"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20

The word 'ethics' refers to a system or manner of moral actions, meaning that it has to do with good versus evil, and so the Christian work ethic is a Biblical philosophy that is seen in those who work hard to do good works. This is a very common problem in church buildings, but sadly, I sometimes see this problem in Christians as well, and so in this teaching, for the benefit of the church as a whole, we are going to address laziness, or as the Bible calls "slothfulness" and "idleness."

sloth (n): disinclination to action or labor, sluggishness, laziness, idleness
lazy (n): disinclinded to action or exertion, slow, moving slowly concerning labor
idle (n): unoccupied with business, inactive, doing nothing
(See 'sloth', 'lazy' & 'idle', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 31, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Before I begin, I too have been guilty of laziness, and therefore, I have had to come to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing) and change my habits. I say this to make sure readers know that I understand the sin, and what it can do to someone who falls into the trap. I also made this teaching knowning that many churchgoers would get upset with me, and that's because they do not want to be rebuked for their wrongdoing; nonetheless, it is my duty to rebuke the sin of slothfulness, idleness, and laziness.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
-Ephesians 5:11

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
-2 Timothy 4:2

On the other hand, I have found that those who work hard love it when I teach on this subject. Further still, there are others of you will hear the truth of this matter with a repentant heart, and then judge yourselves accordingly to see if you have lived according to a Biblical work ethic, and it is my prayer that the Lord God would richly bless you with understanding and wisdom of the matter.

hard (adj): difficult of accomplishment; not easy to be done or executed
work (v): to move, to perform, to labor, to be occupied in performing manual labor, whether severe or moderate
(See 'hard' & 'work', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved June 29, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

In most cases, lazy men and women avoid hard work. God tends to bless those who do hard work, meaning that He makes the work of their hands prosperous, but the sloth cares not for such things because they are selfishly motivated; that is, they think of no one but themselves.

The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
-Proverbs 21:25

Under normal circumstances, lazy men and women would end up dead because of their slothfulness, but so often, they take advantage of those around them who work hard. This happens in more ways than one, as we will find out later in this teaching. Because the sloths are around someone who works hard and provides for them, they end up living, but if they were stranded alone, their laziness would kill them, which is why the Bible also says:

A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
-Proverbs 19:24

This is describing a lazy man who will bring his hand to his chest to keep himself warm, not having proper clothing because of his idle hands. Because he will not work, he will not have food, and that food will not be brought to his mouth; therefore, he keeps his hand to his chest to warm himself and is so lazy, he would rather starve than do any work.

A lazy man also makes incredible and ridiculous excuses:

The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
-Proverbs 22:13

Of course, there is no lion in the streets, but he professes a dangerous lion. This is only to give him an excuse to not go out and do any actual work or be helpful to anyone.

In our modern American society, there is a phrase called "making a mountain out of a molehill," which refers to someone who takes a very trivial matter, like a small pile of dirt made by the mole digging in the ground, and describes it in such a way to make others think it was a mountain in their path. People who speak in such ways are lazy because they spend more time trying to convince everyone around them how hard their life is, rather than doing the hard work necessary to make things better.

For example, there might be a sink of dirty dishes to be done and a couple of loads of laundry, which is no different than any other household, but a woman complains, "I just have SOOO much housework to do! It just never ends! I don't know how I'm supposed to get everything done in one day!" She is taking a matter that is trivial, meaning that it is a daily thing everyone has to deal with, and turning it into the most burdensome and grievous thing anyone has ever faced; this is what comes out of the mouth of a lazy person.

As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.
-Proverbs 26:14

When a man regains his consciousness in the morning, instead of getting up and getting to work, he attempts to go back to sleep. Like a door swinging closed, the lazy man rotates from one side to the other, rolling over in his bed to reposition himself in comfort, and return to his lazy slumber.

Don't misunderstand; a man can work late and need the rest, and many of us have experienced that, and there are also occasional days of rest in which someone will sleep a little longer to let his tired body relax. However, this is describing a man who, on a regular basis, has had plenty of sleep, but he just does not want to get up to get anything done, and so instead of thinking of the Lord God and others around him, he considers himself and his own desires first and foremost; meaning that selfishness is the foundation of a lazy man.

He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
-Proverbs 18:9

The lazy man has a kinship and forms a friendship with those who are very wasteful, who have no modesty for eating, drinking, and spending. This is because they neither value the food, shelter, clothing, and many other comforts awarded to those who work hard; after all, since they get them for free, why should they work? For that matter, why should they care if they waste that which a hard-working man has aquired? A great waster can also be someone who has inherited a lot of wealth, and so the lazy man sees an opportunity to selfishly benefit from his wasteful companion.

Those who have come to repentance and faith in Christ are commanded to work hard, and not be slothful in whatever business they do:

Let love be without dissimulation. [i.e. outward appearance or standing on pretense] Abhor [greatly hate] that which is evil; cleave [draw close and hold on] to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent [passionate] in spirit; serving the Lord;
-Romans 12:9-11

In other words, we ought to work hard in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what capacity we serve him. If a man is a teacher of Scripture, such as myself, then he ought to work hard in teaching. If a man is lodging a stranger, he should work hard in caring for that stranger. Even if a man is working a cash register at a store to earn a living, he ought to do that job as if he did it for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
-Ecclesiates 9:10

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
-Colossians 3:23-24

The Bible teaches us that if a man does not work hard to provide for his household, he is no better than an infidel, meaning that he is no better off than an unbelieving atheist who denies and scoffs at the Word of God and is fitted to destruction.

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
-1 Timothy 5:8

infidel (adj): one who disbelieves the divine origin of Scripture
(See 'infidel', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved June 29, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

After the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, the first thing God did was put Adam to work:

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
-Genesis 3:17-19

Notice that God said that the ground was cursed "for thy sake," meaning that it was for Adam's own good. It is very common for men to do things that will get them in trouble when they sit around idle with nothing to do; thus, hard work is a good remedy for sinful habits, and if parents want to raise good sons, they should teach them a good work ethic.

There are also many words of Scripture that rebuke lazy women, perhaps even more than lazy men, and how the idle hands of a woman can bring a man to ruin. I suspect the reason for how much lazy women are rebuked in Scripture is due to the fact that much responsibility has been placed on men for hard work and providing for their household since they are the stronger gender, and so a lazy wife or daughter, who becomes a burden to him, can be a curse worse than a plague.

Many readers may be familiar with what is known as the "Proverbs 31 Woman," who is rare to the point that Solomon later said he could find no such woman in the earth.

Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
-Ecclesiastes 7:28

The Bible says her value is above precious gems, and goes on to describe the things she does:s

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
-Proverbs 31:13-20

To summarize, a godly woman works hard, and does so willingly. She brings in food for her household, and she finds a good deal on the things she buys, getting the highest quality goods for the best price. There are women who are great wasters, who care nothing for the financial situation of her household, expecting that a man should make more money simply to provide for her pleasure, but a good woman honors her husband and household by looking for sales, cutting coupons, and finding the best quality for the lowest price. (i.e. Men, do not make fun of women who do such things because they are a blessing to your household.)

