The business world is constantly scanning the work force for those people who will make them effective workers. An effective worker is one who not only does his job well, but can be counted on to be loyal and diligent in his relationship to the company. When a business consists of this kind of employees, it will be successful for years to come.

The same is true when one enters the Lord's labor force. Upon obedience to the gospel, not only do people become children of God but also laborers in His kingdom. For one to be an affective worker for the Lord, that is to "be the best he can be," certain things are necessary.

Conviction

Being convinced or believing in what one does will have a great deal to do with one's success. The belief that the church is right and the most important area of work for mankind is most essential. Only when we truly believe there is one true church (Ephesians 4:4; 1:22-23) in which salvation is found will it mean something to us. This conviction will also help to keep us from going along with denominations of man. A lesson some, who claim to be members of the Lord's church, have not learned. Their actions of acknowledging those outside the body of Christ as brethren in the Lord and worshipping jointly in ways not authorized in God's word, bears fruit of a lack of conviction as the rightness of the church of our Lord.

When we are truly convinced "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5), and that Christ is the Savior of the body the one church (Ephesians 5), will we cease our half-hearted service.

Aggressiveness

The aggressive worker is the one who gets things accomplished. He is aggressive because he believes the work must be done and that he must do all he can to see he does his part fully. The lack of aggressiveness in our work for the Lord tends to develop the attitude of letting someone else do the work. Such a disposition can cause us to become lazy and slothful workers.

We must be aggressive in preaching and teaching God's word. Aggressively means without fear or favor, uncompromisingly, yet frankly and kindly -- "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:5); "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). We can privately teach those we come in contact with as well as aggressively support the preaching of the gospel both with our presence and money. The New Testament Christians were effective workers because they were aggressive in their work (Acts 8:4): "Therefore, they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word."

Sacrifice

A major attribute in becoming a successful worker is being willing to sacrifice. It is easier sometimes to believe in something and aggressively pursue it as long as it doesn't cost us anything. But the most effective workers are those who willingly sacrifice for the good of the company. So it is with the Lord's work: we can only be truly effective workers when we sacrifice. We must make sure that we can give up worldly connections that would interfere with our work in His kingdom. We are informed in James 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." Jesus warns in His teaching about the danger of temporal and material things that can interfere with our being effective workers. He tells us that one is an effective worker only if he is willing to sacrifice all and follow Him (Luke 9:57-62; 14:5-24).

The motto of the effective worker in the church, the body of Christ, must be "... seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). Then we can hear our Master say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant...enter thou into the joy of the Lord" (Matthew 25:21).

by Gary Patton -- Via The East Florence Contender, Florence, Alabama.

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