The believers who work and labor for the Lord will be rewarded by the returning Lord in the day of the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:14; John 5:29; Rev. 20:4-6; 11:18; 1 Cor. 4:5). In 1 Corinthians 3:14 Paul says that if anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward. The work that remains must be of gold, silver, and precious stones, the product of faithful ministers of Christ. Such a work will be rewarded by the coming and judging Lord.
This reward is fully related to the kingdom. To be rewarded is to be given a rich entrance into the kingdom, that is, to enter into the joy of the Lord and to reign as a co-king with Christ in the enjoyment of eternal life in the coming age. In Matthew 24:45-47 the Lord Jesus said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his possessions.” We are blessed if we are faithful toward the Lord and prudent toward the believers. To give them food is to minister, at the proper time, the Word of God with Christ as the life supply to the believers in the church life. Then we will be rewarded with the authority to rule in the manifestation of the kingdom, and we will be set over all the possessions of the Lord. Matthew 25:21 says, “His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.” This indicates that if we are faithful over a few things in this age, the Lord will reward us with ruling authority in the coming kingdom, and we will bear even more responsibilities. We will also participate in the joy of our Master, that is, the enjoyment of the Lord as our inward satisfaction. This is the greatest reward. It is better than the glory and position in the kingdom.
The believers need to experience the divine dispensing of the Triune God in working and laboring for the Lord. They work and labor for the Lord by His resurrection life and power, not by our natural life and ability. The resurrected Christ has become the life-giving Spirit to bring the processed Triune God in resurrection into us to be our life and life supply so that we may live in resurrection. He lives in us, enabling us to do what we could never do in ourselves. Our labor for the Lord in His resurrection life with His resurrection power will never be in vain. Resurrection not only encourages us; it also motivates us to do the work of the Lord.
As we work and labor for the Lord, we preach Christ as the gospel to sinners by preaching the word of God. We do not merely teach the word of salvation; we speak a completing word regarding God’s revelation concerning Christ and the church. Such a healthy word is the truth, the reality of the contents of God’s New Testament economy. We need to proclaim in season and out of season, that is, whether or not the situation is convenient and whether or not we are welcome. While working and laboring for the Lord, we should also cast out demons in the name of the Lord and heal the sick by laying hands on them. However, we should be reminded to not allow casting out demons and healing the sick to surpass the main items of the gospel, which are Christ and the church.
We also have to minister Christ as life to the saints with the nourishing words of the New Testament faith. If we would minister Christ to others, we first must be nourished ourselves. Being nourished with Christ, we will have Christ as food, as the life supply, to minister to others. Also, we need to exercise our spirit not merely to pass on knowledge but, while giving forth a certain kind of knowledge, to supply something nourishing to the saints. How wonderful the church life will be if we all do this! Furthermore, if the elders shepherd the saints as the flock of God by experiencing the dispensing of the Divine Trinity according to God, that is, according to God’s nature, desire, way, and glory, they will be rewarded with the unfading crown of glory.
Paul reminds us to build up the church with the experiences of the processed Triune God as gold, silver, and precious stones. We need to experience the processed Triune God as these precious materials; then we can build up the church as the Body of Christ. As we work and labor for the Lord, sometimes we must pray and fast in order to deal with the power of darkness by casting out demons that insist on remaining. To pray is mainly to cause our spirit to be exercised so that the ministry of the word may be enlivened and strengthened. If we work and labor for the Lord in this way, we will be rewarded by the returning Lord in the day of the resurrection of the righteous. To be rewarded is to be given a rich entrance into the kingdom, that is, to enter into the joy of the Lord and to reign as co-kings with Christ in the enjoyment of the eternal life in the coming age.