Matthew C. Mitchell's Blog, page 88

New BCC Article: Equipping for Church-Wide Ministry Skills

What are the personal ministry skills that every single Christ-follower should have?

I gave my answer to that question today at the Biblical counseling coalition blog.

[Matt's Messages] "Working in the Name of the Lord"

“Working in the Name of the Lord”
Working for the Lord - Fall 2015
November 15, 2015 :: Colossians 3:17

Our sermon series is called “Working for the Lord,” and this is the 11th message in our series.

Ever since Labor Day, we’ve been learning together what the Bible says about our work, our jobs, our vocations, our callings, our labors.

And we’ve finding out that God’s Word has a lot to say about our work.

God cares about how we work, and how much we work, and how we do our work.

And we’ve been learning that this teaching applies to everyone not just those who leave the house and work from 9-5 for pay, for compensation, but everybody.

All Christians are working for the Lord.

One of you told me this week that it was slowly dawning on you in the last few weeks of this series that this stuff really did apply to you. This person was retired from their work for compensation but was realizing that what they were called to do right now was still an important contribution and that all of these things we’ve been learning about with attitude, and prayer, and diligence, and laziness, and rest, and everything else applied to them as well.

So whether you are retired, or a second, a second, third, or fourth grader, or are employed right now and looking for work or even are disabled and unable to do work for compensation at this time, or if you head out each day and work an 8 or 10 or 12 hour shift, all of this stuff applies to every one of us.

As our hide the word verse says, we are “working for the Lord.” “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Our hide the word verse is Colossians 3:23 and 24.

Today, I want us to back up the page a little bit to verse 17.

Verse 17 begins with almost the exact same words as verse 23.

It says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Now, in the context, this is talking to Christians about how to live a holy life as Christians.

And the first application, just like last week, of these verses is to life and relationships within the church. Verses 12 through 16 are especially about how Christians are to relate to one another in love, and peace, and in unified worship.

So when we get to verse 17 and it says, “and whatever you do, do ti in the name of the Lord Jesus,” the first application we should think about is to the gathered church.

Everything we do here and among us whether in word or deed should be done in the name of Jesus and be full of thanksgiving. Not just in November, but all of the time.

But I don’t think that the apostle Paul has just in mind the local church here.

Because he flows right from verse 17 into our relationships in the home, wives, husbands, children, fathers and then into our relationships at work: slaves, masters and so on.

When Paul says, “whatever you do” he really does mean “in everything that you do.”

Not just when you are in your holy huddle on Sundays.

But when you venture out into the world to do your work, you are to live out Colossians 3:17.

“And whatever you do [all day at work!], whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Does that land on you heavily? Do you feel that?

When I started meditating on this verse this week, it really started to feel kind of heavy.

Do you feel the weight of this?

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

What does that mean?

What does it mean to do something in the name of Jesus?

Do something for me. Write down your answer.

Take a second and put something down on the back of your bulletin.

What would it mean for you to do your work in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Here’s what I think it means in Colossians 3.

In some places, doing something in the name of the Lord means wielding some kind of authority. But here, I think it’s more about living under His authority than exerting it.

I think that the basic idea is representing Jesus.

Does anybody like these things?

I love name tags. They are fun.

My wife hates them. With. A. Passion.

A name tag tells you something about who someone is.

What their identity is.

What if your nametag said this?

“Hello: My Name is Jesus.”

Not really. My name isn’t really Jesus.

But I’m here to represent Him.

I’m here as Jesus’ representative today.

I’m doing my work today in His name.

Does that make this feel a little heavier?

Now, maybe that’s not that helpful to you. Think instead, about uniforms at work.

How many here wear a uniform at work?

Not just a dresscode, but your work requires you to wear something that says to the people around you what you represent.

It might have the name of your company on it. And maybe their logo.

And when you wear it, people expect certain things from you, right?

I mean when you see a police officer in their uniform, you expect them to act a certain way.

When you see a nurse in their uniform, you expect them to act in a certain way.

Because they are wearing that uniform.

I was at Lowes a few weeks ago, and I was wearing one of my favorite blue sweatshirts.

And I got asked more than once to assist customers.

They just saw that blue and thought that I worked there.

Boy, would they be disappointed if I was the one to give them advice on tools and hardware!

I think that Paul is saying that we are to wear the uniform of a follower of Jesus all of the time, including when we work.

What does that look like?

Well, some people think it looks like a clerical collar.

Some pastors wear a collar to send a message to those around them that they are representing Jesus.

And that you can expect certain things from someone wearing that uniform.

Blair used to joke with me that I was a “man of the cloth.”

And that’s fine if a pastor wants to do that and send that message.

But we’re learning this Fall that it’s not just pastors who are working for the Lord.

It’s not just pastors or missionaries or other full time ministry people who are to do whatever they do in the name of Jesus.

We are all called to represent Jesus in our workplaces, whatever they are.

Or as the cool kids say these days, “Repping.”

We are “repping Jesus.”

And it means a lot more than just wearing certain clothes.

The New Living Translation renders verse 17 like this, “And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

So how are you doing at repping Jesus in your work?

Yes, you believe that you are working for the Lord and should be working for His pleasure.  How are you doing at being a representative of the Lord in your work?

If you looked over the last week of work and had to grade whether or not you did your work in the name of the Lord, what kind of a grade would you give yourself?

Notice that it says in verse 17 that this is in both word and deed.

It’s not JUST words but deeds.
And it’s not just deeds but words.

It’s both walk and talk.

And both are important.

Some people talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, right?

But this is saying that we must talk the talk, as well. We can’t ignore our words as part of the equation.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Word or deed.

How did you do at words and deeds this last week that represent the Lord Jesus Christ in your workplace?

Another similar metaphor would be ambassadors.

An ambassador represents their country. They do what they do in the name of their country.

How are we doing at being ambassadors of the Lord Jesus in our work?

In everything?! V.17 “Whatever you do.”

If you take out the trash or you sign the multi-million dollar sales agreement.

In whatever you do, words or deeds, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Each week in this series, we’ve been asking a different group of workers to stand. Some of you have fit under multiple categories and have been asked to stand more than once. That demonstrates the complexity of our work in God’s world.

Some of you haven’t stood yet, but I’m trying to make sure everybody does by the end of this series because this is about everybody.

Today, I’d like you to stand and be celebrated if you work or worked in finance, law, sales, or art.

So if you are an accountant or you work at a bank or if you are an attorney or you sell things, or if you are an artist (you make things to express truth or beauty), I’d like you all to stand.

Thank you!

Thank you for your contribution to the common good and for doing your work as a representative, an ambassador of Jesus Christ.

I picked these professions for today because they often involved signing things.

Here is the signature of the artist Rembrandt from one of his works in 1633.

He signed his work in his name.

And those in sales, and law and finance deal with signatures all of the time.

“Will you put your name right here?”
“Sign on the dotted line, please.”

Well, verse 17 says to do your work in such a way that Jesus could sign His name to it.

Do it under the name of Jesus.

Let me suggest this morning, 3 things that this means for our work. I’m sure we could come up with more, but these are the three I’ve been thinking about this week.

#1. EXCELLENCE.

We’re to do our work in the name of Jesus Christ.

What should be the level of work that we turn in under that name?

It should be our best work, shouldn’t it?

We should strive for excellence in our work because we are doing it in the name of the Lord Jesus.

It’s not just that He is our boss and we need to give an account to Him so we do it with excellence, but because it reflects on Him how we do our work.

We are His representatives.

Last week, I was excited to get a copy of this magazine in the mail. 

It’s the called the “Evangelical Magazine” published by the Evangelical Movement of Wales. That’s Wales the country in the UK not whales the giant sea creatures.

They don’t have a magazine as far as I know.

What I was excited about was that this magazine has published an article by me called “Instead of Gossip: Listening.” And they featured it here on the cover with this cool art. It’s fun to be published across the pond.

When I was contacted this Summer by the magazine about submitting an article which was going to be an excerpt from one of the chapters in my book. I had one major stipulation.

They were welcome to take my chapter and edit it into an article, but I wanted final approval of whatever it said.

