Focus: Good Works

Text: Eph.2:10

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

Luke tells us in the book of the Acts of the Apostles that "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him" (Act.10:38). God anointed Jesus Christ, and with that anointing He went everywhere doing good - healing people, casting out demons from their lives, and being a blessing to everyone. It's so good to be good.

God has created us in and redeemed us by Christ Jesus for good works. Christ did good works, and by our creation and redemption, He has re-gene-d and infused us with the Spirit's power for good works. We manifest the glory of Jesus Christ through good works. We are saved by faith and rewarded for our good works. A believer in Christ is useless on earth without good works. Good works are our badge of witness. Every saved child of God should have works to present to Christ on the last day.

The Lord Jesus Christ says to the churches in the book of Revelation, "I know thy works," and to one of the churches, He says, "I have not found thy works perfect before God" (Rev.3:2). We read of Amaziah that "he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart" (2Chron.25:2). In all that we do, we must avoid imperfect heart and imperfect works.

Like Jesus Christ, we have been sent by God to bless our world. God is going to reward us according to our works. Christ says, "I will give unto every one of you according to your works… Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their WORKS do follow them… The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their WORKS… They were judged every man according to their WORKS" (Rev.2:23; 14:13; 20:12,13). God judges and rewards us according to our works, and whatever work we have done in Christ shall follow us.

We have the divine nature, which is capable of being and doing good. The nitty gritty of our assignment is worship and mission, and while worship is vertical, mission is horizontal. We are worshippers of and workers with God. Christ did good, and so should we.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter