Discussion Group Questions

October 23, 2016

Mission at Work Colossians 3:23-24

keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God.” (Ephesians 6:6 The Message)

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 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)

WHAT MISSION AT WORK LOOKS LIKE: 1. DO YOUR WORK WITH ALL YOUR HEART

Work needs a story.

“Do it with all your heart”

Alastair McIntier once made the point that how we frame the story is of ultimate importance in our response. He uses the example of a stranger who walks up to you and says, “The name of the small sea duck is histrionicus, histrionicus, histrionicus.”

Christians should work hard. And their hard work should be seen as a part of their Christian purpose of joining Christ in his redemptive work of creation. We are about curse reversal. Martin Luther points out that the bible says “God feeds all he creates.” And “God strengthens the gates of the city”. But think about who actually feeds and who actually strengthens gates –It’s people who are working. So all working is God’s work.

The only way to make sense of it is to put it into a story: 1. He is crazy. 2. He mistook you for someone who was asking the name of a sea duck previously. 3. Or he is a spy.

This passage is teaching us that we should work with wholehearted enthusiasm because we are doing the work of the Lord.

You will either want to run away from his as a maniac, tell him he’s mistaken you for someone else or call the police all based up the story you frame around that one sentence.

It is also saying that in our work, we should exemplify the characteristics of Christ- Love joy peace patience kindness, goodness and self control.

In the same way, we have to put our work into a context in order to feel good about it.

The heart is the very seat of our soul, our emotions, and our passions. It is the very essence of our being and that which drives our thoughts and our motives. No wonder God tells us to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23).

The story to put the context of work into is the fall, redemption, restoration. “Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always

The heart is the foundation of life. It is what drives passion 1

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Discussion Group Questions

October 23, 2016

for the Lord and passion for service in the kingdom. No doubt most of us feel called in a deep way from the bottom of our hearts.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

And yet, with seemingly little notice, out of our hearts can spew some of the most ungodly thoughts and attitudes even in the midst of doing good things. I’ve had moments that have unnerved me when my heart fills with carnal thinking.

2. SLAY THE IDOL OF SELF I AM WORKING AS TO THE LORD When Jesus says you work for the Lord, not “earthly masters”, he’s making the point that our tendency is to turn good things into idols. Work can become an idol of self. We tend to identify our selves with our work.

I’ve had admit that I’ve been “spirit filled” in the wrong way at times. I’ve been spirit filled by the spirit of selfishness, of deceit, of anger, of jealousy, of retaliation.

If your work is your identity, it will destroy you. IF work is your identity, then even if you are successful it will destroy you by puffing you up. Your whole life gets distorted.

This was a spirit that was not coming from God; it was coming from the enemy. Even though I felt righteous in my motive, it certainly was not the best way to handle things. As leaders, we must be constantly aware that the enemy will do everything he can to render us ineffective in service to our Lord.

You have to have a deep sense of your work that is grounded in something other than your work. To find joy in work you have to drag the idol of self to the alter and slay it. And you have to do it every day.

I had to come before the Lord and pray to him,

This means that it is not enough to simply work in order to make the sale or get the paycheck. We have to work in “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast such a way that people will truly be benefited. If doing our work in a certain way will earn the money, but not truly spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). benefit the other person (perhaps by cutting corners on “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your quality), we are not doing our work in a Christian way. truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your Christians in the workplace should seek profit, but they name” (Psalm 86:11). should also seek more than profit. “Refresh my heart in Christ” (Philemon 1:20b).

Imagine how much better the world would be if everyone lived this way? Work is a form of redemption in that our community benefits by the good work of it’s citizens. But when we are selfish, everyone suffers.

God gave me his promise in response, 2 LISTEN AND WATCH

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Discussion Group Questions

October 23, 2016 Brian’s testimony about college.

3. STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN THRIVING PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONAL LIFE

• I must clearly know my purpose for being in business • Establish God honoring values that establish how we will behave

We can indeed have a thriving professional and balanced personal life. Jesus said this:

• Create a culture of people before profits…It’s about people!

What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (Matthew 16:26)

• Business must be sustainable (profitable)- otherwise there is no platform

There is a myth that to be truly successful you have to sacrifice your family. Tim Kimmel, in his book “Little House on the Freeway” quotes a Wall Street executive who said

If we see work as THE thing that will make us happy or give us fulfillment and add to our live and give life meaning, work will become a slave master.

On the other hand, if we see our work as the means by “Don’t let anything get in the way of your success. If your which we serve the Lord and accomplish his purposes, family gets in the way, get a new family.” work becomes a joy of worship. Work can become an idol. If you see work as the end in itself it is drudgery.

Excellence, integrity, discipline, creativity, and passion in the workplace all matter and are to be done as acts of worship — not just self interest

I’ve never met anyone who came to the end of their life and said, ‘I wish I had spent more time at work…”. But I’ve heard a lot of people say, “I wish I had spent more time with my family” or some variation of that.

We must learn to model Christ-like servanthood in every situation. God has chosen us to be where we are and to influence others with our lives and words.

4. SEE WORK AS A MEANS TO AN END, NOT THE END ITSELF

Not only must we be strong and do the work, we must be strong in our wholehearted devotion to him and remember whom we are working for! He is in control of every situation.

Faith should be a ballast for work.

“Everyone is called…most of our calling is to do ‘whatever’” BIG IDEA: Each one of us have the same opportunity to David Green be used by God to impact the world, whether we lead a multi-billion dollar company or work in a small business, whether we are head of a company or sweeping floors. 3 LISTEN AND WATCH

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Discussion Group Questions

October 23, 2016

My job is to faithfully plant seeds, the Holy Spirit works the seeds day and night (Mark 4:26,27 ) and He produces fruit…sometimes 30, 60 and 100 fold. “Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple but only God knows the number of apples in a seed”. “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.’” (1 Chronicles 28:9-10). Discussion Questions: 1. Why is it important to see work in the context of a bigger story of God’s redemption of earth? 2. How do we honor Christ in our work? 3. What is the purpose of work? 4. Why is it important to see work as a means to an end, not the end itself? 5. What are some ways you can be a better witness in your work?

4 LISTEN AND WATCH

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