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

Loving Controversy

I once had a fellow Christian say to me, upon stirring up some political argument or another, “I love controversy.” Now, we all create controversy at times, especially if we have opinions on anything. The very act of teaching Christ’s word can cause controversy among some, but I’m not sure we are necessarily supposed to love the controversy.

The wisdom literature has little kind to say about one who stirs up controversy and contention.

• Proverbs 18:19 warns that contentions are like the bars of a castle.
• Proverbs 15:18 says it is a wrathful heart that stirs up strife.
• Proverbs 10:12 says controversy results from hatred.
• Proverbs 16:28 warns that strife comes from a dishonest heart.
• Proverbs 17:19 says one who love controversy loves transgression.

The writers of Proverbs go on to warn that strife separates friends in 16:28, that dry morsels in quiet are better than feasting among contention in 17:1, and that strife is like opening flood gates and should be stopped before it’s started.

The Proverb writers then offer contrasts from which we could learn much. Back in Proverbs 15:18 encourages us to be slow to anger, avoiding contention. 10:12 tells us love covers offenses in contrast to contentious hatefulness. Finally, Proverbs 15:1 encourages us to have a soft answer so we can cool wrath, and Proverbs 22:10 even advises us to avoid hanging out with argumentative people.

Engaging in controversies and contentions is the easier route, and this is yet another example where we, as spiritual people, need to exercise self-control. After all, we live in a "loudest-is-rightest" culture. It’s easy to fly off the handle when some public figure does something we don’t like. It’s easy to prod our friends and family who disagree with us. It’s easy to approach a disagreement from the standpoint of what “you” did wrong. Stirring up strife is the easy path, and it’s surprisingly empowering. We feel like we “fought the good fight,” “told them like it is,” “proved our point,” while waving the banner of our impotent rage.

Harder is to close our mouths, bite our tongues, or – even harder – recognize when it’s not that big of a deal. We have so many influences trying to pull us into secular concerns that do nothing for the cause of Christ if we become embroiled in them. At one point, I too enjoyed a good controversy, but I’d like to think I’ve moved on. Perhaps it’s time we Christians collectively told controversy, “I don’t love you anymore. I think we should start seeing other nouns. It’s not me, it’s you,” and gave it up. Maybe we need to stop watching some TV personalities, maybe stop reading some opinion columns, maybe avoid some talk radio shows, perhaps just avoid some topics altogether.

Do we want to be accused of loving controversy or loving unity? Do we want people to see us as a source of discouragement or encouragement? Do we want to fill our minds and our conversations with things that drive a wedge between ourselves and others or things that bring us all closer to each other and to Christ? We should work to have the qualities of Colossians 4:5-6, walking in wisdom, ready to have an answer, seasoning our words with salt.

lesson by Robert Smelser

Controlling Self

We know the history of Alexander the Great who conquered much of his word, able to control armies and nations but unable to control himself, having drunk himself to death at age 32. Controlling our selves, our impulses, using self restraint – the Bible has much to say on this topic. Proverbs 25:26 calls one without control as an undefended city, left open to invasions from outside: vulnerable to temptation and unguided by principle.

When David sees Bathsheba, he has the choice to exercise restraint, but he lacks self control, dwells on Bathsheba, and acts on his impulse. For a time, he becomes vulnerable to temptation and forgets his principles. Solomon allows his numerous political wives to turn him from God despite his great wisdom. Judas betrays Jesus for meager wages, driven by unrestrained and uncontrolled greed. Each of these illustrate how far we can fall without the defense of self control.

Giving God Control
Self control may be defined as a willingness to be guided by God’s wishes rather than our own, restraining ourselves from the things we should avoid. It can also be ensuring we act upon the opportunities we have to do good. In Galatians 5:22-24, self control is included among those fruits of the spirit we should be practicing. Paul, in Titus 1:8, qualifies spiritual leaders as having self control, and I Peter 1:5-8 lists this control as a trait we should be nurturing in our own lives.

Why be concerned with self control? In Acts 24:24-25, Paul teaches Christ to Felix and other officials with him. In this message, Paul links self control with righteousness. David, Saul, and Judas fall short of the measure of righteousness when they fail to exercise self control. In Matthew 16:21-23, Peter, after having recently professed his faith in Jesus, rebukes Him for going to His death and is rebuked in turn. Then, in verse 24, Jesus says any who follow Him must deny self and crucify self. Self control is key to sincerely following Jesus.

