Oct 16, 2016 - the words used to express worship, music, praise, and singing combined. Jesus and Paul saw their ... BIBL
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Ministry@Work Ministry@Work: Your Workplace, Your Mission Field
Your Workplace, Your Mission Field
Brandon: I readjusted this layout to better fit the formatting needed when I print. If you will just keep all your text within the blue margin lines on this page, I shouldn’t have any more issues ☺. Thanks! Dr. Brandon Park | October 16, 2016 When you study Scripture, one of the first things you notice is that God is very much interested in When you study Scripture, one of the first things you notice is that God is very much interested in your work. Not just what you do but how you do it! Consider these facts about Jesus and Paul’s your work. Not just what you do but how you do it! Consider these facts about Jesus and Paul’s ministries: ministries: • Of 132 public appearances in the New Testament, 122 were in the marketplace. Of 132 public appearances in the New Testament, 122 were in the marketplace. Of 52 parables Jesus told, ______ had a workplace context. • Of 52 parables Jesus told, ______ had a workplace context. Of 40 miracles recorded in the book of Acts, _____ were in the marketplace. • Of 40 miracles recorded in the book of Acts, _____ were in the marketplace. • 54 percent of Jesus’ reported teaching ministry arose out of issues posed by others in the scope of daily life experience. scope of daily life experience. Work, in its different forms, is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible—more times than all the words used to express worship, music, praise, and singing combined. Jesus and Paul saw their the words used to express worship, music, praise, and singing combined. Jesus and Paul saw their work as ministry. Paul wrote: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23-24). But how do we as Christians take our faith into the marketplace in such a way so that we develop relationships so that God would use us in our workplace to lead people in His direction? How can you gracefully and tactfully make your workplace your mission field? Some have a hard time with this because they’ve been raised to think: “Church is where you talk about God; work is where you talk about work.” In other words, they’ve been led to think that Christianity is both personal and private. Why do we tend to distinguish the spiritual vs. the secular? • The Myth of ____________________________ – This views life like a pie chart. One slice of the pie is about my family, another slice of the pie is my career, a small slice of pie is for recreation, etc. The Bible never talks about the Christian life this way. When you became a disciple of Jesus, He became master, king, and boss over you. He invades every slice! • “_______________-Based Theology” – This is the idea that anything that relates to God or spiritual or eternal matters happens in this building on weekends. The Bible says that this building isn’t the church – YOU are the church! Wherever you are, God is there too. He is not confined to a building. Whenever you go into your office, you carry Him there with you! • The ________________ Connection – This is the myth that if you’re an ordained pastor, that somehow you have an inside direct line to God. 1 Peter 2:9 says that we are all priests unto God with our own individual “divine connection” to Him. The enemy is after your __________________ more than your ___________________. He wants the world to impact you more than you impact the world. One way he tries to take away your influence is to deceive you into thinking that the secular and the spiritual are separate and do not intersect. Matthew 5:13-16 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” BIBLICAL CONTEXT: God established the nation of Israel to be a light or a reflection of God to all other nations. Isaiah 49:6: “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the Earth.” Unfortunately, Israel lost sight of their mission. When Jesus shows up, the last thing on the minds of Israel was exporting their religion. Jesus is telling His followers that now they were to be the light of the world.
1. We minister at work through our __________________.
Jesus says in vs. 13, “You are the salt of the earth.” Why does Jesus refer to us as “salt”? Salt as a
chemical compound (NaCl) is a miracle. Back in Jesus’ day, it was treated like gold. Roman soldiers were paid in salt. (The word “salary” is derived from salt.) Salt was primarily used as a preservative for their food. Our world is decaying and rotting, and it is our job as Christians to preserve what is good and holy as much as we can. It is possible for salt to lose its flavor. Salt was taken from the Dead Sea and was mixed in with other minerals. In a damp environment, the salt could actually dissolve and leave behind just some tasteless minerals. It was then thrown out into the street. We must be on guard with our character so that we do not lose our Christian testimony.
