What's More Valuable: Putting in Time or Preaching the Truth? Kingdom Considerations

The answer to the above question must be carefully qualified, in my humble opinion.

Both pursuits, offered out of a redeemed heart, are honoring to God. God has given His creation and His people the opportunity to labor for His glory (1 Co. 10:31). As with all things that we do, we have the opportunity to present our works and deeds to God as gifts. How do we do so? By performing them out of a heart of love. Though it is easy to get a bit over-heated about the nature of work--some theologians have oversold its value, as I see it--and see every task as ushering in the kingdom, it is clear from the Bible that work possesses inherent dignity when done to maximize God's glory. Though the actual tasks we perform may not in themselves advance the kingdom (the kingdom is advanced primarily by proclamation and inherently spiritual activity, I would contend), yet our attitudes, our dispositions, and our constant devotion to God can well bless the Lord.

We see, then, that while making a shoe may not inherently advance the kingdom (the shoe possesses no spiritual value, after all), the attitude of the shoemaker (his worshipful heart expressing itself even as he sows the shoe together) and the good he accomplishes with the shoe (passing it on to a needy child in the name of Christ, for example) may well contribute to the forward movement of God's kingdom. Not everything we do contributes to this forward progress, I would argue, but this is not to say that we cannot bring God glory in our daily goings-on and, perhaps often by means of our heart and our spiritually minded acts, claim some kingdom ground. We see, then, that the matter of work--indeed, all of our daily acts--becomes a matter of theological consideration, and requires us to carefully define the kingdom on biblical grounds.

With all of this said, the preaching of the gospel is the fundamental means of kingdom advancement. See Matthew's first notation of kingdom-oriented preaching in 3:2--it is explicitly connected with the preaching of the gospel. Therefore, we should seek to preach the gospel to advance the kingdom, understanding that this is the primary--though not the only--means of pushing it forward. This means for those of us who work that we should indeed seek to preach the gospel in our workplaces. We should do so, however, shrewdly (Mt. 10:16). I don't think it wise for a Christian to consider their primary on-the-job responsibility to be evangelism. That's not honest. Your employer has hired you to be an accountant; be an accountant. Account. (Sorry, that's a bad joke.)

However, be a shrewdly Christian accountant. Season your conversation with the gospel. Look for opportunities to talk about your church, your faith, your conversion. Ask co-workers if they would like to hang out, and then engage them in honest, normal, but spiritually oriented conversation. Read the Bible in your lunch hour, and keep it on your desk. Let people see that the Bible is an organic part of your life. But do all this while being an excellent accountant (or forester or truck-driver or librarian or politician or athlete or stay-at-home mom). Know accountant laws. Put in a hard, full work day. Be one of the best employees in your office. Be nice, polite, helpful, and kind. Do your work with excellence. In summary, be a worker whose Christianity is apparent, whose goodness is evident, and whose work is excellent. Honor your Lord, but do so while honoring your boss.

Many Christians, of course, work in environments hostile or at least unfriendly to Christianity. In this case, simply turn up the "shrewdness" factor. People are still desperately lost; they are still looking for light, to some extent; they will still be unable to avoid noticing an attractive Christian witness when it presents itself. Over time, they'll ask questions and want to know what makes you tick, a situation helped, of course, by a Christian directing conversation well and living a life that looks and smells differently from others. Above all, Christians in these situations must look to share the gospel just as much as other Christians, though as noted they will need to do so with greater shrewdness than others. On the question of what to do when sharing faith involves the loss of a job, there is no black-and-white answer that I know of. One will have to balance faithful boldness with careful wisdom. One will have to do so, though, with Christ's warning about being an unfaithful or fearful witness in mind. No reward is promised to the timid; much reward is promised to the courageous (see the beatitudes of Matthew 5).

In summary, the Christian must thus see himself as part of a cosmic movement of God's Spirit that is orchestrated by the Father's will and proceeds forth from the Son's redemptive work. The Christian who goes off to work each morning should not simply think that he is putting in time and punching a clock; neither should he think that he is in some vague sense honoring God by working. No, he should realize that he is part of a kingdom movement, and he is able throughout the day to advance that kingdom by a godly attitude and disposition and by acts and deeds of gospel-oriented grace, justice, beauty, and goodness. We might restrain ourselves from saying that every task he performs directly contributes to this kingdom progress, but in doing so we would not make the mistake of thinking that only preachers accomplish spiritually meaningful things. No, all of us have the opportunity to participate by disposition and deed and word in this cosmic movement.

This perspective threatens to transform our daily rites, doesn't it? However you've considered work, you need not see it in stark terms, either as an evangelistic endeavor alone or a clock-punching exercise. No, work is a beautiful blend of these things, an opportunity to, as I said earlier, send God little gifts of glory by the things we do and the words we say. As you head into the forest, or wheel into your desk, or walk customers around the car showroom, you are not cut off from the kingdom. You are right in the center of it. As you live with integrity, and model Christ's grace and kindness, and speak gospel-saturated words, yes, you are right in the center of it. You may not know it, and no one may see it, but heaven is smiling on you in these times. And somehow, in ways imperceptible to human eyes and ears, a reign is being extended, a light is being lifted, and the earth and hills and stars are being readied to celebrate and surrender to the coming King.