What Does Self Control Look Like?
Romans 12 makes it clear that living a godly living requires restraint. Romans 12:2 calls us to be transformed rather than conformed. This takes rethinking, re-prioritizing, controlling those impulses we might have once followed. Verses 16-21 encourages to avoid revenge, to live peacefully, to show kindness and mercy, overcoming evil with good. It takes control and restraint to demonstrate God’s grace to all – even those who are ungracious to us.

Philippians 4:8 tells us to dwell on honorable things in our lives, to look for the good, to consider the best around us. Self control begins with our minds. We have to control our thoughts before we can control our bodies.

• We have to recognize our need. I have to admit I need better self control before I can improve, being guided by God’s principles before my own.
• We have to identify the areas in which we need more control. On what do my thoughts dwell? In what areas of my life do I struggle most?
• We have to study. Psalm 119:9 encourages us to take heed to God’s word to cleanse our ways. Verse 105 calls that word a light for our feet. We have to know His will for it to guide us.
• We have to weigh the consequences. In Mark 8:35-36, Jesus asks what a soul is worth. Is giving into our impulses worth losing our souls?
• We need to pray about our struggles. I Peter 5:6-7 encourages us to call on the Lord, casting our cares on Him, so He can comfort us.

Conclusion
In Acts 24, as Paul studies with Felix, the governor is alarmed and send Paul away until a better time. Felix is concerned by the challenge of practicing self control. Do we see this subject as concerning and alarming? If so, we should not follow Felix’s example, whose better time would never come. Instead we should submit to His mercy. Hebrews 5:8 discusses the self control Jesus practices in His obedience to the Father’s plan. We should follow His example of restraint and obedience and allow God’s principles to guide us, removing self from the throne and exalting God.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Biblical Appeals

In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the author observes that God makes everything beautiful in its time, setting eternity in the heart of man. The latter part of the verse explains that God has given us a sense of something greater in our hearts, some recognition that we owe our existence to One greater than us. Our compulsive drive to understand the forces behind the world around us results from our creation after the image of He who set these forces in motion. We come to a better understanding of God and ourselves when we study from God’s word.

Wanting God in our lives without having his word in our lives is like being a lawyer that does not study law, like an engineer that knows nothing of physics. To know Him requires interaction with His word. Too often, our Bibles collect dust on days between worship services, and we are inundated with the concept that God’s word is out of date. We believe it no longer applies to us. How could something written two thousand years ago still appeal to mankind? The Bible does, and it appeals to man on an intellectual basis, on a philosophical basis, and a spiritual basis.

Rational Appeal

• The Bible teaches us to learn from the actions of others. I Corinthians 10:1 begins a passage that opens with a reminder of things happening to those in the Old Testament, and Paul states those events happened so we may have an example. We learn from those who have come before us. Israel’s interactions with God teaches about the nature of God, His justice, His mercy, and His expectations.
• The Bible teaches what we want is not what we need. In I Samuel 8, the people call for a king, and God gives them a king impressive to the people. The second king, a boy called David, defies expectations, but God, in I Samuel 16:7, tells Samuel to look beyond David’s appearance. God see the heart. The king the people expect and want is not the king they need.
• The Bible teaches that nothing escapes God’s notice. In Genesis 47, Jacob looks back on the deceptions filling his life, and he recognizes that he has received as he had given. Back in Genesis 42, Joseph’s brothers recognize their guilt over their brother’s disappearance – years after the event. They see they are reaping the consequences of their actions.

Philosophical Appeal

• The Bible appeals to the pursuit of logic and wisdom. It is full of practical wisdom that can guide our lives. Proverbs 15:1, for example, encourages us to answer anger with softness. Proverbs 14:29 esteems one slow to anger. Proverbs 27:15 tells of the dangers of nagging. Proverbs 2:1 talks about seeking after wisdom and the importance of one generation passing wisdom on to the next. The Proverb writer is saying that listening to our elders and seeking wisdom leads to a better life.
• The Bible speaks to counsels relationships. Many wonder why the Song of Solomon is included in the Bible, but in chapter 2:7, the beloved advises her friends to be careful about rushing into relationships. This is repeated in chapter 3:5. Even after she is married to Solomon, she again entreats her friends to seek love only when the person and the time is right. It is a message we would do well to apply in our own relationships
• The Bible addresses pain. On the nature of pain and suffering, we have the book of Job. One frustrating aspect, though, is that Job never receives and answer. What he does learn is that we are not defined by what we have. Luke 12:15 records Jesus saying that life does not consist of things. Instead, Jesus teaches, and Job learns, that sustenance is found in God.

