Worship 24x7 at Work

We discussed in our lest lesson that worship is more than what we do within the walls of our congregation. In every aspect of our lives, we worship God in our conduct, in our attitudes, in our service to Him in all places and all times. This carries over to our workplace. The way we conduct ourselves at work reflects who we are as Christians, and there should be no separation between the standards we hold ourselves to at church and our expectations of ourselves at work.

We set an example when we are working. The ethics and morality we follow, the language we use, the way we treat those we work with, the attitudes we demonstrate – these show God and others our true commitment to our Christian walk. Does our conduct at work demonstrate our faith and values, or do we contradict our spiritual lives with our work lives?

Christians at Church and Work

In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus calls one whose words and actions do not match a hypocrite. I John 1:6 warns that we are lying to ourselves if we think we follow Him while not living by His word. If we are worshipping God in word on Sunday, but the deeds of our lives do not back that worship up, then that worship in in vain.

Romans 12:14-21 outlines some principles we should be following: not giving into temptation, living peaceably with others, never repaying evil with evil. God does not grant us exemptions on expectations simply because we are in the pursuit of money. We spend a great deal of time at work. It is where we have the most connections and opportunities, and it is where we should be working the hardest to let our light shine.

Living Thankfully at Work

We often offer thanks for our jobs and our material blessings. We pray for His continual provisions for us and our families. If we are not living the way we should at work, however, we are praying in vain. Ephesians 6:5-8 tells us we should be good employees not to please man, but to please God. Colossians 3:22-25 says much the same, reminding us that our true reward comes from God and not from man. I Timothy 6:1-2 and Titus 2:9-10 encourages us to conduct ourselves humbly and ethically in the workplace.

We need to work as if we are working for God. Our work ethic should be unspotted. We should deal honestly with those we come into contact with at work. We should never leave an opening for someone to say about us: “They did that? I thought they were a Christian.” This means we avoid griping and moaning. We avoid taking advantage of our position. We should be respectful to our managers and supervisors, and we should be honestly earning the wages we’re given.

I Peter 2:18-21 teaches the difficult lesson that we are to work as well for difficult employers as we would for a good manager. What credit is it to us if we work well for someone easy to work with? Our character really comes out when things get tough. If we are in a position of authority, however, Ephesians 6:9 tells us we should be as humble as if we were in a position of subjection. We are to be respectful, fair, and kind toward those who work under us.

Worship At Work

When we work as God would have us, living the trust we have for God in our lives, then we will set an example to people we may not even know are looking up to us. Our conduct can glorify God in a setting where there is much to lead us astray – pressures to socialize in ungodly ways, to fall into ungodly joking and conversations, to get caught up into office dramas, to skim a little extra for ourselves. If we keep Him first, worshipping Him even in the workplace, then we can keep ourselves above those influences.

What matters to you at work? Do your actions and attitudes reflect God? Work with respect and good will for your superiors. Demonstrate integrity. Offer good service to employers both good and bad. Remember your ultimate master is in Heaven, and it is Him we seek to please. Treat those under your authority with kindness and respect. Treat coworkers, employers, and employees the way you want them to treat you. Let your conduct at work be worship to our Heavenly Father, the final authority and master in our lives.

lesson by Mark RItter

Keeping It Real: Inner Beauty

What is real beauty? In the grocery checkout line, we have those magazines like Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Vogue where we see an idealized and artificial version of beauty. Then, on the other hand, we have those publications that try to tear down that beauty with terrible pictures and ugly stories. When it comes to God’s reality of beauty, His word deals little with outer appearances, but I Timothy 2:8-10 does talk about modest dress. In this, though, Paul is telling us to clothe ourselves in good deeds and not be distracted by our outer appearances.

I Peter 3:1-5 instructs us to have inner beauty more than outward. Our inward self should be our focus, not the attention we can draw toward ourselves with our clothes. Yes, Christ is supposed to be reflected in the way we dress – let’s not diminish that – but that is not the attention we are supposed to be seeking. We get very preoccupied with our clothes, especially in the context of worship, but we cannot let dress distract us from the true focus of our lives. God wants humble submission and does not want us to have unreasonably high attitudes of ourselves. In Leviticus 16:23-24, when the high priest entered the Holy Place, he physically clothed himself humbly, and our hearts should be so clothed in God’s service.

