Who am I Working For?

Thank you everyone, thanks very much to Fiona and the band for leading us so well in our worship.

As Fiona said, we're continuing our series on work this evening,

and it's maybe worth beginning by reminding ourselves what we mean when we talk about work.

Work for me has always been in office, I spend most of my life doing pensions,

and I've spent my time doing church management, whatever that means, in the office through the back.

And that is my environment, and what I talk about this evening will be based on that,

and based on my experience of it.

That probably translates reasonably easily to those of you who work in a hospital or a school or even in a church.

But in a way, that is not everybody here.

And work for you could be at university or college.

It could be volunteering that you do in various ways.

It could be at home if you're a homemaker looking after family.

I hope a lot of what we have to say will also be relevant for you.

So whatever work means to you, whatever you do to contribute towards society or towards the good of others,

please think of that this evening, and hopefully a lot of what we say will be of help.

We're going to refer to quite a number of pastors as we go through this evening,

but I want to read to begin with from Ephesians chapter 6, and it will come up on the screen.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

There's a few verses from Ephesians 6.

This is talking about slaves and masters, which is obviously a slightly different environment from what most of us are in,

but it translates reasonably well to the world of work today as well.

So it's Ephesians chapter 6, and reading from verse 5.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

And Paul writes,

I'm sure God will bless his word as we consider it together.

I want to start by thinking about a house with two rooms.

It might look a bit like that, might not, but the key thing is it's got two rooms.

And if we move on to the next slide, we can see what the rooms are.

The rooms are called faith and work.

And as you can see in that picture, it's two separate rooms.

And there are lots of different ways in which people might look at these rooms.

Some people are very comfortable in the room of faith.

They find they come to church and have fellowship with other Christians.

That gives them a great joy as they worship God and enjoy him together.

There's the security that comes from knowing that our eternal future is secure and that we're in God's hands.

And churches are places where, by and large, there is great love and concern and support for one another.

And many people are very comfortable in the world of faith, as we would look at it as being among Christians, perhaps in church.

But some people who find that real comfort and joy and security and love and faith,

they have a very different experience and attitude towards work.

Work for them might be a place where there's tedium, where it's not very exciting.

They're doing things that are repetitive and they really don't enjoy it very much.

It might be a place where there's stress, where there is constant pressure on them to produce more or to do things differently,

and they find that really difficult.

And perhaps even there's hostility towards them as Christians.

If they're trying to live for the Lord Jesus, there are those who just don't understand or don't want to understand

and are actively hostile to them.

And to someone who has that feeling, these feelings about faith and work,

work becomes something that you have to do because you need to earn a living,

but it's not anything that has any joy to it,

and it really isn't something that they would associate as being connected with their faith.

Work is something that's a chore, that is difficult, that they go to out of necessity,

but they'll come back as quickly as they can to the security of their faith and to life in church.

So that's one potential way of looking at it.

Second group of people, in some ways, are the opposite.

A lot of people find that work is a really good place to be.

They have jobs that they enjoy and they like being in them.

So they get some fulfillment out of what they do.

All of us, if we're working, if we're employment,

hopefully what we do is some kind of purpose,

and if we fulfill that purpose, then there should be fulfillment for us as well.

For some people, work means status.

Having a bit of importance, perhaps particularly if you're in a fairly senior position,

and the status is important to them.

And some people really enjoy the company of work.

Being among people who are from different backgrounds, different environments,

a bit of banter going on that maybe you don't get so much in a church environment,

and it's something they really enjoy.

For when work is somewhere where they're really quite comfortable.

And perhaps for them, faith, church, whatever you want to think of it as,

is almost the opposite.

They feel that their life as a Christian is a bit of a duty.

I should go to church on Sundays.

I should get involved in things.

But it's not something that gives them great joy,

and something they really want to do.

Perhaps they find that faith is demanding.

They're being told lots of things that they should do,

and they find that difficult.

And maybe they even question the relevance of what happens on Sunday

to what happens the rest of the week.

They're quite comfortable with what they do at work.

