The Bible opens up showing us a God who is creating and working. Work and creativity is inherent to being created in God’s image.
The creation story tells us that work was embedded into our DNA because the first thing God did when he created man was to put him in the garden giving him work to accomplish. God told man in Genesis chapter 2 to cultivate and keep the garden.
As I’ve said in previous lessons the Hebrew word for cultivate is abad and the Hebrew word for keep is shamar. These same Hebrew words are used to describe how the priest cared for the tabernacle of Moses. The tabernacle was a precursor to the temple of Solomon.
The priests were to cultivate and keep the tabernacle. In addition, we are told that God walked in the garden during the cool of the day. God also walked in the midst of the temple. The meaning is clear. The garden was a temple for God. Like the temple, the garden was the joining together of God’s space and mans’ space - the intersection of the heavenly realm and the earthly realm. Adam was a priest who walked with God, bore his image, was clothed in his glory and demonstrated servant leadership working in the garden. Adam was also a king created to rule, which means man was to be God’s representative in the earth and through man God was to exercise his rule and authority in the earth.
As a part of the royal priesthood we are to find fulfillment, not in idleness, but in a life of rewarding labor in obedience to God.
Work is sacred and holy because we have been created in God’s image, but work also grounds us to the earthly as we live out the creative nature of God pragmatically. Deep inside we are all made for work and as we discover our God given gifts and put them to practical use it will bring us deep satisfaction. Work is as much a basic human need as food, rest, exercise, friendship and prayer. Without meaningful work we sense significant inner loss and emptiness.
People who are cut off from work quickly discover how much they need work to thrive emotionally, physically and spiritually because we are all created to work.
I have clearly shown you that the New Testament teaches that we have all been placed into Christ as a multifaceted royal priesthood. We have all been given the one gift of Christ for redemption placed on one foundation, but we also have each been uniquely gifted to carry out our individual calling. It’s one body with different parts that function in their own particular way working together for the furtherance of the gospel.
The priesthood of the believer is about the Holy Spirit working through our lives to perform works of service and the Spirit giving us wisdom to implement the will of God. It’s a very simple focus upon the grace of God connecting us to the throne of the lamb in holistic worship dedicating our whole lives to Christ living through us. It’s the only way we can fulfill the original mandate given to man and fulfill our individual calling. It’s about being a part of the representative priesthood of Christ upon this earth.
As a part of the priesthood of Christ we are earthen vessels made of the dust of the ground, but through Christ resurrection and our identification with Him through the cross, we have been given His power. The cruciform life is to be no longer us living, but us living our lives by faith working through love.
The New Testament does not support a two tiered system of clergy and laity like the Torah did under the Mosaic law. We don’t have a priest class who are the special chosen ministers then a laity class that supports their service.
We have one High Priest seated in the heavenly temple and his royal priesthood here on earth representing Him. We have one head of the church seated in the heavenlies at the right hand of the Father and his many faceted body representing him in the earth. We are all priests offering up sacrifices to God and everyone has a gift to use in fulfilling their particular calling laboring in the grace of God.
As we talk about God’s calling, we tend to immediately start separating the sacred from the secular.
We think of God’s calling as some mystical act in which God audibly speaks to some, calling them to become pastors or prophets, yet when we think of the truck driver or human resource manager, we think of something far more normal. We rarely think of the assembly-line workers, nurse, teacher, the stay-at-home parent or the engineer as experiencing God’s calling.
In this lesson what I want you to see is that all work is sacred, holy and set apart for service to God because you are holy and set apart for service to God.
One of the main Protestant Reformers who taught the priesthood of the believer Martin Luther said, the Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship. Luther stressed that vocation is what God does through each member of the body of Christ. He saw the Lord's Prayer in a very practical way. Jesus taught us to pray that his kingdom would come and his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. He then told us to pray that God would give us our daily bread.
Luther said God gives us our natural daily bread that we eat through the work of farmers, millers and bakers. Today you could add factory workers, truck drivers, grocery store employees and the chef that might prepare our meal at a restaurant. He protects us by means of police officers, judges and the military. God brings healing through doctors, nurses and other medical vocations. He teaches us through teachers, conveys His Word through preachers, gives the blessings of technology through engineers and creates beauty through artists.
500 years later the civil rights reformer Martin Luther King Jr said if a man is called to be a street sweeper he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. I find that many believers see themselves as spiritually inferior to what is called the clergy class because of faulty thinking. It’s thinking that considers the clergy who are called by God as performing sacred work while they as the laity are left to support the clergy in what is called secular work.
As I’ve already said the New Covenant does not have a two tiered system, spiritually separating the clergy and laity. All work is considered sacred because it's being performed by a member of the royal priesthood. The passion of our lives should be God and the calling He has placed upon our lives. Within the calling of God is the God-given talents He has placed within us, to use in making a living. Did you know that more than 60% of Jesus' parables involved work. From purchasing property, to cultivating land as a farmer and the challenges of workers. He also talked about wise and foolish builders, unjust along with unforgiving managers, fishermen, judges and lawyers.
I’m going to speak from the perspective of an American because I grew up in America having been molded by its culture, ideas and examples of work.
The American experiment is not only unique in the way we formed a constitutional Republic. It’s also unique in how the Protestant work ethic greatly affected our development. The Protestant Reformation restored the belief that salvation is a gift from God based on grace through faith.
In light of salvation being a gift of grace Protestants viewed work as their faith being put into action. It became known as the Protestant work ethic. It developed from the idea that believers were not working in order to achieve salvation, but viewed work as being stewards of God’s gifts. Work being the means by which they could be blessed along with being a blessing to others. It was putting their faith to work because faith has action. If you have not listened to lesson 11: Living Faith in this school of discipleship then I encourage you to do that when you have the time.
The Reformers viewed hard work, being a saver along with being a giver as important applications mandated for the priesthood of the believer. It was seen as simply being a faithful steward of the gifts God had given them. Unlike today, it’s estimated that 70% of colonial America went to church.
The idea that work was sacred and everyone was a priest serving God were the traits that made early America known for industrious hard work.
I was born in 1969 and it was a great turning point in American culture. I was raised to put a high priority on working. Today over 50 years later we are entering a post-Christian culture where hard work is not given as high a value as it once was. I do think it’s definitely a result of the culture no longer understanding the word of God. It’s not just because I’m getting older, but something has changed.
Way too many people view work negatively and a lot think they can take the easy way out living off the government, their parents, friends or pursue outright criminal activity. I’ve met those who say they are living by faith and refuse to work, expecting God to pay their bills. Paul the apostle had to confront such people who thought they could live this way. Paul had a lot to say about this type of attitude in II Thessalonians chapter 3 verses 6 thru 12. He said we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. Paul actually called work a tradition that he taught in the churches that he planted. Let me say that again because it's worth repeating. Paul actually called work a tradition that he taught in the churches that he planted.
Working was part of Paul’s message because he saw it as integral to a person's physical and spiritual health.
He went on to say that, you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
Now some today would say that Paul was pretty harsh, but he knew that man was created by God to work.
As a part of the priesthood of Christ we are not called to be lazy, but should set an example of honest and hard work. He wrote something similar to the Ephesians in chapter 4 verse 28 when he said let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
The last lesson I taught you about giving if you have not listened to Lesson 31: Part II The Sacrifice Of Giving I encourage you to do that. Guess what? If you don’t work then you don’t have anything to share or give. Work is about not only taking care of yourself, but it’s about helping others and being a part of a community. Work is also being a faithful witness of God’s grace to the world. In his first letter to the Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 11 thru 12 Paul told them to aspire to live quietly and to mind their own affairs and to work with their hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
No matter what vocation the Lord has placed you in, He has placed you there to proclaim His kingdom. You are to be a representative of the royal priesthood in the workplace, displaying the character of Christ and His faithfulness. To be faithful to work is to be faithful to the Lord. He has created us to find fulfillment, to provide for our needs and to minister to others through the avenue of work. Now let me say this because everyone goes through seasons of their lives where they may have been laid off from a job or just can’t find one.
You may be on disability due to an injury or birth defect. If that’s the case then you just do what you can to keep busy. Clean or help out around the house. Make meals for the family or you might even donate some time to a charity.
