Tag: Work

Why Pastors Don’t Preach on Work

I’ve always been amazed at how rarely pastors preach on the subject of work.

My church is unusual. My pastor makes it point to do so.

But I know my church is the exception not the rule.

Why do pastors preach so rarely, if at all, on the subject of work?

After all, their church members will almost certainly spend more time working than they will ever spend at church, in small groups, or ministering to others combined. Work is the primary reason we obtain an education, and it is something we will do until we retire and often into retirement. It is what we do the majority of our waking hours. And yet, when is the last time you heard a sermon on what God expects from you at work, or why your work matters, or what it means to be a Christian employee or employer?

I’m speculating here to a certain extent because I have not seen any studies on the issue, but I suspect there are four principal reasons pastors choose to ignore the subject of work from the pulpit: Continue reading “Why Pastors Don’t Preach on Work”

Holy Spirit Inspired Management

I’ve written much here regarding what it means to be an employee and work empowered or inspired by the Holy Spirit.

I have not addressed it though specifically from the perspective of management.

Today, at church, I was speaking with one of our elders who was struggling with managing a subordinate with whom he had become increasingly frustrated.

He had not said anything to the subordinate but instead tried to be patient; then he got frustrated and had to control his emotions when he did finally talk to him. Continue reading “Holy Spirit Inspired Management”

Historical Example: Holy Spirit Empowered Work

Before going on our Reformation Tour, I had been writing about work and what it mean to work inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In preparing for our trip, as is my custom, I began reading about those who had shaped the history of the places we were going.

In doing so, I came across Cyril and Methodius.

Constantine of Thessalonica, who would become known as St. Cyril, and his brother Methodius were born in Thessalonica in the early part of the ninth century.

They were both well educated and engaged in scholarly pursuits.

Cyril and Methodius had recently returned from a successful mission in the Crimea, when Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) requested Byzantine Emperor Michael send missionaries to help his people, the Slavs.

At the time, the Slavs had a spoken language but did not have a written language. Ratislav wanted the Byzantines to help them develop a written language. Without a written language, higher learning and the real development of civilization is all but impossible.

Michael commissioned Cyril. It was a Herculean task, literally creating an alphabet, creating words to correspond with the spoken language, and then creating written words for which there were no corresponding spoken words. When Cyril expressed concern to the Emperor regarding the difficultly of the task, Emperor Michael replied, “If you desire it, God will grant it to you, He who gives to all who ask without doubting and opens up to those who knock.” So, Cyril accepted the task and got to work. Continue reading “Historical Example: Holy Spirit Empowered Work”

Working Empowered By The Holy Spirit

I’ve written here before about the importance of working empowered by the Holy Spirit because it ensures God’s presence in our work.

But in what ways can the Holy Spirit empower us in our work?

Fortunately, in entrusting the interior design of the temple to a couple of workers and then filling them with the Holy Spirit to complete the task, the Lord has provided us with some real insight on how the Holy Spirit can empower us in our work.

The account to which I am referring can be found in Exodus chapter 35: Continue reading “Working Empowered By The Holy Spirit”

What Is Secular Work?

When I was a young Christian, I used the term “secular” when referring to non-ministry work.

After I learned about the philosophical error of dualism, I began putting the word secular in quotation marks when referring to work.

After the prior post, I decided it was time to address the concept head-on and make a conscious decision to stop promoting dualism by using words birthed out of dualistic thought. And that brings me to the question, “What is secular work?” Continue reading “What Is Secular Work?”