o Now  that  I’ve  sold  you  life  insurance…  how  about  

insurance  for  life  after  death?  
“Work  as  Worship”  //  Genesis  2:15– o I’ve  got  your  name  on  our  mailing  list,  but  the  more  
important  question  is,  “Is  your  name  in  the  Lamb’s  Book  of  
17;  Colossians  3:23–24  //  God  and   Life?  
 
the  Rest  of  the  Week  #2   Giving  away  Jesus-­‐themed  gifts  at  Christmas  like  your  pastor’s  
books…    
Prayer  for  Ryan    
Welcome  to  all  campuses…     That’s  not  me…  Is  that  what  it  means  serve  God  in  your  work?  
 
  Well,  believe  it  or  not,  the  Bible  actually  has  a  lot  to  say  about  our  
work…  In  fact,  in  Genesis  2,  at  the  first  mention  of  work  in  the  Bible,  
Introduction:   the  Hebrew  word  God  uses  for  it  is  “abad,”  which  shares  the  same  
  root  word  as  worship.1    
Big  idea  behind  this  series:  Most  Christians  think  of  worship  as   • Adam  worshipped  God  in  the  Garden  not  just  by  reading  the  
something  they  do  inside  the  church.     Bible  and  praying  and  staying  away  from  a  few  bad  apples;  he  
• And  getting  really  committed  to  Jesus  means  getting  busy  at  the   worshipped  God  by  doing  the  work  God  put  him  in  the  garden  to  
church:  volunteering  at  the  church  nursery,  attending  small   do,  too.  
group;  going  on  a  mission  trip,  serving  at  the  soup  kitchen…     • And  I  told  you  this  last  week,  but  surely  it  cannot  be  coincidental  
• Three  to  thrive:  too  busy  to  sin   that  the  majority  of  the  parables  that  Jesus  told  had  a  workplace  
  context.    
Our  jobs  (your  jobs—secular  jobs:  Me,  I’m  a  PROFESSIONAL   • And  of  the  forty  miracles  recorded  in  the  book  of  Acts,  thirty-­‐nine  
CHRISTIAN),  this  kind  of  thinking  believes,  are  necessities  that  must   of  them  occurred  outside  of  a  church  setting.    
be  endured  to  put  bread  on  the  table.  If  God  has  any  interest  in  our   o It  is  apparent  that  the  God  of  the  Bible  is  as  concerned  
jobs,  it’s  just  that  we  don’t  cheat  and  tithe  off  of  our  salaries.   with  displaying  his  power  outside  the  walls  of  the  church  
  as  he  is  within  it.    
And  when  we  think  about  people  who  try  to  bring  God  into  the  
workplace,  all  kinds  of  disturbing  images  come  to  mind:                                                                                                                            
• Opening  a  coffee  shop  called  “He  Brews”  or  “holy  grounds.”     1  Sailhamer’s  position  comes  from  Deuteronomy  30:15–18,  in  