It's something they feel is suitable for them,

but they don't see the relevance of faith to that.

One final group.

And this group of people you might look at and say,

well, they've got the best of both worlds.

They enjoy faith, they enjoy church and being part of it,

and they also enjoy work.

So both of them are places where they are comfortable.

But there's a wall between them.

They're separate rooms.

So they come to church on a Sunday,

and they enjoy the worship,

and they enjoy the fellowship,

and the teaching.

And then they go to work on a Monday,

and they enjoy doing that,

and whatever they're involved in.

But they really don't link the two together.

They are living effectively two separate lives.

Both good, both fulfilling,

but largely separate.

I guess that's where it becomes relevant as we ask,

who are we working for?

When we go into the world of work,

what is it we're trying to achieve?

What is our ambition?

That was the other kind of subheading

for this evening,

work's ambition.

What is our ambition?

What relevance does our Christian faith have to our work?

I want to try to answer the question,

who are we working for,

with four separate answers.

And I think they're all true.

Now, you'll be waiting for the last one,

which will be quite predictable,

but let's not lose focus

as we look at the other ones as well.

Who am I working for?

And the answer, first of all,

is I am working to some extent for myself.

And that sounds very selfish,

so let's talk a little bit more about it.

Paul writes to the Thessalonians,

he says,

the one who is unwilling to work

shall not eat.

So work is very much about breadwinning.

Not everyone's able to work.

Not everyone can get a job.

And they're hopefully reasonably well provided for

by the state, not always.

But for many people,

going to work,

one of the key things for it

is that we can have enough

for ourselves to live on,

and usually quite a bit more as well.

So going to work is about breadwinning.

It's about getting the wages

that come at the end of the week

or the month or the fees

or whatever it is that we get from work.

And that is important.

We work so that we can earn a living,

so that we can look after ourselves.

Something that I suggest

is that work is about fulfillment for ourselves.

God doesn't intend that our work

should be all tedium

and something that we dread.

Now we thought a couple of weeks ago

about the fall.

And yes, as a result of the fall,

many aspects of work

aren't what we might ideally want.

But God wants us,

through what we do,

to get a sense of fulfillment

and to bring about the fulfillment

of our gifts,

our abilities in the workplace.

I put Nehemiah 3 to 6 up there

as a reference.

We've been looking at Nehemiah

in the staff team

over the last month or two.

And it's a great example of work,

of the people building,

rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.

And you get the list

in Nehemiah 3

of all the different groups of people

and all the things that they did

to build the wall.

One of the key things there

is they tended to be building

near where they lived.

So the building they did

had a real benefit to them personally.

You then have the account

of all those who would come out

and would try to destroy the work

and to do away what Nehemiah

was trying to build

and the people were trying to build.

But then in chapter 6,

it says they finished the wall.

They built it right around

the city of Jerusalem again.

It was restored to what it should be.

And you can think that people then

must have a real sense of fulfillment,

of achievement,

of having done something

that was really worthwhile.

And for many of us,

when we go to work,

there is the opportunity

to do something

that is really worthwhile.

It makes a difference to others

and we can come away thinking,

what I've done

has been God working through me

to fulfill his will in me.

And it helps us with our self-esteem

and our understanding

of how we can serve God

and live for him.

So work can be a place of fulfillment.

And then Paul says in Ephesians

that work also can bring us God's reward.

This is part of the passage we read.

It said,

you know that the Lord will reward

each one of you

for whatever good they do.

So if we are good workers,

if we go into the workplace

and we do what God has planned for us to do,

and we do it well,

and we do it in a way that serves others,

then God will reward that.

God sees us just as much

when we're at work

and what we do there

as when we're in church

and when we're more consciously

serving him.

There is a reward from God

for those who work well.

Now each of my fours,

who am I working for?

I've got kind of one negative,

just something for us to think about

and to ponder on.

And one of the great dangers

for many of us at work

is what I've called selfish ambition.

In the NIV,

the word ambition appears eight times

in the New Testament.

And on six of these eight occasions,

the word before it is selfish.

