According to the Bible, God has prepared “good works” for His followers to do (Ephesians 2:10). So, how do we discover what these good works are? And are they the same for all Christians?
What are the “good works” the Bible is referring to?
There are many “good works” that are the fruit of the Spirit. Helping others, showing kindness to strangers, sharing love and generosity with those in need, and supporting good causes are examples that will be familiar to most Christians. Works like these are what the authors of Hebrews 10:24 and James 2:14-26 had in mind when they emphasized the importance of doing such good works. According to James, works are the product of our faith, and if our faith fails to produce any good works, it is dead. Living faith will inspire the believer to do good, and the examples James uses are easy to understand such as providing food to the hungry and giving warm clothes to the poor. But is responding to the needs of others the only “good work” God prepared for His followers to do, or is there more?
Everyday good works vs a life of service to God
While the summary of the above – having compassion for others – should be second nature to all Christians, some Christians are given a special task.
In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes about the good works God intended for him to do: preaching the Good News to the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:8). He elaborates on this by saying he was “appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,” in his second letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:11).
In Paul’s case, this was a task given to him by Jesus Himself (Acts 9:5). There was no doubt about it: Jesus had selected Paul to take His message to the people who hadn’t heard it yet.
And Paul wasn’t the only one to be given this task. In Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15, we read how all disciples were given this same task to go out, preach the Gospel, and make new disciples. This was truly a “good work” prepared for them by God!
Can spreading the Gospel be a good work that has also been prepared for 21st century Christians? The Apostle Peter seems to think so; in 1 Peter 2:5-9, he writes that (all) Christians are called to a “royal priesthood,” which we can certainly associate with our part in sharing the Gospel. So, how do we find out more?
Guide to Good Works
There are essentially two ways to find out what good works God has prepared for you.
First of all, you are greatly encouraged to prayerfully invite the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is ‘the Holy Spirit’s job’, as Jesus promised in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” The Holy Spirit is a Guide Who leads born again Christians through life and we can pray to God for His guidance (Philippians 4:6, James 1:5).
The Holy Spirit is ultimately the only One Who can provide you with instructions that are personal to you alone. Before you commit to some grand work you believe you are called to do, you must pray for confirmation. Don’t be tempted to invent your own good works. In God’s plan, there is a time and a place for everything; the Holy Spirit will tell you what your specific role is, and when it is needed.
A basic prayer we might pray can be: “Lord, open my eyes to the things You want me to do. Make me aware of the people around me; show me their needs and how I can help. I am ready to do Your will; please guide me to where You want me to be, and whose lives You want me to touch with Your love.”
Secondly, the Holy Spirit also inspired the writings we know as the New Testament and from its books, we can derive more general guidelines.
The most important guideline must surely be that “good works” aren’t optional, just like James writes in James 2:14-26. We are alive; our faith is alive, and we demonstrate this by doing good works. Remember Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we should walk in them.”
Our shared Good Work
As mentioned above, the Apostles Matthew and Mark wrote about what is known as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15).
In John 15:16, the Apostle John also writes about it, highlighting a specific aspect with these words from Jesus: “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.”
In the same manner that ‘everyday good works’ are the fruit of the Spirit, we, too, are to bear fruit and in turn, this fruit should produce more fruit itself. Of course, this is not about an edible crop harvested by a farmer, or about the financial gains of a business man: this ‘fruit’ refers to (us) spreading the Gospel and others receiving it in faith.
This is a central theme to Jesus’s message: paragraph John 15:1-8 and in particular the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:8, 13:23) emphasize the importance of bearing fruit. Colossians 1:10 says it even more clearly, telling believers that they should, “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Ask God to guide you
Doing good works means extending God’s goodness to others, because through His followers, God can share His love with the world. It means allowing the Holy Spirit to encourage us to do positive things for others that will benefit them. Most importantly, it means bearing fruit by sharing God’s love with others and by spreading the Gospel!
Remember: if you need help – with good works or anything else to do with your Christian faith, God is always at hand, and only a prayer away. If you have no-one to turn to at your local church or in your area, pray to God for wisdom, and “God, Who gives generously to all without reproach”, will give it to you. (James 1:5)