Can you imagine with me what it might be like if every Christian in our churches understood their identity as the following: “I am in the full-time ministry and I am a first grade teacher.” “I am in the full-time ministry and I am a nurse.” “I am in the full-time ministry and I am a mom at home”? Last week I began a series on Your Life, Your Work and Your Calling. It is one of those truths I have believed my whole life, but recognize that I have not fully integrated into my own life or leadership. The main points of our calling, from Scripture, are simple. 1. Every Christian is fully called. 2. Your calling is your whole life. 3. All your work and life is holy/sacred/spiritual. Everyone, everywhere in everything, by God, to God and for God. The division of sacred and secular spheres has a long, long history (going back to Plato) and is seriously distorted in the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox traditions. Yet a biblical, comprehensive theology of calling transforms people, bringing meaning to all of his or her waking hours. The implications of a recovery of calling are enormous. (I recommend R.Paul’s Steven’s books Doing God’s Business and The Other Six Days). The following are a few questions I brought to our staff meeting yesterday: Are those in families, the workplace, business, parenting and government being resourced for their “other six days? What might that look like?Are those in the workplace being commissioned by our church to ministry in their workplace? Do they have a deep sense of being in full time ministry? What will we need to do to equip our people to be in full-time ministry? What do you think are the great challenges in this before us?
8
Jan