People who are doing things

out of selfish ambition

to benefit themselves

and as a consequence,

to do down others.

So is ambition a bad thing?

I would suggest not.

There are two occasions

in the New Testament

when the word ambition

is used positively.

One is about Paul's ambition

to preach the gospel

to those who haven't heard it yet.

And the other is that

our ambition should be

to lead quiet and peaceable lives.

Very striking.

These and the other uses

of the word ambition,

they're to do with relationships

and are dealing with other people.

And so ambition, I think,

is not in itself wrong.

And indeed, I think most of us,

as we set out in life,

as we set out for work,

it's not unrealistic

to have some ambition

in terms of where we get to.

For many of us,

before we start paid work,

we spent a period studying,

perhaps at university or college,

or we've been through

an apprenticeship of some kind,

and we know that we are able

to do more than perhaps we are

as we begin in our workplace.

As we gain experience,

as we gain extra knowledge,

there is an expectation

that we should be able to progress.

And I think that is right and proper.

We're able more,

better to fulfill

what God has planned for us

if we are conscientious workers

and if through that

we are able to make progress.

But there does come a point

for many of us

where we have to say,

well, is my ambition

now good ambition?

Am I only really wanting

more for myself

or am I concerned about others?

And for many people,

I think there's a point

where they have to take that call

and to say,

well, where is my ambition?

Leading me,

what is my ambition for?

Now, I'm not holding myself up

as a great example.

I've made many, many mistakes

over my career,

but let me talk a little bit

about how my career went.

I started off,

I trained as an actuary,

and when I qualified an actuary,

I happened to have a list

of all the actuaries

who work in my office,

and I looked at that

and the level each of them was at,

and I looked and thought

a reasonable level for me

possibly to get to

would be such and such.

Not chief executive,

not anywhere near chief executive,

but above the basic level,

somewhere where I felt

my gifts,

the abilities that God had given me

could appropriately be used.

And over a period of time,

I wouldn't say deliberately set out

along that

with a determination to get there,

but over a period of time,

I got to broadly the level

that I thought I might

at the beginning.

There was then a decision to be made.

I'd reached a level,

I had a good job,

I had a job that I'd really enjoyed

and that I felt I was reasonably good at,

and the question would then be,

well, what about the next level?

Because that's what people do ask.

People are looking at the next level up.

And for me,

it wasn't right to aim for the next level.

I don't think I would have enjoyed it,

it wouldn't have been just fulfilling for me,

and my motivation for doing it

just wouldn't be right.

I had physically, financially,

all that I needed,

I had a job that was really good for me

and where I could,

I believed,

serve the Lord,

and I didn't believe it would be right

for me to move further.

Let's go forward a few years

and I reached the point

where I thought,

actually,

what I should be doing

is maybe easing back a bit

in terms of my work.

The children were more or less grown up,

and financially,

we didn't need as much

as I might have been earning at that time,

and at that point,

I started reining back

my working life.

Went to work four days a week,

four long days a week,

and then gradually went down

until last year I retired

from secular employment.

And for me,

that was the right way,

I think,

overall to go.

Now,

for others,

it would be different.

Others are capable

of going far further

than I could

in their employment

and using their gifts

at a higher level.

But what I would say

is we need to be,

if we're in the workplace,

if we're thinking about the future,

we need to be realistic

about what it is

that we can sensibly aim for,

and we need to make sure

that our motivation

for doing it is right

and that we're not motivated

by selfish ambition.

We don't just want

to get more money

or more status

or more power.

We want to do what it is

that God has called us to do.

So we need to be careful

about ambition,

but ambition itself,

trying to do the best you can

and to make the biggest contribution

you can,

that in itself

is not wrong.

Let's move on.

Kind of struggle

with what the heading

for the second thing should be.

I've ended up just saying others.

So others is people

who might be affected

by the work that I do.

And three groups

I've come up with in that.

I've called them customers,

colleagues,

and juniors.

Juniors are kind of funny term.

I mean people

who you're responsible for.

People who are junior to you

in whatever organization you are.

