Why do we work? What value do we attach to our work? Does our choice of jobs matter?
There’s a lot of talk in Christian circles these days about work. Much of that talk seems to put a value on work that I simply don’t find in the bible.
What does the bible actually teach about work?
- God works… and then rests. (Genesis 1)
- As God’s creatures and agents in the world we work. (Genesis 1:28-30) That means that work is a core part of what it is to be human. Work is not something that gets in the way of leisure… work is good.
- However, work in a fallen world will be frustrating and difficult (Genesis 3).
- Work in a fallen world can also express our desire to find identity and meaning apart from God. (Genesis 11)
- God cares that we work honestly… being fully conscious that he can see us working (eg.
- The general expectation is that we all should work. However, those whose task is the preaching of the gospel aren’t required to work in the conventional sense, instead, they are to be supported by God’s people. (1 Tim 5:17-18)
I can really only find two reasons in the Scriptures as to why we work…
- We work in order to provide for our own basic needs and those for whom we are responsible… in so doing we are not being lazy or a burden to others. We work to survive. (2 Thess 3:6-14)
- We work so that we might be generous (Eph 4:28)
If all of this is true then it means that we don’t work to find fulfilment, meaning and satisfaction. We don’t work to find status and significance. We don’t work to exercise power. AND we don’t work in order to advance the
Now, if that is the case, then we will make decisions in life based on that priority. We will choose to turn down the promotion or the transfer, if it will get in the way of the gospel proclamation ministry we are doing. Conversely, we will stay in an otherwise unsatisfying job if it is providing us with excellent gospel opportunities.
Of course, if someone was to offer you the chance to no longer have to work in order to survive, but rather to spend more of your time in your real priority (gospel ministry) then you will want to say ‘yes’ straight away. And unless you have excellent reasons for saying ‘no’ that are ground in the priority of gospel proclamation (and some of you may, although probably less than we think), to decline that opportunity exposes that in reality your work is a greater priority to you than the proclamation of the gospel. I’m pretty sure that’s called idolatry!
8 comments:
Hi Gav and other readers,
I think that reasoning is solid. That was the thinking running through my head last year when I was an Engineer. I jumped at the chance to do MTS as it gave me a chance to do more "word-ministry" than I was able to do working as a Power System Engineer. I don't count myself as doing "more important work" (word-ministry) now because I was already doing this "more important work" as an Engineer - in the conversations I was able to have with my colleagues and as a youth leader on Friday and Sunday nights. But doing MTS, I count myself as lucky to be doing more of the "more important work" than you average Christian is able to do during his/her week.
Phil
ps It's helpful to remember that the concept of a career is western and recent. Most people who have lived on the earth have worked to eat.
hello!
these are just my thoughts - hope it's ok?
firstly, hey gavin, I realised I’ve never asked you this – but how long did you spend in “non-gospel-proclamation-work” (as you put it)???
Agreed that the ‘work’ in itself is not the work of the kingdom (if we want to look at it in the way you specify)...
But...I’m confused as to the almost exclusive attention/focus being given here to ‘word’ and ‘preaching’ ministry??? somehow just from my reading of the Bible (and maybe I’m wrong?) word ministry shouldn’t be given exclusive kudos? I can’t say I agree that “the only thing that advances the kingdom of God in this world is the verbal proclamation of the message about Jesus Christ and him crucified” as you have said here – yes, words are SO important and often we as Christians must not use “actions” as an excuse for not speaking (when I fall into this trap I ask Jesus to fill me with more conviction so that I cannot help but speak!) But to limit God to people’s WORDS only?? Not convinced : )
Also, it worries me that people can say with such confidence and certainty that something is more valuable/strategic/godly/desirable/whatever-you-want-to-say-about-it and try to impose that on other people (i.e. by saying things like you should be asking the question”Why NOT go into full-time ministry?”) Can’t help thinking here of the woman giving her one coin she owned which pleased Jesus so much more than the wealthy who gave so much more (!) Can we think of this as time wealthy too?