Sometimes, the godly woman will get up while it's still dark to make sure everything is prepared for her family throughout the next day. She doesn't just rely on her husband to provide everything, but she goes out to plant a vineyard and turn a profit, to be of good use to him and their family, and not only to their household, but then uses that income to give to the poor and needy.

For the natural strength she lacks in her arms and core, she strengthens them through exercise to make up for that weakness, which takes hard work. There are many other descriptions in Proverbs 31 of this valuable woman who is almost nowhere to be found, but in short, she doesn't sit around idle; she always has something to do.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
-Proverbs 31:27-29

There are some Christian women out there who I know work hard to achieve just a fraction of the value of the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31, but there are other such women who I have found that sit around idle, expecting that everyone else should take care of her. I covered many such women in my book on feminism, in which there are vindictive women who steal their husband's children away from him, forcing him into a divorce, knowing that the government will make him remotely pay for her and his children, while she prevents him from seeing his family.
(Read "Feminism: Castrating America" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The commandments of hard work for women are also seen in the New Testament, giving us some interesting insight on widows, that is, women whose husbands have died:

Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety [reverence with affection and devotion] at home, and to requite [do good unto] their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate [without a home or companion], trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
-1 Timothy 5:3-6

There's more to cover in 1 Timothy 5, but let's go over the details so far: To honor the widow means to give her privilege for the loss and hardships she has suffered; however, she need to be showing reverence, affection, and devotion to those in her family, not just sitting around expecting free hand outs. There are those widows who trust in God and continue in prayer that He will care for her and provide for her needs, but there are other widows who feign such things, being lazy, and seek to obtain the wealth of others through sexual misconduct, using her body in sin to get the things she needs or wants.

Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
-1 Timothy 5:9-13

First, it says that if a woman is less than 60 years old, she should not "be taken into the number," which means, a number of widows in the church who are under the financial care of the church. What Paul is saying here is that if a woman is young enough to work, then she should work, and not rely on everyone else to take care of her, which is not to say that we cannot help those in need, but a Christian work ethic comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, in which He puts in us the desire to work and provide for others, and if at all possible, that we would not become a burden on others by turning to the covetous lusts of the flesh in laziness.
(NOTE: This is not to say that a woman 60-year-old or older must be taken care of by the church, but only if she is "desolate," meaning that she has no home, or no children or nephews or parents to help take care of her, which would normally be their responsibility.)

If a widowed women, who is either elderly, or perhaps injured to which she cannot care for herself, wants the care of the church, she must meet certain prerequisites. She has to be of good report, not taking advantage of others, but doing good works, raising her children well, being charitable and kind to those around her; if she does not do these things, then the church has no obligation to financially support her because an uncharitable woman is the reflection of a lazy woman.

Men are expected to earn more than his share and given unto others, but how many women do the same?

Don't misunderstand; there is nothing unbiblical about a woman living off the resources her husband brings in and caring for the home, nor is there anything wrong with a young widow remarrying, but what Paul is referring to here is a young widow who, in her laziness, expects the church to provide for her without having to work for a living, and then, when she begins to starve and lose her home, she will go out a seek a husband to provide for her again because she is a slothful woman who has abandoned Christ to satisfy her lusts. She is damned to hell, not because of her works (or her lack thereof), but rather, she was never of Christ in the first place because she never had the Holy Spirit of God in her, otherwise, He would have given her strong conviction to value the commandments of Christ and honor her husband by working hard and doing what is right.

Thus, such lazy women are curses to their households and everyone else around them. As 1st Timothy 5 told us, they become busybodies and tattlers, having not enough to do, and opening their mouths when they should keep them shut.

busybody (n): a meddling person; one who officiously [pressing in a demanding manner] concerns himself with the affairs [business and matters] of others
tattler (n): an idle talker who tells tales and communicates secrets; using many words with little meaning
(See 'busybody' & 'tattler', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 31, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

We have all known women who tend to gossip and stick their nose in other people's business. In short, they're vain; meaning those women are useless. Hard workers find them very irritating to talk to, and that's because busybodies and hard workers have two opposing philosophies, which is why you don't see them forming friendships.

Ultimately, laziness, idleness, and slothfulness is sin against God, and comes from a selfish and covetous heart, specifically from someone who wants everything given to them without having to do anything for it. I have seen laziness in many places I have been, but none more troublesome, hypocritical, and irritating than from those who profess to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice that if the widows were going to be taken into care of the church as a whole, it is required that they be good workers of charity. However, I have seen examples and heard countless testimonies of churchgoers turning their eyes and ears away from the poor and needy.

Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
-Psalm 12:1-2

flatter (v): to soothe by false praise; to raise false hopes by representations not well founded
double-hearted (adj): having a false heart; deceitful
(See 'flatter' & 'double-hearted', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved May 31, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

A double-hearted man is one who says something with his mouth, but in his heart, he believes or feels a different way. In short, he's fake, and cares more about making his outward appearance look prestine and impressing others than cleaning out his wicked and filthy heart.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
-Matthew 23:25-26

There are many men and women in church buildings who act exactly like this, namely, that they're always quick to saying something like, "I'll be prayin' for ya brother!" while doing nothing to help the poor and needy.

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
-James 2:14

Don't misunderstand when it says, "can faith save him," for this passage is not speaking of the person who has faith in Christ because we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9), but rather, it is speaking of those who only profess faith on the outside, in that they claim to "believe on Jesus," but there is no evidence to go along with it. That type of "faith," which is dead from the start, cannot save him because it is not the type of saving faith spoken of in Scripture, which comes from those who have been given repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of sin.
(Read "False Converts vs Eternal Security" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
-James 2:15-17

What most churchgoers don't understand is that there are two different types of faith being talked about in James 2. There is the faith of a born again child of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, which saves his soul, but there is another faith that false converts have, which is faith without repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing), which is a faith without works. (I will continue going over James 2 later in this article, so we will get back to more details on this soon.)

The problem is that many churchgoers, being false converts, try to adjust their works so that their outward appearance gives people a false perception of their inward spirit, but a man can never become clean inwardly by doing outward works, and thus, his true heart can be seen by the things he says and does when we inspect the fruit of his works carefully. Those who are born again in Christ have no need to put on an outward show because they examine themselves inwardly, and their outward works are adjusted to reflect their inward spirit automatically over time.