And some people

do manage others.

So most of us,

in fact,

all of us,

if we're doing some kind of work,

there are people

who benefit from it.

There are people

who are the end users,

if you like,

of what we do.

And whether it is customers

in the traditional sense,

or it might be patients,

or it might be pupils,

or it might be children,

whatever it is,

there are people

who benefit

from what we do.

And we are working

in a real sense

for them.

We are working

so that we can serve them

and that we can improve

things for them.

The two verses

I put up there

from Luke chapter 6

Luke 6 · chapter mention

are from quite a long discourse

from Lord Jesus,

particularly looking at

relationships

with others.

Verse 31,

very familiar words,

do to others

as you would have them

do to you.

And then verse 39,

38 rather,

where the Lord says,

given it will be given

to you,

and what will you receive,

what you would want to receive,

what you should be giving others,

a good measure,

pressed down,

shaken together,

and running over,

will be poured

into your lap.

I think that's a great picture.

A good measure,

pressed down,

shaken together,

and running over.

In other words,

God will give you

abundantly

what it is that you need

and what you want.

And it is the measure

that we give to others

that we will be given.

So,

God's desire for us

is that if we are serving others

in whatever sense

they are customers of us,

we should go the extra mile.

We should be generous

with our time

and with the talents

that God has given us.

And we should seek

to glorify Him

by giving the maximum benefit

to those

who are depending

on us.

Very important

if we're at work

that we recognize

that there are people

who depend on us

and we do our best

we can for them

because that is a way

in which we glorify God.

Then there's our colleagues,

people we work with.

Now,

as I said,

in an office environment.

In an office environment,

you typically have

two kinds of colleagues.

You've got people

who work with you

in your team

and you've got people

who are in the kind

of wider team,

different teams

around the office

who you interact with.

And sometimes

the relationships

within them

are a little bit different.

My company used to do

fairly regular surveys

of staff

and the results

tended to say

that people felt

they worked really well

with the team,

their immediate team,

but less well so

with the wider team

with other departments.

I was struck thinking

of this by the chapters

in Exodus

I put up there.

This was a huge project

for the Israelites

as they were in the desert.

It was building

the tabernacle

and it required

everyone to come together

and to work together

and to use the gifts

that God had given them

for his glory.

And there are some

really special people

in that.

There's a guy

called Bezalel.

Bezalel,

it says in the scripture,

Moses says

that God has filled him

with the spirit of God,

with wisdom,

with understanding,

with knowledge

and with all kinds

of skills.

To make artistic designs

for works in gold,

silver and bronze

and he goes on and on.

And then

at the end of that

he talks about

how he has also

given them the gift

to teach others.

What a great person

to have

as part of

your team.

Someone who really

understands what

they're doing,

they're an expert

in what they're doing

but they're also there

to teach others

and to help

and develop them.

That's the kind

of people

that we want

to be

in our workplace,

whatever it is.

To show real

consideration

and help

for others,

to use the gifts

that God has given us

but also to help

to develop others

and to bring them on.

And you go right

through Exodus

35 to 39

and you see

so many examples

of people

using the gifts

that God has given them

to produce

this wonderful thing

which would be

the tabernacle

which would be

the centre

of their worship

for many generations.

We need

to have a real

respect and regard

for our colleagues

whoever they may be

and to seek

the best

for them.

And that's not always

the case in offices.

Very easy

to become political

and to trade

one department

off against

another department

and full of

suspicion

and other things.

I'm sure it's not

just offices

but other places

of work

are similar.

That's not how

we should be

as Christians.

We are working

for our colleagues

for their best,

for their good,

for their support.

And then finally

what I've called

juniors,

some might call

them subordinates

or staff,

people who work

for you.

Now some of us

are entrusted

with those

who work under

us,

whom we manage,

some of us

aren't.

But it's quite

striking at the

end of the passage

in Ephesians

that Paul

addresses

masters.

And he says

to them,

treat your slaves

in the same way,

do not threaten

them,

since you know

that he who is

both their master

and yours is in

heaven and there

is no favoritism

with them.