Now the book of Proverbs gives us a lot of wisdom when it comes to work. In Proverbs chapter 6 verses 6 thru 8 the ant is used as an example of a diligent worker. It doesn’t matter if you have your own business or you are working for a corporation the ant teaches us about working. Proverbs teaches us that the ant works when no one is looking. Being self motivated is one of the most important things when it comes to working whether you have your own business or you work for someone else.
I hear people make the statement that they are going to start their own business and work for themselves. Well let me tell you a little secret of life. The secret is that you are always going to be accountable to someone.
I’ve had my own business and customers can many times be more demanding than a demanding manager. In the business I operate now I have to be accountable to my customers daily and the directors that oversee my operation so I’m held accountable coming and going. You better face the fact that you are always going to be accountable to someone. It’ll make your life easier. An old saying says, two things are certain which is death and taxes, but being accountable for your work is also certain.
We are not only going to be accountable in the here and now, but we will also have to give an account to God about how we performed our work in this life. As a manager I love an employee that I don’t have to check up on because I know they are busy doing what they have been assigned to do. If I’m having to check up on an employee and come behind them to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do, it doesn’t give me a good impression of their work ethic.
I can tell you when I want to promote someone or give someone a new opportunity I’m looking for the self motivated.
Proverbs also tells us that when the ant sees an opportunity he takes advantage of it and works hard to bring an increase.
Opportunities don’t come along everyday and when they do we need to be ready to take advantage of them. Paul told his young protege Timothy to be instant in season and out of season always ready to take advantage of opportunities.
The ant also knows how to work well with others. Have you ever watched a trail of ants? It’s amazing how much little ants can get so much done when they work together. The ant teaches us that teamwork is a key to successful working. If you don’t work well with others then you are going to have a hard time working.
The ant also keeps an orderly work schedule teaching us time management. Keeping appointees, planning your day, week, month and year is important so you are productive in work. The ant teaches us how to be wise and diligent in our work. I want you to remember this one thing which is the main avenue through which God provides for us is through the work of our hands. It’s through being diligent day in and day out because that gets you noticed for a raise along with new opportunities.
Let’s be honest, at times work can be mundane, repetitive and boring. However, it's the little things that we do day in and day out that make us successful. Actually mundane work is the work that forms character and creates the traits of being a servant. It was working as a janitor in my younger years and having my own cleaning business that I learned to not care about people’s opinions. People will look down on you for what you do sometimes, but ultimately the only approval we should be seeking is God’s.
In the last lesson I taught you about prosperity and success. I do believe that America became such a prosperous nation because of our work ethic which was learned through the Bible.
The Greek word for prosper simply means to help on one’s way or journey. God desires to prosper us, but biblical prosperity can be taught on any continent and in any nation on the face of the earth. I define prosperity as having enough to accomplish the will of God. You need prosperity to have success on your journey. Yes, this means you will need money, but prosperity is more than money. Prosperity includes everything you will need to help you fulfill the purpose of God for your life and have a successful journey while in this body.
We should work hard, but for the right reasons! Proverbs 23:4 instructs us to not weary ourselves to gain wealth. As I clearly taught you in the last lesson 31: Part II The Sacrifice of Giving the focus of the Christian's life is not riches, but the will of God. Living our lives to get rich will lead us into ruin and can cause us to depart from Christ. Those who live to get rich make money their god.
The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil and when we work just to get rich it opens our hearts to unethical ways of making money.
Paul set an example of working unto the Lord and he encouraged his disciples to follow him in his work ethic. Paul worked to take care of his needs and help others. Paul was a hard diligent worker. Whether we are a carpenter, business executive or teacher of the word of God we should work hard and for the right reasons because God blesses the hands that work. The wisdom of Proverbs chapter 10 verse 22 says the blessing of the Lord makes rich and he adds no sorrow with it. The blessing of the Lord is not a get-rich-quick scheme, but it is a gradual growth as we apply hard work, giving and wisdom together.
The principle of increase works just like the ant with diligence, hard work and good management.
Let’s talk briefly about what is called the division of labor. The division is between management and workers. In Ephesians chapter 6 vs 5 Paul talks about slaves submitting to their masters. It’s not my intention to discuss the issue of slavery since that would take a complete book to do adequately. However, slavery in the Roman Empire was not like American slavery which was slavery based solely on race and a horrible practice.