For example, I once remember being in a Sunday school in a church building where they did their typical "prayer request" session afterwards. I was a young man at the time, going to the church building with my parents, and the people in there were mostly upper-middle class, so it wasn't as if they were destitute of daily food; however, one day a man was joining us and complained that he was having difficulty making ends meet because he had come down with a medical condition, and instead of the churchgoers rallying together to find out how they could help him, they just gave the typical "mmmm" sound to express outward sadness at his troubles, added him to a "prayer request list," and then did nothing to help him.

In another example, one of the men in our church had talked about his experience in church buidlings, in which a woman was embarrassed to say that should could not make ends meet because her vehicle had broken down and was in need of repair, and she needed help. In the end, the churchgoers offered her a prayer request and sent her on her way.

These are people who draw nigh (near) to God with their lips only. In truth, their hearts are far from the Lord Jesus Christ.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:8

They feign lovingkindness; they feign charity, but they do not have those fruits of the Spirit in their hearts. They send people away with typical church-ianity phrases like:

"Just remember, God's in control." "Good luck with that." (The concept of 'luck' is pagan; it's not Biblical.) "If you know God, you know peace." "God will get you through it." "God knows what you need." "You just need to pay tithe more." (Read "Is Tithe a Christian Requirement?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.) "Keep on in the faith." "Remember that Jesus loves you."

Over the years, I have rebuked churchgoers for hiding behind these cutesy, vain one-liners, and I have received a lot of railing and false accusation for it. However, their works (or lack thereof) is evidence of the wickedness in their hearts because that which proceeds out of the mouth come from the heart, and though churchgoers love to say, "You can't know what's in a man's heart!" to avoid being judged in their unrighteousness, Jesus taught the opposite:

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
-Matthew 15:18

In their hearts, they hate righteous judgment, and foolishly believe that no one should judge anyone because they don't want to be judged for their laziness, among other iniquities.
(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!'" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
-1 Corinthians 11:31

But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
-1 Corinthians 2:15

Thus, if we can judge what is in a man's heart by simply the words that come out of his mouth, certainly, we can judge what's in his heart by his works too. This is why Jesus taught us:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
-Matthew 7:15-20

fruit (n): production; that which is produced
(See 'fruit', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved June 28, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The fruit of a man's work can be many things; it can be that which he produces to provide for his family, the doctrine and philosophy he teaches, the children he raises, the charitable works that he does, and even the students that he teaches. Thus, if a man claims to believe in the doctrine of Christ, and his works produce those things which are good according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then we can know that the seed of Word of God fell into the good ground that God had prepared in his heart.

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
-Matthew 13:23

However, if the man claims to be of Christ, and his works produce that which is contrary to the doctrine of Christ, we can know he is a wolf in disguise. The seed of the Word of God fell on bad ground, and he deceives those around him into believing that on the outside he is of Christ, but inwardly, he is a lover of himself only, looking on providing things for himself first.

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
-Matthew 13:19-22

These are men who will outwardly profess that they understand the Word of God, but they believe and teach false doctrine, meaning that they do not understand it. Inwardly, that man is a lover of himself only; looking on the things of himself first and foremost, and caring nothing for God or his neighbor, no matter how much he wants to claim with his mouth that he loves God and others.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
-Philippians 2:4

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
-Titus 1:16

It is also very important that we Christians understand the difference between working hard, and working right. There have been many instances in which I have rebuked the false doctrine of a preacher, and the excuse from churchgoers is, "How dare you rebuke that pastor because he does [insert works]," but what they do not understand is that his doctrine is part of his fruits, and if the fruit is corrupt, the tree is corrupt.

For example, Adolf Hitler was an incredibly hard-working individual, to the point that (as far as I've heard) his staff had a hard time keeping up with him. However, the work that Hitler did was evil in opposition to the doctrines of Christ, and therefore, just because he worked hard, does not mean he did good works, and the same philosophy (i.e. way of thinking) applies to churchgoers and pastors as much as it does to Adolf Hitler because God is no respecter of persons.

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
-Acts 10:34
(Read "Respecting Persons Is Sin" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
-Matthew 23:1-3

This is what Jesus meant when He taught that we should "judge righteous judgment." Those men are fake because "they profess to know God, but in works, they deny him." We ought to look at the Word of God, and compare His doctrine to what people say and do, judging ourselves first, and then judging others according to the inward spirit.

We need to do the right works to be pleasing to God, but there will be many churchgoers and false preachers who will stand before Christ in judgment, claiming to be of Christ when they are not, and using their outward works as an excuse to pardon their sin:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity [unrighteousness, sin].
-Matthew 7:21-23

Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
-1 Corinthians 3:13

In that day, God will reveal the works of every man and woman who ever lived, and those who put on an outward show of works without first cleaning out the inside will be exposed. There are MANY who go to church buildings every week, pay tithe, and sing songs about Jesus, but they are lifted up in the pride of their hearts, and they will not be saved from the wrath of God and hell unless they are humbled to the grief and godly sorrow of repentance to receive the remission (pardon/forgiveness) of sin.

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
-Luke 24:46-47

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
-Matthew 7:13-14

The Lord God does not give grace to the proud of heart. Grace is a free gift, but it's not like taking a free sample at a grocery store; He only offers His free gift to those who are humbled to repentance.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Pride" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
-James 4:6

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
-Psalm 34:18

contrite (adj): broken-hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent
repentance (n): sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct
(See 'contrite' & 'repentance', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 13, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

When we are born again in Christ, God will raise us up to good works. When we are saved, we are given a heart of repentance, and not only should we do works that shows the repentance in our hearts, but God grows within us a desire to do those good works.

Bring forth therefore fruits meet for [worthy of, Luke 3:8] repentance:
-Matthew 3:8

Good works do not save us. Good works are not the foundation of salvation, but rather, salvation (i.e. repentance and faith in Christ) is the foundation of good works.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
-Ephesians 2:10

Our works are a result of our faith in Christ. It is our duty to examine ourselves to make sure we are doing what is right by Christ.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
-2 Corinthians 13:5

There is another type of works that we need to examine, and those are "vain" works.

vain (adj): empty; worthless; having no substance, value or importance
(See 'vain', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved June 28, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

There are many types of vain works. For example, we have already gone over busybodies and tattlers, which are gossipers that wrongfully involve themselves in the business of others; their works and the words are vain.

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
-Matthew 12:36

People who offer vain works while professing Christ will often do what I referred to earlier as "making a mountain out of a molehill" in order inflate their vain works to make them out to seem helpful, when they are actually useless. I have received a lot of flak (i.e. vicious criticism) for calling these people "Shake-n-Bake" churchgoers, which is based an old 1960s American TV commercial that advertised "Shake-n-Bake," a product of seasoned bread crumbs that would be placed into a bag with raw chicken and shaken to spread the crumbs evenly over the chicken before baking it in the oven. The commercial above shows an adorable little girl who wants to help her grandmother fix dinner, and so her grandma let's her shake the bag of chicken in preparation for cooking, and at the end of the commercial she says the famous line, "It's Shake-n-Bake, and I helped!" What the commerical does NOT show is the amount of time and effort the grandmother has to put in working to make sure they have money for groceries, buying the groceries, making sure the car is in good upkeep to bring the groceries home, organize the groceries, pull out all the ingredients, prep the chicken and all the sides, cooking, baking, setting the table, serving the meal, cleaning up, doing the dishes, etc.

