The Life of Discipleship, Part 10: Our Work Life

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Most people throughout the world will spend a significant percentage of their lives at work, which will generally be carried out in a workplace setting, though in today’s world the workplace may also be a virtual one. Clearly work—whether it is in a secular setting or in a Christian missional one—will occupy a large amount of our time for much of our adult life. In many cases, this will entail working with people whose belief system and worldview may differ from ours. So as Christians, how do we integrate our work life into our discipleship?

Let’s start by looking at what the Bible has to say about work.

Scripture generally presents a positive view of work. Before sin entered the world, God instructed Adam and Eve to work when He said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion” (Genesis 1:28). “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

Doing work isn’t part of the fallen human condition, but rather is something that is part of God’s “very good” creation (Genesis 1:31). In the book of Genesis, God’s creation of the world is referred to as His work. “On the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done” (Genesis 2:2). We also see that the fourth of the Ten Commandments makes reference both to not working on the seventh day, the Sabbath, and to working on the other days of the week. “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God” (Exodus 20:9–10).

From the beginning of His creation, we see that God ordained work as part of His plan for human flourishing, which Timothy Keller expressed as follows:

The book of Genesis leaves us with a striking truth—work was part of paradise. One biblical scholar summed it up: “It is perfectly clear that God’s good plan always included human beings working, or, more specifically, living in the constant cycle of work and rest.” ... It was part of God’s perfect design for human life, because we were made in God’s image, and part of His glory and happiness is that He works, as does the Son of God, who said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17)…

Though Jesus’ twelve apostles left their nets after meeting him (Luke 5:11), we later see them continuing their trade of fishing. We see Paul continuing to work as a tentmaker while he worked as an evangelist. These are not men who meet Christ and stop their “secular work” or who dial back their intensity and passion. Instead, what forever changed was the disciples’ relationship to their work. Jesus gave them the big picture; in fact, he was the big picture. He very deliberately called them to a kind of fishing beyond their fishing: “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10). In other words, he was coming to redeem and heal the world, and he invited his disciples to be part of this project. Now they had an identity and significance untethered to their job or financial status. So they could walk away from it (if that was called for), or pick it up again, or approach it in a different way from before…

Work is one of the ways we make ourselves useful to others, rather than just living a life for ourselves. Also, work is one of the ways we discover who we are, because it is through work that we come to understand our distinct abilities and gifts, a major component in our identities… As an extension of God’s creative work, the Christian’s labor has its orientation toward God himself, and we must ask how it can be done distinctively and for his glory. As an extension of God’s providential work, our labor has its orientation toward our neighbor, and we must ask how it can be done excellently and for his or her good.¹

In the New Testament, we find positive references to work. For example, we read that the apostle Paul worked as a tentmaker at times during his missionary journeys (Acts 18:2–3). Elsewhere, Paul made reference to his example of doing “hard work” to supply his own needs and those of his travel companions (Acts 20:33–35 NIV). In Ephesians, he wrote of the importance of work in saying: “Rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28).

When writing to the church of Thessalonica, Paul emphasized the importance of believers supporting themselves by working. “Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one” (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12). In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul called on the church to imitate his example of working, and he went on to “command and encourage” the believers “to do their work quietly and to earn their own living” (2 Thessalonians 3:7–12).

Of course, not all work is compensated financially. One of the most important jobs in the world is that of a parent and homemaker, even though such work is not paid employment. Volunteer work is also very important, where people generously donate their time to help others, such as through their church or other organizations. Missionary work is a tremendously important task which is often done on a volunteer basis and is often dependent on the donations and support of others. Many dedicated Christians are called by God to devote their lives in service to Him as they share the gospel on their mission field or work in humanitarian aid projects while not receiving a regular salary for their work.

Whatever work the Lord leads us to—whether paid or unpaid—as believers we are called to be a good representation of Jesus and our faith to others. Whatever our everyday work may be, may we do it as unto Him, for His glory. “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Why Work?