I do think American slavery was our original sin and as a nation we are still paying the price for that horrible decision. Roman slavery was definitely not good, but it was not based on an individual's race.
Slaves could be inherited or purchased. Slaves were acquired through settlement of bad debts and prisoners of war commonly became slaves. It has been estimated that up to 30% of the population of Rome were slaves. The slaves came mainly from places the Romans had conquered. The slave class was made up of Europeans, Mediterranean's, North Africans, Syrians, Germans, Greeks and even from the Balkans so it was quite a diverse group. Slaves were a big part of the work force and included not only domestic servants and manual laborers, but educated people as well. Slaves could also be managers, doctors, teachers and administrators. The institution of slavery was a fact of Mediterranean economic life and was completely accepted as a part of the labor structure of the time.
In Western society we no longer have slavery, but we do have those who are over us in the workplace.
Now in the same way that Paul talks about slaves submitting to their master we are to obey those who are over us in the workplace. We are to follow their rules, listen to their instructions and work diligently for our money. As I said earlier this applies to those who own their own business because you have to listen to your customer's rules, instructions and meet their demands through quality work. Paul said we are to do this with a sincere heart, as you unto Christ not by the way of eye-service, not as people-pleaser, but as bondservants of Christ. Doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service as to the Lord and not to man. Knowing that whatever good anyone does this he will receive back from the Lord whether he is a bondservant or is free Ephesians 6:5-7.
If we are managers or have our own business we should treat our employees with respect and honor.
Honor means giving them a living wage because the laborer is worthy of his hire. James the apostle addresses this in his epistle when speaking to rich business owners. James chapter 5 verse 4 says the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. We should always pay our workers and we should pay them as well as we can.
I grew up in a union family since my father was a Teamster for 30 years as a truck driver. Unions had an important place in the American workplace and I have to say they took care of our family well. My dad made a good living wage, superb health insurance and got an excellent pension having received over $600,000 being still alive at 82. The problem with unions now is like the government they have become bloated, inefficient and many times corrupt.
I worked for one of the largest trucking companies in the nation for 10 years and we learned to take care of our employees. We provided them a good wage, good health insurance and we treated them fairly so they didn’t want to join a union because they don’t need a union.
Paul taught us that managers should not lead through threatening and fear.
Learn this one fact. If you are going to be part of leadership whether that’s in business, church life or family life you are going to be criticized. It’s inevitable and it's something you have to learn how to handle because it comes with the territory. Allow criticism to challenge your decisions and always make sure you are doing the right thing because we all make mistakes. Get feedback and really listen to those who are going to be affected by your decisions. Ultimately as a leader not everyone is going to agree with your decisions, but always try to make your decisions for the benefit of those you are serving.
It should be our desire to treat our workers as Christ would treat them. Bottom line is that both manager and worker will be held accountable before God for how they work and treat others.
Jesus often spoke about workers and He also spoke about the work that he was sent to accomplish on this earth. Listen to how Jesus describes the urgency about the work He was sent to accomplish upon this earth. In John chapter 9 verse 4 Jesus says I must work the works of the One who sent me while it is day the night comes when no one can work. In this passage Jesus is not talking about the twenty-four-hour cycle of light and darkness, of work and rest. No, he is looking at things from fulfilling His purpose. He understood that he had stepped out of eternity into this earthly realm with a limited duration of time on this earth to fulfill his mission. He knew that he needed to be urgent and diligent to accomplish what he was commissioned to do.
Paul spoke in similar language when he wrote to the church in Ephesus. He wrote in Ephesians chapter 5 verses 15 thru 17 to look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. In the same manner, we all have a limited duration on this earth to accomplish what God put us here for.
We too should have some urgency about getting on with our purpose while living in this body, on this earth which includes working.
The Creator has left his signature in our hearts and minds. God has hard-coded us to figure out who we are and why we are here. So how do we discover our purpose and field of work that we have been called to accomplish? One way that God directs our lives is through the desires of our hearts. I call it direction through desire. If we will put God first and seek him then He will put His desires in our hearts. Psalm 37 verse 4 tells us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will show us His calling on our lives because His desires will become our desires, as we align our hearts with His will.