The little girl, in her young, innocent, naive state of mind, honestly thinks she helped by shaking a bag, and that's cute when children are young and have no understanding. In the simplicity of her mind, she helped her grandmother out of genuine desire to be helpful, even though we know that she did almost nothing to actually help. However, what's NOT cute is when full grown adults do the very same thing.

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
-1 Corinthians 14:20

So for example, churchgoers often do this through their advice.

advice (n): counsel; an opinion recommended or offered as worthy to be followed
(See 'advice', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 1, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The problem is not advice itself, as there is wise counsel that a man may provide that can be very valuable to someone is seeking knowledge of what he should do next.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
-Proverbs 12:15

However, I find that advice is often given in place of actual help. This is the lazy churchgoer's way of "helping" because it gives them an outward appearance of being helpful, covering the sin of their slothful ways, but in reality, they haven't lifted a finger to do anything that would be actual works that are helpful.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
-Psalm 1:1

For example, on my Youtube (YT) channel, I shut off comments and voting because I don't run an entertainment channel (i.e. opinions are irrelevant in light of the truth), and that if people want to have discussions on my teachings, we have a forum they can join, which is much more appropriate for detailed discussions, and all that information is in the description of all our YT videos. However, I had a woman write me and give me her advice that I should turn YT comments on because she would be able to "help" by making positive comments.

First of all, during the short conversation with her, I found out that she did not even bother to find out why we had Youtube comments shut off, nor did she even ask me; thus, her "advice" was spoken in willful ignorance. (In fact, there is an FAQ which answers that question as well, but she didn't bother to read that either.) In short, she was built up in the pride of her heart, putting a high value on her opinion, and then thought that her opinion should have been highly revered, which is why she was so angry when I explained that fact to her, but in reality, when someone offers unrequested advice on a topic in which they have no experience or understanding, there almost always an underlying, selfish motivation behind it.

The second thing we need to consider is this: How exactly is writing a comment that says "Good job!" helping me? Does it ease my work load? Does that help me provide for my household? Does it help me complete the coding, writing, research, study, editing, uploading, and all the other things I have do? Her comments would effectively do nothing; it's just vanity, but she wanted to make it sound like it was super-important because she wanted her lazy, vain efforts to be considered "help" because it would allow her to create a false outward appearance of "helping to bring forth fruit" by clicking a couple of buttons on her mobile phone or tablet.

I've had men and women in our church who have gone out and shared the information I've taught and talked with others about it to try and convince them of the truth of repentance and faith in Christ; THAT is helping. One of the men in our church drove from Tennessee up to Indiana for a weekend to help us build the framework for a greenhouse we were constructing for my wife; THAT is helping. One of the men in our church wrote us and dedicated to helping us financially on a monthly basis because we were struggling to make ends meet; THAT is helping. Yet, there are many lazy churchgoers who think making Youtube comments is "helping" because they do not understand the first thing about hard labor unto good works.

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
-Matthew 12:36

I once had a lady write me a letter that was only one sentence, in which she just wrote to tell me, "I read your article on *insert subject*, and you're a really bad speller." That's it. She did not write anything else. She did not bother to send me any corrections whatsoever. How exactly was that helpful? As with any author, I need to have my writing proofread because I accidentally have typos and make spelling mistakes sometimes, which happens because I am writing all this in pure HTML and PHP code in a plain text document, and some of our church members know that and help me out with proofreading from time to time, which is helpful, but the lazy woman wrote me to say "you're a really bad speller" because she's lazy (and likely did not enjoy the article because it rebuked her sin).

The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.
-Proverbs 15:19

Such lazy people like to waste the time of those who work hard, and we should be wise towards them, not allowing them to waste our time, answering them according to their conceited imaginations.

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
-Colossians 4:5-6

Of course, they get furious when we expose their lazy ways. No one likes to be told they are lazy. However, we are supposed to be the salt of the earth, called by God to promote godliness and good works.

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
-Matthew 5:13

Are we to believe that clicking a "LIKE" button has saved anyone? Should we believe in superstitions that Satan is defeated every time we click a "👍" (thumbs up) button, or beep our horn at a "Honk If You Love Jesus" sign? All these things are about putting on an outward appearance, and most of the time, it's just lazy men and women who do not want to do the things that Christ commanded us to do in His Word, who use these superficial things to make themselves look better on the outside.


This is one of the reasons why, generally, if I am not asked for advice, then I don't give it. It is rare that I hand out advice when I'm not asked for it. The reason I consider this to be a wise approach is because if do not offer advice when I'm not asked, then I do not run the risk of angering someone in which I would offend them by my assumptions about their situation, and also, if someone asks for my advice, that leaves them without justification to be angry with me for any reason if they don't like my advice because they asked me for it.

Again, the problem is not advice, and if you think that is the problem, then you are not understanding the core problem. People who work hard often don't have time to hand out advice to everyone else. The root problem is that there are many lazy people out there who love to put on an outward appearance that they work hard or do a lot of things, when in reality, they do very little, and my main point in this teaching is that it is far worse for someone to claim to be of Christ, while they tarnish His good name because of their laziness.

What does advice or suggestions produce?

As we read earlier, 'fruit' is the production of something, and advice does not produce anything, especially when its given in ignorance, which happens more often than most people acknowledge. If we want to analyze what works we have done for the sake of Christ, we should ask ourselves: What have I produced?

In fact, this is the meaning behind the parable of the talents:

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
-Matthew 25:14-30

Many churchgoers do not understand this parable, even though they think they understand it because a pastor told them some ridiculous speech about doing the best they can with their abilities. As I explained in my teaching, "False Converts vs Eternal Security," Jesus taught that His parables had a foundation in false converts, meaning that people who seem to be of Christ on the outside, but inwardly, they are false.

In order to understand this parable, we have to look at it from an investor's point of view because a 'talent' is money:

talent (n): among the ancients, a weight, and a coin; the true value of the talent cannot well be ascertained, but it is known that it was different among different nations
(See 'talent', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 11, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The master gave his servants money according to their abilities to get a return on his investment. The reason the servant with five talents got five back is because he worked hard and used the resources he was given to get a return, and that's because he had more skill, more connections, and worked harder to increase his master's money.

The reason the master only gave the last servant one talent is because he already knew he was a lazy and uncaring servant, which is why he buried what he was given and did nothing. The lazy servant is fearful, not faithful, and the reason he does not want to get a return on the investment for the Kingdom of Heaven is because he does not care about the lost souls of the people, because he has no repentance in his heart. The lazy servant was a false convert, which is why he ended up in hell and the lake of fire (i.e. weeping and gnashing of teeth); because even the two-talent servant got a small return on investment, even if it was a little, working hard enough to do the best he could with what little he had.

