Faith-at-Work is a complex movement with many motives

Faith at Work

Marketplace

Ministry

(8)

Bible-based

Business

(1)

Theology of

Work

(2)

Ministry of

the Laity (3)

Community

Impact

(7)

Christian

Business

Fellowships

(6)

Godly

Career

Choices

(4)

Business

Ethics

(5)

Workplace

Spirituality

FOUNDATIONS FOR “FAITH GOES TO WORK”

Biblical Foundations

Genesis 1:1, 26-25; 2:5-7, 15

Work Is a Four-Letter Word

And that word is “GOOD”!

Genesis 1:31—2:3; Luke 6:1-11 (See also Genesis 3:1-19 and Exodus 20:8-9)

The Rest of the Story

Sabbath sets the framework for our work

1 Thessalonians 2:9-10; 4:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

The Church at Work

Wherever disciples of Jesus are found

2 Peter 3:11-13; Revelation 21:1-3

The End of Work

Providing building materials for the future

Theological Foundations

I. Creation

Creation is God’s good work

God builds into creation the need for ongoing labor

II. Humanity

Work (and Sabbath) is part of God’s design and desire for us

We are created “imago Dei,” meaning we share in being co-creators with God

III. Fall

Work becomes burdensome and unfulfilling in many ways

IV. Salvation

God works through people to renew, rebuild, and restore

V. Christ

As God-in-the-flesh, Jesus learned a trade, carpentry, and was known for that

Christ had his work, “the Father’s business,” to carry out

He hallowed human work and keeping of Sabbath

His suffering, death, and resurrection can inspire and inform us in our work

VI. Resurrection

Foes of death, decay, destruction which often plague our work are overcome

New life is possible in even the most difficult of work situations

VII. Spirit

The Spirit is at work in the larger world, beyond the church, including work

The Spirits gifts and sends us into our workplaces

VIII. Church

The church is empowered by the Spirit to impact the world of work

We are co-workers with God in helping to build the kingdom of God

IX. Scripture

Writings by, for, and about all sorts of workers

Chronicles God’s work through people

X. New Creation

All we do either hinders or hastens God’s reign

The “missio Dei” to renew, rebuild, and restore uses all our good work

CHRISTIANS AND “SABBATH”

Are Christians required to keep the Sabbath, as prescribed in the Old Testament law?

A couple of things to note:

(1) Technically, the Sabbath refers to a specific day (the seventh day of the week,

Saturday), but for Christians that day has been eclipsed by “the Lord’s Day,” referring to

the day Jesus was raised from the dead (Sunday, the first day of the week). The earliest

Christians, devout Jews, observed the Saturday Sabbath as well as celebrating the risen

Lord on Sunday (Acts 2:42-47; 13:14, 44)). Eventually, as more Gentile converts were

added to the church, observance of the Sabbath became an issue (Colossians 2:16-17).

(2) It’s clear from the New Testament, particularly Paul’s writings, that followers of Jesus

Christ are no longer under the system of Jewish law—leading Paul to declare that,

because of Christ’s work, “all things are lawful (permitted) for me, but not all things are

expedient (wise) ” (1 Corinthians 10:23). But the converse of that is also true: Not all

things (in the law) are required of me (as a Christian), but some are recommended

(prdent and productive).

Biblically, Sabbath is a much bigger reality than the Jewish legal code, woven

throughout the scripture, Old and New Testaments.

It stands alone as an idea imbedded in the creation story, as part of God's design

and desire (Genesis 2:3).

According to Genesis, work is part of God's design and desire, but it is forever

qualified and conditioned by Sabbath.

Now, add in Jesus' declaration of himself as Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5);

Jesus did not say he was Lord of anything else related to the faith and practice of

the Jewish people—not the Temple, or diet, or clothing, or any other dimension

of the law which Jesus himself kept faithfully as a devout Jew.

