The Working Believer

I love the simplicity of the Bible. You wouldn’t light a candle and put it under a basket, would ya?!? Of course not. That’s silly. But hiding under baskets seems to be where too many Christians spend their time during the work week. Brother and sisters in Christ, who I know not only profess to trust in and follow Jesus, but also have a passion for Him, His Word, the Gospel, and Missions. And yet...Monday morning...back under the basket. Those who are lost, without Christ in the world, are described as “living in darkness”. They need the Light of Jesus. They need the Light bearers. They need you to shine for them. Come out from under the Basket, let Him shine in your work, both in the quality of your work and in your attitude while at work (Col. 3:17).

It never fails. Every Sunday night, I see posts about dreading Monday and returning to work. Every Monday, I see posts about how horrible it is to return to work. Every Wednesday, there’s the “Halfway there,” posts. Sometime on Thursdays, I see a new trend: Friday Jr. or Friday Eve. Every Friday...it’s like a Social Media-wide Jubilee, or Revival. These are usually the most enthusiastic and engaged posts I see. And then the weekend; when life happens. We laugh, we love, we dine, we soak up all of the goodness and fulfillment this life has to offer. But it is short lived. Once Sunday arrives, we may enjoy our time at church, but it is mired by the looming return of Monday. The circumstances of our Joy and Eternal Hope never change!! Sunday through Sunday, we are indwelled by the living Spirit of God, shouldering the mantle of His Will, to live and share the Good News of the Gospel. What could be more thrilling for the Working Believer!? Monday’s are not to be dreaded: they be...

There is nothing revolutionary about my approach to work, and seeing it as my Ministry and Mission field. The Scripture is clear! What lacks is our diligence to understand, and our obedience to actually apply it; to truly live as if we truly believe the Bible to be True. The Bible speaks about our working life, and we will give an account for our actions, attitudes, interactions and reactions in the workplace, and the people with which, and for which we work. His Word and Will have been revealed...we have only to faithfully read, humbly trust, and dutifully obey.

Earlier this week, a dear brother in Christ and fellow Working Believer, sent me an email hoping I was flying high above the troubles of this world. I appreciated his care for me, but I was immediately reminded of Jesus. While out at sea with his Disciples, a horrific storm arose. These seasoned fisherman, who were very familiar with the perils of the sea, were terrified for their lives fearing the boat would be overcome by the waves and sink. But where was Jesus? Asleep. Here was Jesus, who could have easily hovered about the cares of the world and the storm they were currently in, sound asleep in the belly of the ship. The calm and peace He was experiencing while others scrambled around frantically trying to stay afloat was quite the distinction. The Disciples were dumbfounded. Then, Jesus was awakened, and immediately quieted the seas. There are two things that we can take away from this Biblical account: 1) The same Peace and Calm that allowed Jesus to sleep during a storm is...

“I wish I knew what I know now way back when.” The school of hard knocks does not seem to ever hand out any diplomas or degrees. They seem to keep adding course requirements, increasing the number of electives, and extending the date of the exams. This school house rocks your world. Life is tough. It’s merciless, brutally unforgiving, and rarely ever fair (basically never). However, despite being tough, we learn and grow through our hardships and struggles. Every valley shows us another mountain we can ascend. The lessons can shed great light on the paths ahead of us, but they can also illuminate the wrong decisions and missed opportunities of our past. But the temptation to dwell in the past can hinder our ability to keep moving forward. For the Working Believer, learning to live out the Gospel and be Salt and Light in the workplace can be very trying. We will mess up. We will miss a step, lose our temper, or misrepresent the Lord...but we have to learn from it and keep going. Pau...

Read through Colossians chapter 3. We are meant to be different. As different as Light is to darkness. This distinction is not one of arrogance, entitlement, or exclusion. We have been drenched in Grace, seasoned with the Word of God, and illuminated by the inner Light of the Spirit of God. We have been Saved out of the loneliness, isolation, and emptiness of our sin, and adopted into the blessed, redeemed, and eternalized family of God. The only place there ought not to be a distinction is within our own lives. We are not to segment or compartmentalize our lives with areas that belong to Christ, and areas that do not. We have no closets in which to hide our secret sins or the selfishness of our prideful hearts. Christ, in His mercy has kicked in every door of the house that is our life shedding His radiant light, dispelling all shadows of fear, uncertainty, and hopelessness. For the Working Believer, WHATEVER we do, in word or deed, is meant to represent the Lord Jesus Christ as an...

“How do you represent Jesus Christ in your workplace?” I wish that weren’t such a loaded question. Sadly, this question will often put Working Believers on the defensive. “What does my work have to do with my relationship with Jesus?!” That is the beauty and the burden of dying to self that we may live to Christ: when we are dead, we are wholly dead. We cannot pick and choose which parts of our lives we will designate as Christ’s, and others as ours. We have great organizations that send in representatives of Jesus Christ to the workplace to bring Light, Hope, and Grace to the worker, and I am very thankful for these organizations. However, I cannot help but think that the need for these organizations is also a testimony to the lack of active Gospel engagement from the everyday Working Believer. Our service to God is only at, with, or through the Church. Beyond that...we switch off. There is a lot of opportunity left on the table if that is our mentality. I fear we will have a lo...