Living the Christian Life at Work

—Colossians 3:22–24

Andrew Fountain – Oct 29, 2017

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The Christian and Work

Practical challenges and how we can respond

Any kind of work

As a home-maker (including those who have a disbility)
Raising kids
Student
Regular employment (full or part-time)
Work from home
Self-employed
Volunteer

The Christian and Work

The challenges of work
Balancing our time
When to complain
Pointing to Jesus
Success

Challenges

Drudgery
- no opportunity for creativity
Work is tough and demanding
- Pressure to perform
- Stressful and anxiety-provoking
- Long hours/shifts
- Pysically hard work
- Poor working conditions

Unfairness/mistreatment
- Boss
- Co-workers
Purposeless
- Little ultimate value
- How does this bring glory to God?
Self-discipline
- Time management
- Procrastination
- Organization

There was work in a perfect world

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” [Gen 2:15]

Work is inherently good, and we were created to work
God works!
And there will be work in the New Creation
But this is a fallen world, and work is hard

Don’t minimize the fact that it’s now fallen under the curse

Quote from John White about exams p.204f

Let me begin with study.

And forever ahead of us go the frightening rituals we go through in examination halls. The silences. The rustling paper. The measured tread of the proctor. Frantic scribblings. The merciless moving of the fingers on the clock...

We put the horror away in the back of our minds, telling ourselves it isn’t so bad as all that. Yet our brain freezes over at the time approaches, and our notes stare back at us blankly and meaninglessly...

I remember the relief I felt when I quit worrying about exams. I was studying human pathology at the time. I recall the desk I was sitting at and the view of tree tops from my open, leaded windows. With half my mind I was reading and with the other half I was worrying about such questions as: Am I really absorbing this stuff? Is it likely to come up in the exam? Maybe this textbook is too detailed. Am I going too slowly? Should I get another textbook? Ought I to rely on lecture notes? Why is it so boring?

The Fight John White p.205

Col 3:22–24

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters in every respect, not only when they are watching—like those who are strictly people-pleasers—but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord.
Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people, ²⁴because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward.
Serve the Lord Christ.

I have a confession to make, that I slip in and out of doing this.
- But when I remember to have this mindset, it does transform my work
I was once in a work situation where I was very angry with some of my co-workers
- All my hard work was being ignored and I was being ordered around like a nobody
- I was bringing creative skill from years of experience and it wasn’t even consisdered
- I couldn’t understand why I was so angry
  - This passage totally transformed my thinking at that time and took all my anger away
MSDS: To start with was given mind-numblingly boring work to do. I was the lowest on the ladder
IBM Horrible boss. Ended up being physically sick because of the treatment.
- I wasn’t alone. Open plan office—wave of cheering.
Toxic workplace—resigned, trusting God
Graduate work—self-discipline

2. Balancing our time

Undergraduate—never worked on Sundays (I’m not saying that you shouldn’t but that’s what I felt God was asking me to do.)
I believed the principle: “Honour God and he will honour you”

1 Samuel 2:30

Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honour me I will honour, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

How can you possibly suffer by putting God first?

Even when my final exam, that counted for everything, was on the Monday
How can you possibly suffer by putting God first? —it doesn’t make sense!
- Of course we must be reasonable. PA team meeting on the Tuesday evening, and I had another exam on the Wed
  - There was pressure from other Christians to do more
  - God is our master, not other Christians

3. When to complain

Marconi Space & Defense: workstations were crowded so closely together Factories act of 1802 >200yrs ago
God’s kingdom is about justice
- Rights, Contract
- Not called to be a worm
- We must protect others as well
- Nevertheless Jesus said: “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” Mat 5:41
Sometimes we need to be assertive
- IBM: A lot of pressure but I asserted what I needed
- “I can’t do this job because there is no documentation. The only person who understands it is in the USA and I’m never able to speak to him on the phone.”
- How long would you need to speak to him for? —A week. Is your passport up to date?

4. Pointing to Jesus

One approach: Nail your colours to the mast
- take every single opportunity to witness (Anne & I knew someone like this, well meaning, but...)
Problem: Don’t take advantage of a captive audience
- It is your employer’s time
- You can end up being obnoxious—everyone wants to avoid you
  - You end up giving a very negative impression of Christianity
But it’s very important that people know you are a Christian
- They may start watching your life, but this is not a bad thing
  - Witness with your life
- Give people opportunities to pick up on things you throw out. Don’t hide your Christian or church life from them.
- Very interesting article www.telegraph.co.uk/…hard.html
Story of store manager with a Christian woman who worked for him
- Her life led to his salvation—he saw something different. He saw a joy
- Maybe you are not a Christian and you see a joy. Do you want it?
  - Jesus offers it to you for free
Not allowing the pressure of work to smother the light of Jesus in you
- Good Samaritan experiment
  - faculty.babson.edu/…marit.html
  - jasonjohnsonblog.com/…amaritan

5. Success

Ecclesiastes 9:10

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might”

Summary

Work is part of being truly human
Do it for Christ
Honour God and he will honour you

Matthew 25:21

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”