Clothed in Christ

Galatians 3:26-29 tells us we are clothed in Christ when we are baptized into Him. Romans 13:11-14 tells us to put aside the deeds of darkness and to clothe ourselves in Jesus Christ and the armor of light. Ephesians 4:20-24 tells us to shed our old selves and to clothe ourselves in newness, and Colossians 3 then points out specifics – ridding ourselves of anger, wrath, slander, and obscenity while putting on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. When we are clothed in Christ, we are one. We are all wearing the same thing no matter what we have on outside.

Again, Galatians 3:26-29 reinforces that we put on the garments of Christ when we are baptized into Him. That is when we change from our clothes of sin into the garments of righteousness. Once we have those clothes, we cannot let them go out of style. We cannot become embarrassed by them. It is not a garment we take out and put away as it’s convenient. The beauty of Jesus is who we are at all times. That inward beauty should always be evident.

Christ Seen in Us

When we are clothed in Christ, then the way we treat our outer appearance and our conduct will naturally fall into line. If we are honest with ourselves, we know when we are presenting ourselves appropriately or inappropriately. It comes down to what you really want. Do you want to conform to the standards of the world, or will you conform to His standard? When other people see us, do they see Jesus?

We need to evaluate ourselves. Can others see Christ in me in how I act, in what I do, in how I present myself? Am I clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, or have I hidden Jesus in the back of my moral closet? The beauty of the world can be enticing, but our focus needs to be on our internal purity and our internal beauty. Where the magazines covers continue to show us the idealized beauty of the world, we should instead let others see the beauty of Jesus in us each and every day.

lesson by Ben Lanius

To Be with Jesus

Matthew 14 records the events surrounding Peter walking on the water. Peter and the other apostles are on a boat without Jesus in verse 22. The waters become rough; the weather begins to storm; and Jesus appears upon the water. Peter calls out to Him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Unfortunately, when Peter see the wind kicking up the water, his faith falters and Jesus must save Him.

What possessed Peter to say to himself, “I want to get out of this boat and walk to Jesus,” in the middle of this storm? We speak of Peter’s rashness, of his impulsivity, of his good intentions. How many of us would have simply stayed in the boat? More important than these factors though may have been his desire to be like Jesus and to be with Jesus.

Remember Jesus washing the apostles’ feet in John 13. At first Peter resists, but, when Jesus says Peter could have no part with Him without this washing, Peter then requests his whole body to be washed. Also, in John 21, when Peter realizes Jesus’ identity, he again leaps into the sea to get to Jesus. Whatever the cost, Peter wants to be like Jesus, and he wants to be with Jesus.

Like Peter, we occasionally act and speak before thinking. More than these, we should be like Peter in our desire to be like and with the Lord. Philippians 2:5 calls on us to be like Christ in humility and obedience. I Peter 2:21 instructs us to follow in His steps. In John 14:3, Jesus promises we can be with Him one day, and Matthew 11:28 extends an invitation to come and be close to Christ, laying our burdens at his feet.

Matthew 16:24-26 tells us how we can have a part with Him, how we can be with Him and like Him. We must put self and self-interest to death, and fix our gaze firmly on Him. We have to get out of that boat if we are going to draw closer to Him. This involves getting outside our comfort zone and make sacrifices. Yes, when Peter took his eyes off the Lord, however, he began to sink beneath the waves. We need to keep Jesus firmly in our sights, but it begins with that first step.

Like Paul in Philippians 3:13-15, we should be continually pressing forward. Colossians 3:1 calls on us to set our minds on things above. We need to determine that, wherever we are spiritually, it’s time to get out of the boat and approach Jesus, striving always to be like Him and with Him.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Understanding the Term "Christian"

When you hear the term Christian, it probably elicits a response similar to one created by the terms Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, or Catholic. We have preconceptions and assumptions based on the label. It is a term that has been overused and misused to the point that some followers of Christ wish to dispense with the term altogether. In many ways, it has lost meaning and context because of the free way we use the word.

Literally, the word means, “that which pertains to Christ,” and it is used only three times in the entire New Testament. Each time this word is used, it says something different about our relationship with each other and with our savior. Acts 11 speaks to our relationship with one another. In Acts 26, Paul is speaking of our relationship with God, and Peter, in I Peter 4, speaks of our relationship with the world.

Acts 11

In Acts 11:19, numerous disciples scatter in the face of persecution, following the execution of Stephen. They teach Christ as they travel, and many turn to Christ in baptism. We see Barnabas and Saul in Antioch, and here the followers of Christ are first called by the term Christian. Here, it calls attention to the relationship the disciples had to one another. These are people who had left Judaism, who were persecuted, who were disowned by their communities and their families. All they have is each other, and they rely on each other in their travels.