ADAM  AND  EVE  STORE   which  the  same  two  Hebrew  verbs  from  Genesis  2:15  are  
• Defiantly  saying  “Merry  Christmas”  rather  than  “Happy  Holidays”   translated  as  “worship”  and  “keep”  (in  the  sense  of  “obey”  God’s  
in  the  checkout  line  or  sneaking  a  “Have  a  blessed  day”  into  a   spoken  commandment).  Adam  and  Eve  were  to  cultivate  the  
salutation.     garden  of  Eden,  but  their  primary  purposes  were  to  worship  the  
• Forcing  awkward  moments  into  sales  calls:   Lord  and  obey  His  word,  purposes  that  have  been  passed  down  to  
us.  [John  Sailhamer,  The  Pentateuch  as  Narrative  (Grand  Rapids:  
Zondervan,  1992),  100-­‐101.]  
 o Kuyper:  not  one  square  inch  of  the  entire  cosmos  over   • Perfect  means  cannot  be  improved  upon.  God  created  the  world  
which  Jesus  not  emphatically  declare  “mine.”   raw,  in  a  “good”  state,  so  that  we  could  develop  it  and  cultivate  it  
  for  his  glory  and  others’  good.  
So  I  want  to  suggest  five  ways  you  worship  God  while  you  work.     o Here’s  a  way  to  understand  it:  when  you  see  my  wife,  
• Part  1  of  a  2  part  message,  but  I’m  not  going  to  be  preaching   she’s  perfect.  Her  dress;  her  make-­‐up,  her  hair.  She  
next  week;  GOSPEL  AT  WORK  conference…     cannot  be  improved  upon.  
• Bob  Dahl;  Al  Mohler…  local  Christian  business  leaders…     o When  she  first  wakes  up  in  the  morning  and  gets  out  of  
  bed,  she’s  good.  
(Unusual:  NO  ONE  CENTRAL  TEXT:  Genesis  2;  Colossians  3  (other   • We’re  not  park  rangers,  we’re  gardeners:  We  take  the  raw  
verses  along  the  way)   materials  of  the  earth  and  develop  them  for  God’s  glory  and  the  
• BTW,  I  taught  something  like  this  for  the  first  time  3  years  ago,   benefit  of  humans.    
and  I  was  shocked  at  how  many  people  said,  “I  have  never  heard   • Contractors  take  the  raw  materials  of  sand  and  cement  and  
anything  like  that  before.”  That  year,  the  1  sermon  I  preached  on   use  them  to  create  buildings.    
it  was  the  most  downloaded  sermon  that  year.  (More  than  the   • Artists  take  the  raw  materials  of  color  or  music  and  arrange  
ones  on  SEX!))   them  into  art.    
• Lawyers  take  principles  of  justice  and  codify  them  into  laws  
I.  ‘WORSHIPFUL’  WORK  FULFILLS  GOD’S  PURPOSES  IN   that  benefit  society.  
CREATION      
  This  is  key:  as  we  do  this,  in  a  way,  God  is  himself  at  work  creating  
Gen.  2:15:  God  placed  Adam  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  with  the   through  us.  
assignment  “to  work  the  ground  and  keep  it.”      
• This  was  before  the  curse—so  work  was  not  a  punishment   The  Reformer  Martin  Luther  took  Psalm  147:13,  which  says,  “For  God  
inflicted  on  Adam  for  his  sin.  It  was  a  part  of  God’s  original  design.     strengthens  the  bars  of  your  gates;  he  blesses  your  children  within  
  you.  14  He  makes  peace  in  your  borders;  he  fills  you  with  the  finest  of  
The  word  for  work  literally  means  “to  prepare”  or  “to  develop.”     the  wheat.”  and  he  asked:  How  exactly  does  God  do  those  things?    
• God  made  Adam  to  be  a  gardener.  A  gardener  is  not  a  park  ranger   • How  does  he  strengthen  the  bars  of  the  city?  By  city  planners  and  
who  just  guards  the  garden.     architects;  by  politicians  who  pass  good  laws  to  protect  the  city.    
• God  put  Adam  there  to  develop  it.  He  was  to  take  the  raw   • How  does  he  bless  our  children  within  our  midst?  Through  the  
materials  of  the  earth  and  develop  them  for  the  glory  of  God  and   work  of  teachers  and  pediatricians.  
the  benefit  of  humans.     • How  does  he  make  peace  in  our  borders?  By  means  of  good  
• He  made  man  in  his  image,  and  as  God  was  a  creator,2  he  put   lawyers  and  policeman.  
Adam  in  the  Garden  to  be  a  co-­‐creator…     • How  does  he  fill  us  with  the  finest  of  wheat?  By  farmers  and  
• Do  you  remember  the  word  God  used  for  his  creation?  “Good.”   factory  workers  and  restaurant  owners.  
Good  is  good,  but  good  is  not  perfect.     • Our  professions,  Luther  said,  are  like  the  “masks”  God  wears  in  
caring  for  the  world.  
                                                                                                                       
