And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Hope in Times of Failure
Jun 11, 2018
In the booming Chicago of the 1860s, there lived a young Christian family of six whose patriarch was a prominent lawyer and investor. All was going well for the young man and his family until the Great Chicago Fire destroyed much of his real estate. The loss was significant, but it paled in comparison to the tragedy the man would experience just two years later when his wife and daughters were in a shipwreck as they sailed from New York to England. All four daughters died in the crash. Upon arriving in England, the mother telegrammed her husband in Chicago. âSaved alone,â she said.
The husband left Chicago right away, sailing off to England to meet his grieving wife. We donât know much about his journey across the Atlantic, but I have to imagine the man spent his days alone, grieving his loss and qu...
New Series: Responding to Failure
Jun 04, 2018
Carry each otherâs burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
Contrary to what some âspiritual self-help gurusâ preach, the God of the Bible does not promise us success. If anything, Scripture makes clear that Christians are all-but guaranteed adversity and failure. From Paul to Peter, from Joseph to Job, the Bible is filled with stories of men and women who experienced great failures both personally and professionally. Throughout these stories, Scripture reveals a God who isnât concerned with our âsuccess,â but is very much concerned with our sanctification and how our failures can be used to mold us into His image.
Today, more and more Christians are embracing the call to create, taking risks to bring about new businesses, ministries, art, books, music, and other forms of culture as a means of serving others. Itâs never been easier to follow Godâs call to create! But we must remember that the nature...
As You Are GoingâŠMake Disciples
May 28, 2018
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, âAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.' Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)
Over the past three weeks, we have been exploring the biblical truth that every Christian is a âfull-time missionaryâ and unpacking what Iâm calling the Three Myths of Missions which block us from really embracing our roles as disciple-makers. The third and final myth of missions that we will unpack this week is that in order to fulfill the Great Commission, you must âgoâ away from your current vocation and location.
A few years ago,...
The Laughable Myth of Missions
May 21, 2018
âIsnât this the carpenter? Isnât this Maryâs son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?â Mark 6:3 (NIV)
In order to embrace the idea that every Christian is a full-time missionary, thereâs a second myth of missions that we need to look to Scripture to refute. Here it is: The calling of pastors and âfull-time missionariesâ is somehow âhigherâ than the call to other vocations.
As we saw in last weekâs devotional. God called human beings to work, giving all work inherent meaning; thus, there should be no sense that one personâs vocational calling is higher, more meaningful, or more eternally significant than another.
But the fact is, there is an unspoken hierarchy of callings in the Church today that says that if you are really sold out for Jesus, you will abandon your current work and spiritually âlevel-upâ to the role of a pastor or donor-supported missionary.
This idea isnât new. Itâs a myth the Church has been fighting for ...
The Call to Cultural Creation
May 14, 2018
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1:28 (NIV)
The idea that every Christian is a full-time missionary may sound new or at least like a fresh perspective. Why is that? As we will see throughout this devotional series, Godâs Word makes crystal clear that each of us is called to make disciples of Jesus Christ no matter what job we have or where we live. So why does this concept sound new? I believe itâs because the Church has bought into three myths of missions which we will look to Scripture to refute over the next three weeks.
The first myth that the Church has subscribed to for some time now is that work is largely meaningless unless you work as a âfull-time missionary.â
Have you ever felt like your work is less important or eternally meaningful than that of a pastor...
New Series: Every Christian Is a âFull-Time Missionaryâ
May 07, 2018
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, âAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.â Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)
I grew up dreading sermons on the topic of missions. Itâs not because I donât love missions; in fact, I can think of nothing more exhilarating than sharing the name of Jesus with a lost world. I love as 1 Peter 2:9 says to âdeclare the excellenciesâ of our God, telling others about the miraculous work Jesus has done on my behalf. But for years, any time I heard that a pastor would be preaching on missions or that we were entering into...
âThe Most Unproductive Thing You Can Doâ
May 05, 2018
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
Weâve come a long way in 20 days.
In the first 10 days, we sketched out a biblical narrative of work; then we saw five ways in which our work matters in light of that narrative; and over the past few days, we examined four ways we should do our work in light of those previous truths.
Today, we see one final way we should work: To work productively towards Godâs agenda in this world, we must stay rooted to âthe vineâ by regularly communing with our Lord.Â
Jesus said that apart from him, âyou can do nothingâ of value to him and his kingdom-building purposes. In the words of author Matt Perman, âTo live your life without God is the most unproductive thing you can do.â
If you want your work to be worshipâa means of serving God rather than yourselfâa true calling on your lifeâthen you must prioritize...
Rest as a Sermon for the Ambitious
May 04, 2018
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 2:2-3)
God had no need to rest from his work. But he did. Why?
I donât think itâs farfetched to conclude that because God created work as a form of worship, he knew we would be tempted to work nonstop. I think God rested because he knew we would forget to. So he graciously modeled a rhythm of work and rest that we were designed to mimic.Â
Yesterday, we saw that the Word commands us to work in a way that embraces the tension between âtrustingâ and âhustling.â How can we know if weâre managing that tension well? By whether or not we are able to rest.
Canât fall asleep because youâre working out a problem that faces you at work the next morning? Find yourself glancing at email while youâre on vaca...
Trusting AND Hustling
May 03, 2018
You may say to yourself, âMy power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.â But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)
âHustleâ has to be one of the most popular mantras in work culture today. Entrepreneurs are told that they have to âhustleâ to make their businesses succeed. Everyone seems to be working on a âside-hustleâ outside of their 9-to-5 job.Â
But what does Godâs Word have to say about hustle?Â
On the one hand, Scripture clearly celebrates hard work. In Colossians 1, Paul himself claims to âstrenuously contend with all the energyâ in his work. Then, a few verses later, he commands us to do the same saying, âWhatever you do, work at it with all your heartâ (Colossians 3:23).
Given the many ways our work matters to God, we should âhustleâ and work hard. But, in...
The Ministry of Excellence
May 02, 2018
His master replied, âWell done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masterâs happiness!â (Matthew 25:21)
Weâve seen that the most fundamental purpose of our work is to glorify God by âreflecting his greatnessâ and character.
What exactly are Godâs characteristics? The Word describes God in many ways, but it is his character of excellence that is perhaps most visible to us today. You canât visit the Grand Canyon or your local zoo without appreciating the masterful work of Godâs hands.
As Godâs children, we are called to be image-bearers of our Father. Theologian Andreas Köstenberger says, âAs Godâs redeemed children, we are to strive to be like God. This, it appears, includes striving for excellence.â John Piper put it this way: âGod created [us] to live with a singleâŠpassion to glorify God by enjoying and displaying his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life.âÂ
In other words, one w...