Because they might have to change a few things in the editing to get it down to an article.

And they were fine with that, and it turned out good.

But here’s why I cared. Because it was going out under my name.

So I cared about the quality of the work.

Same principle. You and I are doing our work under Jesus’ name.

What kind of quality should we strive to produce?

Now, the perfectionists among us today are getting really anxious.

You perfectionists are saying, “Great! I already wasn’t happy with what I’m producing, now I’ve got to append not just my unhappy name but the Lord’s unhappy name to my imperfect work. Thank you very much!”

I feel your pain. I tend towards perfectionism myself.

You will not produce perfect work. And it will be difficult at times to figure out what your best work is. I struggle with that all of the time.

Because I could improve just about anything I do. I could spend more time on each of these sermons and make them some percentage better.

But we all have limitations, in gifting, in skill, in opportunities, in requirements, in expectations, and in time.

So we have to take those things into account when we are deciding if we’ve done our best or not.

But our best is what we should strive for.

The perfectionist needs to accept a healthy dose of grace.

But they have one thing right. The Lord Jesus deserves our best.

He cares about excellence.

Anybody remember this guy?

“Hello: My Name Is Bezalel.”

Does that name ring a bell?

Exodus chapters 31-38.

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts–to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.”

What was Bezalel’s job?

He was an artisan, right? And what did he make?

The tabernacle.

He and his crew worked with all of those materials to fashion the Tabernacle into a beautiful creation.

I don’t know about you, but I struggle when I get to that part of Exodus and the parts in 1 Kings and Chronicles about all of the blueprints and design and building of the tabernacle then later the temple.

First it’s how to build it, then it’s how they got the stuff, and then it’s how they built it to those specifications.

I don’t work at Lowes. I have a hard time caring about those kinds of details.

But God does!

Did you hear what God said about His Spirit and Mr. Bezalel?  Let me read it to you again.

“See, I have chosen Bezalel ... and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts–to make artistic designs...”

God cared enough about excellence in the tabernacle that His Spirit got personally involved in the craftsman!

So we shouldn’t just be turning in shoddy work, either.

Are you striving towards excellence in your work?

If you are a second, third, or fourth grader, are you doing your best at school?

That’s your job!  Do your best.

Are you an attorney with lots of paperwork to fill out and a temptation, perhaps, to cut corners?  Corners nobody would know about?

Remember, you are signing not just your own name but Jesus’ name on your work.

Whatever your job is. Maybe it’s taking care of somebody.

Last week, we said to do it with a servant mindset.

This week, we say, do it with an artist’s mindset.

Do it with excellence so that Jesus won’t be ashamed to sign his name on it.

#2. GOODNESS.

And by that I mean righteousness.

Do you work with moral goodness.

Don’t just do your best work but do your work with holiness.

I’m going to talk more about this concept in another message soon about doing the right thing at work.

But here it must be said that we should do all of our work in such a way that Jesus would not be ashamed to sign His name to it. Not because we were really productive but because we were righteous as we did it.

We weren’t sinning along as we worked in Jesus’ name.

Do the right thing.

And that’s not just not doing the wrong thing.

If you go up the page some more in Colossians, you can see how this works. Start in chapter 3, verse 1.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

There’s a mindset for you!

That’s a reminder of who you are and whose are you.

He’s signed His name to your life.

Now we live like it. V.5

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your [old] earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

So there’s a list of what NOT to do at work.

Sexual immorality. Sleeping with your co-workers.
Impurity, lust, evil desires, greed.  That’s out of place for Christ-followers.

That’s the old you.

Here’s some more. “Anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.”

Do you ever see those things at work?

All over the place.

But you do your work in the name of the Lord Jesus!

Do you see?

And it’s no just what you don’t do. V.12

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

There’s your uniform! That’s what you put on to rep Jesus at work. V.3 “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

That’s how to do you work in the name of Jesus!

With a song on your lips and God’s word dwelling in you richly.

Goodness.

What needs to change in your life this week so that you would not be ashamed to have Jesus sign His name to your behavior at work?

Is there somebody you need to forgive?

Is there some filthy language that reflects poorly on your Lord?

It’s becoming like Jesus, isn’t it?

That old question, “What Would Jesus Do?”

What would Jesus sign His name onto?

Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Be that at work!

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And #3. GRATEFULNESS.

That’s where he goes in the last part of the verse, isn’t it?

“...giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Through Jesus.

Whatever you do, do it with gratefulness in your heart.

That’s a great place to end today because it’s Thanksgiving season.

We need to be reminded to live lives of gratitude.

No matter what.

There are a lot of bad things happening in our world.

There are a lot of bad things happening in our work.

We’ve learned this Fall about toil and trouble and groaning at work because of the curse.

But because of Jesus we always have something to be thankful for.

Always.

Sometimes the thing we are thankful for at work is just simply that we have a job.

“I’m thankful I have a job. It’s not always wonderful but it helps pay the bills.”

I’ll bet some of you have said that this week.

But I’ll also bet that most of you can come up with a longer list than that of things at work that you are thankful for.

And when you live out gratefulness, you are repping the Kingdom.

Because gratitude is a Kingdom value.

Especially because of the grace of the King.

One scholar I was reading this week on this verse points out that the last phrase is about the Cross. We get to God the Father, how? Through God the Son and what He did for us.

This scholar paraphrases the verse this way, “To sum up: whatever you are doing, whether it be speech or action, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, at the same time giving thanks to God the Father on the basis of the mediatorial work of Christ" (expanded paraphrase of Colossians 3;17 by Murray Harris).

Because of the Cross, our imperfections are forgiven and so is our sin.

So even as we’ve failed to do our work perfectly and righteously, Jesus has more than made up for it by His good and perfect work on the Cross for us.

And that should make us forever grateful always giving thanks to God the Father through Him.


***

Messages in this Series

01. Working for the Lord
02. Is Work - Good Or Bad?
03. Why Work?
04. Working at Witnessing
05. Get to Work!
06. Work and Rest
07. Called to Work
08. Prayer at Work
09. Your Attitude at Work
10. Working in the Name of the Lord

Morning Glory "Heavenly Blue" with Bee-Scattered Pollen.

Y Cylchgrawn Efengylaidd & "Instead of Gossip"

Here is a neat thing. The Evangelical Magazine has published an excerpt from Resisting Gossip  in their most recent issue.

The Evangelical Magazine is a ministry of the Evangelical Movement of Wales a church planting and resource organization with a rich history of gospel centered impact in that unique country which is part of the United Kingdom.

This issue is in English, but the EMW does a lot of ministry in Welsh, and the original title of the publication is "Y Cylchgrawn Efengylaidd."

The centre article in this issue is taken from chapter 6: "Instead of Gossip: Listening." Thank you, CLC Publications, for giving them permission share this with their readers!

[Matt's Messages] "Your Attitude at Work"

“Your Attitude at Work”
Working for the Lord - Fall 2015
November 8, 2015 :: Philippians 2:1-30 

Our current sermon series is called “Working for the Lord,” and it’s about what people do all day. Our callings, our careers, our jobs, our work.

We’ve learned about diligence and laziness, and witnessing on the job, and balancing work and rest, and discerning our callings, and the effects of the curse, and why we work, and last week was about prayer at work.

And every week has been about reminding ourselves whom we work for. We are working for the Lord. “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

And today I want for us to think together about how that affects our attitude at work.

Today’s sermon title is: “Your Attitude at Work”

What should be a Christians’ attitude when we are working?

If Jesus is my true boss, what should be my attitude when I’m doing my job?

And by attitude, I mean, not so much your mood but your mindset.

We can’t always change our moods, but we can and should choose and change our perspectives, our mental postures, our mindsets.

How we think and then act on the job.

So, we’ll ask the question about our last week:

What has been your attitude at work this last week?

Isn’t it great how directly applicable each of these messages has been in this series?

We get the lecture on Sunday and then immediately the lab on Monday through Friday.

What has been your attitude at work this last week?

No matter who you are, no matter what your job is (butcher, baker, candlestick maker, retired person or second grader) what has been your attitude about and at your work this last week?

