reTHINK
Misconceptions about God’s Design of Work
Conflict of Interest
You may hear… Be careful not to mix God with your work and work-life, because it will bring a conflict of interest, and interfere with your job responsibilities. If mixing God with work means, HE’s expecting me to do something apart from my work responsibilities like, evangelize, pray, even preach while on the job… Then yes, this could bring a conflict of interest between God and my work.
Secular Work
The term secular work is often used to describe someone working a job/career in a company that is part of this world system, where company values are defined mostly by revenue and profit. But let’s not forget, all companies operate in hope to earn revenue and make profit, whether secular or not (James 4:13-15).
Kingdom Work
Circulating is an idea among some Christians and church leaders that Kingdom work is somehow an exclusive work or calling done by a few people, while the work Christians regularly do “unto the Lord and for the Glory of God” in their job, is somehow of lesser value.
First, let’s consider how the kingdom is operating. At this time, Christ Kingdom is being built and broadcasted through the church… His people. (Colossians 1:9-10). There is not a special call or class that do a higher task. All believers in Christ are part of a royal priesthood through whom God is displaying His character in order to bring HIS Glory and Gospel to people in the world (1 Peter 2:9-12; Ephesian 6:15). Secondly, the Kingdom will someday be a literal one when Jesus returns to earth to rule and reign. But for now, He is reigning through the lives of His people, and even though their circumstances may not seem to be in their favor, Christ is giving a preview to the people of His kingdom through us (Hebrews 2:8, 17-18). With regard to assigning special value to Kingdom work compare to regular work… God has not given us a two level value system that gives one greater value than the other. God’s kingdom is being worked and promoted through His people in general, and not through a special class of people. (Ephesians 2:10)
Serving The Lord
For most of us, the term “serving the Lord” means a service we perform to the Lord in our churches or through a church programs or mission. However, the idea of service has a broader application than this in the Bible.
Work as Worship
Work as Worship… … is a growing popular term used to tie worship together with our work. Its basis comes from an interpretation in Genesis 2:15 it uses a Hebrew phrase that could be translated one of two ways, either, work as service or worship.
But it is hard to find other scripture to supports this idea. Another passage sometimes referred to is Romans 12:1, where some translation the idea of, our presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, as our “reasonable service” or translated “spiritual act of worship.” Some may apply the idea of “presenting our body as a living sacrifice” to our work life… and it can apply to this. However, equating work as worship here is missing the point… that of our being a “living sacrifice” where we consciously and intentionally give ourselves unto God. Here is the distinction…the Bible as a whole present worship as our becoming occupied with who God is and giving Him the honor due Him. On the other hand, work is when we become occupied with our God given responsibility to work and see it as a partnership by doing our work or labor unto the Lord (1Thessalonians 4:11; Colossians 3:23). The value of work, regardless of our job status, comes from God, who character was demonstrated through work (Romans 1:19,20). We do not need to spiritualize it somehow in order to give it more value. God has already given it value
Work is a Calling
You may have heard someone say, that work is a calling. The word calling originated in the Middle Ages from the Latin for vocation. At that time vocation or calling, carried the idea of one being called out of the world to work a particular job.
This term was mostly used of people who did church work, they were considered to have a special calling in work. However, work itself is not a calling nor does it need some kind of special calling in order to fulfil God’s purposes. We may sense a calling to a particular kind of work, but this is not necessary nor does it somehow up the value of work. Work was given by God as a responsibility in the creation narrative, Genesis 1-3. God established a partnership with humans that carried an obligation for them to work, and exercise dominion by developing the resources of earth, that God provided and by multiplying and filling the earth (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:15). We are told to be responsible by working in order to provide what’s needed for our family to live, and to help others. (Ephesians 4:28; 2Thessalonians 3:10-12; Acts 20:35)