Help Wanted
By Tori Harris
“Help wanted” signs are everywhere these days. So many people no longer want to work. As a result, businesses are short staffed, leading to things such as restaurants being slow to prepare food. Some places have had to reduce their hours, or never know if they can open for the day, because that depends on whether the employees show up for work or not. It’s like this everywhere, but it is vital that the church does not become this way.
What would happen if no one in the church worked? What if all we did was attend services, and then carried on with our lives without a single thought about Christianity or the responsibilities that come with it? Sadly, this is the state that many Christians are in today. Just like the world, many Christians simply don’t want to work. At first glance, this may seem like no big deal. But working for the Lord involves doing many different things, all of which are important.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” The previous verses in this chapter talk about how we as Christians are saved. Jesus did not die so we can sit around and do nothing. Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” If we claim to love God, but don’t actually follow His commands, or pick and choose which ones we want to obey, that is not love. If we truly love God, we will work.
What are Christians supposed to do as workers, and is there anything that teenage Christians can accomplish? If you are a young Christian like me, it can be easy to think that you cannot do anything to help the church until you are older. There is an idea in the world that children and teenagers cannot accomplish much until they grow up. This is outright false. The church has a role for everyone, no matter their age. 1 and 2 Timothy were written by Paul to a young preacher. In 1 Timothy 4:12, he says, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” We are to be an example to other Christians.
Another thing we can do is evangelize. Invite your friends to services, and ask them if they would be interested in having a Bible study with you. Also, look for opportunities to serve others, like helping out elderly members of your congregation, for example. There are so many ways that teenage Christians can help the work of the church. Never believe that you are too young to do anything or make a difference, because that is far from true.
The church is different from the world. So many people in the world have grown lazy and do not want to work. Christians cannot afford to be this way. We must be ready and willing to work and carry out God’s commands. If we do this, we will one day receive a reward worth more than anything here on earth.
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ,” (Colossians 3:23-24).