Two key things

for bosses there,

one is don't

threaten,

don't be a bully,

and the second

is don't show

favoritism.

And these,

if any of us

are involved

in looking after

others,

these are very

good principles.

And I'm not

able to go

into great detail

this evening

of what it means

to be a good

boss,

but let's just

recognize if we

are in a position

of managing

others,

that is a position

of responsibility

before God.

We have to have

a real concern

for them

and seek the

best for them

and it needs

particular training

and particular

skills to do

that and to

ensure that

we can please

God in that

work.

So what about

difficulties?

Well I guess

in any of these

groups you will

get some people

who it is really

difficult to get

on with.

Customers who

are awkward

or colleagues

who do engage

in that politicking

and they're trying

to do things

their way and

to do you down

and staff who

are having

difficulties perhaps

in work or

not quite up to

the job or

who are a bit

awkward with you.

And that is

when our

Christian grace

and our

attitudes towards

others can

really be

tested.

We are still

working for

these people

and we should

still be seeking

the best for

them.

And there's no

excuse if we're

in a work

situation for

saying well

that person

is a bit awkward

let's just

ignore them

and do nothing

for them.

They are still

people whom

Christ loved

and whom he

died for

and we

should have

the same

regard and

concern for

them.

But let's

move on.

Our time's

gone quite

quickly.

So let's

move on to

number three.

Number three

is the

boss.

And not all

of us have

a boss but

many of us

do.

The person

who is

responsible for

us.

And of course

in Ephesians

6 that was

exactly what

Paul was

writing to

as he

wrote to

people who

were slaves

and said

well here's

how you

should behave

towards your

boss.

Three things

I think I

would say

about that.

The first

Paul says

is we

should be

obedient.

Says slaves

obey your

earthly masters

with respect

and fear

and with

sincerity of

heart just

as you

would obey

Christ.

Sometimes

our bosses

aren't very

easy to get

on with.

I was

thinking back

I think I

had about

25 bosses

over my

period working

in the

commercial

world.

Some of

them were

very good

but I

think of

one or

two who

were

bullies

or who

were very

lazy and

took credit

for other

things they

didn't do.

I think of

at least one

who showed

a great deal

of favouritism

to some

groups and

not to

others.

And it

can be

difficult

working with

a boss

as it

could be

for a

slave working

with a

master.

Paul says

your duty

if you're

in a work

environment

however

difficult

your boss

is to

be obedient

to them

because you

are obeying

them

just as

you would

obey

Christ.

He then

says we

should be

conscientious.

So we

obey them

not only to

win favour

when their

eyes

is on us

but also

when their

eye is not

on us.

We are to

serve

wholeheartedly.

And it's

not just a

case of doing

the minimum

we can get

away with

for our

boss and

trying to

please them,

trying to do

what we

think they

will like

but actually

to do

the minimum

that is

feasible

for them.

We are

to serve

wholeheartedly

and we are

to serve

wholeheartedly

says Paul

as if you

were serving

the Lord

not people.

Again

you look at

your boss

and you

think I

need to

serve that

person and

work for

them in

the same

way as

if I was

serving

Christ.

because God

has chosen

to put

them over

me in

the situation

I am

in just

now and

I need

to work

for them

in the

same way

as if I

was working

for Christ.

And then

the final

thing I'd

suggest is

that we

should be

uncomplaining.

Titus 2

again talking

to slaves

he says

teach the

slaves to

be subject

to their

masters and

everything

to try to

please them

not to

talk back

to them.

For me

one of the

key things

in terms

of serving

God and

of being

a witness

if you like

to my

bosses was

to be

someone who

was obedient

who was

conscientious

and who

didn't argue

if I was

given something

I didn't

really fancy

or that I

felt I

shouldn't be

doing.

It was to

be uncomplaining

and here's the

difficult bit

it wasn't just

to be uncomplaining

to my boss

it was also

not to go

back and

complain to

others about

what my boss

had told me

to do.

A lot of that

goes on in the

offices and they're

complaining about

the boss.