There are Christians who produce literal fruits (and vegetables) to feed people. There are Christians who show their productivity by building or repair homes and vehicles to keep people safe and secure. There are Christians who produce children and raise them unto according to the commandments of God. There are Christians who teach, like what I'm doing here, to produce students faithful unto Christ, but there are also are other people, claiming to be of Christ, who foolishly think the vanity of their critiques, complaints, and advice are producing something "helpful."

Now let's go back to James 2 and go further:

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
-James 2:14-16

There is a type of faith that is productive, and a type of faith that is all talk. False converts are all talk because, in this example, someone is in need of basic supplies, and they are sent away with nothing but an insincere "blessing" at the end of their sentence.

Sadly, I have had many Christians write me and complain about this with church buildings and pastors. When it came time that they were in need, it turns out they were all a bunch of superficial churchgoers.

I remember back when I first got married, because my wife and I chose not to go through a traditional wedding ceremony with all the pagan rituals in it, we got almost no help or support. In fact, if it weren't for my parents, we would have be in serious trouble because my wife and I both had trouble finding work, and we could not even afford a place to stay together. (I used a spare room in my parents' house, and my wife stayed in a spare room in my sister's house.) I was giving presentations in church buildings at the time (not being allowed by the overseeing pastor to take any donations, even though he had previously given us his word that we would be able to), and when I brought up this issue with pastors, I was actually repremanded (meaning that I was chewed out for "not having my house in order"), and Lorraine and I got no help from church buildings.
(Read "Testimony: The Truth About Frederick Boyd (Jr) of the Indianapolis Creation Evidence Expo" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

I just would not know where to begin to go back through all the letters I have received over the years from Christians who are done looking for church buildings because they are sick and tired of all the hypocrisy. I completely understand where they are coming from, and we started a home church for that very reason; so we could study the Word of God together without interference from whited sepulchres.

hypocrisy (n): a feigning to be what one is not; a concealment of one's real character or motives
(See 'hypocrisy', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 5, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
-Matthew 23:27

James continues to point out that:

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
-James 2:17

Again, this the second type of faith, which is faith without repentance.

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
-Luke 3:8

Faith without repentance is dead, which means those who claim to "believe on Jesus," but have no repentance in their hearts, will end up in hell because they have a false faith. There is no works meet for repentance in their hearts because there is no repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing) in their hearts.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
-James 2:18

For example, many churchgoers say, "Let us show you our faith by our worship sessions in which we sing songs very passionately about Jesus." This is no joke; I have had pastors and churchgoers make that excuse to me after I have rebuked their false doctrine. Again, it's all talk, a false outward appearance, and it produces nothing, meaning that they have nothing to show for their so-called "faith."

To give an analogy, imagine for a moment you are a manager of a restaurant, and one of your waiters is standing around playing on his phone instead of waiting the tables you pay him to do. When you tell him to get off his phone and get to work, he instead just sings a song, "♪ Oh, what a wonderful boss! You are so good to us! ♪" and then he turns back to playing on his phone; you would NOT say he is a good and faithful employee, and you would fire him immediately because you know he as "wicked and slothful servant."

The Lord God rebuked the false outward appearance of the Jews, as they would come to the feasts that He appointed unto them, and they would make the sacrifices in accordance to His Word, but they performed the traditions as a show for an outward appearance without repentance of sin in their hearts; therefore, He told them to take their songs of praise away from Him because He hated their hypocrisy.

I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
-Amos 5:21-23

For example, reading this teaching is a good thing; if you are reading this, it's because you have a desire to gain the understanding and knowledge of God's Word. However, if we go back to the example of the restaurant employee, it would be pointless for a restaurant employee to read over the training manual, and then not do any work; likewise, it is pointless to read over this teaching and not go forth, make changes, and get some work done as a servant of God for His Kingdom.

Lazy People Desire Socialism and Communism socialism (n): a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state communism (n): a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc, in the community as a whole (See 'socialism' & 'communism', Random House Dictionary, 2019, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012) In short, socialism and communism are most the same thing, as a country who moves into communism will start out with a small degree of socialist reform. In a capitalist system of government, like the USA's constitutional republic (i.e. we are not a democracy as the media keeps parroting), wealth is controlled by individuals according to their hard work and effort, but in a communist/socialist system, the government takes control of all wealth from hard working individuals (i.e. theft) and redistributes it at their discretion. In a capitalist system of government, a restaurant would hire employees, and the employees would keep their jobs based on their performance, and the better they perform, the more money they can make via raises, promotions, etc. However, in a communist/socialist system, work performance means nothing because it does not matter how much work you do, you get paid the same as everyone else. The problem with this is easily seen, namely that this system allows lazy people to get paid more than they should. If someone does not want to work, they don't have to, and they will still make the same living that everyone else makes. The Lord God set up a capitalist-based system for His children, meaning if they do the work, they get paid, but if they don't do the work, then they will receive nothing: For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly [unruly and undisciplined], working not at all, but are busybodies. [i.e. does not mind their own business, and gets involved in the affairs of others] Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. -2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Capitalism would normally drive these lazy people to poverty, but in a communist/socialist system, they thrive by leeching off the hard work of those around them. Communism/socialism allows a select few to steal food from the mouths of the children of hard-working men, and give it to slothful people who did nothing to earn it. This is why things like Obama-care in the U.S. has been in the midst of heavy political controversy. Former U.S. president Barack Obama raised taxes (i.e. taking money from hard-working people who earn a living), and gave that money to people who signed for financial medical assistance through the U.S. government. One of the major problems with this is that most medical conditions in the U.S. are self-induced, meaning that the person who is seeking medical attention caused the problem they are having. For example, those cancer or diabetes caused their own illness in most cases by their poor diets, being gluttonous and covetous, and so they sign up for Obama-care, and the U.S. government steals money from hard-workers who watch what they eat in moderation and take of themselves, and give their hard-earned money to pay for peoples' sinful habits. (Read "The Cure for Cancer" here at creationliberty.com for more details.) Charity is the solution to someone who is in dire need of help, but communism/socialism ends up rewarding sin. It makes more sense when you realize that a lazy man (i.e. Karl Marx) created communism on the foundational philosophy of Evolutionism (i.e. Marx dedicated his ideas to Charles Darwin), and was only able to have the time to create the concept because he was funded by a wealthy man (i.e. Friedrich Engels) under a capitalist society. This is why, to this day, every country who has switched into a communist/socialist system has decayed into ruin; there is no example of a prosperous communist/socialist nation. (Read "Seeds of Evolution" here at creationliberty.com for more details on Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.)

