In my message on Sunday, Feb 22, I mentioned that part of a biblical theology of work is recognizing and embracing humanity’s God-given dominion over the earth, which includes a calling to bring creation to fruition, to make the world better and more complete.
By way of illustration, I mentioned that finding solutions to our present day energy crisis would be a good example of ways to make the world better and more complete. One intriguing possibility on this front is using recent and impending advances in the field genomics to synthesize alternative fuels. Here are a couple of short presentations (approx. 20 min each) introducing this idea: (1) Genomics 101 by Barry Schuler, and (2) Craig Venter (known for his work in sequencing the human genome) shares his company’s recent and impending advances in the field of genomics. In sum, there are a lot of exciting things going on in the scientific world.
Here are a couple of other science-related talks from the same website that I really enjoyed: (1) Brian Greene on string theory, and (2) Brian Cox on his work at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.
Obviously, some (possibility even all) of the scientists mentioned above are not approaching their work from a Christian worldview. Does this make their work unfruitful for us? Or is there something we can and should still take away from it? How should we, as Christians, interact with those whose approach to life and to their work differs so much from our own? Can we affirm work that makes the world better and more complete without affirming the worldview informing it? How can we better use the Christian story as a catalyst for scientific inquiry? What do you think?
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Redeeming Work II: Work Stinks but God is good.
Work isn't what I thought it would be. When I was in Junior High I realized I had a penchant for science and math and I didn't really like english. I made up my mind I wanted to be an engineer and go to the Colorado School of Mines. I achieved all of that but after a year of work with a good job in a really cool industry (telecommunications with T-Mobile), I wasn't feeling very content. I lot of it felt like a waste of time and I used virtually nothing from my degree. Considering you spend most of your time at work, this can make for a boring life. Some of the issues that contribute to the problem is that it doesn't seem to capture the whole of what it means to be human. We are creative by nature and large corporations like to streamline things and thus they place many constraints on one's creativity in a job. We are another cog in the machine. For me personally, I had a much more exciting job than many of my college buddies, and I still wasn't satisified (partially because of a calling to ministry, but that's another issue).
Many young adults feel the same way. There are a variety of reasons why we struggle with this thing called work. They begin in Genesis 3.
The effects of the curse:
After the fall of Adam and Eve God describes the effects of sin on their lives. It does not just result in death, but in a fracturing of what we were made to do, rule over the earth like God does. There are several results of this:
1) Giving birth will be more painful (Gen 3:16). This means family will be a mixed blessing with both joy and pain.
2) You will desire him and he rule over you (Gen 3:16). Work will come between the family as humans live out God's mandate to rule over creation.
3) Cursed is the ground... (Gen 3:17). Creation itself is cursed and must be worked for food and this work becomes painful.
4) producing thorns and thistles. This was an agricultural society. What we are trying to work with, will fight against us. Hardly different today, you work with computers and they often work against you.
5) You will have to work until you die (Gen 3:19) and death will be the result.
Three ways in which work is broken:
1) Work Itself is Broken.
a. We get bogged down in things that do not contribute to getting the job done.
b. You worked for a retirement plan only to watch it get destroyed in November last year.
c. What we work to accomplish, eventually breaks down no matter what we do.
2) Workers are broken.
a. We are frail and we die. We experience pain often times at the hand of the work we do to give us a better life. I went to a doctor for back trouble a few years ago and the doc told me a lot of young professionals are having back trouble these days from sitting at a desk all day long.
b. We take advantage of our job. We work too much and make it a functional savior. We leave early, steal stuff from the office, cheat on your expenses, lie to our employer, etc. I am sure you got some examples.
3) Employers are broken
a. They are not willing to do the work the give to others. There is a lot of busy work created by upper management that they would never in their right mind do. They simply "lord it over people."
b. They hire the wrong people or give good people the wrong job.
c. They abuse those they employ (not always, just the really bad ones). Over work people, pay them too little. Salary for some equals slavery.
d. If you want to get ahead, you have to make sacrifices for the company, usually your family.