Was this you this week?

“Whistle while you work!”

Or was this you?

Good old. “Grumpy.”

Or something in between? Or both at some point or another?

I think I was this one or this one this week. "Sleepy" or "Dopey." I was just run ragged this week and felt like I was all dopey and running through a fog.

What has been your attitude at work this last week?

This is challenging, isn’t it?

What kind of an attitude, what kind of mind-set, should a Christian working worshiper  have?

Philippians chapter 2.

We’re going to read the whole chapter this morning, in the course of this message, and there is so much here that we are not going to get a chance to talk about.

The last time I preached through Philippians, I took four weeks to do this one chapter, and today we’re going to do the whole thing in one message. So, we’re going to focus in on just a few big details.

The apostle Paul is writing to the Philippian church from prison.  He cannot be with them right now though he longs for them with all of his guts.  He wants to help the Philippian church deal with the problems that they are now experiencing.

The Philippian church is experiencing opposition to the gospel on the outside of the church and some strife among leaders on the inside of the church. Opposition to the gospel on the outside and interpersonal wrangling on the inside. In chapter 1, Paul told the Philippians that they need to fearlessly fight together for the faith of the gospel, presenting a united front against the opposition on the outside.

And now in chapter 2, he turns to emphasize what needs to happen on the inside of the church. How these Christians should lovingly relate to one another.

So the first application of these words is to our relationships within the church, but I’m also sure that they relate to our attitude on the job, as well.

What should be our attitude at work?

#1. CHRISTLIKE HUMILITY AND SERVANTHOOD.

Verse 5 says it all, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”

Yes, Jesus is your true boss, but He is also your true example of how to be a worker.

You and I should get our clues of how to adjust our attitudes by looking at the example of Jesus Christ.

But before we get to verse 5, Paul starts the chapter with an appeal to the Christians a Philippi to be loving and unified.  And he does it by reminding them of the blessings of being a Christian.

Did you catch those if/then statements?

V.1 “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion...”

Do you have those things?

Oh yes. All Christians do! It’s not really asking if they have them but saying that since they have those things then (verse 2), “make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

Paul is saying that if you have the blessings, the benefits of the gospel, then the proper response of your life is to be loving to other Christians.

And that love looks like humility and servanthood. V.3

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

If we all did that, how might that revolutionize our work?

Now, again, the first application is to the church. Only Christians can be truly like-minded and have the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

But those Christians also go to work in the rest of the world and verse 4 applies to all of us there, as well.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.”

Don’t show up for work out of selfish ambition.
Ambition is not wrong but if it’s all self-centered it will be wrong.

And vain conceit is thinking that everything is about you.

Unflattering selfie while preaching this message.Is your work-life all about you?

We live in a selfie-culture where the subject of more pictures than ever before is ourselves.

It used to be that you took pictures of other people and other things.

But now our culture is obsessed with taking pictures of ourselves.

Is it wrong to take a picture of yourself. No. But what does it say about our society when that’s the main thing that many people are photographing?

We live in a selfie-culture at work, as well. We are always looking out for number one.

Not just climbing the ladder but pushing people off of it to climb faster.

That’s the way of the world but it should not be our attitude. V.3

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

I guess we call that being a team player, but that doesn’t sound as powerful as verse 4 does.

Everybody looks out for their own interests. That’s not wrong. But a Christ-follower looks out for other people’s interests, as well.

And that could be your co-workers. Are you doing what is in the best interest of your co-workers each day?
Or it could be your customers. Are you trying to pull a fast one on them? “Let the buyer beware!”
Or it could be your employer. Are you looking out, not only for what works for you but what would be best for them?
Or it could be your employees. Are you regularly doing what is best for them, not just for you?

Do you see how revolutionary this attitude is?

Does the world work like that?

Not normally.

But because WE have the benefits of verse 1 we can act differently than the world.

We can be humble because we are loved.

Humility considers others better than (or more important than) yourself.

Not better in worth.  But better in care.  In attention.  In service.  Better in importance.

It means putting other people first.

This principle is in basic contradiction to our world’s value system but it is the foundation of value system of the kingdom to come.  The last shall be first and the first shall be last.  What does it profit a man if he gains the world but lose his soul?

Self-denial. And looking out for others’ interests.

What could you change in your work flow this week to make sure that you are living out verse 4?

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Now, that does not necessarily mean that you do your co-workers’ work for them if they are slackers.

And it doesn’t mean that you do everything you are asked to do at work, especially if it’s too much.

But it does mean that you are generous and want what’s best for everybody, not just yourself in your situation. Does that make sense?

Because we have the benefits of the gospel, we can go to work with an attitude of humility and servanthood.

And our Lord Jesus showed us how. V.5 again.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”

Again, attitude here means “mindset.” The 2011 NIV renders verse 5 as, “In your relationship with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”

The same outlook. The same perspective. The same mental posture.

This is what you think. You think, “I’m going to be a servant.”

That’s what Jesus did. Verse 6.

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped [He was fully God in every way but out of His humility, He didn’t hold onto the privileges of deity but emptied Himself (v.7),] but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

At Blair’s memorial service we talked about this.

Jesus did not come to be served but to serve.

And that’s the true measure of greatness. Not status, stuff, or success, however defined, but servanthood.

Jesus lowered Himself to became one of us and then took the lowest place ever. V.8

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself [further!] and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!”

And God rewards that. V.9

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We love verses 9-11, but Jesus had to go through verses 6-8 to get there.

And we need to follow His lead.

You could call this “downward mobility.”  Or just servanthood.

Christlike servanthood.

Jesus showed us how.

Is this your attitude at work? Are you on the hunt for those who you could serve?

I think that our administrative assistant here in our church office a great example of someone who follows Jesus’ model of humility and servanthood.

She always goes above and beyond to make sure that everyone is served.

Not just in the details but caring for the hearts.

I’m thankful for Marilynn Kristofits’ “administry.”

How about you?

Do you have servant-attitude or a “selfie-attitude?”

Only one of those leads to glory and reward.

Jesus was rewarded with the highest glory because He took the lowest place.

Those folks at work that are seeking their own vain glory, they might get ahead in the short run, but the fallout in the end will be spectacular (Ps 73).  Read Psalm 73 some time to see what will happen to those who are filled with self-ambition and pride.

Those of us who are united to Christ can humble ourselves like him and serve others around us in love.

Now in verse 12, Paul begins to apply this gospel further.  He starts with a “therefore.”

“Therefore, my dear friends [in Philippi], as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

So much I could say about that but don’t have time today.

Notice that we work OUT our salvation. We don’t work for it.

We live out the implications of our salvation with fear and trembling. With worship and awe that we are loved by a holy God and who gave His Son for us.

And we work out our salvation BECAUSE God is at work in our hearts on our wills.

We work because God is at work. There’s a lot to ponder there.

But I really want to get to verse 14 because there’s the attitude.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life–in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.”

#2. CHRISTLIKE CONTENTMENT AND THANKSGIVING.

Just think what would happen if we lived out verse 14 consistently.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing...”

Now, before you think about godly ways to complain (which there are some, read the psalms) or arguments that need to be made (which there are some, the Bible includes them, too)... but before you go there and qualify these statements, just agree that the world would be such a better place without complaining and arguing.

Amen?

These sins of grumbling are major problems for us in our wealthy consumeristic Western culture. Americans love to complain.

And after politics, work is probably the thing we love to complain about the most.

But grumbling is rotten to the core.

It is unholy discontentment with the way things are in God’s world.

Grumbling is complaining about how God is doing at ruling His own world.

Do you see how sinful that is?

My friend Ronnie Martin has just come out with a new book called Stop Your Complaining: From Grumbling to Gratitude.  Ronnie is the planting pastor of the church that Jeff Powell is a part of in Ashland, Ohio. And Ronnie is now serving as a volunteer church planting director for our district.

What I really like about Ronnie’s book is that he shows just how atrocious an attitude of complaining is for those who belong to Jesus.

If we have the things in verse 1, how could we get stuck in verse 14?

I highly recommend this book, especially during this season of Thanksgiving when for a whole month we say, “Jesus, Thank You.”