I'd suggest

by and

large as

Christians it's

not our

place to

complain about

those whom

God has put

over us

whom we

should be

serving as

if they

were the

Lord.

We should

work in a

way that

is uncomplaining.

people

but there

can be

difficulties with

bosses.

I've called

it ethical

dilemmas.

There are

situations

which you

might come

across in

the workplace

where we're

asked to do

something and

we think that

is absolutely

wrong.

As a

Christian I

don't think I

should be doing

that.

So the boss

might say

let's just

change these

figures a little

bit to make

them look

better.

Or let's

discharge this

customer a bit

more because

we can and

they probably

won't notice

that we've

overcharged

them.

And lots of

other examples

we could give

like that.

And in these

situations I

suggest we're

not called to

be obedient to

our boss.

There is the

higher calling

that we need

to obey God

rather than

men.

For most of

us there are

very rare

situations that

we do need

to be aware

of them.

It's not

uncritical

obedience to

a human

boss.

it is

seeing them

as God's

representer

and serving

them as if

they were

the Lord

by and

large.

But if

they ask

us to

do things

we know

are wrong

then we

need to

opt out

of that

and say

no that's

not for

me.

And hopefully

they will

respect us

for it and

if they don't

they're probably

the wrong

boss for us

to begin

with.

Very difficult

sometimes but

we need to

have that

distinction

as well.

Very quickly

I suppose this

is in many

ways the

biggest point

but we're

going to

cover it

reasonably

quickly because

we do have

an interview

coming up

in a few

minutes.

Who am I

working for?

Ultimately I

am working

for my

Lord.

And how

am I

working for

the Lord?

Well in

Colossians 3

which is a

kind of

parallel passage

to what Paul

talks about

in Ephesians

he says very

clearly it is

the Lord

Christ you

are serving.

That's the

context of

works of

slaves and

masters.

So he's

not just

saying here

you should

treat them

as if they

were the

Lord but

you're working

for someone

else.

Ultimately you

are working

for the

Lord.

Colossians 3

Colossians 3:24

verse 24.

And what

does that

affect in

our workplace

if we say

I am

working for

the Lord?

Well it

affects first

of all our

attitudes.

What is my

attitude towards

work?

And more

importantly

perhaps what

is my

attitude towards

others?

passage from

Philippians

will be

very familiar

just let me

read these

two verses

to you.

Do nothing

out of selfish

ambition,

their selfish

ambition or

being conceit

rather than

humility value

others above

yourselves not

looking to

your own

interests but

each of you

looking to

the interests

of others.

In a work

environment where

very much often

people are looking

to their own

interests, looking

at their own

ambitions and

how they can

further their

own careers.

We can really

stand out as

Christians if

we are there

to serve the

Lord and we

come with the

attitude I am

also there to

serve others and

to look after

their interests

even more than

my own.

And then there is

the actions.

There is what we

do and how we

do it.

So in 1 Timothy

6 Paul is

talking essentially

to people who

are wealthy but

I think the

verse here would

apply to others

as well.

1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy 6:18

verse 18 he

says command

them to do

good, to be

rich in good

deeds and to

be generous and

willing to

share.

So what we

do in our

work, whatever

work means for

us, should be

doing good,

doing good

deeds.

Not doing

things which

are under

hand or

which are

lazy or

which are

sloppy or

which we're

doing the

minimum we can

get away with.

It is doing

good deeds

and being

generous, being

rich in what

we do towards

others.

Our actions

should reflect

the fact that

we are serving

the Lord and

that we are

living for

him.

And then

finally there's

my word.

Now I think a

couple of weeks

time Graham will

be talking in a

bit more about

the witness that

we have at

work but let me

just talk briefly

about that just

now.

1 Peter 3

and verse 15

he says,

In your heart

revere Christ

as Lord.

Always be

prepared to

give an answer

to everyone

who asks you

to give the

reason for the

hope that you

have but do

this with

gentleness and

respect.

For me in many

ways in the

office environment

this was the

most difficult

one.

