Ever wonder “What is God’s purpose for my work? Does my work matter for eternity, even if I’m not a missionary or don’t work for a church?” Best-selling author Jordan Raynor and I share about unspoken mindsets in the Church regarding secular work and life purpose, the Bible’s surprising wisdom on the type of work God sees as valuable, and how to discover new enthusiasm for the daily work God’s given you in this season.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- [04:48] Is the Great Commission the Church’s Only Mission?
- [08:33] Are Those Called to Secular Work on the “Junior Varsity Team for God”?
- [11:40] “God values our work and delights in every project we manage”
- [14:47] But won’t any work outside of sharing the Gospel be burnt up on Judgment Day?
- [25:41] On the pressures Christian women feel to call our businesses a “ministry”
- [33:59] “If you're seeking first the kingdom of heaven, then nothing you do is secular”
- [36:28] Alicia’s Reflections: Do you carry the mental weight of believing that your job isn’t valuable?
[04:48] Is the Great Commission the Church’s Only Mission?
Jordan shares that the deeply pervasive lie that is so common in the church today is that the Great Commission is the singular mission of the Christian. According to Jordan, until 200 years ago, no one interpreted the Great Commission as having anything to do with the number one mission of the Church. He shares that the Great Commission to make disciples of Jesus Christ is great but he believes that we are called to a dual vocation, which he explains in this episode.
God's very first command to us was “Be fruitful and increase the number, fill the earth, and subdue it.” In other words, to make this world more useful for other human beings' benefit and enjoyment. There are a lot of people saying that the Great Commission has replaced the first commission, and that is a lie, says Jordan. The Great Commission is extremely important, he says, but we are called to both commissions: the original commission in Genesis and Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew.
Scriptures to reflect on:
Matthew 28 (The Great Commission)
Genesis 1:26-28 (The First Commission)
[08:33] Are Those Called to Secular Work on the “Junior Varsity Team for God”?
There is an unspoken pressure to be an “effective” Christian which comes with a lot of guilt if we are not working in a mission field, Jordan says. He shares that many of us, without realizing it, elevate full-time missionaries and those who work in the church as being the “star players for God”. This brings guilt and confusion to those who love God and want to serve Him but don’t feel called to full-time ministry as a missionary, for example. Jordan says that there’s this unspoken pressure in the church to be on the “Varsity team” as someone working in ministry, and that those of us called to secular jobs can feel like we’re on a “Junior Varsity” team with this mindset.
Jordan argues that when we understand that 100% of our time matters for eternity (as outlined in the first commission in Genesis) and not just the 1% of the time when we are inviting someone to accept Christ, we realize there are more opportunities for us to actually share about Christ. This is because we are fully alive and we attract people to us because of this. He argues that there is an eternal purpose in everything that we do, and that God delights in all of it as long as we do it in a godly way.
[11:40] “God values our work and delights in every project we manage”
Jordan says some Christians justify their call to a secular vocation as worthwhile to God because they say that their money helps fund ministry work. While we should tithe and support missionaries in this way, Jordan reminds us that our work has intrinsic value to God, period. Jesus said,” Love your neighbor as yourself,” not “love your neighbor as yourself, so that you can win an opportunity to tell them about me” right?
A verse that reminds us of the intrinsic value of our work is Psalm 3723, which says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly and delights in every detail of their lives.” God does not just delight in us when we cut a check to the church or when we are proclaiming His name, Jordan says. He delights in every project you manage, every student you teach, and in every latte you make with excellence, love, and in a godly way. All of those things are ingredients to the eternal pleasure of God.
[14:47] But won’t any work outside of sharing the Gospel be burnt up on Judgment Day?
Alicia was recently reading a support letter for a neighbor who is going on a missions trip and he quoted 1 Corinthians 3:14-15 which says, “But on the Judgment Day fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done, the fire will show if a person's work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss, the builder will be saved, but like somebody's barely escaping through a wall of flames.” This well-intentioned future missionary had referenced this verse to communicate that that everything else we do outside of spreading the gospel is going to be burnt up and worthless.
Jordan reminds us that this is not what this passage is implying and when we understand it, it gives us greater hope. He references 2 Peter 3:10 which says, “The day the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the Heaven shall pass away with the great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also. And the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
In Genesis 1, God declared all of the work of His hands to be very good, which includes all of His children's hands as well. In Genesis 3, Satan breaks every part of God's good world and God promises that a redeemer would come one day, and not just strike Satan's head, but rush Satan's head in total indisputable victory.
Jordan argues that God is the King of heaven and earth, and during the time of judgment, He will be purifying the Earth, not destroying what we have created. Think of this as a controlled fire burn in the forest.
Going back to the quote in 1 Corinthians 3:14-15, Jordan argues that this verse is saying that the judgment fire is going to test the quality of our work and that means not just the spiritual impact for eternity but the level of excellence and quality in which we’ve worked. There is much depth in these verses, so be sure to read this passage and seek God’s wisdom in this area.
[25:41] On the pressures Christian women feel to call our businesses a “ministry”
In continuing this discussion on the pressure we feel to make our work “valuable” to God, Alicia shared the phenomenon that there is so much pressure for Christian women to label their businesses as “ministry”.
Jordan reminds us that, if we’re called by God to work in business, this is just as valuable in the kingdom of God. He admits that, unfortunately, there’s more pressure for women to label their business as a “ministry” because there is a stigma for women that their number one calling should be in their homes, and once they step out of that, there is another stigma that what they should be doing is ministry work.
Jordan argues that if God was willing to die for your life, then why wouldn’t He give you a life of value? God values time and our lives and we do not just have to have one mission of the Great Commission. God chose for Jesus to grow up with the owner of a small business and if that did not matter, then God would not have chosen that for him.
[33:59] “If you're seeking first the kingdom of heaven, then nothing you do is secular”
The word secular means “without God.” Since God is with us wherever we go and the only thing we need to do to make our workplace sacred is walk through the front door, Jordan says. Everywhere we go is sacred ground. Charles Spurgeon once said “If you're seeking first the kingdom of heaven nothing is secular, everything is sacred for the believer.” For this reason, Jordan prays that no believer would ever dream about describing their work as secular ever again.
When we know that 100% of our time matters, the logical thing to do is to sacrifice our lives in service to others and God’s agenda, rather than our own. This is what Jordan is praying that his book “The Sacredness of Secular Work” reminds people of.
[36:28] Alicia’s Reflections: Do you carry the mental weight of believing that your job isn’t valuable?
There were many scriptures that Jordan shared and I encourage you to reflect on them. Anytime anyone shares a Scripture, we need to make sure that it lines up with what God's word says in the full context of it. I was blown away when I read Jordan’s book and what God revealed to me when I heard the context in which He was talking about these things. I also encourage you to ask the Lord for insight on this topic. You can also reflect on these questions:
-Have I felt weighed down by thinking my job is not valuable?
-Do I struggle with feeling like “less of a Christian” or feel less valuable to God if I have a secular career?
Spend some time journaling and see what comes up. I pray that this conversation drives you closer to a better understanding of the value, not only of your work but the value that God has in you as a person and in your calling in this world. No matter what you do, I pray that you see that you are valuable and that what you do every day matters to the Lord.
This episode was a bit controversial and I would love to hear more about what you thought of it. What was your biggest takeaway? Share this over with me on Instagram, I would love to hear from you!
RESOURCES:
Go here to get Alicia’s FREE WORKSHOP: How to Break Free from Feeling “Never Enough”