I have a copy you could borrow and the church library has one, too.

It’s kind of fun because this is the second book that I’ve gotten to endorse as an published author. It’s published by CLC my publisher, as well, and they asked me to say a word about it.

I said, “I didn't want to read this book because I knew that I needed to read it, but I'm glad I did. With both keen insight and dry wit, my friend Ronnie explores our all-too-common sinful tendency to grumble and offers grace-laced answers to our problem. You may not want to read Stop Your Complaining either, but you'll be glad you did.”

Now, I say this is the second book I got to endorse. The first one was Loving My Children by Katie Faris.

She also does a wonderful job of reminding us of what we have in Jesus so that we don’t complain about our day job, even if our day job includes cleaning up preschooler’s vomit.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing...”

King James, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings...”

English Standard, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.”

Again, the first application of these words is towards the church. Do everything you do within the church family without grumbling about each other or picking fights.

But it also applies to our attitude at work.

Do you job without grumbling.

How do you do that?

Develop an attitude of gratitude, right?

Be thankful for what you have.

In Christ, you have everything and that should make all of the difference.

This does not meant that we never point out what is wrong at work.

It’s not turning a blind eye to problems or not trying to be a problem-solver.

But is not making the problems the focus of your heart.

And letting that spill over into bitter complaint that does nothing to help the people around you.

If you and the other Christians at your workplace stopped your griping and grumbling, would you stand out?

Paul says in verse 15 that we would stand out like stars in the universe!

We’ve had some beautiful starry nights recently, haven’t we?

Do you go out and look at that vast expanse and what stands out? The stars, right?

Paul says that if we purify ourselves of discontentment and grumbling we will stand out and people will want to know what’s different about us.

Like Ken Shimmel in Dan Kerlin’s story a few weeks ago.

He was whistling while he worked!

How could he do that? Because He was content with His true Boss.

If you know that Jesus is your Lord then you can be happy on the job.

Not happy about everything that happens there but happy in spite of everything that happens there.

And that’s going to give you opportunities to share the gospel. V.16

“...as you hold out the word of life...”

I think that for many of you, your strategy for talking about Jesus should be to not talk about Jesus until people say, “What is different about you? How can you be content and thankful at a time like this?”

“Why don’t you whine like the rest of us?”

Whining is the great American past-time.

Why don’t you do that? “Well, let me tell you about my Lord.”

Paul was staking his ministry on this.  He was counting on these Philippian believers to be so changed by the gospel that they would cut out their complaining and arguing. He was sure of it.  V.16

“...as you hold out the word of life–in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. [It was worth it.] But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.”

Paul saw his work as worship!

And he thought he might be dying for the gospel at this time.

But he believed that the gospel was powerful enough to transform believers, to give them a new perspective, a new attitude and mindset for their lives.

Christlike contentment and thanksgiving is what it looks like to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

How are you doing that? What needs to change in your attitude at work so that others see you as full of contentment and thanksgiving?

Paul ends this chapter with two examples of guys who lived out what he was preaching. Timothy and Epaphroditus. V.19

“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. [Does that sound familiar? Sounds like verse 4.] But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.”

Timothy had that servant attitude that Paul wants us all to have. V.25

“But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.”

Ephaphroditus had that servant attitude as well and probably that of contentment and thanksgiving. He was able to risk it all and think about others more highly than himself.

He was concerned about the Philippians even though it was he who had been sick.

Who is an example in your life that lives out these attitudes in their work?

Everybody knows somebody who just lives this out.

I think of Blair Murray. It’s no secret that we’re all grieving him still.

Blair was a servant. He had this attitude.  He was full of contentment and thanksgiving. And he put others first.

It’s right for us to remember that and to honor him. I love that about verse 29.  It calls upon us to honor people in the areas where they deserve it.

When people we know live out these principles, we should show them honor.

Today, I’d like to have all of those who serve in protective capacities to stand and be recognized.

We already had our veterans stand. They stood in harm’s way to protect us.

But on top of that I want to have all of those in corrections to stand. If you work is or was being a corrections officer or you work in the prisons or the boot camp. Or if you are a police-officer. Or a security guard. If Jeremy were here today, we’d have our police-academy cadet.

If your job is to protect people, I’d like to stand and be recognized and be honored.

Thank you!  We celebrate you today because I think your jobs might some of the hardest in the world to maintain a good attitude about.

Because you are constantly receiving negativity. So much is against you.

I can get to complaining about my life, but there is a whole month dedicated to pastor appreciation!

I don’t think there is a whole month when everyone tells people working in protective ministries what a great job they are doing!

Thank you for doing what is often thankless.

And for doing it, if you are a Christian, with a servant attitude.

With an attitude that says, “I am doing this for Jesus.”

And I am looking out for others not just for myself.

I think this area of attitude is a hard one for us.  Most of us can get some kind of a rhythm going between work and rest. Most of us do some praying for our jobs. Most of us want to witness at work.

But it’s hard to maintain a good attitude at work.

It is. It is difficult.

But it’s the right and righteous thing to do.

And it brings God the most glory.

And Jesus showed us how.


***

Messages in this Series

01. Working for the Lord
02. Is Work - Good Or Bad?
03. Why Work?
04. Working at Witnessing
05. Get to Work!
06. Work and Rest
07. Called to Work
08. Prayer at Work
09. Your Attitude at Work

Queen Anne's Lace

[Matt's Messages] "Prayer at Work"

“Prayer At Work”

Working for the Lord - Fall 2015
November 1, 2015 :: James 5:13-18

Our current sermon series is about work, careers, labor. What people do all day.

Do you remember this Richard Scary book?  I grew up with this one and our kids are, too:   What Do People Do All Day?

Great question! What we’ve been learning together is that God cares deeply about what people do all day. Not just what they do on Sundays at church.

But all day every day.

And that’s true about everybody, not just pastors and missionaries.

This book begins like this: “Everyone is a worker: Farmer Alfalfa, Blacksmith Fox, Stitches the tailor, Grocer Cat, Mommy, and Huckle.”

Even little Huckle is a worker!

And what we’ve learned these last two months is that God cares deeply about our work and that our work is worship. Richard Scary may not have known that, but we do. As Christians, our work is a key facet of our discipleship, our following of Jesus Christ.

Whether we are a farmer, a blacksmith, a tailor, a grocer, a mom, or work in the IT department, we are working for the Lord. Not just for our employers. But first and foremost, “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

And we’ve been learning a lot about what that means over the last two months.

Today, I want to talk about “Prayer at Work.”

Not working at our prayer, not getting better at our personal prayer lives so much.

But the role of prayer in our work.

Should we pray about our work?

I think that’s a bit of a no-brainer, for Christians, isn’t it?

Of course we should pray for our work. Why wouldn’t we?

We know that we should be prayerful people praying about every facet of our lives, especially those things we do all day.

In the very next verse after our Hide the Word passage in Colossians 3 (after a sentence about masters providing for their servants what is right and fair) it says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Followers of Christ are to devote themselves to prayer; and prayer for and on the job.

And yet, I think that we often neglect to pray for our work.

I think we neglect that prayer sometimes because we don’t think about our work as spiritual. Last week, we reminded ourselves that our callings, whatever they are are spiritual callings.

If you are a second grader named Huckle, you are called to be a student, and that is a spiritual thing to do.

If you are “Farmer Alfalfa” or “Stitches the Tailor,” you are called to that vocation and that is a spiritual thing for you to do.

So it calls for prayer. Our callings call for prayer.

And here’s one of the most encouraging things about prayer.

Prayer is powerful!

We should pray for our work because prayer is powerful.

And one the best places to see that is James chapter 5, verses 13 through 18.

We should pray for our work because prayer is powerful.

Did you catch all of the phrases about the dynamic power of prayer in this passage?

I tried to emphasize them as I read it to you.  The most obvious is the famous verse 16 when it says, “The prayer of a righteous man is POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE.”  Powerful and effective.  It accomplishes things. In King James language, it “availeth much.”  Prayer works.  Prayer gets things done!

We should pray for our work just because God says to.