When we consider how much of the average person’s life will be devoted to work, this raises the question: Why did God give humans work to do?

Part of being creations made in God’s image is the ability to reflect His creative activity. When we make things, such as baking a loaf of bread, building a shed, or developing a computer program, we are creating something that didn’t exist before. Such work reflects God’s attributes in other ways as well, such as wisdom, strength, patience, and knowledge.

While all of nature manifests God’s glory, such as the plant and animal kingdoms, the creativity of human beings manifests His glory in vastly different ways. Only humans create, invent, and innovate. The ability of human beings to do creative work points to our being created by God in His image. As humans, we can create value. When we do productive work, we add to the total value of things that exist for the benefit of humanity.

Another important aspect of work is that it can give us an inherent sense of worth and self-respect, while also providing a means for us to be a testimony to non-believers (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12). This is partly why when people are laid off from work and can’t find another job, or when they can’t work because of illness or injury, they find it so difficult. Not having productive work can bring frustration due to being unable to do what God has made human beings to do—to be engaged in productive work and thereby support themselves as long as they are able.

Most Christians are not engaged in full-time church or mission work but rather are employed in secular workplaces, often working alongside or under non-Christians. This was also the case in the early church, when Christians were a small minority who worked in a predominantly secular world. However, they clearly were witnesses in their workplace and contributed to the rapid spread of Christianity. In fact, religious historian Kenneth Latourette proposed that, “The chief agents in the expansion of Christianity appear … to have been … men and women who earned their livelihood in some purely secular manner and spoke of their faith to those whom they met in this natural fashion.”²

The apostle Paul considered that believers were placed in jobs that God had called them to. “Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him” (1 Corinthians 7:17). Whatever job a believer is working at (provided it is not unethical or immoral), that is a situation to which “God has called him,” at least for the time being. God may call them to another occupation later, but while they are called to a particular job, that is their assignment.

Whatever workplace we find ourselves in, as Christians we are called to be honest, trustworthy, and people of integrity, and faithful witnesses wherever possible. Believers are called to be a testimony of Christianity, an example of Jesus in whatever situation they find themselves, “so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive” (Titus 2:10 NIV). While we may not always be able to freely share our faith in the workplace, we can always find ways to be a living example of our faith, as the following article excerpts highlight.

Your Mission Field

God never intended Sunday worship to be divorced from Monday work. Your job, your calling, your daily responsibilities—these are all places of discipleship and disciplemaking. Colossians 3:17 reminds us: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Every spreadsheet. Every email. Every meeting. Every repair. Every delivery. Every meal prepared... Done with His joy. Done by His grace and in His Name. We often think sacred work happens in churches or ministries. But sacred work happens in every vocation when it’s done for God’s glory and the good of others…

Your work is not accidental. It is not “secular.” It is deeply sacred when surrendered to God. The world needs people like you—deeply rooted in Christ, living faithfully and joyfully wherever God has placed you. When you serve others for the sheer joy of being used of God to do good on behalf of someone else, you are part of a global choir singing of the goodness of God in your actions.

Let your workplace become your mission field. Let your daily tasks become acts of worship. Let your industry be a space where God’s goodness shines through your integrity, humility, and hope. Because when you do, we see it happen: the sacred invades the secular. And that’s where the kingdom of God quietly enters the world—one task, one conversation, one life at a time.—Dan Miller³

Doing Evangelism in the Workplace

If the average person spends at least eight hours on work five days of the week, then in the span of a year, this adds up to 2,080 hours a year in the workplace setting and community. Even if this number is half of this, that’s still a lot of time.