James continues to point out that the fake faith that people have is no different than that of devils:

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
-James 2:19

Again, vanity is that which is useless. Thus, the Holy Spirit of God is pointing out to us that those who sit in the fake faith are USELESS, that is, they do nothing. (e.g. "Shake-n-Bake" churchgoers; claiming they "help," when they don't do anything.)

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
-James 2:21-22

Please don't misunderstand; Abraham was justified by faith, as other Scriptures testify, just as we are justified by faith.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
-Romans 4:3

So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
-Galatians 3:9

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
-Romans 3:28

However, what James is referring to here are the works that Abraham did that were of the true faith in God. They were works of pure faith, not of fake faith. This is to say that a Catholic priest can feed the homeless, and a born again Christian can feed the homeless, but the born again Christian goes home with his works justified, whereas the Catholic priest will still end up in hell, not being justified by his works, and that is because by the faith of Abraham were his works justified, as our works will also be justified through our faith.

On the other hand, if we don't do any work at all, then what good was that so-called "faith" in the first place?

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
-James 2:23-24

Again, this is referring to faith without works being dead; that "faith only" is a false faith. True faith, in those who love the Lord Jesus Christ, will work hard to do good works to get a return on the investment of their Master, who they love dearly.

If ye love me, keep my commandments.
-John 14:15

Those who have a false faith will stand before judgment by the Lord Jesus Christ and plead with Him concerning their works, and will be turned away unto everlasting fire.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-Matthew 7:21-23
(Read "False Converts vs Eternal Security" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

It's my hope that, through this teaching, Christians will have their understanding opened by the Lord Jesus Christ so that they can see why He said, "he that doeth the will of my Father" because some people might take that to mean works-doctrine. That's incorrect. Jesus is referring to the faith that has works with it, because God instills the desire to do good works and produce fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven into those who have come to repentance and faith, being born again in Christ, and it is not that they must do works to enter heaven, but rather, they have the true faith in Christ, while those who just attended church buildings, gave tithes, prayed, and sang lots of songs about Jesus will typically end up in hell because they had a fake faith.

Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying; there is nothing wrong with singing and praying, but the question is, what is the true heart of those who are singing and praying? There are those few who sing and pray in true faith, and there are MANY who sing and pray in false faith.

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
-1 Corinthians 14:15

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
-Matthew 7:13-14

There will be people who will read this teaching, or listen to it on audio, and will still not understand it. They will hear the Scripture, they will hear the explanation of the doctrine I'm teaching, but they will still not understand it.

Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
-Acts 28:26-27

They have no repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing) in their hearts, and because they have not been humbled to repentance, God has darkened their understanding. Without the conversion of the Holy Spirit of God, they will not be able to see and hear.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
-1 Corinthians 2:14

If you are a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, examining yourself upon reading these things, and you have determined that you are not producing much of anything, please do not make the mistake of thinking that you will change your outward appearance and solve the problem. You have to rely on the Lord Jesus Christ to send His Spirit to you to change you on the inside, give you a heart of repentance, so that you will do works worthy of that repentance, and I warn you of this because, if you go just trying to change your outward appearance, you will end up doing some good works for a few weeks, and then fizzle out and go back to your placid, lazy existence.

You must rely on the Lord Jesus Christ to change. Don't misunderstand, you need to make effort, but He has to change you because He is the author of that pure faith which justifies us:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
-Hebrews 12:2

God must give men repentance because repentance is a gift from Him:

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
-2 Timothy 2:25-26

It is for these reasons why we see churchgoers say "God bless you," or "Be ye warmed and filled" and do nothing. It is for these reasons why we see churchgoers offer advice instead of help, and why they brag about their worship song sessions rather than discuss doctrine; it's all about giving an outward appearance of being in true faith, while inwardly they are sloths.

All I can say is that each Christian needs to examine himself/herself:

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
-2 Corinthians 13:5

The Bible teaches us that there are many deceitful people out there, who claim with their mouths to serve Christ, but in works, they deny Him:

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's [money's] sake.
-Titus 1:10-11

Before I quote the rest of it, I want to say that there are many pastors out there like this. They are deceitful workers of iniquity in that they teach the wicked traditions of men for doctrine, knowing that they if they repeat the narrative that churchgoers love to hear, they will make more money.
(Read "Is Tithe a Christian Requirement?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
-Titus 1:12-16

They deny God in works in one of two ways. Either they deny God because they do corrupt works, which produces corrupt fruit, or they do no works because they're lazy.

I have had people try to justify their favorite preachers teaching false doctrine by saying, "I'll have you know he works very hard," but that's what we call the "good intentions" argument. For example, I'm sure Michael W. Smith, famous "Christian" musician works incredibly hard, but he's a false convert, teaches false doctrine, and yokes up with the world, and therefore, it doesn't matter how many "good intentions" he might have had because the road to hell is paved with "good intentions."
(Read "Wolves in Costume: Michael W. Smith" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

However, the other type of fake faith comes from those who are lazy and do nothing, being more concerned with making sure they spread out cutesy church-ianity phrases like "God's in control" and "God is good all the time," rather than judging righteous judgment and doing works meet for repentance. In short: They want to be recognized to be men and women of pure faith, without actually having to do anything to prove it.

Even prayer is often used as an excuse for lazy people. Please don't misunderstand; prayer is vital, and we ought to bring our humble requests to God. When there is nothing we can do ourselves, we go to God in prayer, but what I'm talking about are lazy churchgoers who use "prayer warrior" status as an outward false appearance so they don't have to do any work.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Prayer" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
-Matthew 6:5-7

"They think they will be heard for their much speaking," meaning that God is not listening to their prayers. The assumption in church buildings is that God hears any prayer no matter what, but when people are praying in hypocrisy, under a fake faith in laziness, repeating the same things over and over in vanity (i.e. uselessness), God does not hear.

Bring no more vain oblations [offerings]; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. [i.e. a serious religious meeting, like church services] Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. [i.e. they claimed to worship God while they persecuted His prophets, and that they would make endless sacrifices without repentance] Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
-Isaiah 1:13-18

Sometimes, people are going through something that we simply cannot help them with, and prayer is all we have for their sakes. However, I (and many other Christians I've spoken with) have witnessed churchgoers and pastors ignore those in need, departing by saying, "I'll be praying for you," while not lifting a finger to do anything.

And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! [men who were educated in God's laws and commandments] for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
-Luke 11:46

Their vain words are all about putting on a show for the masses, in which they care more about how people see them outwardly, rather than caring about fixing the corruption within themselves.

Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity [useless conversation] every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
-Psalm 12:2

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15

There are also the type of lazy churchgoers who think pointing out things which need to be done is "helping. This is also vanity. For example, I had a woman write me once who complained that I had some typos on an article I wrote, and she wrote one sentence to me that said, "You're a terrible speller," but she never bothered to point out where the errors were. These are the type of lazy churchgoers who sit back and expect everything to be done for them, and refuse to lift a finger. Even more irritating are those lazy churchgoers who ask, "Is there anything I can do to help?" when they already know what they could do to help. It's not wrong to ask if one can help if you honestly don't know what to do, but there are many people out there who know what they could do, and yet, they want to be told "No," so they can appear helpful while doing nothing.

Laziness is plaguing America today, which is why you see so many people relying on government-assisted living and medicare. Don't misunderstand, I know that some government subsidy goes towards things like assisted living for quadraplegics for example, even though that should all be done by charity, not by government aid; however, most government aid for the poor does not go to people who need it, rather, most of it goes to people who do not want to work, and I've personally seen it too many times.

I have personally known a man who is a paraplegic (i.e. a man without use of his legs) who doesn't make excuses and works ten times harder than his neighbors who sit around and live off food stamps. He has a full-time job, and even a van that's been converted so he can drive completely with his arms. (He showed my wife and I his van once, and it was fascinating how it worked.)

I worked with woman who had been paralyzed from the waist down since she was a teenager, but she made no excuses. She got some help for transportation, got a job in tech support, and pays her own way.

These people might be seen as those who would have an excuse to do nothing and be lazy. However, they work harder than most people because they don't have as many conveniences, so what excuse does everyone else have?

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
-Proverbs 6:6-8

sluggard (n): a person habitually lazy, idle and inactive
(See 'sluggard', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 9, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The Bible is not telling us that wisdom comes from insects, but rather, God is pointing out the shame of lazy people. Even the lowly ant works harder than they do, and they desire only because they won't get off their rearends and get some work done.

The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
-Proverbs 13:4
(NOTE: The word 'fat' used to mean healthy, which is the context in this verse.)

There is no reasoning with someone who is lazy. They think all they say and do is justified, but the Bible says they are conceited.

The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit [that one has wisdom in his vain imagination only] than seven men that can render a reason.
-Proverbs 26:16

I was listening to a business owner give a talk once in which he told a story about two women shopping at a department store, and a well-dressed man walked down the aisle and noticed a piece of trash on the floor. He picked up the trash and threw it away. One woman said to the other, "That was kind of him to do," and the other woman replied, "Oh, he only does that because he's the manager." Just as they were speaking, the actual manager surprised them around the corner, and said, "Ladies, that man does not even work at this store; he's the manager of a restaurant down the street. He doesn't pick up trash because he's a manager, he's a manager because he picks up trash."

The point of the story was to emphasize that thinking of others and hard work comes first, and then the rewards come later. The two women could have picked up that trash, but they saw it and ignored it because they're lazy. The blessings of God are on those who do, not on who are all-talk.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
-James 1:22-24

This is like passing by glass windows on a building in which you can see your own reflection, and in passing, you look at yourself; however, it's only briefly. There was not enough time to examine yourself, to see all your flaws, blemishes, scars, spots, and other imperfections, and so in your imagination (i.e. conceit), you may think you look just fine, but upon close inspection, there are many flaws; this is the way in which most men view themselves when looking inwardly.

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
-James 1:25

Notice that it was not the vain talker who was blessed in his deed, but the one who stops at that mirror, notices his imperfections, and humbles himself. The repentant man, who is lowly in spirit, works hard, knowing that he is worthless, and has been given an inward desire to be useful, which is why the humble man does not sit around idle.

I can personally testify that after many years in ministry, I am not very encouraged by words of encouragement. Frankly, they're a dime-a-dozen (i.e. they're extremely commonplace and not worthy anything), and many of them are given superficially. What really encourages me is when I see born again Christians putting in the work, being charitable, helping out in ways that are needed; the ones who really encourage me are the DOERS of the good works of God.

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth [restrain] not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
-James 1:26-27

To keep oneself away from the evil and wicked devices of this world, and to visit orphans and widows in their pain and suffering; there are no laws against such things. Unless a man do these things with the intent of being seen among men (Mat 6:1), then they are good works.

And again, the true faith (as opposed to the fake faith) comes from those who do those good works from a heart that has been humbled and considers others over oneself.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
-Matthew 22:37-40

Do you eat when you're hungry? Do you seek shade from heat? Do you warm yourself when it's cold? Do you drink when you're thirsty? You already love yourself. You don't need a six-week seminary training course to teach you how to love yourself more, but rather, what we need to do is take that lovingkindness we show ourselves every day, and turn that outward, showing it to the Lord God and our neighbors.

Excuses are also a dime-a-dozen, and I have heard many of them from churchgoers. There have been so many people in church buildings that I've heard regurgitate that they "don't know what God's will is for their life," and often, I find that those who say these things don't hardly read their Bibles much.

Many churchgoers sit around waiting for God to personally appear to them and give them a message, because it's a convenient excuse to do nothing.

These people sit around idle, waiting for God to send them an angel or give them a phone call with specific instructions written out in verbose (overly specific) detail. They do these things purposely because, in their hearts, they don't want instructions; they would rather sit around doing nothing and feeling good about themselves, and I know this because Jesus has already given us clear instructions.

But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
-Acts 26:20

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
-2 Timothy 2:15

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
-Matthew 28:18-20

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. -Luke 24:46-47

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
-2 Timothy 4:5

So the question we need to ask ourselves is this: What have I produced according to these commandments? Or, what have I done to help someone else accomplish these things?
Take time with these questions; don't answer too quickly. There are those who may rush to answer and not realize they have done little or nothing, and others who may rush to answer because, in the humility of their hearts, they believe they have done little, when they have actually done a lot.