But one of the reasons that God says to is because God loves to use the prayers of His people to accomplish things in His world. Prayer is powerful.

Three points about that this morning.

#1.  PRAYER IS POWERFUL WHEN WORK IS GOOD AND WHEN WORK IS BAD.

When is a good time to pray for your work?

Did you notice that James thinks that anytime is a good time to pray?  Look at verse 1 again.

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

Trouble-times, happy-times, and sick-times. That about covers it all, doesn’t it?

Anytime is a good time to pray.

When things are terrible.
When things are going well.
When you have to take a sick day.

Or like I did this Summer when you have to take medical leave.

Trouble, Happiness, and Sickness.

We’ve all experienced each of them to one degree or another.

And prayer is appropriate in each situation. Prayer is the right thing to do.  Prayer is powerful when work is good and when work is bad.

How are things going at work for you right now? Is work good or bad, for you at this moment?

Prayer is appropriate whether things are good or things are rotten.

Are you in trouble?  Literally verse 13 says, “Is any one of you suffering?”

Chances are a number of us are experiencing suffering right now at work. Work, because of the Fall can be very difficult, very hard and feel meaningless.

It’s a normal part of the Christian life to suffer.  James told his readers in chapter 1 to consider it PURE JOY when we face trials of many kinds.

But here we find out that joy is not the only response called for.  We are also called upon to pray when trouble comes.  To pray [yes] that God would take the trouble away and lift it off of our shoulders. To pray that heat die down. AND (more importantly) to pray that while the trouble is here, God would give us the spiritual strength to grow THROUGH that trouble and be faithful to Him IN that trouble.

In his excellent little book, A Man’s Guide to Work: 12 Ways to Honor God on the Job
by Patrick Morely has a great chapter on prayer at work.  And he lists 3 ways that we don’t normally pray for our work.

It’s good to pray for our co-worker’s salvation.

But do we pray for our problems at work to be solved?

Do we ask God’s aid in our business?

Morley has 3 sections where he shows how biblical it is to pray for”

-The success of a specific idea.
- The success of a specific task.
- The success against a specific threat.

Are you in trouble? Pray.  Prayer is powerful.

Are you happy? Are you cheerful? Are things going your way right now?  Did you close the big deal? Did you make your goal? Did you get through that problem?  Good times do come at work.  What should you do then?  James says (v.13) “Let him sing songs of praise.”  Those are prayers, too.

You know, those are the times when I am the most tempted to forget to pray.

When trouble comes, that’s one thing. I want out. I need help.

But when happiness comes along [what do we do?], we’re too busy enjoying it to offer prayer and thanksgiving and songs of praise. We forget.

That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to ask for testimonies of God in our work during this sermon series. I have lined up 3, Dan Kerlin already gave his.  We have another coming up in a few weeks.

But today it was going to be Blair who gave a testimony.

Because his story was one about answered prayer on the job.

I won’t tell it very well. I wish he was here to tell it for us.

But one day when he was a supervisor at Shawville Station in the winter they had some big mechanical problem and something bad was going to overheat and meltdown or explode or something like that.

And Blair was in charge and also didn’t know exactly what to do.

So he prayed right there on the spot.

And there was this pipe thingy (I told you I wouldn’t tell the story very well) that they cleared off of snow, and he stuck his hand right in it and right there brought up this thingamajig that was clogging up this doohickey.

And it solved the problem! The crisis was averted through God’s answer to prayer.

And Blair wanted you us all to know that God answers prayer. That’s one of the reasons why he sang (v.13) “songs of praise.”

James believed that prayer was “the thing to do” in every situation that we get ourselves into.  He believed that prayer was powerful when the trouble comes and when we are happy.

Most of us are a somewhere in between. We’ve got a little rain at work and a little sunshine.  What should we do?  We should pray.  Prayer is powerful in the good times and the bad times.

Now, v.14 starts to talk about another kind of real life. Something we never want, but we can all expect in this life.

Sickness.

And the thing to do when sick is to pray and ask for prayer.  V.14

“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

I learned this Summer how sickness can get in the way of work.

Now, this verse is the only verse in the Bible that talks about this “elders and oil” thing.  So, there have been a lot of interpretations of what this means over the years.  Because it’s not perfectly clear.

The oil might be one of (basically) two things: a medicine (or something that stands for medicine) because oil was used medicinally in the ancient world (so we should also be using medicine with our prayers) OR an outward sign (like communion or baptism) of an inner reality–the reality of being set apart in prayer (sanctified to God in prayer).

And I tend to lean a little towards the second one–that it’s an outward symbol of prayer marking this person off as one whom we are asking God to heal in His holiness.

But either way, the emphasis here is not on the oil itself but on the praying in the name of the Lord.  V.15

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.”

Notice that!  The prayer offered in faith makes the sick person well.  Not the oil.  So, if you call the elders and ask us to pray for you in this way in your sickness, DO NOT think that the oil has supernatural healing properties.

Prayer has supernatural healing properties when God answers it.

But the oil is either medicine or a symbol–an aid to prayer–not healing in and of itself.

The picture here is someone who is laid up and can’t get to church.  So they call the elders.  Why the elders?  Probably because they represent the whole church. They are to be spiritually mature Christians who are growing discipleship and trying to leading others there.  And they are supposed to have faith.

And they arrive on the scene, and they pray OVER him. Notice that word OVER.  Interestingly, this is the only time this word “over” is used with the word “pray” in the Bible. And I think the idea here is that the sick person is flat on their back and the elders gather around, anoint and pray in the name of the Lord.

Some of you came and visited me in the hospital in July and prayed like that over my hospital bed.

“In the name of the Lord;” more than just tacking on “IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY AMEN” onto the end of the prayer. It means praying in the authority of Jesus. It means praying by the merit of Jesus. It means praying according to the reputation of Jesus.

And...it means praying for the WILL OF JESUS. In other words, if the Lord decides in His wisdom to say NO, that will be okay with these believers, too. Because at some point, He will say NO. All of us will taste death unless we are in the generation alive when Jesus returns.

So, we pray in the NAME OF THE LORD.  Trusting that the LORD can raise this sick person to life if He thinks that is best. “Not my will, but yours be done.”

And prayer is powerful...v.15

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

Prayer is powerful! When God says, “Yes!” then the sick person is (literally) “saved.” The Lord will raise him up. It’s effective.

Now, you’ve noticed something in v.15.  James has connected sickness with sin.

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

We don’t tend to think this way, but sometimes our sicknesses can be a result of our sin. Notice I said SOMETIMES!  James says, “IF he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

Don’t assume that someone is sick because they are sinning. Often our sickness is just a part of living in a fallen world. But there are cases in the Bible that show us that our sicknesses may have a spiritual root to them. And therefore, part of the remedy for them, is not just prayer but repentant prayer.  Confession.

Let me give you #2.

#2.  PRAYER IS POWERFUL WHEN RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE PRAY.

Prayer is especially powerful when it is coupled with righteousness.  Right living.

When sin goes out the window, power comes into the prayer life.

However, when sin is present, prayer lacks power.

This is a biblical concept.

Psalm 66:18, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened...”

1 Peter 3:7, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

When there is righteousness, there is power and effectiveness in prayer.

When there is ongoing unconfessed sin, there is weakness and ineffectiveness in prayer.  V.16

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed [both physically, I think, and spiritually]. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

Prayer is Powerful When Righteous People Pray.

Can you see how that might change your prayers for your work?

So, how do you get righteous? And how do you know if you are righteous enough?

Well, what did we learn in the book of Romans about justification?

Justification, righteousification is by faith alone.

You get righteous by putting your faith in Jesus Christ and no other way.

That’s what Martin Luther rediscovered 498 years ago yesterday. Yesterday was the 498th anniversary of when Martin Luther nailed up his 95 theses to get the Protestant Reformation underway.

He was redisovering the gospel of grace.

Here’s the good news!

Your own righteous, your own attempt at living a right life and doing the right thing things is actually worthless before God.  It is a self-righteousness that you have worked up. And it doesn’t cut the mustard.

The righteousness that we need has been provided by the bloody death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.  My sin on Him, His righteousness on me. That’s the deal when we come by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for saving.