I wonder whether it’s a bit of a human problem to decide that the amount of TIME equals the greatest impact anyway – holding this belief and then determining that those who decline an opportunity to give more time to ‘proclamation’ are idolaters seems way too narrow minded to me I’m sorry!
all written in love of course : ) (I hope that is clear!!)
ps. Phil – yes, the concept of a career is Western and recent...but could we extend that to include the idea of a career ‘minister’ or the like ??
Thanks for your thoughts Mandy. Hope you're doing well.
You are right to have picked up the key issue... the priority of word ministry.
Some very brief reflections as to why I affirm that...
1. The Kingdom of God is a description of the people who are rightly related to God through Jesus. They are in the Kingdom because they are in Christ, the King.
2. The only way that anyone can be rightly related to God is by hearing the message about Jesus and responding in faith and repentance.
3. Therefore the only thing that advances the Kingdom is the verbal proclamation of that message. There are other good things we can do... other godly things we can do... but they are not 'kingdom work' in the true sense. In this context I think of Jesus in Mark 1:38 turning aside from good things (healing and exorcising) - "Let us go somewhere else - to the nearby villages - so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."
Hope that helps to unpack my main premise.
thanks gavin -- that's really only briefly touched the surface...am still thinking through whether a connection can indeed be made between points 2 and 3...
but, assuming they can for the purpose of discussion, the one point I have is this:-
you seem to imply 'kingdom work' as being the verbal proclamation of the gospel for the purpose of bringing people into a relationship with Christ who, before hearing, were outside this.
Good! But i would wonder then, how "full-time ministry" would indeed be always garunteed to cover/stick its teeth into this:-??
yes, it's "full-time" in the sense of being paid to do 'ministry', but would you call it "full-time" in terms of this verbal proclamation as you said (I guess we have to face the fact that MOST unbelievers don't easily come in contact with the church)
??
I would have thought the connection between points 2 and 3 would be something like what you see in Romans 10:14-15... people can't be saved unless someone preaches the gospel to them. That has to be verbal.
Also, I am not really pushing 'full-time ministry' here... I'm simply arguing that gospel proclamation has to be the priority for every Christian. They need to use every opportunity they get.
Now, it is a real problem if someone who has been freed from work in order to focus on the ministry of the word spends less time proclaiming the gospel to unbelievers than those who are still working full-time. We need to rebuke such ministers and encourage them to do their job - not just teaching Christians but proclaiming Jesus to non-Christians. You can't spend all your time in ministry just sitting in church waiting for people to come to you. That sort of ministry is a waste of good money - we ought to send such people back to work and use the money to free up someone who is committed both to building up believers and reaching unbelievers.
The danger of saying that "word ministry/gospel proclaimation" is more valuable and significant than other "secular" work is to devalue the work that most lay people do. One of the strengths of the reformation is to emphasise the priesthood of all believers and affirm that all of us are ministers. We must encourage "laity" to serve God with all their lives and offer their work as worship. God has gifted individuals differently and we should be encouraging people in all types of works/ jobs and not only full time paid Christian ministry.
Let's encourage our people and not make them feel that their job/work is less valuable to God when it is not.
Re the last anonymous comment.
Looking back over my post I don't think I've send anything that actually devalues work in the sense you seem to imply. I have affirmed that work is good in itself. I have affirmed that we all ought to work diligently and in a godly way - as part of the spiritual act of worship that is the whole of our lives.
What I have also affirmed, which you seem to deny, is that preaching the gospel is THE most important thing we can do with our lives. It is the only thing that has real lasting effects. So no matter what we do (and we do everything in order to honour and serve our Lord and Saviour) the most important thing we can do (whether 1 hour a week or 60 hours a week) is preach the gospel to believers and non-believers alike.
Now if that lowers the value of other work in the minds of some, then that might actually be a good thing.
BTW The Reformation didn't teach the ministry of all believers. It taught the priesthood of all believers... that we are all in the same position of being able to approach Christ by faith... we don't need a priestly mediator. Their successors the Puritans did teach the ministry of all believers, and they also affirmed wholeheartedly the value of our work as part of our life offered as worship. However, they did so whilst maintaining a priority on the ministry of the word. I think we ought to be doing the same.
Post, Big Gav. Post!
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