Apostles Church

Work as Worship. Eph 6:5-9. Does Christianity condone slavery? No. 1st Century Greco Roman world slaves were indentured servants; they sold themselves into slavery (known as "bond-servant" – the word used here). There was nothing about them that outwardly distinguished them from freeman (not in race, speech or outward appearance). They were often well-educated, could marry, gain wealth – made the same wages as freeman, purchase their freedom – very few were slaves for life; slaves could run a business. Cicero – a slave could usually be set free within seven years; in any case, under Roman law a slave would normally be set free by age 30. This is radically different from race base New World slavery. When faced with the issue, Xns in 1st century discouraged slavery, Paul does tell slaves to become free if they can (1Co 7) and encourages masters to treat those in servitude to them as equals and brothers.  18th and 19th century Christians when faced with race based, lifelong slavery did work for it abolition because it did not square with the biblical teaching. Many people used the bible in pre-emancipation days to support slavery, but that is because they twisted, misinterpreted and wrongly applied the Scripture.  What we are facing here is not 18th 19th century slavery, but a relationship between one who works for and is compensated by another who has absolute authority over their lives.  

The bridge to our day is that this passage relates to work, how we view and do our work as those who are supervised by others and as those who supervise others. What we are learning from Ephesians is that God is redeeming all of created life – even our work lives. Gen 2.15. Work is good but deeply affected by the fall, Gen 3:17-19.. Work is good and will be part of the new heavens and new earth, but affected by the fall so many things go wrong in it and it becomes a source of suffering/conflict. As we live with minds that are instructed by God’s wisdom and lives that are inspired by the Spirit, we find that God’s vision and will find expression in the normal patterns of our daily living and relationships. (marriage/family/work). What can we learn about work? It’s important because we are made in the image of God and work is an expression of our humanity. Work is not simply a means; in some respects it is an end in and of itself - an expression of being in the image of God. God has made us to work. So we need his wisdom on it.

(1) Your identity is not to be in any position, but in a Person. Paul tells slaves they belong to Jesus. They are his, bought with a price, his prized possession called now to ultimately serve his purpose. They have earthly bosses, but a heavenly Lord. He reminds masters that they have a master in heaven. This frees the supervisor from self-importance and the supervised from self-pity. You are not to primarily see yourself in light of what you do before people, but in light of how you are loved by God. You will not find what your soul truly craves by working for it, but by looking to Christ for it. John 6:27. (This is why Sabbath is key: resting from your labor teaches you that you are not a somebody or have value because of what we accomplish but because of what God has accomplished and made us in Christ. Unplug, shut down, embrace restorative and identity clarifying rest. We are too busy.

(2) Work is Worship. How you perform task and supervise people is to be an act of worship. Your work is to be done to the Lord. This means that while we are doing work we will be thinking of the Lord and doing our work mindful of him. Christianity creates no division of secular and sacred. Here, Paul under the inspiration of the Spirit, gives dignity to every vocational domain. Every task we undertake, paid or not paid, is to be done to the Lord – your job, or if you are building something, cooking a meal, changing a diaper, sweeping the floor – all done to the Lord, for his pleasure and in his presence, giving thanks for his provision. Your work is sacred. Dorothy Sayers: “Let the Church remember this: that every maker and worker is called to serve God in his profession or trade—not outside it. The Apostles complained rightly when they said it was not meet they should leave the word of God and serve tables; their vocation was to preach the word. But the person whose vocation it is to prepare the meals beautifully might with equal justice protest: It is not meet for us to leave the service of our tables to preach the word.” What are the implications of our work being an act of worship?

(2A) Your work needs to be Good Work (v 8). Sayers: “We should ask of an enterprise, not ‘will it pay?’ but ‘is it good?’” Not all work is good work. Good work has an upward, outward and inward dimension to it. Upward - done for God’s honor. He would want this done and delights in the quality of my work and the attitude in which I performed the work. Some work is unethical and unjust. It can’t be done as worship and should be abandoned. Outward: benefits others. It does not oppress or deceive or deprive others. It is not unjust nor involves cruel practices. It brings about the good of others. And the rewards of your labor can be used to benefit others. Inward: our joy. From NY Mag – Study on burnout. Michael Leiter called burnout a “crisis in self-efficacy…” Ayala Pines, rather heartbreakingly sums up the problem of burnout as “the failure of the existential quest”—that moment when we wake up one morning and realize that what we’re doing has appallingly little value. She studied the insurance business, for example, a profession often associated with the ultimate cubicle tedium. Yet she noticed something very interesting. “The ones who had some traumatic experience related to insurance when they were children—their house burned down or whatever—they can work for a long time without burning out,” she says. “Because they came to the profession with a calling. They feel their work is significant.” Do you enjoy it? See the value of it? There are many who feel that what they are doing has appallingly little value. To truly enjoy your work means you see the importance in it (even if only to earn money to provide for your family and leverage for the good of others. Future shaping generosity can give new joy to your labor). Being a mercenary who only works for the money is not a very fulfilling way to live.

(2B) Your work needs proper motivation if it is to be an act of worship(v 5-8) – seeking the right return on our work. This is why so many people are burned out, job jumping, and not happy in their jobs – wrong motivation, working for the wrong reward. NY Mag article: one expert called burnout “the gap between expectation and reward, which may have the most relevance to New Yorkers. This has always been a city of inflated expectations.” Alden Cass said, “Happiness equals reality divided by expectation.” You have to have the right motivation, seek to fulfill the right expectation in your work. In other words define the win at work. Ultimate Motivation in our work: To Please the Lord. Not as People-pleasers. There is a discontentment that comes from working to please people. What if you work really hard but don’t get the promotion…rehearsal but don’t get the part…study but don’t make the “A”… What if your supervisor does not acknowledge your work or changes his mind after it’s completed? If you children don’t say thanks? You must define the win in your work – not did I impress those who were watching (who are fallen and fickle). This means that we cultivate the capacity to look through our managers, supervisors, company logos, professors, dirty diapers, and see the Lord as the one I am ultimately serving. Able to lay your head on your pillow at night and say, “today I pleased the Lord.” How do we work in such a way as to please the Lord.  *From the heart. Not Eye-Service – service that is performed only to make an impression in the supervisor’s presence. This is a call to integrity, excellence, and diligence. Christian workers should be the hardest working, most reliable, responsible dependable workers because we are working to please the Lord. Sayers: "The Church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables. Church by all means, and decent forms of amusement, certainly – but what use is all that if in the very center of his life and occupation he is insulting God with bad carpentry?” Work with excellence.  **I treat the people I work with, under and above with Gospel humility and dignity. Christianity sees no partiality with people. We are all sinners in need of grace. How do you treat bus boys, taxi drivers, delivery men? This was earth shattering in the 1st century. ***I work mindful of a bigger payoff then the company’s remuneration. I’ll receive back from the Lord. He rewards, blesses, prospers this kind of approach to work. He sees everything and notices my labor, even if no one else does. Mom’s – he sees every good work you do for which your children are not grateful and he promises to reward it.

(3) Your work is an opportunity for the Gospel. Fear and trembling (used by Paul in other places to speak of his concern of misrepresenting Christ and the Gospel). Regardless of vocation, here is your mission – wherever you are, to be the sent people of God who out the ministry of Jesus – to incarnate the presence, words and actions of God to the world. Be a witness. And, that you understand the fall has affected your industry and that it needs the renewing presence of grace in it. There is beauty and brokenness in our various industries and we can be used to foster transformation in our fields.