That’s the righteousness you need.

And you need, not only positional righteousness, but practical righteousness.  To grow in faith and obedience to Christ.  To become what you are.  To become (by faith) what you are (by faith).  To walk it out.

To live out a righteous life by faith in Jesus Christ.

We will not be perfect in this life.  But we are to strive by faith towards perfection.

And that’s how much righteousness is needed for powerful effectiveness in prayer–striving towards righteousness is what is needed.  Stumbling.  Walking. Running towards right living by faith in Christ.  Confessing sin when it happens.   Repenting of heart idolatry and turning towards righteous acts of love.

Confessing your sins to another brother or sister.  Maybe a brother or sister that you’ve sinned against. Maybe just someone safe that you can talk to and confess to so that it really seems real that you are owning your sin.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

What is hindering your prayer life today?

What sin is standing in the way of powerful and effective answers?

Confess it to the one you’ve sinned against today. Turn from it.
Confess it to God today.  Turn from it.
Confess it to a safe person today so that they can pray for you, and you be healed.

And...so that your prayers can be powerful and effective.

Turn from it. Turn from it.

Do you want more positive answers to your prayers at work?

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

And one more point from verses 17 and 18.

#3. PRAYER IS POWERFUL WHEN REGULAR PEOPLE PRAY.

Prayer is not just powerful when righteous people pray, but when regular people pray.

Regular people, like...Elijah.  V.17

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”

Now, Elijah’s job was to be a prophet. And he was a good one. And he saw lots of miracles happen in his ministry.

And here’s one. He prayed, and the rain stopped in Israel for 3.5 years. And he prayed again, and God gave rain again.

That’s quite a miracle.

And it must have taken quite a guy to pull it off!  Right?

James so, “No.” James says, in fact, “Elijah was man just like us.”

Elijah was a regular joe when it came to his humanity.

It wasn’t because Elijah was so great that the miracles happened, it was because God was so great that the miracles happened!

Prayer is powerful. It is a mighty weapon.  It heals the sick. It holds back the rain when God wants it to!

Prayer is powerful weapon. But God has placed it in the hands of regular people–like you and me.

You don’t have to be a spiritual giant to pray. All of us can do it.

You don’t have to be Billy Graham or Henry Blackaby or the Apostle Paul to expect powerful answers to prayer.

You just have to be connected to an Almighty God!

Prayer Is Powerful When Regular People Pray!

On the job.

Don’t wait until you have arrived and are a super-saint to pray for your work. It won’t ever happen.

Elijah was just like you. And God did big things through him.

God can do big things through your prayers as well, if you will trust them to Him.

Are you praying for your work?

Whether it’s good or bad or somewhere in between?

Are you regularly praying for the things going on at your workplace?

You should. God is calling you to pray for your work.

Now, some of you are saying in your minds, “We are not allowed to pray at our work.”

Prayer meetings are forbidden and if we pray on the 50 yard line we might lose our job.

Some of us should pray publicly anyway. That’s what Daniel did. And he opened the windows to face Jerusalem so that all could see that he did.

But Nehemiah didn’t. Nehemiah prayed on the job and nobody knew about it or made a fuss.

Let’s turn there real quickly as we close up this message today.

Turn to Nehemiah chapter 2. Pew Bible page #472.

Nehemiah was the Jewish cupbearer to the king of Persia. A major position in the government. And he was upset that the walls of Jerusalem his beloved homeland were broken down.

If you read chapter 1, you see what Nehemiah prayed on his own time when he wasn’t on the job. He prayed for success for a big work project!

But in chapter 2, he’s on the job.  Look at that. Verse 1.

“In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, ‘Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.’ [Not how you’re supposed to be before the king.] I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’ The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ [Watch this!] Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it’” (vv.1-5).

Now, we see in the next few verses that God answered this prayer.

He gave him this work to do and as the chapters unfold He answers more prayer and gives them success in their work.

But my question is, how did Nehemiah pull off the prayer in verse 5?

Did he say, “Excuse me, King, I have to go over here and fold my hands and get on my knees, I’ll be right back.”

I don’t think so. He just prayed right there in the moment in the quietness of his heart.

I think that’s what most of our prayers at work will be like.

Just quick little signal flare prayers, “Help, Lord!”

Now, there will be times and places when you gather a prayer group at work. Sure do that if you can.

But there will be plenty of other times when you just simply offer a Nehemiah 2 prayer.

Each week of this series, I’ve been having a different group stand for us to recognize.

Today, I want us to celebrate everybody involved in education and child care.

If you are a teacher, a teacher’s aide, a babysitter, a daycare worker, a school administrator, a TSS, a wrap-around, a learning support person, a guidance counselor, a computer lab person, or you provide office support for a school, whatever, I want to ask you to stand if you are involved in education and child care.

Thank you!

We just prayed for you all a couple of months ago on Back-2-School Sunday.

But shouldn’t just do that once a year.

You have such an important job if you care for little ones and then students of all ages.

And you need to be prayerful people.

I’ll be honest, I’m glad that our schools no longer have organized prayer by the teachers and staff and administration.

That might surprise you.  But because we live in a pluralistic society where not all of the teachers, staff, and administration of our public schools are evangelical Christians, I’m glad that they do not lead our students in whatever prayers they might think are appropriate.

If we have a Muslim teacher or Buddhist teacher or atheistic teacher, in our schools, which in our First Amendment America is perfectly legitimate, I wouldn’t want them leading our students in their formal prayers.

So, I’m glad that there are no formal organized prayers by the school.

But I’m also glad that our schools: West Branch, Philipsburg, and Clearfield especially are full of people like you who are praying every day when you are there.

There is prayer in our schools. The Christians who are there should be doing it.

I saw it in September at the See You at the Pole, a number of students but also staff showed up to pray for West Branch.

That’s awesome.

And I expect God to answers those prayers in big ways.

We should pray for our work because God has made prayer powerful.

It’s powerful when work is good and when work is bad. And everywhere in between.

Prayer is powerful when righteous people pray. So we need to trust in Jesus for the gift of His righteousness and then we need to regularly repent of our sins and walk daily in righteous so that God can use our purified prayers.

And prayer is powerful when regular people like you and me pray.

Elijah was just like us.

We have different jobs but the same God.

And He is calling us to pray for and at our work.

Let’s do it right now.


***

Messages in this Series

01. Working for the Lord
02. Is Work - Good Or Bad?
03. Why Work?
04. Working at Witnessing
05. Get to Work!
06. Work and Rest
07. Called to Work08. Prayer at Work

Raindrops on a Rose Leaf

[Matt's Messages] "Called to Work"

“Called To Work”
Working for the Lord - Fall 2015
October 25, 2015 :: Ephesians 4:1 

I read "Dilbert" everyday online and thank the Lord that my life is not like his!

Here’s the strip from last Thursday, the 15th of October.

Dilbert is sitting at his desk and thinking, “I like to start each workday by visualizing how my work will make the world a better place.   GAAAA!!!! My life is meaningless and nothing I do will ever matter!!!! ... Okay, good. I like to get that out of the way early.” And he goes back to work.

Ever feel that way about your work?

Every since Labor Day, we’ve been studying together what the Bible says about work in a series called “Working for the Lord.”

And we started with some big questions like:

Is Work – Good or Bad?  Dilbert would say, “very bad.” Meaingless!

But the Bible says that work was intended to be good but then turned difficult and in someways bad when we sinned. But it also says that Jesus Christ is reworking work to be good again and one day He will make work perfect.

Another question we asked was “Why Work?”

And we learned the Bible teaches that we work NOT to be saved or to bring glory to ourselves but BECAUSE we are saved and to bring glory to God and serve our neighbors in love.

That’s big! That kind of work, no matter what the job, will bring meaning to your life. Dilbert is missing that.

After those opening messages in this series, we started to get even more practical. Pastor Kirk Albrecht talked about our witnessing at work and our witnessing through our work.

And we did two messages on both working hard and resting well.

Remember these questions for those tempted to be slackers, sluggards?

“Did you work hard this week? Or did you hardly work this week?”