Responding to Work, Ecc 2:17-26:
1) You make it your savior because you believe it is still good.
a. Ecc 2:18-22, work as hard as you want and it will amount to nothing because someone will ignore it or exchange it for new and "better" ideas.
b. Ecc 2:23, Your reward for giving everything you got to work is... sleepless nights.
c. this person is a work-a-holic.
2) You stop doing it because you see it as the curse itself
a. We were made for work, see Gen 1:28.
b. Think of Peter in Office Space
c. This is the sluggard of Proverbs 6:6-11; 10:4-5; 1 Thess 4:11-12; 2 Thess 3:6-15
d. If you don't work you don't eat and you will get your reward, nothing.
e. Being "busy" does not count as work. Your work should be something that contributes.
3) You blame it on an oppressive employer or a bad employee.
a. This is the first response of Adam and Eve. "It's not my fault."
b. "She made me do it." As if Eve was an oppressive employer.
c. "The devil made me do it." The bad guy is the reason why I messed up.
so how should we respond...
Work Stinks, but God is Good.
1) Don't stop reading, Ecc 2:24-26
a. Nothing better than to be able to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in work.
b. We were made for them so don't stop pursuing them.
c. Satisfaction in work is a gift from God. Someone works too much and has no sabbath is not satisfied and thinks by their efforts it will come instead of relying on God's grace.
d. God gives grace to those who work well. He gives greater understanding, insight, and enjoyment.
e. Those who abuse work, God will give your efforts to the righteous. The oppressed will recieve the spoils of their oppressors when the kingdom comes in all its fullness.
2) Its not the job, but the quality of your work that counts. Col 3:17
a. doing for the Lord and do it by his grace.
b. It is not what you do but how you do it. You should strive to do your best.
c. God will give you grace to do it well.
Well, those are my basic thoughts and why works stinks and how we handle it. Satisfaction in work is the grace of God and the days I worked hard, I felt the most satisfied. The days I messed around, I felt even more discontent. In the end, God will supply what we need to do our job to best of our ability. Rest in him, not in your efforts.
Download mp3
Many young adults feel the same way. There are a variety of reasons why we struggle with this thing called work. They begin in Genesis 3.
The effects of the curse:
After the fall of Adam and Eve God describes the effects of sin on their lives. It does not just result in death, but in a fracturing of what we were made to do, rule over the earth like God does. There are several results of this:
1) Giving birth will be more painful (Gen 3:16). This means family will be a mixed blessing with both joy and pain.
2) You will desire him and he rule over you (Gen 3:16). Work will come between the family as humans live out God's mandate to rule over creation.
3) Cursed is the ground... (Gen 3:17). Creation itself is cursed and must be worked for food and this work becomes painful.
4) producing thorns and thistles. This was an agricultural society. What we are trying to work with, will fight against us. Hardly different today, you work with computers and they often work against you.
5) You will have to work until you die (Gen 3:19) and death will be the result.
Three ways in which work is broken:
1) Work Itself is Broken.
a. We get bogged down in things that do not contribute to getting the job done.
b. You worked for a retirement plan only to watch it get destroyed in November last year.
c. What we work to accomplish, eventually breaks down no matter what we do.
2) Workers are broken.
a. We are frail and we die. We experience pain often times at the hand of the work we do to give us a better life. I went to a doctor for back trouble a few years ago and the doc told me a lot of young professionals are having back trouble these days from sitting at a desk all day long.
b. We take advantage of our job. We work too much and make it a functional savior. We leave early, steal stuff from the office, cheat on your expenses, lie to our employer, etc. I am sure you got some examples.
3) Employers are broken
a. They are not willing to do the work the give to others. There is a lot of busy work created by upper management that they would never in their right mind do. They simply "lord it over people."
b. They hire the wrong people or give good people the wrong job.
c. They abuse those they employ (not always, just the really bad ones). Over work people, pay them too little. Salary for some equals slavery.
d. If you want to get ahead, you have to make sacrifices for the company, usually your family.