By and large

I felt that I

worked with

integrity and

I was reasonably

conscientious and

so on but

actually being

able to talk

and to witness

to others was

something that I

found really

difficult.

And in some

ways it is

difficult because

in many work

environments it

wouldn't really

be encouraged or

might be actively

discouraged and

we need to be

careful what we

do and how we

say it but also

there's the fear

of what people

will think of us

what they will

say about us if

we say anything

to them.

But for many of

us our workplace

wherever that

workplace is it

is the main

place where we

come in contact

with people who

aren't yet

Christians.

It is therefore

our main mission

field and is

where we should

be talking to

people about

the Lord Jesus

about the hope

that is in us.

But doing it

with gentleness

and with respect

and doing it

within as far

as we can

whatever parameters

our workplace

may set for it.

And that for

many of us can

be one of the

difficulties with

serving God

at work.

But by and

large employers

these days

wouldn't encourage

us to talk

about faith

or to seek

for each other

for the Lord

Jesus.

There can be

restrictions placed

on us.

And in general

as long as

there are not

total restrictions

in general

it's good to

go along with

them.

But ultimately

if the employer

says you can't

possibly share

your Christian

faith in the

workplace then

we have to say

well I'm here to

obey God

rather than

men might

be a different

employer and

might have

consequences for

us but we

can't be

totally silenced.

In my office

I for the last

10 years or so

before I retired

was the leader

of a Christian

fellowship.

I have to say

I was dragged

kicking and

screaming into

leading the

Christian fellowship

a guy called

Ian Archibald

bugged me

until I got

right to doing

it.

But it was

in many ways

quite a fulfilling

thing to do.

But it was

also quite a

difficult thing

to do in

terms of

letting people

know we were

there and

being able to

reach out to

others.

And essentially

my office and

things were

slightly changing

as I left.

My office were

happy for us to

meet together as

Christians and

to pray and to

study the Bible

but not happy for

us to advertise

it and certainly

not happy for us

to have any kind

of evangelistic

element to it.

And I felt it was

right to honour

that and we did

things by word of

mouth and we got

involved in business

alpha and encouraged

people to go there

and so on.

But your employer if

you're in an

employment may place

restrictions on

what you can do

by and large

these should be

respected but

there may be

situations where

you have to say

well I'm a

Christian I can't

be totally silent

about my faith

in the Lord

Jesus and in

seeking to win

others for him.

So four groups

of people we're

working for.

I'm working for

myself, I'm

working for others

whom I'm serving

through my work,

I'm working for my

boss if I have

one and above

all I'm working

for the Lord.

Let's return to

the rooms as we

finish and our

two rooms have

become one room

and this is how it

should be for us

if we're Christians

and we're at work

and again I say

work is as wide

as we need to

make it.

There should be

one room that

covers our faith

and our work.

We don't move

from one to the

other and leave

our faith behind

on a Monday

and have

different attitudes

and different

thoughts on the

Monday than we

do on a Sunday.

And if someone

asks us what

do you do?

Well here's a

possible answer.

What do I do?

I am a servant

of Jesus Christ.

That includes

being a doctor,

a teacher,

an actuary,

whatever it is

that you are.

Primarily serving

Christ.

He is the one

ultimately whom

we work for.

But as part of

that, part of

his calling for

us, we have

a job and in

that job we

seek to glorify

him and to

live for him.

Let's go out

and try and do

that in whatever

situation we are

this week and

to be good

servants of

Jesus Christ.

Let's pray.

Our Father,

we thank you

that you have

placed all of

us in a

situation

where we

can serve

others.

Whether it

is paid

employment or

voluntary work

or in a

home or

whatever else

it is that

you have for

us and

studying as

well.

We thank you

that these

are where

you have

placed us.

These are

in a real

sense our

workplaces.

We pray

that you

will help

us in

them to

show love

and concern

for others.

That we

may recognize

the high

value that

you place

on work

and that

we may

recognize

that ultimately

we serve

the Lord

Christ.

Help us

this week

in whatever

our work

is to

glorify him

and to

live for him.

We ask

in his

name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.