Let me back-up. Our understanding of the church varies and mostly we think of the organizational church that we go to on the weekends. It was about 5 years ago, that my family and I took a trip to Greece and Turkey. We were on a tour in Turkey of the seven churches in Revelation. It wasn't until a few months ago that I realized all these places we visited, I only went through one church in Smyrna. In New Testament days, the church was a group of believers in town. They met in homes. They worked in the marketplace. Don't get me wrong, I love the organizational church and all they contribute, however the walls of the church sometimes become a barrier for our doing the work of the Father in our workplace setting. It creates a physical dualistic mindset that what is preached on Sunday morning only impacts my time away from the workplace.
God's plan for our life includes all things. We don't need to compartmentalize, we need to learn to integrate, to merge our lives. Our work becomes another place to do the will of the Father, for God to be glorified in my work. Not to mention the amazing harvest of reconciliation in our workplace settings.
John 4:34-35
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.
Is your work the work of the Father, does it provide nourishment? I'm sure for many of us it doesn't feel nourishing at all. But Jesus came to reconcile all things and that includes our work. So it can provide physical nourishment to you and your family, it can provide spiritual and emotional nourishment because we are partnered with the King, and it can bring nourishment to our soul because we have true eternal meaning and purpose in our work.
Yesterday I was talking with my son and asking him about his work. He said he loved it but was concerned about his promotion coming up. Would it represent all the work that he has put in over the last year? And let me tell you, he's not exaggerating, it was a lot. I know for me financial increases at work rarely measured up to my expectation. Even when they did, they felt hollow. That comes from a lack of understanding of my identity as a daughter of the King and my eternal destiny of bringing heaven to earth, right where I'm working. When we understand the influence of the Kingdom than we don't depend on the things of this world that have not been reconciled.
Finally, the power of the Holy Spirit that fell on that day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the power that was central to Jesus ministry as well as the New Testament churches, is available to us in our workplace. Jesus came to reconcile all things and He left that we might have all the benefits of Heaven through the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit doesn't just operate in the confines of the church or in the confines of church activities. He is available to us in everything, in our workplace.
The harvest in the workplace is an untapped area. And we can be on the front lines with all the Kingdom influence and all the power of the Holy Spirit to do the work of the Father. And it's all in the midst of our workplace giftings. God is amazing!
Romans 5:18
Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.
This new life for everyone includes our workplace.
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