How Can Your Work Bless God's People

Acts 4:32-36

You hear a lot on television and in popular books about how God will bless your work if you follow Him. That's commonly called prosperity gospel, and there are a number of problems with that kind of theology. But think about reversing those ideas. How can your work bless God's people? The typical answer is that I can make a lot of money and then I'll give a portion of that money to my church, to missionaries, or to other God-centered causes. But that's still a version of the prosperity gospel that says, "if you'll give me more, I'll give back some of it." Regardless of how much money you make, you can still honor God and serve His Kingdom through what you do. My assumption is that your job is both legal and moral. Assuming that, how can what you do serve others?

A perfect example of this is found in Acts 4. The believers were excited about their new faith and the new community that was forming around that faith. They were excited about worshiping Jesus together, and one way that they expressed that joy was to pool their resources to help the needy among them. Look at Barnabas in verse 36. He used a real estate transaction to honor God.

As you work today, think about how your job can honor God. If you are in construction-related fields, can you do repair work at a local church or build churches in foreign places in need? If your an accountant, can you provide that service for your church or offer free tax services to those in need? If you're in marketing or public relations, perhaps your church needs a fresh web page or Internet presence. As a teacher, I can teach Bible classes to help others deepen their love of Jesus. Whatever you do, how can you use those talents to serve God's people?

Fishers of People

Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:2-11
cf Matthew 9:9-12; Luke 19:1-10

The next month or so will focus on the Gospels. As much as possible, I’ve tried to group stories from multiple places together. Let’s explore what Jesus Himself said about work while He was on earth doing His Father’s work.

What would you think if someone came to you, told you to leave your job, and gave you a vague idea of what you would be doing with your time without any details of pay, benefits, or long-terms security? That’s exactly what happened to Peter, Andrew, and the other apostles. Jesus said, “follow me.” And they left their nets and followed him. I’ve talked with a number of people who have gone through a mid-life career change, some by choice, most from necessity. But none of them have described anything quite like that. We don’t have any evidence that the apostles suspected Jesus was the Messiah yet. He must have been quite charismatic to attract their attention like that. We know that at least some of them still fell back on those old jobs from time to time (John 21). Later, after the Holy Spirit showed them what was going on, I wonder if they ever reminisced about that life change.

Take a minute to think about your career. Obviously, if you have trouble working and serving God, maybe you should think about a change (think about Matthew and Zacchaeus). But fishing wasn’t an “evil” job. Jesus just knew they could do more. Where is God calling you to more? How can you, with your “good” job, glorify God even more? What vocational commitments is He asking of you?