
                               Christian Employees
        
                                by Arthur W. Pink
        
              "Servants,  be obedient to them that are your  masters 
             according  to  the flesh, with fear and  trembling,  in 
             singleness of heart, as unto Christ; Not with  eyeserv-
             ice,  as  menpleasers; but as the servants  of  Christ, 
             doing  the will of God from the heart; With  good  will 
             doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:  Knowing 
             that  whatsoever  good thing any man  doeth,  the  same 
             shall  he  receive of the Lord, whether he be  bond  or 
             free." (Ephesians 6: 5-8)
        
        
             How  intensely practical is the Bible!  It not only  reveals 
        to  us  the  way to Heaven, but it is also  full  of  instruction 
        concerning how we are to live here upon earth.  God has given  us 
        His Word unto us to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto  our 
        path:  that  is, for the regulating of our daily walk.  It  makes 
        known how God requires us to conduct ourselves in all the  varied 
        relations  of life.  Some of us are single, others married;  some 
        are children, others parents; some are masters, others  servants. 
        Scripture  supplies  definite precepts and  rules,  motives,  and 
        encouragements for each alike.  It not only teaches us how we are 
        to  behave in the church and in the home, but equally so  in  the 
        workshop and in the kitchen, supplying necessary exhortations  to 
        both  employers and employees--clear proof God has  not  designed 
        that  all men should be equal, and sure index that  neither  "So-
        cialism" nor "Communism" will ever universally prevail.  Since  a 
        considerable portion of most of our lives be spent in service, it 
        is both for our good and God's glory that we heed those  exhorta-
        tions.
        
             A  secular  writer recently pointed out that "work  has  in-
        creasingly  come  to be regarded as a distasteful  means  to  the 
        achievement  of  leisure, instead of leisure  as  a  recuperative 
        measure to refit us for work."  That is a very mild way of saying 
        that the present generation is pleasure mad and hates any kind of 
        real  work.  Various explanations have been advanced  to  account 
        for this: such as the ousting of craftsmanship by machinery,  the 
        fear of unemployment discouraging zeal, the doles, allowances and 
        reliefs  which are available for those who don't and won't  work. 
        Though each of those has been a contributing factor, yet there is 
        a  more  fundamental  and solemn cause of  this  social  disease, 
        namely, the loss of those moral convictions which formerly marked 
        a large proportion of churchgoers, who made conscience of serving 
        the Lord while engaged in secular activities, and who were  actu-
        ated  by  the principles of honesty and integrity,  fidelity  and 
        loyalty.
        
             Nowhere  has  the hollowness of professing  Christians  been 
        more apparent, during the last two or three generations, than  at 
        this  point.   Nowhere has more reproach been  brought  upon  the 
        cause of Christ than by the majority of those employees who  bore
        His name.  Whether it be in the factory, the mine, the office, or 
        in the fields, one who claims to be a follower of the Lord  Jesus 
        should stand out unmistakably from his fellow employees who  make 
        no profession.  His punctuality, his truthfulness, his  conscien-
        tiousness,  the  quality  of  his  work,  his  devotion  to   his 
        employer's  interests, ought to be so apparent that there  is  no 
        need for him to let others know by his lips that he is a disciple 
        of  Christ.  There should be such marked absence of  that  slack-
        ness,  carelessness, selfishness, greed and insolence which  mark 
        the majority of the ungodly, that all may see he is motivated and 
        regulated  by higher principles than they are.  But, if his  con-
        duct belies his profession, then his companions are confirmed  in 
        their opinion that "there is nothing in religion but talk."
        
             Nor  does the whole of the blame rest upon them: the  pulpit 
        is  far  from being guiltless in this matter.  The Lord  has  ex-
        pressly bidden His servants to preach thereon, as being a subject 
        of great importance and an essential part of that doctrine  which 
        is  according to godliness.  "Let as many servants as  are  under 
        the  yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that  the 
        name  of God and His doctrine be not blasphemed.  And  they  that 
        have  believing masters, let them not despise them  because  they 
        are  brethren, but rather do them service, because they  are  be-
        lieving and beloved, partakers of the benefit: these things teach 
        and  exhort" (I Tim. vi, 1,2).  But where is the  minister  today 
        who  does  so?  Alas, how many have despised and  neglected  such 
        practical yet unpopular teaching!  Desirous of being regarded  as 
        "deep,"  they have turned aside unto doctrinal disputes  or  pro-
        phetical speculations which profit no one.  God says "If any  man 
        teach otherwise...he is a fool, knowing nothing" (I Tim.vi. 3,4)!
        
             Once  again is the pastor Divinely ordered, "But speak  thou 
        the  things  which become sound doctrine: that the  aged  men  be 
        sober...the aged women likewise..young men likewise exhort to  be 
        sober-minded....Servants  to be obedient unto their own  masters, 
        to  please  them  well in all things; not  answering  again,  not 
        purloining,  but showing all good fidelity; that they  may  adorn 
        the  doctrine of God our Saviour in all things" (Titus ii,  1-9).  
        Are  you,  fellow minister, speaking upon these things?  Are  you 
        warning servants that all needless absenteeism is a sin?  Are you 
        informing those of your church members who are employees that God 
        requires  them to make it their constant endeavour to  give  full 
        satisfaction  unto their masters in every part of their  conduct: 
        that they are to be respectful and not saucy, industrious and not 
        indolent, submissive and not challenging the orders they receive? 
        Do  you teach them that their conduct either adorns or  disgraces 
        the  doctrine  they profess?  If not, you are  sadly  failing  in 
        carrying out your commission.
        