2    12  times  in  Genesis  1–2  we  are  told  God  made  something)  
• He  said  this:  “When  we  pray  the  Lord’s  Prayer  we  ask  God  to  ‘give   For  others  of  you,  maybe  you  hate  your  job  entirely  and  you  only  do  
us  this  day  our  daily  bread.’  And  he  does  give  us  our  daily  bread.   it  to  survive.  
He  does  it  by  means  of  the  farmer  who  planted  and  harvested  the    
grain,  the  baker  who  made  the  flour  into  bread,  the  person  who   Those  effects  are  part  of  the  sad  result  of  the  curse.  And  you  may  
prepared  our  meal.”  All  these  are  in  play  when  God  answers  our   have  to  work  for  a  while  in  that  kind  of  condition…    
prayer  for  daily  bread.   • One  guy  I  was  reading  said:  “Our  generation  insists  that  work  be  
  fulfilling  and  fruitful.  That  it  fully  fit  our  talents  and  our  dreams…  
You  see,  some  of  you,  in  your  work,  feel  this  almost  divine  satisfaction   and  that  we  be  paid  exorbitantly  for  it.”3
(maybe  not  even  a  Christian)…  but  a  sense  of  satisfaction.  Like  you   • This  sounds  great,  but  this  is  not  the  world  we  live  in.  It’s  the  
are  doing  what  you  were  born  to  do!     world  Adam  and  Eve  used  to  live  in.
• The  word  “vocation”  comes  from  the  Latin  word  “voca,”  which    
means  “to  call.”  It’s  how  God  designed  you  and  called  you  to   So  what  do  you  do  if  you  are  in  that  type  of  job?  
serve  in  the  world.     • You  can  still  do  it  faithfully  as  an  act  of  service…  it  is  still  helping  
• In  fact,  there  are  two  Old  Testament  figures  in  Exodus  31,  Bezalel   someone  and  there  can  be  a  certain  pleasure  in  that.  And  wait  for  
and  Oholiab,  whom  Moses  says  were  filled  with  the  Spirit.  How   heaven  to  be  fully  fulfilled.
did  they  express  that?  By  being  expert  craftsmen.  Their   • And  consider  that  there  might  be  a  distinction  between  your  job  
expression  of  being  filled  with  the  Spirit  was  doing  excellent  work.   and  the  pursuit  of  the  calling  God  has  placed  in  you.  
• It  reminds  me  of  that  scene  in  Chariots  of  Fire,  where  the   o The  Apostle  Paul’s  calling,  for  example,  was  to  be  an  
Christian  Olympic  star,  Eric  Liddell,  in  his  preparation  for  the  1924   apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  but  he  also  made  tents.  Making  
Olympics,  is  confronted  by  his  sister  who  thinks  he  should  be  a   tents  was  a  part  of  Paul’s  calling,  but  not  the  heart  of  his  
missionary  to  China.  Liddell  responds,  “I  believe  God  made  me  for   calling.4    
a  purpose,  but  he  also  made  me  fast.  And  when  I  run,  I  feel  his   o Some  people  do  other  things  to  free  them  to  do  the  main  
pleasure.”     thing.  
• Many  businesspeople  feel  that.  They  are  doing  something  they   o My  dad  certain  enjoyed  managing  people  at  a  textile  
love  and  feel  like,  “This  is  what  I  was  made  for.”  When  I  do  it,  I   plant,  but  he  loved  mentoring  college  students  and  
feel  God’s  pleasure.  It’s  like  I  feel,  even,  the  Spirit  of  God  at  work   teenagers  
in  me  in  this.   • If  you  are  one  of  those  rare  people  that  finds  a  career  that  fits  
  your  calling  from  the  beginning—that  is  a  blessing  and  not  a  right.  
Now,  one  word  of  clarification:  one  of  the  curses  of  the  fall  was  that  
work  became  toilsome.  God  cursed  the  ground  and  said  that  thorns   II.  ‘WORSHIPFUL’  WORK  PURSUES  THE  HIGHEST  STANDARDS  
and  thistles  would  frustrate  our  efforts.  Work  at  that  point  became  a   OF  EXCELLENCE  
compulsory  act  of  survival.      
 
For  many  of  you,  maybe  your  work  is  partially  fulfilling,  but  it  also                                                                                                                          
3  Tim  Keller,  Every  Good  Endeavor  
toilsome  and  draining.    
4  Inspired  by  Os  Guinness’  talk  at  Gospel  at  Work,  Washington,  DC,  
 