If done properly, there is one foundational reason that all of us should be seeking ways to share our faith wherever God has placed us: we have been called to share our faith by the very God we acknowledge is Lord. I won’t go into all the scriptures that call us towards a gospel witness in both word and deed (e.g., Acts 22:14–15; Acts 4:20; Matthew 28:19). What I will say is that evangelism, when done in the proper way and the proper setting, is of utmost importance if we are to see God’s kingdom grow and more people come into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

However, far too many in the church simply don’t know how to be a good gospel witness in the workplace. We either don’t know how to get faith conversations started, or we don’t know how to continue them in an appropriate manner once the door has been cracked open for us. The key to effective evangelism in the marketplace is at the very minimum five-fold:

Work with excellence. Colossians 3:23 calls us to work hard as unto the Lord. No matter the workplace, we are first and foremost working for an audience of One. And when we work in such a way, we build a foundation of witness to those around us.

Have integrity. Having integrity means being honest and having strong moral principles and convictions. What people see is what they get. We are salt and light in the workplace; we don’t cut corners or do sloppy work. In this way, we model after Jesus, who provided the character model we need to have as we seek effective gospel witness.

Seek discernment. The Book of Proverbs is a great place to start when we consider the importance of wisdom... We must always first be seeking the voice of God as we navigate faith in the workplace. We must be wise in knowing the how, when, why, and who of gospel witness in the marketplace. If we don’t, we not only jeopardize our jobs, but possibly even the winsomeness of our witness.

Listen to God’s voice. We must follow God’s promptings and let the Holy Spirit guide us into conversations. Without a foundation of prayer and the spiritual discipline of listening to God and His Word, we are but clanging cymbals or noisy gongs.

Get going! Once we sense God calling us into deeper conversations, we must follow Him into those sometimes hard places. We must walk—sometimes run—into relationships with a commitment to take the long road if need be, to be a friend and confidant.—Ed Stetzer.⁴

As believers, we are called to live out our discipleship in every sphere of our lives, including our work lives. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23–24 NIV).

As His ambassadors, we are called to convey Christ’s message and to conduct our lives in ways that show God’s love for the people we encounter at work and everywhere we go. In every aspect of our lives, we are to be “imitators of God, as beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1). Every part of our lives is meant to be consecrated to the Lord; every place we find ourselves is a mission field, filled with people in need of the Savior or in need of learning more about their faith and growing in their discipleship. May our lives be an example of His unfailing love for every person He places in our path.

Thoughts to Ponder

If God came into the world, what would he be like? For the ancient Greeks, he might have been a philosopher-king. The ancient Romans might have looked for a just and noble statesman. But how does the God of the Hebrews come into the world? As a carpenter.—Phillip Jensen

Christians should be aware of … the purpose of their work in the world. ... We are to see work as a way of service to God and our neighbor, and so we should both choose and conduct our work in accordance with that purpose. The question regarding our choice of work is no longer “What will make me the most money and give me the most status?” The question must now be “How, with my existing abilities and opportunities, can I be of greatest service to other people, knowing what I do of God’s will and of human need?”—Timothy Keller

I’m frequently asked how to be a witness in the workplace or with our family members or roommates. First, our colleagues must see that we are honest, truthful, reliable, that we don’t engage in gossip and that we encour­age and praise our colleagues’ achievements—even in a very competitive workplace. … If they see in our behavior unselfish service, kindness and patience, it will have an impact in drawing them to consider Christ.—Rebecca Sayers

What the Bible Says

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:17 NIV).

“The LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful” (Deuteronomy 16:15).

“You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:34–35 NIV).

A Prayer for the Workplace

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the job You have given me, for the opportunity to represent You to all those I work with today. May I be sensitive to Your leading, satisfied in Your provision and secure in the knowledge that You are with me through every challenge I may face today…

Give me the desire to put my whole heart into each task today, doing it as work done for You, and not merely for my boss. Don’t let me forget that my real reward comes from You, since You are actually my employer.

Please encourage and support my fellow coworkers. Meet them at every point of their need. Strengthen their relationships at work and in their homes. Give me patience, and the grace to show respect and appreciation to everyone I work with today. May You be the light of my life, the guide of my steps, my anchor in every shifting wind. I ask this all in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.⁵