Talking about God at Work

At work this week I got into a conversation with quite a few of my coworkers about religion. I'm not sure how the conversation got started, but my coworkers were discussing praise dancers. I'm not quite sure what to think of the phenomenon myself, but I believe dance is an acceptable form of worship and that in the church we are to do everything "decently and in order." Since the majority of my coworkers thought it was odd and didn't like it, I thought I'd share what I don't like about some churches.

One person's version of church was waking up on Sunday morning, watching Joel Osteen speak on the television for a half hour, and falling back to sleep. I said, "What I don't like about Joel Osteen is that he doesn't get to the gospel. He doesn't get to the central message of the Bible. I get that we need to live contently with our life situation, but anybody can do that."

My coworker didn't quite follow what I was saying, so I asked her, "You watch Joel. Answer me this: What must I do to be saved?" She's grown up with enough of a Christian influence to say something about praying a prayer, and a "Catholic" coworker said, "Yeah, and they say it doesn't matter what you do so long as you pray that prayer." In general, the people didn't seem to like that idea, which I would agree is wrong, but probably for different reasons than they would.

I'm currently listening to an audio book from Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears that touches on this. I'm praying for more opportunities to talk about the gospel with my coworkers, and I hope to bring up Romans 10:9 in that conversation.

Being a Christian means that you “confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead” (Rom. 10:9). Ask yourself, “Am I trusting the truth of the gospel?”

… Many people emphasize the moment when you prayed to accept Jesus. Some go so far as to declare that if you can’t remember the moment you prayed, then you cannot even be a Christian. But if you look in the Bible, that kind of statement is never made. Conversely, 1 John 5:13 says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” It is real belief and not a magical prayer that saves a Christian. In fact, many who grew up in Christian homes never remember a time when they prayed a prayer or made a decision for Jesus, but they lovingly confess Jesus all the same.

Vintage Church, pg. 31

Book Review: Work Matters

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Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship with Monday Work by Tom Nelson is a welcome addition to my digital bookshelf. I have a pretty good job, but sometimes, either due to deadlines, interpersonal relationships, or other factors, Monday mornings can weigh heavy on me after a weekend doing some of my favorite things.

Nelson, a pastor, believes it’s time for us to develop a good theology of work, reminding readers that it should be an act of worship, not a four-letter word we mutter under our breath when the alarm clock sounds on Monday morning.

I once teased my wife when she was asking me about my plans for after the weekend and said, “Don’t talk about Monday as if it’s already a foregone conclusion.” The truth is, work already is a foregone conclusion, for her as a stay-at-home mom, and for me as an employee of a very large accounting organization.

In chapter one, Nelson takes us all the way back to Genesis to point out that God created Adam to work in a garden. Work is part of God’s purpose for our lives, one that is wholesome and good. When we work, we have to opportunity to worship God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength—our whole being.

Lest we assume the author must have a cushy job and no conception of how draining and frustrating our jobs can be, his second chapter deals with Genesis 3, the fall. Sin introduced a curse for us, bringing frustration and futility to our work. Yet the writer of Ecclesiastes, in all his talk on futility, says work should be something we delight in (Ecc. 3:12-13).

Though our work may be subjected to futility now, it was not always so and will not always be so. Just as Christ has redeemed us and is coming again, so too He will redeem our work. All creation groans in anticipation of His coming. That happens with our work too. But just the servant with ten talents received greater reward for his faithfulness, so we too our work on earth prepares us for greater—and more meaningful—work in eternity.

This is only the first four chapters. The book goes on to discuss the meaningfulness of our work and attacks the view that being a missionary or pastor is a high calling and other forms of work must somehow be a “low calling.” It discusses the value of our work developing Christ-likeness in us and how “common grace” and promoting the common good should be communicated by our work. Nelson’s concluding chapters address some of the challenges we face in our work, from temptations to sin to periods of unemployment. He rounds it out with a call to the reader to plug in and participate in the church and her work in the world.

Overall, the book was a helpful reminder of the value inherent in my work and the challenge to live by the axiom “The only Christian work is good work well done.” I type this in the minutes before I get ready for work on a Monday morning. I’m going to worship God through my work today. Will you?

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The opinions expressed are my own. I received a digital copy of this work from the publisher via NetGalley.

Deity-Neutral?

“You can express appreciation for your good fortune and suggest that others contemplate their own good fortune in a deity-neutral fashion.”

A coworker wrote this. It is a generic you, I think, but I’m sure she’d have no problem saying the same to me personally.She wrote it in response to a Thanksgiving message that was sent out to our employees in which the writer said “blessings” three times and “give thanks” twice.

Here is my response:

“Deity-neutral is a new term for me. I'm not sure it is all that helpful. I don't find much of a difference between "express appreciation" and "give thanks", and even "good fortune" suggests either an unknown power or chance. The first could be offensive to some, such as atheists, and the second could be offensive to others, particularly those who believe in a sovereign God who controls everything that happens.

“Ultimately I think that a desire or expectation of "deity-neutral" language ultimately favors a non-theistic worldview over a theistic-worldview and would result in the censorship of "pro-deity" language.

“I find it similar to the gay marriage debate. Although the terms "partner" and "union" could be deemed "relationally neutral," in reality they clearly favor one side and oppose the other. There are already many people who consider "husband," "wife," and "marriage" as exclusive and offensive.”

Pray that I would be a faithful witness to her and others I come into contact with at work.

Happy Thanksgiving

Things have been pretty hectic and I haven't been able to post much. I recently preached at our Spanish service, finished my seminary class, and have been spending a lot of time at work. But now it's Thanksgiving, I'm surrounded by friends and family, and rejoicing in the blessings of God.

Expect new posts in December!