2013.  
If  our  work  is  done  “unto  God,”  it  should  be  done  according  to  the   • Whether  we  eat  or  drink  or  mop  floors  or  write  contracts,  they  
highest  standards  of  excellence:  as  an  offering  to  God!       do  all  to  the  glory  of  God.  
  • In  everything  they  do  they  say,  “The  way  I  do  this  is  a  statement  
Paul  says,  “Whatever  you  do,  work  heartily,  as  for  the  Lord  and  not  for   about  your  worthiness!  I  do  it  for  you!”  
men,  knowing  that  from  the  Lord  you  will  receive  the  inheritance  as    
your  reward.  You  are  serving  the  Lord  Christ.  (Colossians  3:23–24)   • COLLEGE  STUDENTS:  Many  Christian  college  students  think  the  
  only  way  they  serve  God  at  college  is  to  be  involved  in  campus  
You  have  a  higher  boss  than  our  employer;  we  work  for  a  greater   ministry.  Yes,  but  how  well  you  do  your  schoolwork  is  a  statement  
reward  than  our  salary.     about  the  glory  of  God  (booed)  
  • We’re  not  all  straight-­‐A  students,  but  for  all  Christians,  what  they  
In  everything  we  do,  Paul  says,  we  do  it  unto  God,  which  means  we   do  they  do  as  unto  the  Lord.  
do  it  as  a  statement  about  the  worthiness  of  our  God.    
• C.  S.  Lewis  once  noted  how  valleys  undiscovered  by  human  eyes   In  the  same  way…  
are  still  filled  with  beautiful  flowers.  For  whom  did  God  create  
that  beauty,  if  no  human  eyes  would  ever  see  it?  Lewis’  answer   III.  ‘WORSHIPFUL’  WORK  REFLECTS  THE  HIGHEST  
was  that  God  does  some  things  only  for  his  own  pleasure.  He  sees   STANDARDS  OF  ETHICS    
even  when  no  one  else  does.    
• Christians  make  beautiful  things  for  God—often  even  when  no   Sir  Arthur  Conan  Doyle,  who  worked  in  British  government,  once  
one  else  notices.   played  a  practical  joke  on  12  respected  and  well-­‐known  men  in  Great  
  Britain.  He  sent  out  them  each  an  anonymous  telegram  from  inside  
Someone  says,  “Well,  my  boss  is  terrible.  He  doesn’t  reward  me   the  government  that  said,  “Flee  at  once.  All  is  discovered.”  He  
properly;  he  doesn’t  ever  give  me  the  recognition.”   checked  back  in  6  hours  and  all  12  were  making  plans  to  leave.    
• Listen:  that’s  hard!  I  know.  It  causes  a  loss  of  motivation.    
• But  you’re  not  really  doing  it  for  him.  You’re  doing  it  for  God.   Lack  of  integrity  is  nothing  new  in  the  workplace,  but  work  that  
  worships  God  will  conform  to  the  highest  standards  of  ethics,  because  
• Interestingly,  many  of  the  people  to  whom  Paul  is  writing  had  the   it  seeks  to  demonstrate  the  justice  and  integrity  of  God.  
worst  possible  boss  situation.  Paul  says,  “Slaves,  obey  your    
masters.”     Business  ethics  really  matter  to  the  believer  because  our  work  is  
o Someone  says  today,  “Man,  my  boss  totally  owns  me.”  For   done  unto  God  and  our  ethical  practices  reflect  on  God.    
them,  it  was  literal.      
• Even  there,  however,  when  they  were  in  the  worst,  least   God  say  in  Proverbs  11:1,  “A  false  balance  is  an  abomination  to  the  
rewarding  circumstance,  they  were  to  do  their  work  unto  God  as  a   LORD,  but  a  just  weight  is  his  delight.”  
statement  of  his  worthiness.     • A  “false  balance”  means:  a  fudging  mileage  reports,  padded  
  business  expenses,  skimped  time  cards,  calling  in  sick  when  
Paul  says  that  this  is  one  of  the  things  that  should  set  Christians   we’re  not,  commandeering  office  supplies  for  personal  use,  
apart:  they  do  their  work  for  the  glory  of  God.     unreported  income,  and  so  on—are  an  “abomination”  to  him.  
   That’s  what  you  do  when  you  follow  Jesus.  You  begin  to  leverage  our  
To  worship  God  in  your  work  means  having  standards  higher  than   places  of  strength  to  bless  and  serve  others,  like  Jesus  leveraged  his  
even  the  world!  It  means  going  beyond  even  the  world’s  standards.   for  us.  
   