We are not all-sufficient; we are not islands. John 13:34 records Jesus telling His disciples to love each other, and this love is one demonstrated in service, in reliance, in cohesiveness. Galatians 6:9-10 reminds us to work good toward all, and Paul says this goodwill is especially targeted toward fellow Christians. We are told to prefer one another, to honor one another, to bear each other’s burdens. Our love for one another as Christians serves as a testimony to our relationship with each other in Christ.

Acts 26

In Acts 26, Paul is defending his actions before politician after politician. He stands before these dignitaries and speaks of the gospel to them. He speaks of self-control and righteousness, and he recounts his conversion. Starting in verse 19, Paul begins pressuring Agrippa about his faith and his willingness to respond to the gospel call. Where Festus recoils, Agrippa admits, in verse 28, that Paul almost persuades him to become a Christian.

Paul is speaking of having a right relationship with God. Paul knows Agrippa identifies with the things he testifies about, and he also knows that Agrippa is aware his relationship with God is not right. Agrippa sees Paul’s devotion to the living God, and Paul invites him to have that same relationship, a relationship we should also have when we wear the name of Christian.

I Peter 4

In I Peter 4:12, Peter addresses the trials and persecutions Christ’s followers will face in this world. He calls us “blessed” if we are reproached for the cause of Christ, and he calls on disciples to not suffer as troublemakers or as criminals but as Christians. He reinforces the concept that we are in the world but not of the world. That separation from a lost and dying world will earn friction.

As Christians, we are no longer content to live in darkness. We are no longer willing to compromise our morals based on God’s word. Because of how are light will reflect upon those who disagree with us, we will face hardships because of our faith. Think of Hebrews 11 and the trials faced by those numerous examples cited therein. Some overcame great odds while others were mocked, tortured, neglected, mistreated, or even murdered. God, however, provides something better. Those examples could overcome, and we can too.

Conclusion

The term Christian is used sparingly in the New Testament. It is unique and special. It speaks to the relationship we have with each other, with God, and with the world. If our lives do not reflect those relationships, then we should not wear that precious name so casually. Our salvation is in Christ. Our lives are defined by His words and His example. Our interactions with our brothers and sisters as well as the world are defined by that relationship with our Savior. We are Christ’s. We are Christians. We should be working every day to live up to that name.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Honoring the Name We Wear

We take pride in the names we wear. Our family names serve as a form of heritage and pride. Those names earn a reputation and reflects upon others in our family. The same is true of our name as Christian. Like we can bring honor or shame to our physical family, our conduct reflects upon other Christians and on Christ, the head of our family. Some family names are honored or scorned for their places in history. What reputation are we building for our spiritual name?

In Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and I Peter 4:16, we find the only places where the term Christian is used in the scriptures, identifying those who are followers of Christ. It’s a name that brings great responsibility. It is part of our identity, and it defines the relationship we should have with Jesus. We should, therefore, be glorifying the name of our Father in our conduct. It’s easy to wear the name of Christian while our actions belie the claim – wearing the name for its secular benefits. We can contradict our own claims, invalidating the message of Christ, while we disregard His examples and teachings in our lives.

Wearing the Name of Christ
We cannot wear our name half-heartedly. We cannot wear this name without submitting to and following Christ’s name. It’s more than being a member of a church. Matthew 7:13-14 calls on us to be careful of our spiritual path, striving for the road chosen by few. The paths we choose can help create a good reputation or a poor one for fellow Christians. There are many names we honor, but the name of Christian is the greatest we could hope to wear. Isaiah 56:5 speaks of a name better than a family name – one that will last forever. Also, in Isaiah 62:2, the prophet says all will wear an name granted by their Lord.

We need to recognize the distinction of our spiritual name. We need to understand the meaning behind that name as those in Acts 5:41 who counted it joy to be persecuted for the sake of Christ’s name. We can never forget who we are when we are at home or when we are around others.

It is a name that is blessed when worn properly. This means we live, follow, and serve Christ in all we do. Matthew 6:33 calls on us to seek Christ first, and Matthew 7:11 reminds us that our Father blesses those who follow Him. In James 1:17, we read that all perfect gifts come from above. We are blessed among our Christian family, but the spiritual blessings, like those found in Ephesians 1:3, are the greatest. Forgiveness, redemption, the gift of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s mediation, eternal rest – these are an inheritance associated with our name that none can steal away. Jesus, in John 14:3, promises He prepares a place for those who wear come to Him.