2. We minister at work through our ___________________.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world…” Salt deals with our character; light deals with our conduct. Salt deals with what we are; light deals with what we do. God has placed you in your current job to be a light in a place of darkness. Light does two things: it dispels darkness and it attracts. If you are in a dark place with only one light, your eyes are attracted to that light. Jesus goes on to say, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” In that culture, you never wanted to be out traveling at night. It wasn’t safe. So if the sun was going down, you kept your eyes out for lights in the hills to show you where the next city was. By seeing the “city on a hill” you knew that you were almost there – a place where you would be safe. A city on a hill is a beacon of hope for the weary traveler who is fearful for his own life! Are you that “beacon of hope” to others in your workplace? “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Once you light a lantern in your home, you don’t put a basket over it. You put it in the highest place in the house so that it gives light to everyone.
3. We minister at work through our ______________________.
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” This literally means that they associate your good deeds with your Father in Heaven. They may first look at you, but eventually, we want them to turn their focus to God in Heaven. The places that need light are the darkest places. And you as Christians – whether you see it or not – have been given a responsibility to be a light in dark places! For most people, the environment where it is the darkest is in their work. QUESTION: What is the best way for God to reach people? If God wants to reach all people with the gospel, what would be the very best way He could do that? Through a pastor? No. The best way to reach teachers is through another teacher. So what does God do? He takes full-time ministers and cleverly disguises them as teachers and sends them out into the school system where they can reach other educators with God’s love. Acts 17:26,27, “And he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for him and find Him.” Practical Tips for Ministering at Work: 1. INVITE A CO-WORKER TO _________________. See if there are any needs in his/her life that you can pray. Share how God has helped you in perhaps the same circumstance. Offer to pray for them before you go back to work. 2. BE A _________________ _________________ FOR OTHERS. When you hear about a conflict or a problem at the office, when you know that someone is going through a difficult time, when you have a co-worker who is going through a divorce, pick up a book, CD, or resource and give it to them. Say, “You know, I heard that you are going through this –– here is something that has really helped me in that!” 3. HOST A WORKPLACE __________________. One major movement in workplace ministry is the “on-site gatherings” that are taking place to study God’s Word. These could be morning or lunchtime Bible studies. How could you start a workplace Bible study in your job? ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________
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Ministry@Work Ministry@Work: Your Workplace, Your Mission Field
Your Workplace, Your Mission Field
Brandon: I readjusted this layout to better fit the formatting needed when I print. If you will just keep all your text within the blue margin lines on this page, I shouldn’t have any more issues ☺. Thanks! Dr. Brandon Park | October 16, 2016 When you study Scripture, one of the first things you notice is that God is very much interested in When you study Scripture, one of the first things you notice is that God is very much interested in your work. Not just what you do but how you do it! Consider these facts about Jesus and Paul’s your work. Not just what you do but how you do it! Consider these facts about Jesus and Paul’s ministries: ministries: • Of 132 public appearances in the New Testament, 122 were in the marketplace. Of 132 public appearances in the New Testament, 122 were in the marketplace. 78 Of 52 parables Jesus told, ______ had a workplace context. • Of 52 parables Jesus told, ______ had a workplace context. 39 Of 40 miracles recorded in the book of Acts, _____ were in the marketplace. • Of 40 miracles recorded in the book of Acts, _____ were in the marketplace. • 54 percent of Jesus’ reported teaching ministry arose out of issues posed by others in the scope of daily life experience. scope of daily life experience. Work, in its different forms, is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible—more times than all the words used to express worship, music, praise, and singing combined. Jesus and Paul saw their the words used to express worship, music, praise, and singing combined. Jesus and Paul saw their work as ministry. Paul wrote: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23-24). But how do we as Christians take our faith into the marketplace in such a way so that we develop relationships so that God would use us in our workplace to lead people in His direction? How can you gracefully and tactfully make your workplace your mission field? Some have a hard time with this because they’ve been raised to think: “Church is where you talk about God; work is where you talk about work.” In other words, they’ve been led to think that Christianity is both personal and private. Why do we tend to distinguish the spiritual vs. the secular? Compartmentalization • The Myth of ____________________________ – This views life like a pie chart. One slice of the pie is about my family, another slice of the pie is my