I  can’t  tell  you  how  many  Christians  I’ve  heard  say  that  they  don’t   Parable  I  think  of  in  this  context:  Luke  14:12–14:  for  whom  are  you  
like  to  do  business  with  “other  Christians.”  These  are  not  people  in   throwing  the  party?  
the  world,  but  Christians  talking  about  themselves.      
• I  saw  an  interview  in  a  Christian  publication  with  the  CEO  of  one   You  say:  What  does  that  look  like?    
of  the  largest  consulting  groups  for  Microsoft  software.  He  is  an   • It  may  just  be  your  attitude:  The  joy  of  service.    
industry  veteran  and  a  solid  believer.  In  the  interview,  he  said  he   • Forgiving  somebody.  
got  burned  doing  business  with  professing  Christian  companies   • I  recently  heard  a  story  about  a  young  college  graduate  who  
(fish).  The  interviewer  asked  why,  and  he  said  that  once  the  other   landed  a  job  on  Madison  Avenue  in  one  of  the  advertising  
business  finds  out  he’s  also  a  Christian,  they  take  what  he  called   world’s  most  prestigious  firms.  Shortly  after  she  got  there,  she  
“extensions  of  grace.”  That  may  take  the  form  of  not  paying  on   made  a  mistake  that  cost  the  company  nearly  $25,000.  
time,  not  delivering  work  when  promised,  or  asking  for  fee  or   Madison  Avenue  is  not  a  world  defined  by  grace,  and  she  
labor  reductions  without  cause.5 expected  to  be  fired  by  the  end  of  the  day.  Her  boss,  however,  
• “Ministry  discount” went  before  his  board  of  directors  and  convinced  them  to  
• Waitresses allow  the  blame  for  her  mistake  to  fall  on  him  instead.  When  
  this  young  woman  heard  what  her  boss  had  done,  she  came  to  
Psalm 15:1–3 (THE MESSAGE): "God, who gets invited to dinner at your him  in  tears.  She  asked  him  why,  in  that  cutthroat  
place? How do we get on your guest list?
atmosphere,  he  would  choose  to  cut  his  own  throat  for  her.  
God says: 'Walk straight, act right, tell the truth. Don't hurt your friend, don't He  answered  by  sharing  how  Jesus  had  done  a  very  similar  
blame your neighbor for things you did… Keep your word even when it costs thing  for  him,  stepping  in  the  way  of  the  wrath  that  he  
you, make an honest living, and never take a bribe."
deserved.  Because  of  the  great  grace  that  Jesus  had  shown  
IV.  ‘WORSHIPFUL’  WORK  MAKES  BLESSING  OTHERS  ITS   him,  he  wanted  to  display  a  similar  mercy  to  others  when  he  
BOTTOM  LINE   could.  
 
 
For  you  who  own  businesses:    
To  follow  Jesus  means  that  you  think  about  your  life  the  way  he  
 
thought  about  his:  as  an  offering  to  serve  others.  
• It  means  you  think  about  more  than  merely  personal  profit  in  
 
your  bottom  line.    
Paul  said:  2  Cor  8:9…    
o You’ll  start  to  ask  questions  like,  “I  know  we  can  make  
• He  leveraged  his  assets.  He  leveraged  his  position  of  strength.    
a  profit  from  this,  but  is  it  genuinely  helpful  to  
 
people?”  
                                                                                                                        o Or,  how  can  I  use  this  business  not  just  to  enrich  
5  http://www.blogos.org/compellingtruth/Arguments-­‐4-­‐Bad-­‐
myself,  but  to  bless  others?    
Church-­‐Business.php    
 • Now,  I’m  not  trying  to  say  there  is  any  dichotomy  between   o Why  you  have  the  joy  you  possess  that  I  don’t.  
those  two.  People  often  thing  “profit”  and  “business”  is  bad.     o How  you  respond  to  persecution…  grace.    
o Good,  profitable  business  is  one  of  the  greatest    
benefits  to  the  poor.     Q:  Is  that  happening  to  you,  in  your  business?    
o Good  business  makes  the  water  in  the  harbor  rise  so   • Do  you  work  so  hard,  with  such  excellence,  integrity,  and  grace—
all  the  boats  will  rise—not  ZERO  SUM.   that  people  sense  the  reality  of  a  hope  and  an  invisible  kingdom  
• But  it  means  that  you  think  not  just  about  personal  profits  in   that  they  just  have  to  ask  about?  
your  business,  but  the  blessing  of  everyone  involved.      
o Medical  professionals  may  see  that  some  practice  is   Lastly,  then  I  have  one  word  of  warning  for  you…  
legal  and  makes  money  but  doesn’t  add  benefit  to  
people’s  lives.   V.  ‘WORSHIPFUL’  WORK  SEEKS  TO  ADVANCE  JESUS’  MISSION  
o Certain  kinds  of  development  may  be  good  for  few,   WHERE  IT  CAN    
but  harmful  for  the  community.    
  Work  done  by  disciples  of  Jesus  should  be  done  with  a  view  toward  
• And  it  will  probably  mean  you  give  away  a  lot  of  the  personal   the  Great  Commission  (because  that  is  our  marching  orders!  
profits  you  make  from  business.      
o 2  Cor  8:9…  Because  that’s  what  Jesus  did  for  you.   Billy  Graham  says  the  next  Great  Awakening  will  likely  take  place  in  
Those  who  experience  the  gospel  become  like  it.   the  workplace.    
   
