The Word Before Work

• Why Paul didn’t exercise his “right” to be a “full-time missionary”

  Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Mere Christians of the BibleDevotional: 5 of 5…the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me….I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:14-15, 22-23)In the past few centuries, many churches have unbiblically elevated the callings of pastors and missionaries above those of “mere Christians”—teachers, small business owners, mechanics, and others working outside the pulpit. It’s no surprise that modern believers often forget the Apostle Paul was a mere Christian himself who worked as a tentmaker (see Acts 18:1-3). Paul didn’t take up this work out of necessity. As today’s passage shows, he could have exercised his “right” to work as a donor-supported missionary. But he chose not to because he saw his work as a strategic vehicle becoming “all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”Tim Keller’s research highlights that “80% or more of evangelism in the early church was done not by ministers or evangelists” but by mere Christians like Paul and the others we’ve explored in this series. And that continues to be true today. Mere Christians aren’t on the JV team of Christianity—we are the primary means through which God spreads his glorious gospel!How should you and I respond to that truth?First, prayerfully consider taking your job with you overseas. More and more countries are closing their doors to Christian missionaries. But those same countries will happily open those same doors to Christian mathematicians, medical doctors, and managers. My friend Andrew Scott wrote a terrific book with case study after case study of what God is doing through mere Christians working in these largely unreached nations. Ask God if he’s calling you to follow suit.  Second, regardless of where you work, build a list of Launchers. Conversations with lost co-workers often stay at surface-level topics like sports or our favorite TV shows. But with a tiny bit of intentionality, you can easily steer conversations with non-believers from the surface, to the serious, to the spiritual. And Launchers is an unbelievably simple tool that enables it! A list of Launchers contains two things: The names of people you’re trying to share the gospel withNext to each name, a list of questions or topics you think might launch your next conversation with them from the surface, to the serious, to the spiritualKeep your list of Launchers on a note on your phone, in a journal—wherever. See a screenshot of mine here.I can not tell you how many times God has used my list of Launchers to open up deep spiritual conversations with the non-Christians in my life. I am confident the same will be true for you.

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• Biggie Smalls & the Apostle Paul on how to not slip into idleness

  Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Mere Christians in the BibleDevotional: 4 of 5In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. (2 Thessalonians 3:6)We’re in a series exploring wisdom for our work from some “Mere Christians of the Bible”—believers who did not work as pastors or donor-supported missionaries, but as shepherds, winemakers, and more. That would have described most of the believers at the Church of Thessalonica, whom Paul rebuked for idleness in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 2 Thessalonians 3.Why were these mere Christians idle? The Theology of Work Project suggests they fell for “a common, but false” idea that “Christ’s coming into the world has radically diminished the value of everyday labor,” and that some believers were “using some aspect of Christ’s teaching—whether it was his second coming, or his commission to evangelize the world—to justify their idleness.”But Paul rejected this outright. As he made clear in nearly all his epistles, mere Christians keep watch for Christ’s return not by sitting on our hands but by working with them.If you’re reading The Word Before Work, you likely don’t need to be told to work hard. But even the hardest working can slowly slide into subtle slothfulness. How can you and I avoid this? Here are three ideas.#1: “Tape the audience.” The rapper Biggie Smalls once gave some surprising direction to his videographer. Instead of filming him, Biggie said, “Every time a song drops, tape the audience. I wanna see their reaction.” Because Biggie was committed to working hard in service of his customers. Avoid idleness by metaphorically “taping the audience” of your work by regularly asking your boss or customers for critical feedback, shadowing end users to see where your product creates friction, or tracking the customer engagement metric you’ve been avoiding for fear of what it might say.#2: Audit where you’re busy but not productive. Review tasks you completed 30-60 days ago and ask, “Did this move the needle?” With some distance, you’ll spot where you’re frantic with activity that’s leading to nowhere.#3: Make a grand gesture to break bad habits that tempt you to idleness. Last year, I struggled with apps that tempted me toward subtle slothfulness. After setting and failing to keep “screen time limits,” I made a grand gesture and spent $50 on this device that solved my problem overnight.Whatever works for you works. But do whatever you must to avoid the slow slide to subtle slothfulness. Strive, as Paul did, to “strenuously contend with all the energy” you have—for the glory of God and the good of others (Colossians 1:29).

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  4:41
• Why I hate this C.S. Lewis quote about embracing interruptions

  Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Mere Christians of the BibleDevotional: 3 of 5At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion…He and all his family were devout and God-fearing. (Acts 10:1-2)We’re in a series extracting lessons for our work from some “mere Christians” mentioned in Scripture—believers who faithfully followed Jesus through their seemingly “secular” work. Today’s passage mentions one such mere Christian: Cornelius the Roman centurion. Acts 10 tells us, “At about three in the afternoon, [Cornelius] had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’” Though startled, Cornelius responded, “What is it, Lord?” The angel instructed him to send for Peter. Without hesitation, Cornelius “called two of his servants and a devout soldier” to carry out the mission (see Acts 10:3-7).This was probably a regular day at the office for Cornelius, until out of nowhere, an angel appeared. Cornelius could have said, “Sorry angel. Now’s not a good time. Can’t you see I’m busy training my soldiers?” But instead, Cornelius embraced the “interruption” for what it clearly was—a divine appointment from God.Cornelius’s response brings to mind a quote from the mere Christian himself, C.S. Lewis who said, “What one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life—the life God is sending one day by day.”Now, I love Lewis, but I have a love/hate relationship with this quote. Because I’ve heard way too many Christians use it (and quotes like it) to justify laziness disguised as spiritual devotion. Here’s the truth: it is way easier (and often more immediately gratifying) to drift through your day responding to every interruption in the name of religious piety than it is to sit down, focus, and create something valuable with the skills God has given you to steward.And no, contrary to what you may have been told, Jesus did not “always have time for interruptions.” It’s true that many times he did. But other times he ignored interruptions so that he could focus on the work God called him to do (see Mark 9:30-31 and Matthew 12:46-50).So where do Jesus and Cornelius’s examples leave us? Are we to embrace or ignore interruptions at work today? I think the answer is both.Here’s my charge for you today: turn on Do Not Disturb, shut down your email, and in “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart” rather than half your attention (Colossians 3:23). But when a call mysteriously breaks through, your child ignores your home office’s “closed-door policy,” or an angel shows up unexpectedly—embrace the “interruption” as “the life God is sending” you. And like Cornelius, look forward with great expectation to what God can do in that unexpected encounter!

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• What Jesus’s “working women” friends can teach us about our work today

  Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Mere Christians of the BibleDevotional: 2 of 5Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women…Mary (called Magdalene) …Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. (Luke 8:1-3)We’re in a series exploring wisdom for our work today from some of the “Mere Christians of the Bible”—believers who did not work as pastors or donor-supported missionaries, but as entrepreneurs, tax collectors, and more.Today’s passage introduces us to three mere Christians: Mary, Joanna, and Susanna who “were helping to support” Jesus and the twelve disciples “out of their own means.”Most scholars believe that Joanna was likely the wealthiest of this trio, given her position in Herod’s court. But many also believe these women were likely small business owners who worked hard to produce the profits needed to fund Jesus’s ministry.Mary, Joanna, and Susanna remind us of three important truths.First, God frequently celebrates women who work “outside the home.” From Eve working alongside Adam in the garden (Genesis 1:26-28), to the midwives God used to defy Pharaoh (Exodus 1:15-21), to Deborah’s leading of Israel (Judges 4:4-5), to Mary, Joanna, and Susanna supporting Jesus’s ministry, Scripture consistently shows God delighting in the work of his daughters.Second, our work has intrinsic and instrumental value to God. I talk a lot in these devotionals about how your work has intrinsic value to God—in other words, it matters for eternity even when you’re not leveraging it to some instrumental and spiritual end such as sharing the gospel or writing a check to the missionaries pictured on your refrigerator. But these women remind us that our work does have important instrumental value. In fact, Paul says that is one of the reasons why mere Christians ought to work: so “that they may have something to share with those in need” (see Ephesians 4:28) including those who rely on the generosity of others to preach the gospel (see 1 Corinthians 9:14).Finally, God values offstage work as much as he does onstage work. Scripture doesn’t mention these women preaching or performing miracles like the twelve disciples, but their offstage roles were so valued by God that Luke records them in his gospel. If you’re working in relative obscurity today, take heart—God “will not forget your work” either (Hebrews 6:10).How should we respond to the three truths above?Thank God for the gift of working women (and, if you’re a woman, for a God who delights in the work you do inside and outside the home).Ask the Lord whose work he might be calling you to support “out of your own means.”Remind a mere Christian working “offstage” that God sees and values their work today.

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  4:53
• New Series: Mere Christians of the Bible

  Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Mere Christians of the BibleDevotional: 1 of 5Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. Jesus said to him, “Zacchaeus…I must stay at your house today.”...All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19:1-2, 5, 7-9)If you’re reading this, chances are you’re not a pastor or donor-supported missionary, but a “mere Christian” like me who works as an entrepreneur, barista, or programmer. Today I’m kicking off a new series here on The Word Before Work exploring the lives of some mere Christians in the Bible and what they can teach us about our own work in the present—starting with Zaccheus.After choosing to follow Jesus, modern readers half expect Jesus to call Zaccheus to abandon his “secular” work. But Luke mentions no such calling. Most scholars I’ve read believe that just as John the Baptist urged the tax collectors he baptized to return to their posts, Jesus likely encouraged Zaccheus to do the same (see Luke 3:12-14). Because as pastor John Piper says, “You don’t waste your life by where you work, but how and why.”Believer, as you step into the New Year, trust that “where you work” is exactly where God wants you today. But, like Zacchaeus, ask yourself if God is calling you to re-examine how and why you work.I used to think Zacchaeus was uniquely corrupt. However, according to the Theology of Work Commentary, his actions were likely just “industry standard practice.” Until Jesus opened his eyes, Zacchaeus was blind or indifferent to how his work harmed others. He was “just doing his job.”The lesson for us is clear: Following Jesus as mere Christians requires that we question the conventional wisdom of our workplaces and industries to uncover opportunities for redemption and renewal. Here’s a 5-step process to help:Pray for God to reveal how your work might harm others. Identify a common practice in your field worth questioning. Ask why this practice is done this way and what fundamental principles drive it. Evaluate those principles against God’s Word. Reimagine the practice with a commitment to God’s glory and others’ good.Zacchaeus may have done this work alone, but you’re more likely to succeed with other believers. Seek out fellow mere Christians inside and outside your field to tackle this together today!

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