Responding to Work, Ecc 2:17-26:
1) You make it your savior because you believe it is still good.
a. Ecc 2:18-22, work as hard as you want and it will amount to nothing because someone will ignore it or exchange it for new and "better" ideas.
b. Ecc 2:23, Your reward for giving everything you got to work is... sleepless nights.
c. this person is a work-a-holic.
2) You stop doing it because you see it as the curse itself
a. We were made for work, see Gen 1:28.
b. Think of Peter in Office Space
c. This is the sluggard of Proverbs 6:6-11; 10:4-5; 1 Thess 4:11-12; 2 Thess 3:6-15
d. If you don't work you don't eat and you will get your reward, nothing.
e. Being "busy" does not count as work. Your work should be something that contributes.
3) You blame it on an oppressive employer or a bad employee.
a. This is the first response of Adam and Eve. "It's not my fault."
b. "She made me do it." As if Eve was an oppressive employer.
c. "The devil made me do it." The bad guy is the reason why I messed up.
so how should we respond...
Work Stinks, but God is Good.
1) Don't stop reading, Ecc 2:24-26
a. Nothing better than to be able to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in work.
b. We were made for them so don't stop pursuing them.
c. Satisfaction in work is a gift from God. Someone works too much and has no sabbath is not satisfied and thinks by their efforts it will come instead of relying on God's grace.
d. God gives grace to those who work well. He gives greater understanding, insight, and enjoyment.
e. Those who abuse work, God will give your efforts to the righteous. The oppressed will recieve the spoils of their oppressors when the kingdom comes in all its fullness.
2) Its not the job, but the quality of your work that counts. Col 3:17
a. doing for the Lord and do it by his grace.
b. It is not what you do but how you do it. You should strive to do your best.
c. God will give you grace to do it well.
Well, those are my basic thoughts and why works stinks and how we handle it. Satisfaction in work is the grace of God and the days I worked hard, I felt the most satisfied. The days I messed around, I felt even more discontent. In the end, God will supply what we need to do our job to best of our ability. Rest in him, not in your efforts.
Download mp3
Monday, February 23, 2009
White Board Image #2: "We were made for work."
This is from Sunday, February 22. (Click to enlarge.)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Redemptive History
A week after my sermon, I wonder how much of the big-picture story of the Bible that I shared last week we remember. Happily, there was alliteration to help! Here are the eight P's:
- Kingdom Pattern
- Kingdom Perished
- Kingdom Promised
- Kingdom in Part
- Kingdom Prophesied
- Kingdom Present
- Kingdom Proclaimed
- Kingdom Perfected
I didn't remember to plug this during the message, but reading through the Bible is probably the best way to see how the big picture fits together. I have been working my way through a plan this year, and it has been great.
Download mp3
- Kingdom Pattern
- Kingdom Perished
- Kingdom Promised
- Kingdom in Part
- Kingdom Prophesied
- Kingdom Present
- Kingdom Proclaimed
- Kingdom Perfected
I didn't remember to plug this during the message, but reading through the Bible is probably the best way to see how the big picture fits together. I have been working my way through a plan this year, and it has been great.
Download mp3
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Holy Spirit & The Church
Is the local church an organism, or is it an organization? On Sunday night, we discovered that it is both. The local church is an organism in that it is a living, breathing, active, moving thing with elements of both predictability and unpredictability in its behavior. The local church is an organization in that it has leaders, systems, strategies, plans, etc. Both of these identities of the local church are evident in the pages of the New Testament.
The Greek word translated “church” is ekklēsia. It is a word that was appropriated from the culture of the day and means roughly “assembly” or “gathering.” (For example, in the Roman Empire, the assembly of the citizens of a polis or city for political purpose was an ekklēsia.) Why did the early Christians appropriate this word for describing the new thing that God was doing in their midst? In part, because it conveys two important things about the local church: (1) The church is people; it is the community of Jesus’ disciples; (2) The church is an event; it is something that happens ... it is the gathering of Jesus’ disciples.
