Do you view your work hours as lacking purpose except to earn income to support yourself and give to the church? Are you just enduring your work until you can one day do something “meaningful” or nothing at all except what gives you pleasure? If you answered “yes” to those questions, you might have caught the “Work Is Secular” infection. This is post #11 in our Healthy Living series from Colossians. In this article, we will see how to counter the “Work Is Secular” infection and stay spiritually healthy in an unhealthy world.
Listen to this post as a similar podcast from our Healthy Living Bible Study of Colossians and Philemon:
Work in any culture is…well, work. It is sometimes enjoyable; it is often hard and exhausting. Work can be challenging because of the people with whom you work rather than because of the work itself. That can apply to any kind of work—inside or outside of your home. When you are working with your God-given skills, all work can be an act of worship. Not knowing that truth makes you susceptible to the “Work Is Secular” infection.
What is the “Work Is Secular” infection?
What do I mean by that? I don’t know how it got started, but somewhere along the way between the time of the apostles and today, the message regarding work got really messed up. If you are on staff or even volunteering with a church or mission agency, that is held up as a higher calling than work in any other field.
You might spend two hours a week at church or in a Bible Study and pick up the wrong vibes that the other 166 hours of your week are second class compared to church stuff. Work hours are viewed as an interruption to “real ministry”—lacking purpose except to earn income to support the ministry at church. You begin to live like your work is something to endure until you can one day do something meaningful, such as retire and go on the mission field. Those thoughts make you susceptible to the “Work Is Secular” infection. That infection can make you heartsick and dissatisfied with one-third of your life!
Why we categorize work as secular
We humans tend to categorize things. When it comes to our activities as Christians, two categories often used are “secular” and “sacred.” By “sacred” we usually mean “Christian-themed” or “suitable for church use,” and by “secular” we usually mean “worldly” or “not having a Christian theme.” That can properly be applied to some things that are outside the realm of the church (like the government) or products of work that are not God-honoring (like some music, movies, or books).
But regarding day-to-day life, even in those secular organizations or industries, there is no “sacred/secular” division in a Christian’s life. Jesus Christ is living His life in you and through you 24/7. He is doing that wherever you are—at home, in the marketplace, and in the workplace.
Unless you are doing something definitely sinful with your work (you can figure out what that would be), every Christian at every level of work is doing sacred work. Seriously! Your time in the weekly worship service, Bible Study, or small group should be your preparation and the stimulus to launch you out into the world—which includes the marketplace—to take the hope of Jesus with you.Thankfully, the modern faith at work movement is giving a different message. It is a necessary message for our Christian communities to counter the “Work Is Secular” infection.
Work is an act of worship, not a curse.
So what truth do you need to know?
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)
When you are working in an office or on the factory floor or in your home, you are serving Jesus Christ with your work. Your everyday run-of-the-mill job can be as much a sacred ministry for the Lord as teaching Sunday School. Your work is an act of worship, not a curse.
Your workplace (be it home, office, factory floor, school room, or road construction) is your mission field. Your work environment is where you must intentionally practice letting Jesus live His life through you—in difficult situations, with challenging people, and with integrity that honors the Lord Jesus Christ.
We spend a great deal of time at work but may not see how our work intersects with our faith. That is understandable since it is rare to hear workplace applications in sermons or see them in Bible Studies (unless they are written for the workplace or include workplace applications). No wonder you and I don’t know how to live in our daily mission field. Foreign missionaries spend months preparing for their overseas mission field. Who is preparing you to live for Christ in your workplace mission field?
Here are some truths to counter the “Work Is Secular” infection.
Truths to counter the “Work Is Secular” infection
Truth #1: Work is God’s idea.
God created work in the beginning before sin ever entered into His world. The first thing that God instructed Adam and Eve to do was to work diligently and strategically where He placed them. Work is good. Sin corrupted work so it got a lot harder to do. Then, Jesus came along to renew us and restore our approach to work as He lives in us and through us.
