Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

4. The Work of the Church!
Eph 3:8-10 To me, who am less than the
least of all the saints, this grace was given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make
all see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the ages has
been hidden in God who created all things
through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now
the manifold wisdom of God might be made
known by the church to the principalities and
powers in the heavenly places.

5. Tonight we are ending our study of
the New Testament church!
▪I wonder how often we give thought to the
“purpose” of the New Testament church?
▸What is our “mission?”
▸What is out “work?”
▪What has God called us to do/be doing as the
NT church?
▪How many of us here today understand what
“work” is?
▸Work = activity involving mental or physical
effort done in order to achieve a result

6. “I want to be a worker for the Lord!”
Until I have to actually work!
▪ 2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself
approved to God, a worker who does not need
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
▪ Js 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law
of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful
hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be
blessed in what he does.
▪ Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand that we should walk in
them.

7. I. The Work of Edification!
▪I need you, you need me and we all need
Jesus! We are in this together!
▸Heb 10:24-25 And let us consider one
another in order to stir up love and good
works, not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another, and so much the
more as you see the Day approaching.
▪We are always “better together!”
▸Eccl. 4:9-12 Strength in numbers!

8. The necessity of edification!
Eph. 4:11-16
▪Eph 4:11-12, 16 And He Himself gave some to
be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists,
and some pastors and teachers, for the
equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ, from
whom the whole body, joined and knit together
by what every joint supplies, according to the
effective working by which every part does its
share, causes growth of the body for the
edifying of itself in love.
▪Edify = prepare one another for service!

9. II. The Work of Benevolence!
▪The early church cared for it’s members!
▸Act. 2:42-47 & 4:31-35
▸I have often wondered if the effectiveness of the
church is not what it once was because we have
stopped practicing this kind/degree of benevolence!
▪We are often command to do this!
▸Gal 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let
us do good to all, especially to those who are of the
household of faith.
▸These are needs & not wants! (Cf. 2
Thess.3:10) “don’t work = don't eat!”

10. When someone has truly done all that
they can and yet they still come up
short, we are to help them!
▪This opened doors for the early church!
▸Act 2:47 praising God and having favor with
all the people. And the Lord added to the
church daily those who were being saved.
▪It should be noted that helping physically
was a means to helping spiritually! The
focus is on heavenly things and not on
worldly things!
▪We have failed if we stop at the physical!

11. III. The Work of Evangelism!
▪ Our first two points are really just a means to
an end! They are to help us get to here!
▪ Our central focus is to always be evangelism!
▪ When our Lord was summarizing why He
came He states “For the Son of man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost!”
(Lk.19:10)
▪ All men are lost without Jesus!
▸Act. 4:10-12
– There is only hope/salvation in Him!

12. Called to be the evangelistic church!
Act 8:4 “Therefore those who were scattered
went everywhere preaching the word.”
▪This can be done individually & collectively!
▪Each Christian is equally responsible to be
involved in evangelism!
▪Evangelism is the Lord’s marching orders to the
church! (Act. 1:18)
▸Mt. 28:18-20
▸Mk. 16:15-16
▪We must be actively preaching & teaching the
gospel of Jesus! (Rom.1:16; 1 Cor. 15)

13. Conclusion:
▪There is much work to be done, are we will
to get out and start doing it?
▸Mt 9:37-38 Then He said to His disciples,
"The harvest truly is plentiful, but the
laborers are few. "Therefore pray the Lord of
the harvest to send out laborers into His
harvest."
▪If you are here and not yet a member of the
NT church, then today is the day!
▪For us that are members, we have work to
do and Jesus & world is counting on us!