Working for God, working for the Church

[Carpenter]

Is there a difference? What is that difference? Does your spirituality take a hit when you have to raise the white flag and say enough, I can't handle any more?

How can you tell whether you are working for the flesh (buildings, personalities, personal recognition) or for the Lord?

[ReformedDave]

Originally Posted by Carpenter

Is there a difference? What is that difference? Does your spirituality take a hit when you have to raise the white flag and say enough, I can't handle any more?

How can you tell whether you are working for the flesh (buildings, personalities, personal recognition) or for the Lord?

One can make an idol out of 'working' for God. Martha did it. We are all idol makers.

[Pragmatist]

You can work for God without working for the church.

If no one knows about what you're doing and it's not benefiting you other than spiritually, you're not working for the flesh.

[A.W. Bowman]

Anytime working for the church (physical structure) becomes more important than your physical health or welfare, one is attempting to gain merit before God. When "soul winning" includes the need to attract more members in order to better meet the operating expenses of the "church", then one is serving an idol. When giving to support a facility and its religious programs requires one to scarface one's family on the alter, the church has become a pagan temple.

People are the church, built up of living stones. The building is just a meeting place, a substitute for one's home. The original apostolic believers never "did church" not did they "have synagogue". If we spent our resources on doing the actual instructions of Jesus and less on buildings and programs, consider the impact we could have on our society. Image, Christian actually practicing what they preach (sorry, use to preach).

[Rosh Yeshiva]

Originally Posted by Carpenter

How can you tell whether you are working for the flesh (buildings, personalities, personal recognition) or for the Lord?

How does a man know whether he goes to work to maintain a household or to maintain a marriage relationship within that household?

[A.W. Bowman]

It is a simple case of priorities.Which has the higher value, the household unit or the marriage? Can the marriage survive living in a multi story mansion as well as being reduced to living in a tent? Both the "blessing and the curse" have destroyed marriages, but a strong marriage can withstand all that is thrown against it.

[Rosh Yeshiva]

Originally Posted by Rosh Yeshiva

How does a man know whether he goes to work to maintain a household or to maintain a marriage relationship within that household?

Originally Posted by HaShaliach

It is a simple case of priorities.Which has the higher value, the household unit or the marriage? Can the marriage survive living in a multi story mansion as well as being reduced to living in a tent? Both the "blessing and the curse" have destroyed marriages, but a strong marriage can withstand all that is thrown against it.

I believe we are on the same path but using different terms learned one.

Personally, I would use the word "motive" above, as opposed to "priority."

The answer to original question is quite simply introspection.

Why do I do what I do?

Are my actions, my "works" to use the original question, for the purpose of building a household, or the relationships within that house (especially with the Master of the house)?

[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by Rosh Yeshiva

Why do I do what I do?

Hopefully we can all give honest answers to this question.

[A.W. Bowman]

Ah, yes. Rosh you do well, as does mizpeh.

It is a blessing to see those who are willing to challenge their motives, priorities, reasonings and purpose in doing what they do. It is sometimes called a "spiritual reality check".

The [observant] Jews actually set aside seven weeks per year that are devoted to undertaking this very exercise. It is called Counting the Omer. The disciples had just completed this same exercise the day before Pentecost.

[Sister Alvear]

very interesting. Are you a Jew?