lot.

Jas 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 

Jas 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 

Jas 1:24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 

If you are fooling yourself or man, remember you can not fool God for He can see the heart. If any man professes Christ but does not the work of Christ then He deceives himself.

For faith without works is dead.

Faith without woks is dead.

You have salvation the greatest gift ever given to man, and are you sharing it?

Are you happy and secure in the knowledge that you are going to heaven?

As well you should be.

But what about those you pass that will never know. That will suffer torment in Hell for eternity because YOU didn’t tell them?

What of those who have not heard the name of Jesus because you didnt tell them?

I remember a time when you couldn’t watch a sporting event without seeing John 3:16 in the stands somewhere. Now most would probably not know what that means.

A time when men would stand on the street corners and proclaim the Word of God for all to hear.

Now the street corners are silent, there is no John 3:16 anywhere you look. WHY.

Because our faith is dead?

Because we have attained that assurance of eternal life and we are good?

We are resting in our happy little homes, so tired and weary from paying the bills, planning our vacations, watching our favorite shows. This is what we have become while the world marches on, to an eternity of death, torment and darkness.

Any why?

Because we have not done our job. Because we do not our job.

We have become weary in well doing.

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 

We shall reap in due season. Are you reaping or weeping? Where is the increase?

Again what is our job? Our job is to present the gospel. Our job is to be a living testimony of Christ.

Our job is to go out into the highways and byways and bring people to Christ.

Our job is to take our one talent, or our five or our ten and come back to the Lord with the increase.

Our job is to be the light shining on a hill to a lost and dying world.

This job we have is being a Christian.

When we retire from our earthly job we are called a “former” employee. Being a Christian , a saved born again true child of God  can never retire for it is not a career but a life. There is no pension, no golden parachute.

This job is not one you can retire from, this job is not one you can walk away from and find another. For this job of ours that we have been called to is like no other, For this job is life and death to a world who knows Him not.

This job, our job that we have, that God Himself has given us is a very serious job. It is a very Noble job yet it is a reviled one.

It is an ignored job. This job we bear on our shoulders is one that will have an effect through out all of eternity. Not just for the ones doing the job, But for the ones who were failed by those who did not do theirs.

In our job, we are to be diligent, vigilant, industrious for the fate of the very soul of man hangs in the balance.

1Co_15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Now the follow up to all that is this.

My son hit that ball, but the other team caught it. His job was to hit it, put it into play.

What they did with the ball was totally up to them. They could catch it, they could have dropped it, they could have ignored it altogether.

Our job is to put it out there. To make it accessible and known to all. Our job is to tell them.

What they do with it after that is between them and God.

Noah preached for 120 years before the flood, and he was building a huge ark during that time for all to see.

He had no converts other than his family. Yet he remained faithful and true though none believed.

Jeremiah had not one convert during his time. Yet he remained faithful and true.

Please note that though the use of “did you do your job” is in the past tense it is never over. Daily when you pick up that cross and die to self, Daily you must do your job. Daily when you get dressed you must cover yourself in the whole armor of God and prepare to do your job.

Our job is to go forth and be a witness to all peoples for Him.

Our job is to proclaim Christ to all manner of peoples.

Our job is to stay true and faithful to the Word.