But here was the follow-up question:

“Have you rested well this week? Or have you hardly rested this week?”

Because God cares about both. And some of us need to repent of laziness and some of busyness. A probably we all need to repent some of both.

God cares about our work and our rest.

Here’s the two questions for today.

What do we normally ask kids about work?

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”  Right?

Not a bad question. It’s a good question to ask! Very important for kids to be thinking about as they grow up.

But here’s a more important one to add to it.

“What do you think God wants you to be when you grow up?”

When we start to ask that question, we’re talking about the idea of “vocation.”

Vocation. Or “Calling.”

Today’s message is entitled, “Called to Work.”

We have all been called to work.

And I’m talking about “calling” with a capital “C.”  Not just that interrupting phone call you get that they need you at your workplace.

But a Call from God to do some job or jobs.

Vocation. Calling.

Now, this message today is going to be different from most of the sermons you hear from me. And that’s because vocation or calling is a very different and difficult topic to preach on from the Bible.

For one, it’s a very complex topic. There are a lot of related concepts that flow into and out of this theme in the Bible. On one level, it’s a very big theme in the Bible and appears all over the place.

And yet on another level, it’s not a very big topic in the Bible. There aren’t that many passages that specifically teach about how God calls people into their normal every day employments.

One of the reasons for that is that in the time of the Bible (and really for most of the rest of human history) people didn’t have much choice about what they did for work.

Most people just did what their parents did. I mean, Jesus was a carpenter because Joseph was a carpenter, right? You were born into your work.

Our “Hide The Word” memory verse is addressed to whom?  To slaves, right? They didn’t have much choice of their careers. And yet they were called, weren’t they?

They had vocations.

So, on one level, the Bible is full of the idea of “calling,” and on another level it’s not really. There aren’t a lot of Scripture passages about “finding your calling in life.”

But there are a lot of passages about how to live in our callings.

Do you see the difference?

Yesterday, I looked up and read every verse in the New Testament that had the word “call,” “called,” “calling” or anything like that in the NIV.

I came up with 292 verses in just the New Testament.

I didn’t read every one in the Old Testament, but there are 739 verses in both testaments together.

That’s a lot of “calling.”

Now, most of those callings are naming things. “He was called Matthew.” That sort of thing.

A bunch of the rest of them were someone gathering a group together. Jesus called the disciples or called the crowd to hear some teaching. Or someone called the Elders to pray for them. That kind of calling.

Most of the references to “calling” in the New Testament are basically like that. They aren’t about diving “calling” to vocations or roles or jobs or anything like that.

They aren’t very theological, we’ll say.

But a number of them are very theological. They are God calling someone and giving them something important to do.

But most of those callings, it might surprise you to hear, are still not to what we might call a “job” but rather to a relationship.

And that’s the case in our key verse to start with this morning. Ephesians chapter 4.

Paul is opening up the second half of his letter to the Ephesians. He’s been very theological, talking about God’s grand plan for the universe. Now he’s going to get very practical. V.1

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

The Old King James says, “I...beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”

The New American Standard brings out the extra-callingness in the Greek. “I ... entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called...”

There are actually two “calling words” there in the verse. And the Greek word sounds like our English word.  “Kalleo” is the Greek word.

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

What is that calling?

It’s salvation. It’s a relationship with God through Jesus Christ isn’t it?

Here’s main point #1 this morning.

#1. CALLED TO HIM.

In the Bible, the primary call of God on each believer is a call to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

It’s a call to salvation and a call to discipleship.

Paul says, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

What does that look like? V.2

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called [same word!] to one hope when you were called [same word!]–one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

What was the call? It was a call to hope (v.4)!

It was a call to salvation. To a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The primary call on every believer is a call to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

The call is a summons. “Come!” “Come to Christ.” “Trust in Christ. Love Him. Know Him. Follow Him. Become like Him!”

Let me show you this idea in few other passages that use this same word. You don’t have to turn there. Just listen.

Philippians 3:13&14. “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of [perfection]. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 3:1 calls it our “heavenly calling.”

2 Peter 1:10 urges us to make our “calling and election sure.”

2 Timothy 1:9 says, that that God has “saved us and called us to a holy life–not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.”

Do you hear it?

The call of God in the New Testament is very relational.

It is a call to Him.

It is a call to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and to walk in that relationship. Paul says here in verse 1, “to walk worthy” – “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

If God has saved you by His grace, then your life should show it.

If you have been called by God, then God has a calling on you to live out.

Does that make sense?

Now, sometimes that call is general. It goes out to all.

God is calling people everywhere to repent and trust in the Savior.

But sometimes the Bible uses the word call in a more specific way.

Those who have been called are those who have answered the call.

Remember Romans 8:28?  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Those folks have been called in such a way that they answered the call.

And because of that they know that all things work to their good.

That’s what it means to be called.

Every true Christian has been called to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

And it is truly life-changing. It means holiness and hope and love and unity.

Are you still listening to me?

I don’t want to confuse you.

Here’s the point. God is calling people to Himself. That’s the main point of “calling” in the New Testament.

Have you answered that call?

Like the song says, “Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling. Calling for you and for me. Calling, O sinner, come home.”

Have you heard that call and answered it?

If not, then I invite to right now.

If you have, then Paul says, “Live like it.”

“Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

Are you doing that?

The rest of Ephesians, chapters 4-6m, spell out what that looks like.

It means holiness and hope and love and unity.

It means Christ-likeness, becoming like the One called us.

We’re called to Him.

And...we’ve been learning that being called to Him means that we are also called to work for Him.

#2. CALLED TO WORK FOR HIM.

Working for the Lord, right?

If our primary calling is a calling to a relationship with Christ, that’s discipleship. But we’ve learned that discipleship gets worked out in our work.

Our work is worship. Our work is to be discipleship.

So, we are not only called to Him we are called by Him to our work for Him.

Does that make sense?

There are a couple of places in the New Testament where the word “calling” is tied more specifically to tasks or roles or positions that someone might fulfill. More like being called to a job.

Most of them are being called to a ministry role like an apostle. Paul in Romans 1 was called to be an apostle. God summoned him to that role.

In the book of Acts chapter 13, the Holy Spirit tells the church in Antioch to “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

There’s work and calling connected and it’s vocational ministry work. It’s supported missionary work.

It’s not wrong to call a pastor. And to say that he is called.

This here is my letter of call from you. It is dated April 28, 1998 and signed by church chairman George Leathers. “Dear Mr. Mitchell, On April 26th 1998 the congregation of the Lanse Evangelical Free Church, Lanse PA voted ... to call you, Matthew C. Mitchell, to be senior pastor of the church. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness, and look forward with anticipation, having you and Heather ministering with us.”

We experienced God’s call through your call to us.

And this Pastor Appreciation Month, I’ve really felt that. Thank you all for your expressions of appreciation and especially for your prayers.

But being called by God is not just for ministry people is it?  It’s not just vocational ministry people like myself who have a God-given vocation, is it?

The other key place in the New Testament that connects up our work or roles or positions in life with this language of calling is 1 Corinthians chapter 7.

Now, 1 Corinthans 7 is one of the hardest passages in the whole Bible to interpret and untangle. It’s got great stuff in it, but it’s hard to access.

A lot of it is about whether or not someone should get married or not but also about whether or not they should try to change other things in their life like being a slave or not.

And in 1 Corinthian 7:17 Paul uses this language of calling (which we’ve learned is mostly calling to a relationship with God) to also the language of assigning (which Paul has also used of spiritual gifts and ministry positions) to talk about the more regular everyday callings of life.

Here’s what he says, “Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.”

Tim Keller writes this about this little passage:

In 1 Corinthian chapter 7, Paul counsels readers that when they become Christians it is unnecessary to change what they are currently doing in life–their marital state, job, or social station–in order to live their lives before God in a way that pleases him....Here Paul uses two religiously freighted words to describe ordinary work. Elsewhere, Paul has spoken of God calling people into a saving relationship with him, and assigning them spiritual gifts to do ministry and build up the Christian community. Paul uses these same two words here when he says that every Christian should remain in the work God has “assigned to him, and to which God called him.” Yet Paul is not referring in this case to church ministries, but to common social and economic tasks–“secular jobs,” we might say–and naming them God’s callings and assignments. (Every Good Endeavor, pg. 65-66)

Now, that’s actually pretty important because it says what we have already been learning.