***   • You  say,  “Well,  how  can  I  be  an  effective  witness  in  the  
Before  I  go  on  to  our  last  one,  let  me  point  something  out:  Many   marketplace?”  COME  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  AND  I’LL  TELL  YOU  
people  wonder  how  to  be  an  effective  witness  for  Jesus  in  the   HOW  
workplace.  Just  doing  these  4  things  will  set  you  off  as  a  completely    
different  community.     And,  another  thing  I’ll  tell  you  there,  is  that  I  believe  the  next  wave  of  
  missions  will  be  on  the  wings  of  business.    
Peter  said,  “In  your  hearts  honor  Christ  the  Lord  as  holy,  always  being   • You  see,  most  of  the  countries  in  the  world  in  most  need  of  a  
prepared  to  make  a  defense  to  anyone  who  asks  you  for  a  reason  for   gospel  presence  are  also  those  in  the  greatest  need  of  business  
the  hope  that  is  in  you.”  (1  Peter  3:15  ESV)   development.    
• Peter’s  context  like  ours…     • If  you  lay  a  map  of  world  poverty  out  and  overlay  it  with  one  
• We  were  to  live  in  such  a  way…  that  people  had  to  ask  about  our   showing  the  places  in  the  world  that  are  the  most  unevangelized,  
motives.   you’ll  see  an  incredible  amount  of  overlap.  
• Honoring  Christ  first—in  the  business  place,  means  doing   • That  means  you  have  an  incredible  amount  of  opportunity!    
business  according  to  these  4  things—fulfilling  the  creation;  with   • “10-­‐40  WINDOW”:  for  you  it’s  a  door!    
excellence,  integrity,  and  to  bless  others.      
• That  will  make  others  ask:  why?  Tell  me  about…       Maybe  God  made  you  good  at  that  skill  so  you  could  take  it  to  places  
o The  motives  that  you  have.   where  he  is  not  known.    
   A  word  of  warning:  WORSHIP  GOD,  NOT  YOUR  WORK  
Message:  “For  Just  Such  a  Time  as  This”:  What  if  God  made  you  good    
at  that  skill  to  open  up  a  whole  nation  to  the  gospel  and  give  you  an   When  Adam  and  Eve  fell,  our  relationship  to  work  changed.  Instead  of  
inheritance  in  an  eternal  kingdom?   being  something  we  pursued  to  glorify  God  and  serve  others,  work  
• Sports  marketing  guy—great  degree;  worked  for  a  big  firm;   became  one  of  our  primary  sources  of  identity  and  idolatry.6      
(found  out  his  firm  had  a  branch  in  a  place  in  the  Middle  East    
where  we  had  a  team;  asks  to  be  transferred—missionary  that   • We  define  our  worth  by  the  status  of  our  job—or  maybe  even  by  
didn’t  cost  us  a  dime;  now  he  is  going  back  with  his  own  company)   the  fact  that  we  don’t  have  to  work.    
  • We  depend  on  the  security  of  our  job  to  take  care  of  us  in  the  
Not  every  Christian,  of  course,  will  be  led  to  perform  their  business  in   future.  
an  unreached  people  group.  But  I  want  to  challenge  you  to  ask  the    
question.     You  see  this  change  in  relationship  to  work  in  the  descendants  of  
• When  I  was  in  college,  I  was  waiting  on  God  to  call  me…  burning   Adam  and  Eve  (Gen  4).  Two  lines  descended  from  Adam  and  Eve  
bush;  Virgin  Mary  to  appear  in  the  foam  of  my  skinny  caramel   • Cain—who  killed  Abel  and  was  driven  out  by  God  into  the  
macchiato;  the  question  is  not  whether  you  are  called,  but  where   wilderness—his  descendants  developed  agriculture,  music  and  
and  how…     metal—great  workers,  like  they  were  supposed  be,  but  the  thing  