As Paul indicates, life under grace as opposed to law does not mean carelessly

doing whatever I want whenever I want however I want, because that would

lead to breaking the "law of love" established through Christ, meaning loving

God with all we’ve got and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-

40). So…

The "higher law" of love for God and love for people—which means love in practice,

not just a feeling—seems well-served by keeping the Sabbath which is so fundamental

throughout scripture. To get legalistic in terms of on which day and how it ought to be

kept is futile and un-Christian. That is why I suggest that we each make Sabbath as

simple and clear for our own faith journeys as possible. The question is not "Is it sinful

to not keep Sabbath?" (because, for one thing, what keeping it means leads to endless

quibbling) but rather, "Is weaving Sabbath into my life as a follower of Jesus something

that contributes to the abundant life Jesus came to bring to all people?"

At its most basic, Sabbath refers to a cycle of work and rest, established by God

through creation. Disciples of Jesus should ask, “How can I establish a cycle of work and

rest which reveals my love for God and my love for others?” Sabbath-keeping should be

engaged in conversation with and consideration of many factors in our lives: our sleep

patterns, our overall health needs, our various limitations and responsibilities, our

demands on others, our drain on all kinds of resources. At the very least, Sabbath-

keeping puts to us the question: How well do I image God through my cycle of work and

rest?

Thus, Sabbath is a biblical ideal (much like tithing, public worship, meditating on

scripture, or serving the poor) with enormous potential to serve the kingdom of God

which Jesus established, meaning the flourishing of all life and partnering with God for

the sake of restoration. It should be observed not out of a sense of duty (“for wrath’s

sake”, as Wesley would put it) but out of a sense of delight (“for conscience’ sake,” to

use Wesley’s term).

Worksheet on “FAITH GOES TO WORK”

TAKING YOUR FAITH TO WORK

Think about how your faith is lived out THROUGH your work

In what ways are you an “artist” displaying God’s glory through the various activities of

your work?

Think about how your faith is lived out AT your work

In what ways are you a “signpost” pointing people to God as you engage them at your place of work? Think about how your faith is lived out TO your work

In what ways are you being “leaven” helping to shape process and structures of your field of work?

PUTTING YOUR FAITH TO WORK SUPPORTING God’s work What skills do you have to share in God’s mission? What tools do you have that could help God’s mission? PARTNERING with God’s work What agencies can you link up with to further God’s mission? What initiatives can you join that are serving God’s mission? FURTHERING God’s work What new ventures could you help start to serve God’s mission? What existing causes can you help fund that fit your sense of God’s mission?

Small Group Discussion Guide on Vocation

This is an exercise in thinking more deeply about our work and our faith and how they

interact. This guide was originally produced by leaders at Emmanuel Presbyterian

Church in Arlington, VA and is used and adapted with their permission.

1. Overview.

Describe your job. What do you do?

What does a typical day look like?

Who do you work for and with?

What related training or education did you receive?

2. Calling.

When and how did you begin to feel drawn to this area?

To what degree have you thought about your job as a calling from God?

Share honestly your outlook on your work.

If you had a choice, what would you be doing more in line with your sense of God’s call?

3. Image.

What attributes of God (e.g. mercy, care, order, justice, creativity, beauty, etc.)does

your work reflect to others, at its best?

4. Idolatry.

In what ways do you see your work could be an idol, either to yourself or others?

5. Community.

Do you have Christian community within your vocation, that is, people who speak the

language of your calling and can offer insight, encouragement, or feedback into what

you do? If so, what does that look like?

If not, are there ways you can work toward building such community?

6. Scripture.

Are there any biblical passages you’ve found particularly helpful, as inspiration or

guidance

In your field?

7. Worldview.

A worldview helps explain the world we live in, answering such basic questions of life as

Why are we here? How do we explain the problems in my life and the world?

What is the solution to those problems? Where are we ultimately going?

Your field of work likely has explicit or implicit answers to some or all of the above

questions.

How do they compare with a Christian worldview?

Do they conflict in such a way as to bring any professional or social pressure on you?

8. Influence.

In your field, what motivates you enough to be a positive influence?

What ethical dilemmas do you face?

9. Summary

What are 1-3 key insights you’ve gained from this exploration?

1.

2.

3.

Name 1-3 practical steps you can take toward greater vocational clarity and expression:

1.