             In  view of the almost total silence of the pulpit  thereon, 
        it  is striking to see how frequently the New Testament  epistles 
        inculcate  and  enlarge  upon the duties of  the  employees.   In 
        Ephesians 6 we find the apostle exhorting, "Servants be  obedient 
        to  them that are your masters according to the flesh, with  fear 
        and trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ.  Not  with
        eye-service,  as  men-pleasers, but as the  servants  of  Christ, 
        doing  the  will  of God from the heart.  With  good  will  doing 
        service,  as to the Lord, and not to men" (verses  5-7).   Chris-
        tians servants are required to comply with the calls and commands 
        of  their employers: to do so with respectful deference to  their 
        persons  and authority, to be fearful of displeasing  them.  They 
        are to be as diligent in their work and to discharge their duties 
        with  the  same  conscientious solicitude when  their  master  is 
        absent  as when his eye is upon them.  They are to perform  their 
        tasks "with good will," not sullenly and reluctantly, but  thank-
        ful  for an honest means of livelihood.  And all of this as  "the 
        servants of Christ" careful not to dishonour Him by any  improper 
        behaviour,  but seeking to glorify Him working from such  motives 
        as  will sanctify our labours and make them a  "spiritual  sacri-
        fice" unto God.
        
             In Colossians iii the apostle also exhorted, "Servants, obey 
        in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with  eye-
        service,  as  men-pleasers, but in singleness of  heart,  fearing 
        God.   And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord,  and 
        not unto men" (verses 22,23).  Every lawful command he must obey, 
        however distasteful, difficult or irksome.  He is to be  faithful 
        in every trust committed to him.  Whatsoever his hand findeth  to 
        do, he must do it with his might, putting his very best into  it. 
        He  is  to do it readily and cheerfully, taking pleasure  in  his 
        work.   All is to be done "as to the Lord," which will  transform 
        the secular into the sacred.  Then it is added, "Knowing that  of 
        the Lord ye shall receive the inheritance: for ye serve the  Lord 
        Christ" (verse 24)--what encouragement to fidelity is that!  "But 
        he  that doeth wrong shall receive the wrong which he hath  done" 
        (verse 25) is a solemn warning to deter from failure in duty, for 
        "either  in  this world or the other, God will  avenge  all  such 
        injury"  (J. Gill).
        
             "Servants be subject to your masters with all fear: not only 
        to  the  good and gentle, but also to the froward.  For  this  is 
        thankworthy,  if  a man for conscience  endure  grief,  suffering 
        wrongfully" (I Peter ii, 18,19).  This repeated insistence of the 
        apostles  for employees discharging their duties properly,  indi-
        cates not only how much the glory of God is involved therein, but 
        also  that an unwillingness on their part makes  such  repetition 
        necessary--evidenced  by those who take two or three days'  extra 
        holiday  by  running off to religious meetings,  thereby  putting 
        their masters to inconvenience.  Holiness is most visible in  our 
        daily  conduct:  performing our tasks in such a spirit  and  with 
        such  efficiency as will commend the Gospel unto those we  serve. 
        Let  it  be borne in mind that these instructions  apply  to  all 
        servants,  male and female, in every station and  condition.  Let 
        each  reader  of these pages who is an employee  ask  himself  or 
        herself,  How far am I making a genuine, prayerful  and  diligent 
        endeavour  to comply with God's requirements in the  performances 
        of my duties?  Let not "rules of unions" nor "regulations of shop 
        stewards" be allowed to set aside or modify these Divine command-
        ments.

             It is to be pointed out that the above precepts are enforced
        and  exemplified in the Scriptures by many notable examples.  See 
        how the Spirit delighted to take notice of the devotion of Eliez-
        er, even praying that the Lord God would "send me good speed this 
        day,  and show kindness unto my master Abraham" (Gen. xxiv,  12), 
        and  note  how faithfully he acquitted himself and  how  well  he 
        spake  of his master.  Jacob could say "ye know that with all  my 
        power  I  have  served" (Gen. xxxi, 6): can you  aver  the  same? 
        Though a heathen, "his master saw that the Lord was with him, and 
        that  the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his  hand.  And 
        Joseph  found  grace in his sight!" (Gen. xxxix, 3,  4):  what  a 
        testimony was that!  Scripture also chronicles the unfaithfulness 
        of Elisha's servant and the fearful judgment which came upon  him 
        (II  Kings v, 20-27).  Finally, let all domestics  and  employees 
        remember that the servant place has been honoured and adorned for 
        ever by the willing and perfect obedience of the incarnate Son of 
        God!
        
             "Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth to do, do  with  thy  might" 
        (Eccl. ix. 10)--put your very best into it.