You are free to work for God’s glory now.
Truth #2: Work is an avenue for accomplishing God’s mission.
When Jesus commissioned His followers to make disciples everywhere they went, none of them were on church staff or in mission organizations. They were ordinary people going to work every day. In the same way, we are Jesus’ ambassadors at work—in the conference room, on the factory floor, at the lunch break, on the playground, and in the kitchen. As we do our work with integrity and intentionally build relationships with our co-workers, clients, or family members, Jesus is actively involved in that.
Work is your mission field and your platform to let Christ live His life through you.
Truth #3: Work is the place where God grows us into maturity.
The Spirit of God uses our relationships, successes, failures, and experiences at work as tools in our spiritual growth. He teaches us to have the mind of Christ at work, to treat people as Jesus did, and to grow in our jobs under His guidance.
God uses your work to mature you.
Truth #4: Work has purpose beyond ourselves.
God can do more with our work than we can imagine. God designed work for the good of the world—not just for ourselves. Our work impacts the people in our work environment, our clients, and our managers. Work provides jobs, fuels the economy, and allows culture to flourish.
Here is how Paul described it in 1 Thessalonians. We cover this in our Perspective Bible Study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)
Your work keeps you from being dependent on others and helps you to win the respect of outsiders. When you work, you can taste the goodness of God intended for work in the beginning.
Truth #5: Work is where we practice depending on Jesus more than on ourselves.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)
We as Christians are to do everything and say everything with the mindset that Jesus is Lord of our lives. Jesus is Lord over your work. So work is worship.
Since He is Lord, you are to live dependently on Him every day. You glorify Jesus as Lord when you do your job well.
Human parents rear their children to be less dependent on them and more independent. God grows His children to be less independent and more dependent on Him. Whatever He brings into our lives that makes us more dependent upon Him is good for us.
Work is a great environment to learn to depend on Him more than on yourself. You can learn more about dependent living, even in the workplace, from The God-Dependent Woman Bible Study of 2 Corinthians.
Truth #6: Work can become an addiction that takes the focus off of Christ and puts it on yourself instead.
Most companies need employees to be productive, which is a biblical act of worship. And Christians should be the best workers. But you know that you have let work become an addiction when you are obsessively thinking about freeing up more time for your work. When you develop health problems because of work-related stress and over work, that’s not working for the Lord.
Another clue of work as an addiction is when you use your work to maintain your self-worth. The modern term for that is workism. Workism is the belief that your work is the center of your identity. For a Christian, your work is never the center of your identity. Christ is.
If you recognize this in yourself, go to the Lord and ask Him to free you from the addiction. Talk to a counsellor about this as well.
Summary:
Counter the “Work Is Secular” infection with those truths. Work is where you spend up to two-thirds of your waking hours. Work is God’s idea, a means to accomplish His mission, a place for Him to mature us, has purpose beyond ourselves, and helps us practice depending on Jesus more than on ourselves. You can and should build healthy relationships with co-workers because your work is a significant ministry for you as a Christian.
Now, let’s address a few questions about faith in the workplace.
A few questions about faith in the workplace.
Questions have probably been popping in your mind. What would it look like to live out your faith in your workplace? What is legal for you to do at work? How do you invest in your co-workers without stealing time from your employer, which certainly would not honor Christ? How do you look at work as worship when you hate what you do? Those are great questions.
How do you live out your faith in your workplace?
You do that by being the person described in Colossians 3:12-17. That’s recognizing Jesus Christ as Lord of your life and your behavior. Letting Him live His life through you to invite others around you to want to know Him. Ask Jesus to help you do that and trust Him to work in you and through you.
Here’s a caution, though. With the ease of cell phone apps and social media, it is tempting to read a devotional or follow someone’s link to a spiritual blog or article during the workday when you should be concentrating on the job at hand. Lack of discipline in this way shows a lack of respect for your employer, which certainly does not bring glory to Christ. The Bible teaches that we are do everything as to the Lord and not to men. That includes being an employee with integrity in our time, words, and mission to benefit the company.