2.

3.

FOR FURTHER READING AND RESEARCH

Web Resources

Marketplace Ministries http://marketplaceministries.com/

Center for Faith at Work http://centerforfaithatwork.org/

Faith@Work http://www.faith-at-work.net/

Marketplace Leaders http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/

Center for Faith and Work http://www.faithandwork.com/

Faith at Work http://worklife.org/

Faith and Work Initiative http://www.princeton.edu/faithandwork/

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/kencostagodatwork

Books on “Faith at Work”

These first 3 are ones that have been most inspirational and informational for me

Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good

Amy L. Sherman (InterVarsity Press 2011)

Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work

Timothy Keller (Riverhead Books 2012)

Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work

Tom Nelson (Crossway 2011)

These 3 resources help explore faith-at-work more deeply, the first in terms of theology,

the second in terms of scripture, and the third in terms of things the church can do

Work: A Kingom Perspective on Labor

Ben Witherington III (Eerdmans 2011)

Work Matters: Lessons from Scripture

R. Paul Stevens (Eerdmans 2012)

The Empowering Church: How One Congregation Supports Lay People’s Ministries in

the World Davida Foy Crabtree (The Alban Institute 1989)

Here are four other resources—the first two being less dense and a bit more practical

than the other two.

The Monday Connection: On Being an Authentic Christian in a Weekday World

William E. Diehl (Harper SanFrancisco 1991)

Faith Goes to Work: Reflections from the Marketplace

Robert J. Banks (Wipf and Stock 1999)

Just Business: Christian Ethics for the Marketplace

Alexander Hill (InterVarsity 2008)

The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work, and Ministry in Biblical Perspective

R. Paul Stevens (Eerdmans 1999)

These resources have to do with the larger issue of the missional church, of which the

faith-at-wrk movement is but a small part.

Kingdom Come: Why We Must Give Up Our Obsession with Fixing the Church—and

What We Should Do Instead Reggie McNeal (Tyndale 2015)

Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church

Reggie McNeal (Jossey-Bass 2009)

Incarnate: The Body of Christ in an Age of Disengagement

Michael Frost (InterVaristy 2014)

The Next Christians: The Good News about the End of Christian America: How a New

Generation Is Restoring the Faith Gabe Lyons (Doubleday 2010)

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the

Church N.T. Wright (HarperOne 2008)

Marketplace Manifesto

We believe in God the Worker who worked six days and was satisfied with His work.

We believe God likes matter - He made it and called it good.

We believe God made us in His image as junior co-workers, little lower than the angels.

We believe God enjoys and blesses human work, giving it to us before the Fall.

We believe God gave us royal dominion over the earth, to develop, tend,

keep and guard it.

We believe the Fall resulted from humanity disobeying God’s call to god-like dominion

and work by desiring god-like knowledge and by worshiping the creature

not the Creator.

We believe that work is also now toil, hard labour and in vain because the ground is

now cursed.

We believe God still maintains creation, blessing and giving us good work, renewing

the creation mandate to Noah.

We believe in the Son, the Word, the Worker, who re-creates and redeems humanity

and the world through his nature miracles, teaching and parables and above all,

the Cross.

We believe Jesus has been given all dominion in heaven and on earth as the true human

and King who fulfils the creation commission.

We believe He commissions and delegates His dominion to us to make disciples and

teach them to regain their heritage of kingly dominion over the earth.

We believe we are called and commissioned to bring Christ’s presence and proclaim

His royal rule to every sphere of work and every corner of creation.

We believe that God in hope and the Spirit subjected the world of work to vanity

and the groaning of slavery and childbirth anticipating the Spirit’s birth of a new,

good creation.

The creating and re-creating Spirit’s gifts and fruits are not only exercised inside

the church but overflow to all creation through our everyday life and work.

We believe in, wait for and hasten a new heaven and new earth in which justice dwells

and where we will rule under Christ, doing joyful, creative work forever in His Kingdom,

which is creation healed.

This statement comes from “Marketplace Ministry: Occasional Paper No. 40” produced

by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. Copyright 2005.