The Lazy Man Does Not Care About The "Why" Often, in basic conversation, I see lazy people who don't care about their neighbor. Often, I see Christians who don't realize this either. When they are listening to someone in conversation, they are not fully committed to being selfless, and thinking of the other person rather than themselves. For example, a man came to Jesus in Matthew 19: And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? -Matthew 19:16 Of course, we know that Jesus is good, and He is our master, and therefore, it is right that we call Him "Good Master." However, Jesus questioned the man: And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. -Matthew 19:17 There are two major problems here. The first is that Jesus rebuked the man for calling Him "Good Master," and second, Jesus taught the man that he had to do works to enter heaven; or at least, that's how it appears on the surface. What many churchgoers do not understand is that Jesus was not just answering the "what" of the man's question, but Jesus took the time to consider the man's heart on the matter. Instead of just responding in according to what the man was saying, Jesus was considering the state of the man's soul, and so He responded according to "WHY" the man was asking these questions in the first place. Jesus rebuked the man for calling Him "Good Master" because the man did not believe that Jesus was divine, or in other words, he did not believe that Jesus is God. So since the man only believed that Jesus was a man, Jesus did not respond to what the man was saying, so much as He responded to WHY the man was saying it, showing him that he broke God's commandments by labeling someone he supposed to be just a normal man as "Good Master." On the second point, it is not that Jesus taught that we must do works to be saved, but rather, the man did not have repentance (i.e. godly sorrow) in his heart, claiming that he had not sinned in verse 20. Jesus then gave him the law because He was answering the man according to what the man needed to hear that he might be saved. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. -Galatians 3:24 It is the lazy and selfish person who responds only to the "what" instead of the "why" because they are not considering the state of the other person who they are talking to. The reason this is important to point out is because that laziness is seen in most churchgoers who will not rebuke sin in others, and they refuse to rebuke that sin because people often get angry when you rebuke their sin. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon [quickly] with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. -Matthew 13:20-21 The seed that falls on the stones represents most churchgoers today, in that they received Christ quickly with joy, rather than with tears of repentance, and then get puffed up and upset when anyone rebukes the sin of others because it causes conflict. Thus, when people start getting upset that you have rebuked their sin, and the false convert churchgoers see that, they depart from you, speaking evil of you falsely, because they don't care about someone's soul as much as they care about that joyful feeling they had when they said their "sinner's prayer." Preach the word; be instant in season [when they expet to hear it], out of season [when they don't expect to hear it]; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. -2 Timothy 4:2 I have often been railed against and falsely accused because I have rebuked someone sin. Yet, I am thinking about the state of their souls rather than how they may feel at a particular time because no one is going to care about how someone feels when angels start throwing people into hell and the lake of fire. It's called love, which is a selfless sacrifice, meaning that it hurts when someone gets angry and rails against you, but you ignore how you feel, caring about them first and foremost, and answer them according to Scripture for the sake of their souls. However, it's the lazy man who does not want to consider others. They don't care about the reason for things. They like warm-gooey feelings inside and happy fun time, but they do not love others enough to tell them the truth. Open rebuke is better than secret love. -Proverbs 27:5

Not every man and woman in the church (worldwide, as a whole) is doing every single job that needs to be done. Many jobs have to be done at the same time. For example, a woman may not be able to go into a prison to visit with the lost men to bring them the Gospel, but perhaps her husband is doing it, while she is at home working, caring for children, preparing meals, and being a general help to provide the needs of those who are working ministry in a prison; don't make the mistake of thinking that your reward for helping him goes unrewarded by God, so therefore, work hard, and do the best you can do with whatever you are doing.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
-Colossians 3:23-24

I often think that I may not be doing enough in what I teach, that there are others of my brethren out there doing work on the street or in prisons to bring the lost to Christ, but I thank God that He reminds me that both they and I are doing one work together. I may believe in my mind that I do very little to help, and when talking with them, they often think they do very little to help, because we both consider the other better than ourselves, but in truth, they plant, and I water, but God gives the increase and the reward for both together.

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
-1 Corinthians 3:6-8

Whether doing the planting and watering yourself, or whether you are helping those who do the planting and watering, our God is merciful and kind, and He takes notice of every work that is done, even just handing someone a glass of cold water to quench their thirst.

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
-Mark 9:41

The reason Christ mentioned a cup of water is because that is something extremely simple that is not that valuable, but even if it is small, it is still taken note of, and even though the reward for such a thing would be small, there is still reward given to those who have been born again in repentance and faith in Christ. So I would say to all those who read this and are elect of God: Trust Him, and work hard.

Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
-Proverbs 16:3

If you commit the work that you do unto God, that you do it for Him, and work hard as you would if He had directly commanded you to do that work, then your thoughts will be settled, meaning that you will have a mindset that is at peace, and you will not have shame within yourself because you did the best you could with what you were given. On the day of judgment, all of our works will be judged, and reward will be issued to us by what sort they are.

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry [wise domestic economic decisions and good management of resources], ye are God's building [i.e. the church as a whole]. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
-1 Corinthians 3:9-11

I want to remind readers that, if you have not come to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing) to be saved (2Co 7:10), then you will not have the grace of God (Jms 4:6), and all your works will be for nothing. Hard work only matters to those who have been born again in Christ.

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
-1 Corinthians 3:12

Gold, silver, and precious stones are those things which would survive a fire, and therefore, these are the eternal rewards of God for those works which were done for the sake of Jesus Christ. The wood, hay, and stubble are those things which had nothing to do with God's church and Gospel of Christ, and will be burned up as if it never existed.

Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
-1 Corinthians 3:13-15

As long as a man laid a foundation of repentance and faith in Christ, even if he has no works to show for himself, perhaps even converting to repentance and faith minutes before he died, he will be saved. As if a man who was awoken by the heat of fire in a burning house, and ran from it, barely escaping with his life, so shall some men be saved, having no reward, but gaining eternal life in Christ.

This is why Jesus told the parable of the laborers for hire:

For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
-Matthew 20:1-16

In short, the men that were hired in the morning ended up getting the same penny as a man who was hired an hour before the work day ended. The penny is the not an analogy of the reward for work in this parable, so don't misunderstand; rather, this is the reward every man receives for repentance and faith in the Son of God.

A man may be on his death bed, and had done no works his whole life, perhaps he had even harassed and hindered the church in their business, but if he repented and called upon the name of the Lord for his salvation, he will be saved, despite all his evil works. However, those who had come to repentance and faith early in their lives and did good works are given reward for that work, and although we do not know what type of reward that will be, we only know that it will be something amazing.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
-1 Corinthians 2:9

Doing work takes an active decision to get up and do work. It takes thinking of others over oneself. It takes practice, discipline, and creating routines. However, no outer works will make up for a heart that lacks repentance.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
-2 Corinthians 13:5

If you judge yourself to be a lazy person, then the first thing you need to do is pray that God gives you a heart of repentance. Without Him converting you inwardly, it's vanity to put on an outward show of works to keep up appearances.

Repent and let the Lord God change your heart to charity, and then find a way to pick up and do the good works of God. There is a reason why there are so many street preachers, but few good ones. There is a reason why there are so many pastors, but few good ones. There is reason why there are so many evangelists, but few goods ones.

There are many who have picked up to do works, but have no repentance in their heart. Their work is vain, and not only vain, but destructive in that they make the work of godly men harder to do. Don't say within yourself, "What have I to offer that is any better use than they?" but rather, trust in the Lord God that He rarely ever calls the mighty, noble, and wise to do the work of His ministry; He calls you who are lowly, meek, and despised, and will do a good work in you, and so be faithful that He will give you what you need to do His good will.

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base [worthless] things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
-1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Stop comparing yourself to the high and lofty, thinking you have nothing to offer, and be faithful in the Living God. He is the one who gives the increase, not you. Trust Him that, once you are born again in Christ, all things you put your hands to will work together for good, and that He has chosen you unto the works of His ministry.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
-Ephesians 2:10

In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
-Titus 2:7-8

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
-Titus 2:14

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
-Hebrews 10:24

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
-1 Peter 2:12

There is a lot of work to do, so let's get to it.

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