So ... this ekklēsia is both an organism and an organization. The former identity is granted by many today, but the latter identity meets with some resistance. (Consider this common sentiment: “I just don’t like organized religion!”) However, as we read through the New Testament, it is evident that even the early church had leaders, systems, strategies, plans, etc.
With respect to his missionary journeys, the Apostle Paul organized his travel plans in advance and strategically focused his efforts on major urban centers. (Tim Keller has a great article about focusing on major urban centers here.) In those cities, he made disciples, appointed leaders, and then departed (see Acts 14:21-23). Acts 6 shows the division of labor, which is another feature of organizational life. Acts 15 shows the first church council ... the early church had meetings! :-)
Thus we can establish that the local church is, in fact, a kind of organization. But if this is true, what makes it different from other organizations?
Here is my thesis: It is the person and work of the Holy Spirit that sets the local church apart from every other organization on earth.
The Holy Spirit is a personal being, not an impersonal force. He is nothing less than the Spirit of God, equal in power and glory (essential being) with the Father and the Son, but different in function and role, actively working to regenerate those who are dead in sin, bind them together in community as Jesus’ disciples (a community called “the church”), transcending all conceivable social barriers to unity (esp. racial, socioeconomic, & gender), and empowering the community to carry out the mission of God (missio Dei) in the world.
From this summary, we can see three important ways that the work of the Holy Spirit sets the local church apart from other organizations:
1. The Holy Spirit changes people’s hearts (John 3:1-8; Titus 3:3-8)
How do people change? What causes their behavior? What changes it? We see in Scriptures such as Jeremiah 17:9 that behavior is a function of the heart. It comes from within. However, we also see in Scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 15:33 that behavior is a function of the environment ... Paul says that a bad environment can actually corrupt a good heart. So we see that behavior is a function of someone’s heart + their environment.
The truth is, we can’t change people’s hearts. Only God can do that. However, we can change their environments. Therefore, it is the task of the church to create environments that facilitate worship, growth/maturity, community, etc. (In fact, that is all any organization can do to effect change in its people: create new environments, or change the existing ones.) Beyond that, as the church we must trust the Holy Spirit to do his work.
The work of the Holy Spirit is regeneration. (This is what we see in John 3 and Titus 3, referenced above.) The Holy Spirit changes people by changing their hearts. He changes us from within and places us together in community as “the church.”
2. The Holy Spirit binds Christians together in unity (1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:26-28)
What binds people together in other organizations? A common mission, shared goals, social bonds, etc. These things bind us together in the local church as well, but are they strong enough bonds to overcome our biggest differences and divisions? No. We need the Holy Spirit.
The work of the Holy Spirit transcends all conceivable barriers to unity in the church: specifically, racial, socioeconomic, and gender barriers (as identified by Paul in Galatians 3:26-28). A beautiful example of this is the partnership between my church in Kansas City (historically white - located in one of the wealthiest counties in the Midwest) and Christian Fellowship Baptist Church (historically black - located in the urban core of KC).
3. The Holy Spirit empowers us for mission (Luke 24:45-53; Acts 1:1-11, 16:6-10)
The mission of the church is all about being and making disciples. If people are not meeting Jesus and growing in him, then we are not delivering on our mission.
What empowers the church to deliver on its mission? Is it education, finances, influence, talent, competency, skills, charisma, etc., as in other organizations? Although these things are often helpful, ultimately, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that empowers us for mission, as we see very clearly in Luke-Acts. In fact, Jesus specifically told the first disciples to refrain from mission until they had been clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thus we see that it is the person and work of the Holy Spirit that sets the local church apart from every other organization on earth. This reality permeates every aspect of the life of the church.
So what does all of this mean for our community? What does it mean for Regeneration?
Generally, this means being and making disciples for Jesus. Specifically, I would like to cast the following vision for our community:
1. Vision: To see young adults transformed into disciples of Jesus, for God’s glory and kingdom. (This is in alignment with God’s aim to create a worshipping community for all of eternity.)
