Jesus came to set the captives free, to lead His sheep out of the sheep pen in to open pasture. This is a spacious land: a place of rest not toil, a place where the vineyards are already planted and the wells are already dug.

Unfortunately many of our churches lead people out of the sheep pen of the world and in to the sheep pen of the church. We proclaim rest and teach them that this blessing will come if we follow Jesus Christ (which is true) – but then we redefine ‘following Jesus’ through the tainted lens of toil.

Each denomination and tradition does this differently of course, but the fundamental issue of toiling remains the same. Some endorse toil by promoting good works. Some embrace toil as they pursue truth and wisdom. Others toil as they seek signs and wonders. Some affirm toiling in the workplace and encourage people to remain beholden to it. Many toil as they try to build community or outwork their mission. Each approach gives the impression of holiness and uses the language of faith but behind the activity is a foundation of striving and personal effort.

We end up doing many things for Him but most of the time it is not from Him. As a result we have effectively replaced a life of faith with a life of toil. So much of what we have built together is unnecessary and unhelpful; in fact we think we have been building a bridge to the Kingdom when we have actually built a stumbling block.

Many of our churches now operate in such a way that the key to His rest is rarely given. We have become good at proclaiming this blessing, yet never living in it, and instead we embrace toil as if it is part of our inheritance.

The curse of toil has been put to death in Jesus Christ. So, why do we continue to keep it alive in our churches?