Spiritual Appeal

• Sin separates. Genesis 3 demonstrates the separation between man and God resulting from sin. We see the promises later made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Old Testament tells a story of the fulfillment of God’s promises, leading to a Messiah brought to this world. John 1 describes this Messiah as God in flesh. Without studying His word, we remain unaware of God’s unending nature. The problem of sin remains the same, as Isaiah describes in Isaiah 59:2 and Paul describes in Romans 3:23.
• God’s love remains the same. Isaiah 55:6 calls on God’s people to repent of their sins and return to God. The prophet reassures them He will forgive. We would have a hard time forgiving someone who has wronged us as much as His people wronged Him, but verses 8-9 explain that God’s nature and His love make such forgiveness possible. No matter how many times we let God down, if we turn away and repent, God is willing to forgive. His love has not wavered.
• God’s word is urgent. It can be tempting to be like Agrippa and procrastinate God until another time. However, In Psalm 95:6-9, David appeals to God’s people to respond to Him today. In Hebrews 3:7, 3:15, and 4:7, this same plea is repeated. We never know what the next moment will bring, so the time to respond to His word is always the same: now.

Conclusion

II Peter 1:2-3 speaks of God’s divine power to give us all things pertaining to life and godliness. To fully appreciate the wisdom contained in God’s word, we have to study. For the Bible to be applicable to our lives, we must apply it. We may have eternity in our hearts, but, to spend eternity with God, we must know His word, His plan, and His expectations.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Paul's Answer to Felix

If someone was to ask you why you live how you do, why do you believe what you do, how would you answer? How would you use this single chance? We might talk about the gospel’s power to save, the good news contained in that message. We might appeal to the so-called steps of salvation. By these qualities, we might defend our hope.

Paul, in Acts 24, has this opportunity when he presents his defense before Felix, and he takes an approach quite different from one we might make. In verse 42 of this chapter, Felix and his wife inquire of Paul about the path he has chosen. In verse 25, Paul reasons from righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come.

On Righteousness
Righteousness is simply holiness in daily thought and action. Our conduct and our attitudes reflect our righteousness. Romans 12:1-2 instructs us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice in our spiritual service. Paul calls on us to be different from the world, separate and distinct in our thoughts and actions. I Peter 1:13-16 instructs to prepare our minds, setting our hope on God and reflecting His holiness in our lives. Romans 1:16-17 affirms God’s power to save through the gospel, demonstrated in those who live by faith, those whose lives are defined by their service to God.

Romans 10:1-3 records Paul praising the zeal of his national brethren, but he warns that they should not be satisfied by their own standard of righteousness. The same is true of us today. God does not compare our level of righteousness to those around us. He compares us to His standard, even if those standards call for changes in our lives that we may be hesitant to make. Our standards must raise to God’s standard.

On Self-Control
Self-control is a personal application of what we know to be right as guided by God’s will. Proverbs 25:28 calls one lacking self-control like a city whose defenses are destroyed. (Remember the importance of walls and defenses around cities during this time period.) Self-control is our defense against forces that can tear us down. Galatians 5:22-23 groups this quality with other fruits of the spirit like love and kindness. II Peter 1:5 instructs us to work on self-control as we develop the qualities of our faith. Also, Titus 1:8 applies this quality to those who would help oversee a congregation.

We don’t always want to be in control of self. We don’t like others to monitor us, and sometimes we neglect to monitor our selves. We want to do what we want to do, but God tells us to guide ourselves by His will rather than by our own will. In I Corinthians 7:5 warns against the devil’s willingness to tempt the limits of our self-control. We cannot drop our defenses, or our adversary will overtake us. We must use God’s word to equip us to control ourselves.

On Judgment
God’s judgment emphasizes personal accountability. Romans 13:12 warns that all will give an account before God, and Ecclesiastes 12:14 says all works will be brought to judgment, secret or otherwise. II Corinthians 5:10 tells us we will all be revealed for who we are before Christ’s judgment seat. However, we may convince ourselves that God will take us in even when we have rejected Him. He has demonstrated His love to us by offering up His own son in our place, but we cannot continue to resist Him. Matthew 25 depicts God dividing people on His right and His left. We should be living so, when we are judged, we know that we will have an Advocate in Christ.

Conclusion
The faith we have in Christ Jesus is not dependent on my feelings or my own standards. It is rooted in our confidence in God’s word and our submission to that word. In Acts 24, when presented with these arguments, Felix sends Paul away until a more convenient time. He leaves Paul in jail, does visit him in hopes of a bribe. It seems Felix’s convenient time never comes.
What are we waiting for to make the changes in our lives that we need? Will we, like Felix, simply put God off? He is waiting for us to come to Him, but we must come to Him on His terms, striving to reflect His righteousness, exercising self-control, and submitting to His mercy preparing for that judgment to come.

lesson by Tim Smelser