  to  notice  is  that  they  were  defined  by  their  jobs
What  we  say  to  our  graduates:  “Do  what  you  do  well  for  the  glory  of   o This  culminated  in  Gen  11,  at  the  tower  of  Babel,  in  which  
God;  do  it  somewhere  strategic  for  the  mission  of  God.”   they  built  this  magnificent  tower…  a  great  achievement,  
• Whatever  you  do…  Not  all  to  be  pastors…  VOCATION   but  it  was  to  make  a  great  name  for  themselves.
• Do  it  somewhere  strategic…  why  do  the  only  factors  behind   o What  God  gave  to  us  as  a  means  of  saying,  “Look  at  God  
where  you  choose  to  live  and  work  have  to  be  where  you  make   and  worship  him,”  has  now  become  a  means  of  saying  
the  most  money,  or  where  you  want  to  live?  Why  do  they  have  to   “Look  at  me,  and  be  impressed.”
be  the  main  ones?     • In  contrast  to  the  descendants  of  Cain,  the  descendants  of  Seth  
o Why  not  choose  the  city  you  pursue  employment  in  based   (godly  line),  were  not  defined  by  work,  but  were  defined  instead  
on  where  you  can  be  effective  for  the  mission?   as  “those  who  began  to  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.”  (Gen  
  4:25)  
“Do  what  you  do  well  for  the  glory  of  God;  do  it  somewhere   o The  point  is  not,  of  course,  that  they  didn’t  work,  or  work  
strategic  for  the  mission  of  God.”   less.  The  point  is  that  worshippers  of  God  are  not  defined  
• Isn’t  that  a  missional  vision  we  all  should  adopt?     by  their  work.  
  o Instead,  they  are  defined  by  the  name  of  the  Lord  whom  
“Do  you  see  a  man  skillful  in  his  work?  He  will  stand  before  kings;  he   they  worship.
will  not  stand  before  obscure  men.”  Proverbs  22:29      
• Do  your  work  well…  and  then  stand  before  the  lost  kings  of  the  
earth  so  that  the  nations  will  worship!                                                                                                                          
6  Much  help  here  taken  from  Michael  Lawrence’  talk  at  The  Gospel  and  Work  conference  
at  Covenant  Life  Church  in  Washington,  DC,  2013.  
Because  of  the  fall,  many  of  us  worship  our  work  in  that  we  make  it   accepted  to  the  Juilliard  School  of  Music  than  for  one  going  off  to  a  
our  identity—the  second  question  we  ask!     theological  seminary.  The  church  needs  writers,  performers,  artists,  
  speakers,  politicians,  businessmen,  businesswomen,  and  workers  in  
We  also  make  it  our  security.   every  craft  and  trade.  In  God's  eyes  there  should  be  no  hierarchy,  
  there  certainly  should  not  be  in  ours."7  
Work  is  a  terrible  God;  God  is  a  great  God.      
• He’s  the  one  you  can  depend  on.     • Artists,  Musicians,  Creatives,  Advertising,  Marketing,  Film,  Television,  
• He’s  the  one  who  has  taken  care  of  your  ultimate  problem—not   Web  or  Print  Design  (they  all  stand  alone—no  one  understands  them)  
lack  of  money  or  status,  but  death.     • Entrepreneurs,  Business  Owners  
o He  died  to  reconcile  you  to  God   • Healthcare,  Pharmaceutical,  BioTech,  Medical,  or  in  some  facet  of  the  
field  of  science  (lot  of  drug  dealers  in  RDU)  
o If  he  took  care  of  you  in  that,  won’t  he  care  for  your  day  to  
• Education,  Athletics,  Coaching  
day  needs?  
• Government,  state,  local,  federal,  including  our  military  (if  you  gave  me  
 