We are taught we take Christ’s name on when we submit to His will and we continue in His word after our conversion. Taking on His name is a great responsibility; it’s a lifetime work of service. We should be servants, examples, walking the way our Savior has shown us. It takes care and responsibility as a disciple. It takes diligence to develop self control and restraining our selfish desires and impulses. Ecclesiastes 12:13 reminds us that following our God is our all.

Living to a Standard
Romans 15:1, I Corinthians 3:1, Revelation 3:15, Ephesians 4:14-16 – these verses are a sampling of those that describe the maturity toward which we should be working as Christians. There is a difference between calling ourselves Christians and acting like it. Are we living the name we wear, or do we shame the name of Christ when influenced by the world? We need to be self-reflective in our conduct – our treatment of others, our speech, our general conduct. When our real selves come out, we should be revealed to truly be Christ-like in our attitudes and the decisions we make in every setting.

Our actions can either lift up or bring down our family names. We build a reputation around ourselves, and our conduct also reflects back on Jesus. Even when we post things online, we are showing who we are and what’s important to us. We should be wearing Christ’s name with honor at all times. How would He respond to a waiter or waitress in a restaurant? How would He treat someone who cuts us off in traffic? How would He treat someone who disagrees with Him? We need to be aware of our actions in comparison to those of Jesus.

Am I involved in my service to Christ? Am I restraining from engaging negativity in the world? Am I honoring my name at all times? Do others know I am a Christ follower by the good influence I have. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus describes us as good salt, as a city on a hill, as lamp-stands in a dark house, as lights to the world. What do others see in us? What name is reflected in our words and actions? Do we honor the name we wear?

lesson by Mark Ritter

Who We Are

Who are we? That’s a question for which we need to have an answer before we can share our hope with the world. Jesus, in Mark 8:27, asks His apostles who they think He is. He wants them to think about their perceptions of Him, and what those conclusions imply. We have the same responsibility toward ourselves.

Our family names, occupations, levels of education, genders races – these factors and more provide certain assumptions about us. Beyond these, who are we spiritually? What terms define our spiritual lives to ourselves? How do others perceive us in this regard? Our actions inform others of who we are – our morals, our decisions, our associations, our priorities. These qualities contribute to our character, and our character will determine the reputation we have with others.

Defining Our Spiritual Identities
We may call ourselves Christians, the redeemed, members of the church. In John 13:34, Jesus says our identity is defined by the love we demonstrate toward others. He says this love identifies us as His. Our character, then, should reflect Christ’s love. Galatians 5:13 begins a description of how love compels us to a life of service, just as Jesus exemplified when washing His apostles’ feet. In Colossians 1:9, Paul tells us we should be gaining spiritual wisdom to follow His example and bear fruits of good works.

Romans 7:4 says we belong to God so we may work for Him, and Hebrews 10:23 calls upon us to encourage one another, stirring up love and good works. Titus 3:1 instructs us to stay ready for opportunities to do good, and Paul goes on in this passage to tell us to avoid quarreling, to speak ill of none, to always be gentle. He speaks of good works as something to which we should devote our lives, refraining from things that tear us apart. Verse 14 says to be watchful for the needs around us and again to be fruitful.

It’s Not Of This World
Sometimes we allow our pasts to make decisions for us. Matthew 3:8 has Jesus speaking about fruits of repentance, but He warns His listeners against relying on their history. He speaks to personal accountability in verse 10, and Matthew 10:37 indicates that our ties to Christ should be stronger than those even to family. We cannot let our past or our ties to this world ultimately guide us. Instead, or identities are defined by the fruits we bear. All we say and do contributes to our spiritual reputation.

Who do others say that I am? More importantly, who does God say I am? I John 3:18 instructs us to be active in our love and that we cannot hide our true selves from Him. To the seven churches of Revelation 2-3, Jesus says to each that He knows their works. He acknowledges their reputations, but He knows who they really are underneath. Our manufactured reputations cannot hide our inner selves from God.

Conclusion
Back in Mark 8, after the apostles share their views about Jesus and Peter makes his confession of faith, Christ begins to reveal the true nature of His mission and the suffering He will endure. Peter, his mind set on the things of this life, rebukes Jesus. In the upper room, Peter can’t wrap his mind around Jesus’ example of service because it challenges his world view too much. We cannot let our identity get tied up in the things, the cares, or the praise of this world. Our self-definition should be spiritual in nature, and it should reflect that name we wear at all times.

sermon by Dawson Guyer