Walk Worthy in your Calling at Work Part 2

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. How does the gospel change the way we think about and engage at work? Believers will see their jobs as an extension of ministry and service to the Lord. Pastor Rich examines Ephesians 6, 5 through 9 to show eight characteristics of a biblical work ethic. Let's listen in on this message titled, Walk Worthy of Your Calling at Work.

This is the second segment of the message first preached on January 14th, 2017. Part of a biblical work ethic is integrity. The idea here of sincere heart is singleness of heart, not double-minded, not just showing up for the paycheck or having an outward show, but no interest in the benefit of the employer or the company. Do good work. Do work well.

And there's a difference between those two. Do a work that is good and do it well. In other words, don't just show up to work saying, I'm in this for me, I don't care what happens to others or the company. There needs to be integrity in our work.

There needs to be honesty there, understanding who we are, understanding that it is Christ that we serve. Number three, conscientiousness. It says not by way of eye service as people pleasers. Not by way of eye service as people pleasers. This is the calling for excellence in what you do.

Now, stop and think for a moment. How you invest yourself at your work, whatever your work is in your work environment. Do you strive for excellence in what you do?

It is our calling in Christ. We are to be conscientious. In other words, apply yourself to the work entrusted to you. Engage your mind and your strength.

Engage your mind and your strength. Don't just be a minimalist, whatever, just do what I'm supposed to. Engage your mind and your strength, being careful in particular in the details of the work. Do not compromise good work for the opinion of others. In other words, not being a minimalist, looking like you're working when someone else, just when someone else is watching. Don't just try to look like you're working or being busy or productive. Actually do work and do it well. Listen, here's the bottom line, okay? The Christian should be a good, dependable employee.

Any questions on that? The Christian should be a good, dependable employee. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to have, you ought to be, because you're a Christian, you ought to be at the top of the sales charge.

That's not what I'm saying. But you ought to be, because you are in Christ, you ought to be a good, dependable employee. Meaning, you show up when it's time and you stay there until it's time to clock out. Dependable. Number four, authority.

What do you mean by authority? Well, think about this. When I work, when you work, don't think of it as a secular work. Bobby touched on this earlier.

It's a really, really good point. This could be a life-altering new paradigm for you. When you are at your, whatever your work environment is, you are there ultimately under whose authority? The authority of Christ. The authority of Christ. As a bond servant of Christ.

Think about that. I mean, think how that would read to those who were bond servants of the first century when Paul wrote this to the Ephesian church. And they're bond servants in the church. And Paul says, it's not just that you're bond servants to your masters, but you're bond servants to your masters, but you are actually a bond servant. You are a slave of Christ. Wow. Meaning, what? Submission to his authority gives you authority in what you do.

That's amazing. Submission to his authority gives you authority in what you do. So do it well. Do it with the authority of Christ. Work and industry, again, are God-ordained. Work with the honor of doing what God has ordained under the authority of Christ. Now, it could be many different things for many different people. Whatever your work is that you do during the course of the day. You know, my wife has been a stay-at-home mom pretty much all of our married life as long as the children, as soon as the children came along, right? So it is not okay, it is not okay for me to come home and say, what did you do all day?

You know, two weeks later, I might be able to see out of my right eye, right? No, that's work. That is work. That is mission. That is ministry. That is work. Believe me, it's work.

Anytime I have to rise up to be a house husband, I am like, this is exhausting. I will never forget the family that we knew well in Michigan when I pastored there. They had 10 kids, very, very hospitable, very kind, very loving, loved God deeply, went to be missionaries in Mozambique. And when they first encountered the mission board that they were going under, 10 kids, okay, 10 kids in tow.

And you know, the doctor Guyman, he was a physician and they were going to go in medical missions, right? And so they were going to interview the husband and the wife. They get to Luanne and they start interviewing her. And here she is a mother of 10 children. And their question to her is, so what is your ministry? And she hesitates. She said, are you serious? She says, I have 10 children.

They said, yeah, yeah, we know that. But what is your ministry? Don't do that. Do you see the fallacy in that kind of thinking? That is a false dichotomy, as if your children are not your ministry.

Okay, I can get a soapbox on this, okay. Authority, work with authority. Mission, number five, mission. Love this statement, doing the will of God from the heart. Now this is where it makes it uniquely Christian. Doing the will of God from the heart. Doing the will of God from the heart. Whatever your work environment is, do the will of God from the heart. Doing what God has ordained in view of his character and purpose.

Think about this. How do you apply the character and purpose of God to what you do at work? It ought to, it does apply, if indeed Christ is preeminent. If indeed you are in Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Your work benefits, your work ought to benefit humanity. And this is a part of God's purpose. So be on mission when you work, because you are working for the benefit of others. And here's the main point, representing the character of God and the mind of Christ to the people you meet through your work. Representing the character of God and the mind of Christ to the people you meet.

What is the mind of Christ? Consider others. Consider others.

Okay, what else? More important than yourself. That's the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2. So you represent the character of God. If you're on mission at work, representing the character of God and the mind of Christ to the people you meet, it looks at least like these two things. Number one, you are an example of integrity and diligence. You are an example of integrity and diligence. And you can't be an example by pretending.

It has to be real. Be a worker of integrity and diligence in your work. Be an example of integrity and diligence. When your employer, when other employees look at you, they see an employee of integrity and diligence.

It's part of your calling, because you serve Christ. And then secondly, you're a caring friend. A caring friend. You are ready to help in time of need and adversity. The other people in your work environment, did you know that one out of one people encounter adversity? Are you ready to be there as a caring friend for your employees, even your employer, your co-workers when adversity strikes them? I heard just this last week in our Thursday morning study, one of our family members here, the wife is working in a corporate environment there and she says, you know, when people ask her questions, she will give them an answer. And often it is a biblically based answer. And for that, she feels like people just kind of shun her and don't want to ask her questions.

There's nothing wrong with that. But here's what they found. Here's what she found. When adversity comes into somebody's life, who's the first person they go to? The Christian. And they ask for her to pray for them. That's powerful, folks. That's ministry. That's being on mission.

That's being on mission. Number six, generosity. Generosity, rendering service with a good will, says the scripture.

Verse seven, rendering service with a good will. Again, approaching your work with the attitude, I am helping the human community and I will do it generously. I will not be a stingy worker. Don't be the Scrooge of your work environment.

Don't be a stingy worker. Your generosity is an outflow of your gratitude. You have been entrusted with this work to help the human community.

Do it with generosity as an outflow of your gratitude. Number seven, here it is, a uniquely Christian work ethic. Number seven, worship.

Because what are the next four words? Verse seven, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man. As to the Lord. In other words, that's the opinion that counts.

That's the opinion that counts. And Christ's opinion is higher than the opinion of your advisor, manager, employer. So you serve Christ, Paul says in Colossians 3 24. So as a follower of Jesus Christ, your work is an element of your worship. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.