Our purpose and calling comes from the grace of God. Grace and all it implies is a free gift, but you have to be willing to yield your whole heart to its power for it to motivate you. Our job is to learn to recognize, develop and expand the grace freely given to us. Paul said, I am what I am and His grace toward me did not prove vain, but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me that’s in I Corinthians chapter 15 verse 10.
Paul understood that his motivation to fulfill the will of God and work hard at it was due to the free gifts he had been given.
God will also confirm His direction to you in a number of ways. In section three of this discipleship course I will help you to understand the gifts that God has freely given, help you to identify your gifts and help you to begin to develop those gifts. Once we discover our calling we need to pursue it. You may need to go to college or train under someone in your field of interest. As a holy priesthood we each have a part to perform, however we can only do our part.
In America we have been told a lie and it's the lie that we can do anything we set our minds to do. The fact is that’s just not true.
I want to say this because its just a hard fact of life, even as a believer following Christ and it’s that life is not fair. We are not all made the same way nor have we all been given the same gifts or abilities. We haven’t all been raised in good families or been provided with money and opportunities. Paul told us not to compare ourselves among ourselves because that’s not wise. What was Paul saying?
He was saying you can only do that which you have been gifted to do and become who you are. Be comfortable in your own skin and celebrate others.
Paul said that he labored in the grace of God. If you are given the abilities to be a plumber then you’ve most likely not been gifted to be a chemical engineer. You know what? That’s okay. It’s what I call being comfortable in your own skin and it’s if you really want to accomplish the will of God for your life. Don’t strive against who you are, but figure yourself out. Be comfortable with who you are and fulfill your purpose. Remember you are unique and there is only one made like you.
We must use our God given talents because that’s where we will find fulfillment along with the provision we need to live in this life and bless others at the same time.
Whatever you set your hands to do, do it as unto the Lord laboring in the grace of God. Paul taught us this principle by example in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 when he said that he had an area of influence that God had assigned to him. Paul knew that he could not do everything, be everywhere, but he could only do that which he was gifted to accomplish. Maybe some of you are like Paul who made tents to make a living, but his calling and passion in life was apostolic ministry.
I’ve had the privilege of being able to do a lot of different types of work during my life. I did house and yard work as a kid growing up. I had my first job at the age of 15 as a helper to carpet layers. Then at the age of 16 I worked 4 hours everyday as a janitor for a local hospital. As I said, for the last 20 years I’ve been working in Corporate America. I’ve been able to get diverse training from numerous Corporations like Blue Cross Blue Shield in insurance, Regions Bank in banking, American Home patient in medical sales and 3M in manufacturing. For the last 10 years I’ve worked for one of the largest Transportation Supply Chain Companies in America. I have been able to directly use my gifts of teaching, training and managing employees.
I’m saying this for two reasons. #1 It can many times take time and persistence to walk in the fullness of your calling. #2 Along the journey of pursuing your purpose, work is one of the main places that God trains us for this life and even the life to come. I’m like many of you still on the journey. I’m not done yet, I’m just getting started to fulfill the purpose for which God laid his hand on me.
I want to end this lesson reminding you that God has called everyone. He has done it by placing you in workplaces, in families, in neighborhoods, in schools and uniquely creating you with your own gifts, abilities, passions and skills. It’s important that we see work as part of that calling even when it’s mundane. I’ve found if I will practice the presence of God throughout my day acknowledging the blood, water and Spirit in whatever I’m doing there is fulfillment in what I do. Again I want to remind you that it's the little things that we consistently do, day in and day out that make us successful. It's as we consistently allow God’s Spirit to work through us at all times.
It's the the mundane daily grind that forms character in our hearts and creates the traits of being a servant.
I’m going to end this lesson saying that we are all going to ultimately be judged for how we work since Paul and Jesus both taught us this idea. The idea that we are going to be rewarded or punished for how well we work in this life. It’s not going to determine whether we are eternally saved or not, but it is going to determine our rewards in the next life. I would encourage you to listen to Lesson 22: Run To Win - The Judgement Seat Of Christ.
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Next Lesson: Lesson 33 - Stewardship
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