What we do defines who we are. In
America, your vocation is one of the most defining aspects of who you are. For example, when introduced to
someone new, one of the first questions asked is “What do you do?”
This question generally stirs up
pride or embarrassment,
depending on how excited you are about your job.
The Puritans, our Christian
brethren from four centuries ago, viewed vocation as a divine calling and an
avenue for worship. “The main end of our lives is to serve God in the serving
of men in the works of our callings,” wrote Puritan pastor William Perkins.
Likewise, the Apostle Paul
instructed first-century
Christians in Colossae, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and
not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as
your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:23-24)
There is a sense of value or
purpose infused in our work. Today
many Christians have lost that sense of sovereign purpose in their jobs.
Shuffling papers and never-ending deadlines cloud our view to the fact that what we do for a living matters much to
God and fits into the big picture of his divine plans.
Christians must awaken again to
the value of vocation not only as a form of worship but also as an avenue for
fulfilling the Great Commission. For
most, our greatest mission fields await us in the 9 to 5.
In the Oct. 8 issue of the TEXAN DigitalMagazine, we have stories on marketplace chaplains as well as ministries
devoted to equipping businessmen and businesswomen to leverage their jobs for
global missions. I pray that these
stories will encourage and challenge you to view your vocation as a
means for worship and witness.
Hopefully God will use them to
spark ideas in your mind and in your church. Here are a few possibilities to
get you started:
Witness in the Workplace
How do you view the relationships you
have in your job? Do you look for opportunities to share a verbal witness with
your coworkers? Certainly, a Christlike attitude and personal integrity bring
honor to Christ, but don’t forget to speak the gospel as well. Remember, “…
faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).
Often, an easy way to open gospel
conversations is simply to ask, “How can I pray for you?” You’ll be amazed at
how coworkers will open up to you about brokenness in their lives, giving you
an opportunity to speak of the One who can heal their brokenness. The 3 Circles Life
Conversation Guide
created by NAMB can aid you in connecting the gospel to their brokenness.
Business as Missions
Global commerce and travel have
flattened the world these days, as corporations fly employees to countries far and wide.
Christians often lament
countries that are “closed” to the gospel;
however, companies like
Coca-Cola have proved that virtually
no country is completely
closed. Genuine business efforts provide missionary platforms in some of the
most difficult-to-reach locations in the world. How might you leverage your
platform and the platforms of the people in your church for short-term or
long-term missionary advance?
I know churches that have examined
their congregation to see what vocations are most represented in their people
and then created missions opportunities around
those vocations to reach countries traditionally “closed” to the gospel.
One church recognized a large group of special education teachers in the
congregation and organized overseas teacher trainings in these countries. A
friend who is a plumber has leveraged his skillset to help dig water wells in
impoverished countries, opening doors for him to share about the Living Water.
Chaplaincy
As seen in our cover story on Marketplace Ministries, businesses
represent an untapped mission field. Why not consider approaching local
businesses or emergency response stations or sports teams and volunteering to
serve as their chaplain?
Pastors can also make intentional
efforts to visit with church members at their place of business. Of course, you
want to be considerate and not distract a person from his job, but you never
know what impact you might make on that church member and the people he works
with.
Gil Stricklin, president of Marketplace
Ministries, also advises
pastors to show a genuine interest in church members’ jobs. Outside of sermon
preparation, he says he would spend a great deal of his time “going out to guys' (worksites) and kneeling down
beside their desks. ... I’d pray
for them and encourage them. I think that would be some of the most significant
ministry any pastor could have.”
Kingdom-Minded Parenting
Parents, have you considered what your
life and words teach your children about their future careers? Sure, we want
our children to grow up and get good jobs, but why? Do we simply want them to
make good money so they can live
comfortably? What if Christian parents instilled in their children a desire to
use their talents and careers to bring glory to Christ? It would certainly have
implications on their decisions related to which college to attend, what major
to pursue and what career path to take. The
first step in teaching them this value is to model it in your own job.
What we do defines who we are. As Christians, we must our vocations
as opportunities for worship and witness in the world? We must "work
heartily, as for the Lord."