How Does a Man Choose His Way in Life?

This question came up in my brief series on manhood last week: is it wrong for a responsible man to be a toymaker? Asked anonymously, this question prompted much thought on my part over the weekend. I won't yet answer this directly. Instead, I want to try and sketch out a framework by which a Christian attempts to answer this question. This is no perfect framework, but it is nonetheless an effort to provide one.

It strikes me that there are four categories a man must consider in deciding his vocation.

1. Self. A man must consider what talents and abilities he naturally possesses. He should think hard about what he likes doing and whether he is good at doing it. He should take care not to think lazily at this point. He should not merely direct himself to what he likes, but to the profession that allows him to best combine his talents and his preferences. Men should ask themselves whether the prospective profession is a waste of their time and ability or a proper channel for it. Stewardship is the issue here, and each man must answer this question for himself, though with the counsel of friends, family, and his local church.

2. Family. A man should consider how his work will affect his family. He should choose a profession that will enable him to provide financial stability for his family. He should consider how much time a particular job will take him away from his family. It will likely be difficult at times to balance these factors--the need to provide versus the need to spend time with his family--but men can take comfort knowing that God has called them to be providers. However, it seems true that Christian men will often not be the employee who is able to do anything for his company. Christian men understand that their family comes first. All this has to be considered by a man entering the workforce, or preparing to do so.

3. Society. I think many Christians neglect this aspect of vocational consideration. We can so emphasize our citizenship in Christ's kingdom that we neglect our God-given role in society. It is appropriate for Christian men to consider how the work they are doing will affect society. Believers should seek to positively contribute to society. This will mean carefully weighing potential jobs in order to determine which will best contribute positively to society, and which will make a greater difference to others in the long run. Oftentimes, this will mean passing up one good thing for another.

4. Kingdom. Christian men must consider how their work fits into kingdom advancement. We recognize that all that we do either advances or impedes the kingdom. Men must thus take into consideration whether their work not only contributes to society, but whether it contributes to the cause above all others, the cause of the extension of God's glory over all the earth. Men must ask themselves if their jobs lead them to do something immoral and unhelpful. Can we be a gospel witness in our profession? Can we pursue helping others over mere personal enrichment? From a kingdom perspective, is this job a waste of my time and talent? Am I able to use my God-given abilities for God's glory in this job? This is the fundamental question, and the one that must be answered with care.

There's a very humble outline of the factors a man of God should consider in choosing his vocational direction. Even with this outline or others, easy answers will sometimes evade the responsible man of God. Tomorrow we'll look more at how one handles such a situation.

Deciding What to Do with What Time We Have

This question came up in my brief series on manhood last week: is it wrong for a responsible man to be a toymaker? Asked anonymously, this question prompted much thought on my part over the weekend. Here's my own answer, though I of course do not propose this as the answer, merely the best I myself can give.

It strikes me that there are four categories a man must consider in deciding his vocation.

1. Self. A man must consider what talents and abilities he naturally possesses. He should think hard about what he likes doing and whether he is good at doing it. He should take care not to think lazily at this point. He should not merely direct himself to what he likes, but to the profession that allows him to best combine his talents and his preferences.

2. Family. A man should consider how his work will affect his family. He should choose a profession that will enable him to provide financial stability for his family. He should consider how much time a particular job will take him away from his family. It will likely be difficult at times to balance these factors--the need to provide versus the need to spend time with his family--but men can take comfort knowing that God has called them to be providers. However, it seems true that Christian men will often not be the employee who is able to do anything for his company. Christian men understand that their family comes first. All this has to be considered by a man entering the workforce, or preparing to do so.

3. Society. I think many Christians neglect this aspect of vocational consideration. We can so emphasize our citizenship in Christ's kingdom that we neglect our God-given role in society. It is appropriate for Christian men to consider how the work they are doing will affect society. Believers should seek to positively contribute to society. This will mean carefully weighing potential jobs in order to determine which will best contribute positively to society, and which will make a greater difference to others in the long run. Oftentimes, this will mean passing up one good thing for another.

4. Kingdom. Christian men must consider how their work fits into kingdom advancement. We recognize that all that we do either advances or impedes the kingdom. Men must thus take into consideration whether their work not only contributes to society, but whether it contributes to the cause above all others, the cause of the extension of God's glory over all the earth. Can we be a gospel witness in our profession? Can we pursue helping others over mere personal enrichment? There are no easy answers here, but men of God will wrestle with such questions in figuring these issues out.

There's a very humble outline of the factors a man of God should consider in choosing his vocational direction. Tomorrow I'll offer further comment on these matters.