What your job is is something God has assigned and called you to.

I’m not the only one here with a calling. In fact, my calling is not very different from any of yours.

We are all called to work for Him.

In fact, we all have multiple callings to work for Him.

Not just one. Sometimes we get the idea that our calling is singular.

“What is your calling.”

But the idea of calling is bigger than that. We all have multiple callings to fulfill.

In his excellent little book on the doctrine of vocation, Gene Veith writes:

Our vocation is not one single occupation. As has been said, we have callings in different realms–the workplace, yes, but also the family, the society, and the church. Someone who is retired may no longer be in the workplace, but he may still pursue his callings as a grandfather, a concerned citizen, and perhaps as an elder in his church. Some people find their callings in spheres other than the workplace–a woman who refuses a job so she can devote herself to her children; the independently wealthy man who does not need to work, so he devotes himself as a citizen to philanthropy; the elderly shut-in who devotes her energy as a Christian, to prayer.

Furthermore, a person may hold multiple vocations within each type of vocation. In the family, a woman may have a calling to be a wife, which is a task in itself, but she may also have a calling to be a mother, a vocation that involves different tasks in a different kind of relationship...In the workplace, a mid-level executive or a shop foreman might be a “master” to those he is supervising. At the very same time, he may be a “servant” to his supervisor. Both of these relationships entail different duties and kinds of service. Even the C.E.O. of the company, the top boss, the “master” of all his employees, very likely is also a “servant” to the Board of Directors or the stockholders.

He goes on to say:

Another aspect of our multiple vocations is that callings change. A young man working his way through college may get a job in a fast-food restaurant. For the time being, that’s his vocation, and he is to love and serve his customers and his shift manager by flipping hamburgers. If he is fortunate enough to be going to college, he also has the vocation of being a student, which has specific obligations of its own (study!). Eventually he may get that computer degree, and he may go into his lifework. That will be his vocation then. And if his dot.com company goes bankrupt, and he goes from vast wealth back to flipping burgers, he has a new vocation. At every stage his calling is not something that will wait until he graduates, or even until he gets that big promotion. Vocation is in the here and now.” (pgs. 48-49).

Is that helpful?  It was to me.

I think we’ve made this whole vocation thing both too small and too big.

We’ve made it too small by thinking that it’s no big deal what we do. That we can all just choose what we want and do what we want to do with our lives.

But if there is a calling there is a Caller, isn’t there?

It isn’t just what to do you want to do with your life?

It’s what does God want to do with your life?

But we’ve made it too big by trying to not seeing our callings in everything that we do.

Today is Reformation Sunday when the Protestant church celebrates the rediscovery of the gospel in the days of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther did a great job of breaking down the divide between sacred and secular with work.

He taught that there was no such thing.

All of what we call secular callings are actually sacred, too.

And that means that just about everything we do is our callings. We don’t have to search high and low to find them.

They’re right here.

So, do I have you lost yet?

I told Heather yesterday that this was the hardest message in this series to write and that it’ll probably be the worst, as well.

Because the Bible is full of the idea of God’s call but most of it isn’t talking about how to find your callings as in vocation or career.

But that’s still something we all want to know about, right?

I mean the practical question at the end of this message is:

So how do I know what work I should do?

If the Bible doesn’t say much about occupational callings, then how do I know what God wants me to do?

The good news is that the Bible says a lot about decision-making.

Let me give you a few points as we close.

#1. Pray.

I hope that doesn’t surprise you.

James chapter 1 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

God loves to give wisdom about what work you should do.

Just ask Him.

#2. Look around.

Mike Wittmer in his chapter named “What Is Your Call?” writes:

How do you know what God wants from you? Look at your callings. Where has God placed you? Whom are you obligated to serve? Our most important callings arise from our covenantal relationships. I am called to be a husband, father, son, brother, and church member, and each of these callings is too valuable to receive a paycheck. I would be insulted if [my children] Avery or Landon slipped me $10 for being their dad or my pastor gave me kickback for inviting people to church. This will be essential if to remember should you ever find yourself unemployed. You may not have a job at the moment, but your most valuable callings remain unchanged.

Beyond your covenantal relationships, examine where you are in the world. Your job as a restaurant server or sandwich artist may be a stepping-stone to something else, but as long as you hold that job, it is precisely what God has called you to do... 

...You are free in the Lord to change your paid job, and when you do, that new job becomes your new calling, the palce where you can love God by serving neighbor and contributing to culture. You can change callings because the pay is better, but the best moves tend to follow Frederick Beuchner’s advice, ‘The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.’ What do you enjoy doing, and what does the world need? It’s your call. (Becoming Wordly Saints, pg. 103-104)

That hits on #3. Look at yourself.

What do you love?  What are you good at? How has God wired you?

What experiences have shaped you?

I recommend The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias if you want to read about how God shapes you through the events of your life.  Chapter 3, “Your Calling Matters.”

If you think you may be called into pastoral ministry, I recommend, Am I Called by Dave Harvey.

I gave this book to Hunter Galley this Summer as he explores whether or not the Lord might have a vocational ministry calling on him.

Everybody is made differently. Everybody is good at different things.

I have four children and they are like one another in some ways and very different from each other in others.

How are you made? What flips your switch? Is it something that can pay the bills?

#4. Ask Others.

Proverbs 24 says, “A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength; for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.”

My mom’s job for many years was to be a career specialist at the local vocational school.

It was her calling to help others find their callings!

I think Laurie Verost does something like that, right?

It’s been one of my joys as your pastor to talk with many of you about vocational choices you’re making.

Get wisdom from others. Don’t try to do this on your own.

#5. Expect the Unexpected.

This road to uncovering your callings is almost never a straight one.

I’ve talked this week with 5 people who have had major unexpected left turns in their vocations.

One guy thought he was going to be a pastor and isn’t. At least not yet.

One guy was a pastor and it didn’t work out and now he’s in sales and doing really well.

Another guy is looking at changing his major in college because what he’s doing just doesn’t seem to fit him.

Ruth didn’t expect to be called into being a widow this month. But now that’s one of her callings.

We often don’t know what’s in store. And God has a change in that calling in the wind.

Tim here has been faithfully pressing on as a missionary for how man years?

But God has something different for him now.

Be ready for that. Don’t think you’ve know God’s whole call on your life.

He’s got lots of surprises up His sleeve.

Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

#6. Check the Scriptures.

There are all kinds of jobs that are acceptable for Christians to do but some that are not.

Here’s a short list:

“Thief, embezeler, contract killer, prostitute, exotic dancer, abortionist, snake-oil medicine man, porn star, Wiccan priest.”

You get the picture? Any job where you have to sin regularly to do it is not a place where Christians are called by God to serve.

And of course, there are many jobs where you have to draw some lines.

Always check, what does the Bible say about that kind of work?

And #7. Make Decisions.

Don’t get so caught up in trying to mystically find the Lord’s will that you miss it by letting the decisions pass you by.

Remember, the Lord loves to give wisdom so make your choices.

If you are walking with the Lord and trying to follow His call, then you will!

Don’t get caught up in a spiritual tangle trying to hearing a special voice from heaven when the Lord is talking in so many ways all around you.

Seek to glorify the Lord in all that you do, and you will live out your calling.

My guess is that this message has raised more question for some of you than it has answered.

And I’m okay with that today. Normally, I like to answer questions, not just raise them.

But we’ve got time for that. Living as called person is a lifelong process of discovery.

And I’m here to help you process your questions if you’d like.

Let me end by directing us to this verse in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. It’s verse 11 and Paul tells them what he prays for them.

“[W]e constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

May we live a life worthy of the calling that we have received.

***

Messages in this Series

01. Working for the Lord
02. Is Work - Good Or Bad?
03. Why Work?
04. Working at Witnessing
05. Get to Work!
06. Work and Rest
07. Called to Work

Caterpillar on Thistle