2. Mission: To create environments at BVC where young adults can connect with each other (community), grow in Christ, and engage the culture by doing culturally strategic gospel ministry. In this, we should strive to develop a blended community that welcomes college students and career professionals, singles and married couples, of any background, of any racial identity, recognizing that we are one in Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit.
What do you think?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Reading Round-Up
Business analyst Michael Kruse did an interesting series on his blog: “Consumption vs. Consumerism.” (Here are the links to Parts I, II, and III.) A couple of highlight quotes: “Activism against consumerism is all the rage these days. But what is meant by consumerism? . . . Frankly, some anti-consumerism activism is merely factions of the church diverting blame to the economy for the church’s failure to have effectively integrated economic life with our Christian discipleship. The reality is that when the church fails to present a compelling vision of how life has abundant meaning in relationship to God and community, the culture is going to find a substitute.”
Scot McKnight (Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University) is doing a thought-provoking series on how we read the Bible. Specifically, he is surveying the different “types” or “personalities” of Bible readers. So far: (1) Puzzlers, (2) Smileys, (3) “Red Letter” Maestros, and (4) Lawbook. More to come.
Although I voted for Barack Obama in the election and will support him as my President, I also believe I have a moral imperative to push back against his stance regarding abortion-on-demand. Will you join me, and sign this petition against the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)? My signature was #625,676. Let’s keep ‘em coming.
A helpful talk from Pastor Mark Driscoll for dudes: Reverse Engineering Your Life. (Be warned though: this one is about 95 min long, so you’ll need to carve out some time if you want to listen to it and take notes.)
On that note, Mars Hill Church and Pastor Mark were recently featured on ABC’s Nightline: video available here (it is about 7.5 min long).
Some of us met Jesus later in life and have awesome “before-and-after” stories. Some of us met Jesus early in life, perhaps even in childhood, and have very different stories. Here is a great testimony from someone who met Jesus early on: Changed By Jesus.
Have you ever used Google Earth? It’s pretty cool, but let’s face it: Google Earth is only useful if you want to look at the 29.1% of the earth’s surface that is covered by land. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could look at the 70.9% of the earth’s surface that is covered by oceans and other bodies of water? Now you can ... the latest version of Google Earth allows users to “dive below the surface of the water to examine wildlife, mountains and shipwrecks in this murky world.”
And, do you think biblically about facebook?
The annual list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” has been released . . . and guess who came in at #96? That’s right, T-Mobile! :-)
Scot McKnight (Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University) is doing a thought-provoking series on how we read the Bible. Specifically, he is surveying the different “types” or “personalities” of Bible readers. So far: (1) Puzzlers, (2) Smileys, (3) “Red Letter” Maestros, and (4) Lawbook. More to come.
Although I voted for Barack Obama in the election and will support him as my President, I also believe I have a moral imperative to push back against his stance regarding abortion-on-demand. Will you join me, and sign this petition against the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)? My signature was #625,676. Let’s keep ‘em coming.
A helpful talk from Pastor Mark Driscoll for dudes: Reverse Engineering Your Life. (Be warned though: this one is about 95 min long, so you’ll need to carve out some time if you want to listen to it and take notes.)
On that note, Mars Hill Church and Pastor Mark were recently featured on ABC’s Nightline: video available here (it is about 7.5 min long).
Some of us met Jesus later in life and have awesome “before-and-after” stories. Some of us met Jesus early in life, perhaps even in childhood, and have very different stories. Here is a great testimony from someone who met Jesus early on: Changed By Jesus.
Have you ever used Google Earth? It’s pretty cool, but let’s face it: Google Earth is only useful if you want to look at the 29.1% of the earth’s surface that is covered by land. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could look at the 70.9% of the earth’s surface that is covered by oceans and other bodies of water? Now you can ... the latest version of Google Earth allows users to “dive below the surface of the water to examine wildlife, mountains and shipwrecks in this murky world.”
And, do you think biblically about facebook?
The annual list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” has been released . . . and guess who came in at #96? That’s right, T-Mobile! :-)
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