career, a small slice of pie is for recreation, etc. The Bible never talks about the Christian life this way. When you became a disciple of Jesus, He became master, king, and boss over you. He invades every slice! Place • “_______________-Based Theology” – This is the idea that anything that relates to God or spiritual or eternal matters happens in this building on weekends. The Bible says that this building isn’t the church – YOU are the church! Wherever you are, God is there too. He is not confined to a building. Whenever you go into your office, you carry Him there with you! Clergy • The ________________ Connection – This is the myth that if you’re an ordained pastor, that somehow you have an inside direct line to God. 1 Peter 2:9 says that we are all priests unto God with our own individual “divine connection” to Him. influence affluence The enemy is after your __________________ more than your ___________________. He wants the world to impact you more than you impact the world. One way he tries to take away your influence is to deceive you into thinking that the secular and the spiritual are separate and do not intersect. Matthew 5:13-16 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” BIBLICAL CONTEXT: God established the nation of Israel to be a light or a reflection of God to all other nations. Isaiah 49:6: “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the Earth.” Unfortunately, Israel lost sight of their mission. When Jesus shows up, the last thing on the minds of Israel was exporting their religion. Jesus is telling His followers that now they were to be the light of the world. character 1. We minister at work through our __________________. Jesus says in vs. 13, “You are the salt of the earth.” Why does Jesus refer to us as “salt”? Salt as a
chemical compound (NaCl) is a miracle. Back in Jesus’ day, it was treated like gold. Roman soldiers were paid in salt. (The word “salary” is derived from salt.) Salt was primarily used as a preservative for their food. Our world is decaying and rotting, and it is our job as Christians to preserve what is good and holy as much as we can. It is possible for salt to lose its flavor. Salt was taken from the Dead Sea and was mixed in with other minerals. In a damp environment, the salt could actually dissolve and leave behind just some tasteless minerals. It was then thrown out into the street. We must be on guard with our character so that we do not lose our Christian testimony.
2. We minister at work through our ___________________. conduct
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world…” Salt deals with our character; light deals with our conduct. Salt deals with what we are; light deals with what we do. God has placed you in your current job to be a light in a place of darkness. Light does two things: it dispels darkness and it attracts. If you are in a dark place with only one light, your eyes are attracted to that light. Jesus goes on to say, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” In that culture, you never wanted to be out traveling at night. It wasn’t safe. So if the sun was going down, you kept your eyes out for lights in the hills to show you where the next city was. By seeing the “city on a hill” you knew that you were almost there – a place where you would be safe. A city on a hill is a beacon of hope for the weary traveler who is fearful for his own life! Are you that “beacon of hope” to others in your workplace? “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Once you light a lantern in your home, you don’t put a basket over it. You put it in the highest place in the house so that it gives light to everyone. conversations 3. We minister at work through our ______________________. “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” This literally means that they associate your good deeds with your Father in Heaven. They may first look at you, but eventually, we want them to turn their focus to God in Heaven. The places that need light are the darkest places. And you as Christians – whether you see it or not – have been given a responsibility to be a light in dark places! For most people, the environment where it is the darkest is in their work. QUESTION: What is the best way for God to reach people? If God wants to reach all people with the gospel, what would be the very best way He could do that? Through a pastor? No. The best way to reach teachers is through another teacher. So what does God do? He takes full-time ministers and cleverly disguises them as teachers and sends them out into the school system where they can reach other educators with God’s love. Acts 17:26,27, “And he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for him and find Him.” Practical Tips for Ministering at Work: LUNCH 1. INVITE A CO-WORKER TO _________________. See if there are any needs in his/her life that you can pray. Share how God has helped you in perhaps the same circumstance. Offer to pray for them before you go back to work. RESOURCE PERSON 2. BE A _________________ _________________ FOR OTHERS. When you hear about a conflict or a problem at the office, when you know that someone is going through a difficult time, when you have a co-worker who is going through a divorce, pick up a book, CD, or resource and give it to them. Say, “You know, I heard that you are going through this –– here is something that has really helped me in that!” GROUP 3. HOST A WORKPLACE __________________. One major movement in workplace ministry is the “on-site gatherings” that are taking place to study God’s Word. These could be morning or lunchtime Bible studies. How could you start a workplace Bible study in your job? ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________