a  ticket,  sit  back  down)  
If  you  give  your  soul  to  him  and  then  you  can  enjoy  your  work,   • Law,  Finance,  Accounting,  Tax  
because  you  are  not  depending  on  it  for  life.  Or,  you  could  say  it  like   • Social  Services  or  the  Non-­‐profit  sector  (Christian  ministry)  
this:  When  Jesus  is  your  life,  you  can  enjoy  the  rest  of  your  life.   • Real  Estate,  Construction,  Architecture,  Transportation  or  in  a  trade  
such  as  plumbers,  electricians,  painters,  mechanics  or  carpenters  
Conclusion:  
• Service  industry,  such  as  Retail,  Food  Service,  Hair  Stylist,  Chefs  
 
• Business,  Technology,  Consulting,  Professional  Services,  Engineering,  
Summit:     Manufacturing  
  • Other  
I  don’t  want  us  to  ignore  your  work  life!    
o It’s  where  you  spend  85%  of  your  week!  
o Work  matters  to  God;  God  matters  to  work  
 
Two  things  I  want  to  give  you:  
o gospelatwork.com  (promo  code:  gospelatwork)  gives  you  $10  
off  through  Monday!)  
o Right  Now  Media  
 
How  I  want  to  end—  
 

Commissioning:  
                                                                                                                         
Robert  Briner,  Roaring  Lambs:  "There  should  be  no  less  support  or   7  Robert  Briner,  Roaring  Lambs:  A  Gentle  Plan  to  Radically  Change  
attention  for  an  earnest  Christian  young  person  who  has  been   Your  World    
 talking  to  you  about  whether  or  not  you’re  ready  to  meet  
Bullpen:   Jesus?9  
Work  is  worship  when  you  fulfill  God’s  purpose  for  creation:  you  prepare   ! While  they  might  admire  the  guy’s  zeal,  many  
and  develop  the  earth  for  the  benefit  of  humans  and  the  glory  of  God.  You   Christian  businesspeople  think,  “I  just  don’t  think  I  
are  God’s  mask,  and  he  is  working  through  you.     could  do  that  and  keep  my  job.”  
  The  book  of  1  Peter  is  written  to  a  group  of  Christians  trying  to  live  
QUESTION:  Where  would  you  be  if  Jesus  had  leveraged  his  position   and  witness  in  a  very  hostile  environment.  Peter  tells  them  to  live  as  
entirely  for  self-­‐benefit?  If  Jesus  had  approached  his  potential,  and   a  holy  nation,  as  God’s  peculiar  people.  He  says:  
his  assets,  the  ways  you  are  approaching  yours…?    
 
If  Christians  were  to  act  in  their  jobs  with  equity  and  fairness,  that  
alone  would  set  them  apart.  But  the  gospel  takes  us  even  farther.    
 
• Scott  L:  needed  vs.  irreplaceable.  
• “Twenty  percent  of  the  world’s  population  lives  in  Muslim  countries,  yet  
only  four  percent  of  world  trade  comes  from  these  countries…  We  are  
living  at  a  point  in  world  history  of  unprecedented  opportunities  for  the  
expansion  of  the  Christian  faith.  No  country  is  closed  to  business.  In  no  
country  is  it  illegal  to  love  people.  There  are  huge  doors  of  opportunity  
wide  open  before  us,  if  we  are  willing  to  equip  ourselves  adequately  and  
walk  through  them.  Countries  considered  “closed”  to  missionaries  
welcome  Christians  who  come  as  tentmakers.”8  
 
• Stealthy  evangelism  moments:  
o Leaving  tracts  on  the  toilets  
o Giving  out  copies  of  your  pastors’  book  Gospel  or  SAJIYH  as  
Christmas  gifts  (a  great  idea)    
o Or  perhaps  you  remember  the  2004  incident  of  an  
American  Airlines  pilot  who,  in  his  pre-­‐flight  
announcements,  asked  all  the  Christians  on  board  the  
plane  to  raise  their  hands.  He  then  suggested  that  during  
the  flight  the  other  passengers  talk  to  those  people  about  
their  faith.  He  also  told  passengers  he’d  also  be  happy  to  
talk  to  anyone  who  had  questions.  Understandably,  it  
freaked  a  lot  of  people  out:  the  pilot  of  your  airplane                                                                                                                          
9  http://www.travelkb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/air/2002/American-

                                                                                                                        Airlines-Preaching-Pilot.  Found  in  John  Dickson,  The  Best  Kept  

8  Discovering  the  Mission  of  God:  Best  Practices  for  the  21st  Century,  Mike  Barnett   Secret  of  Christian  Mission  (Zondervan,  2010),  172-­‐173.