Synergy Resources

In the previous blog, we discussed how the local church operates and walked through key essentials of local church life. Today we are defining work, rest, and missions and will talk about how they all relate to one another. 

Work

In their book The Symphony of Mission, Michael W. Goheen and Jim Mullins say that, “Work refers to human stewardship of God's world in every area of life, not employment alone but all human activity that's productive and positively affects creation.” By “work,” they mean anything from home repair to art to parenting to your 9-to-5 job and everything in between. All of these kinds of work have worth, value, and dignity.

Scripture says in Genesis 1 and 2 that work is a good thing! Paul says in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” We offer ourselves to the Lord as worship by doing the work He has called us to for His glory.

However, by reading Genesis 3, we know that sin affects all aspects of our lives, including our work. Laziness, workaholic tendencies, working with money as an idol (and not to serve the Lord), or, if you’re an employer, oppressing your employees. Yet we’re still called to work, and engaging in work that is right before God brings Him glory.

Remember that God values all work. Ephesians 4:28 says, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” The goal of your work should be to be generous to others, not to store up treasures in your earthly life. Our income can go toward serving missionaries, those in our community, etc. We must remember to value work as God does and give generously.

Rest

Rest is an act of trust. When we rest, we are trusting in the Lord to provide for each and every one of our needs. In Exodus 20, the Lord commands the Israelites to engage in Sabbath rest. Yes, we work, but as God modeled and commanded, we also rest. Biblical rest is not passively binging movies, TV shows, and books, but engaging in activities that bring us peace or refreshment. Hebrews 3 and 4 talks about how we rest in “embracing and believing in the Gospel of Jesus.”

There are several types of rest:

• Spiritual rest is resting in Christ and our salvation. Matthew 11:28 states, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” We need to engage in rest that cultivates worship in our own hearts, in our family, and in our church body.
• Physical rest both increases our productivity and refreshes our minds and bodies. For those with physically active jobs, resting can look like refraining from physical activity. For those with desk jobs, physical rest look like doing some sort of physical activity. Consider how you can build ceasing into your life.
• Emotional rest is a time of quiet reflection about what’s happening in the world and how God is working through it. It’s vital to consider what things bring calm into our lives.
• Intellectual rest may also be needed at times. For individuals with mentally-tasking jobs, it’s important to give your mind a break.

Remember, rest in doing work excellently for God’s glory. To commune with the Lord, it’s vital that we rest in Him and His accomplished work. This refreshes us to do the work He has called us to do.

Mission

God has a specific mission: cosmic restoration with a special eye on saving those created in His image. We can see in Revelation 21–22 that one day, God will create a new heaven and a new earth. His mission is to redeem a people and to restore the universe. Furthermore, God’s Son also has a mission, “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10b).

These two missions are the basis for the Church’s mission. God’s people join as Great Commission partners in God’s redemption plan through evangelization, discipleship, and missions.

When you work and rest knowing that you're pleasing God, then you can share the Gospel with others through your work. Try to look through every area of life through the lens of missions.

Key Takeaways

How are these things related to each other? We rest in the Lord and the work that He accomplished so that we can commune with Him. This rejuvenates us to do our work for His glory and lets us get involved in the Great Commission in a variety of ways. We must commit to abound in the work of the Lord and abide in the rest of the Lord to fuel us as we serve.

You aren’t meant to be constantly working, so identify and incorporate healthy work and rest practices into your life. Remember, all of life can be seen through a missional lens, and these practices help equip you to serve well.

Dr. Jeremy Kimble, Professor of Theology and Director of the Synergy Initiative at Cedarville University, is passionate about teaching college and graduate students the truth of God’s Word. He is committed to teaching in the classroom, mentoring students, and speaking in church, camp, and conference settings. He served in pastoral ministry for eight years and is currently an active member and minister at University Baptist Church. Dr. Kimble's academic interests include biblical and systematic theology, ecclesiology, preaching and teaching, and the mission of the Church.

Synergy is the combined power of a group working together that is greater than the power of individuals working separately. The Synergy Initiative aims to help students plan strategically to graduate from Cedarville, go together with others from this place, and invest their energies, talents, and efforts in planting, revitalizing, and multiplying churches. As Cedarville graduates join up with other church members who are equipped to do the work of ministry, the combined effect of their efforts will accomplish, by God’s grace, abundantly more than only a couple of pastors in a church doing all of the work on their own. Thus, the goal is to equip students to leave Cedarville University ready to help establish and strengthen local churches throughout the nation and around the world.