What is legal to do at work?
Go to firstliberty.org to find out what is legal for a Christian to do in any workplace. You might be surprised by what you can legally do to live out your faith in the marketplace. And be grateful for the freedoms you have.
Many employers allow employees to have a lunch break. And many companies offer “lunch and learn” times. You could offer a “lunch and learn” Bible study during that designated lunch break, inviting fellow employees to join. Or you can offer something before the workday begins.
How do you invest in your co-workers without stealing time from your employer?
The New Testament teaches believers to be responsible employees. Employers notice those employees who are responsible and get the job done. You as a worker representing Christ should choose to focus on your job, accomplish the work needed, and say no to frivolous socialization at work that distracts you from getting the job done.
But you can use whatever break time or interaction opportunities you have available to get to know your co-workers and minister to them. Ask Jesus to help you be creative and caring.
I know someone who has a chair next to her desk. She lets people know that they can come to talk to her during their breaks about anything on their hearts. If it is job-related, they can talk during the work time. Otherwise, she will talk to them during a scheduled break time. That is a good way to live out a caring faith in the workplace.
What if you hate what you do for work?
If you hate what you do for work, that is when you submit yourself to Jesus Christ as Lord over you and even over that job. Let Him teach you how to be thankful for that work or lead you to something else. Whatever He brings into your life that makes you more dependent upon Him is good for you. Work is a great environment to learn that.
When you view work as belonging to Jesus, He will enable you to find purpose in it that brings glory to Him. So keep working diligently, producing what is needed, providing for yourself and others, and preparing the way for others to see Christ in you. That counters the “Work Is Secular” infection.
As Paul wrote in Colossians,
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
A spiritual infection takes you captive to something other than Christ. The “Work Is Secular” infection is bad. Knowing the truth that work is worship and not a curse gives you an immune system that counters this spiritual infection. Let Jesus satisfy your heart needs with His truth and His love so you can get well and stay well.
Learn more about staying spiritually healthy in an unhealthy world through our Healthy Living Bible Study of Colossians and Philemon (11 lessons).
Read other articles in this Healthy Living series. The next one is Overcome the “Holy Huddle” Infection.
Related Resources:
- Healthy Living Bible Study on Amazon
- Graceful Living Bible Study on Amazon
- Satisfied Series 3 Podcasts (Colossians series)
- TRUTH Is the Prescription for Healthy Living
- Tame the “Look-Imagine-See” Dragon
- Escape the Cultural Captivity Infection
- Resist the “Tyranny of the Urgent” Infection
- Stop the “Jesus Is Not Lord over All” Infection
- Conquer the “Manipulation by Guilt” Infection
- Flee the Spiritual Substitutes Infection
- Delete the Karma Infection
- Wipe Out the Narcissism Infection
- Counter the “Work Is Secular” Infection
- Overcome the “Holy Huddle” Infection
- Defeat the Victim Infection
- Angels, feathers, and needing comfort for grief
- Perspective Bible Study on Amazon
- Have a “Lunch and Learn” Bible Study at Work
- Right Now Media at Work (Work as Worship conferences)
Articles on Bible.org about work and the workplace:
- Your Work Matters to God by Sue Bohlin
- Thank you for replying
- Faith in the Workplace
- When Did Good Workers Get Labeled as “Haters
- Toxic Shock at Work
- An Honest Day’s Work
- How to Glorify Christ in the Workplace
Image credit: sourced from templates at canva.com.
Wipe Out the Narcissism Infection
Melanie, this podcast was such a blessing and encouragement to me. I do believe that my that my office job is just as sacred and just as much a mission field as any other, and I appreciate your refreshing that perspective. Thank you!
Thank you, Victoria.