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by Ethan Park

3) Our reaction to successes is different from what our society expects, because our successes don’t define who we are.

After Tim Tebow led the Broncos to improbable victory, he approached the podium. When asked about how he felt about being a national phenomenon, he responded quite humbly. Our society has taught us that our abilities, successes, experiences, and accomplishments define who we are. That’s how we get jobs and how we measure ourselves against others. Yet, the Gospel tells us differently. Our accomplishments don’t define who we are– Jesus’ death has already given us the identity that we need.

We are children of God, loved so dearly by the maker of this universe. Our identity doesn’t need, nay, can’t have more than what Christ has done for us on the cross.

4) Our work is a platform for the Kingdom agenda: to make Him known and redeem this world.

When Tim Tebow was asked about the overtime win, he said that he considered it a bigger win to be able to cheer up a girl who’s gone through a lot of medical issues. You may think it’s just words. I choose to believe it’s his heart.

Tim Tebow in his college days would write bible verses on his eye black. After his games, Google stats on searching the verse shot up drastically. He believes in what the Lord has called him to do– use the platform to make God known and bring redemption to this world. That means talking about Jesus at every opportunity he has– not because he has to, but because Jesus means so much to him. That means using his fame to care for those in need. He stated in his college days that he wants to use his platform as an NFL quarterback to bring hope to people in their darkest hour of need.

How can we use our work as a platform for Kingdom agenda? We have unique insight to non-believing coworkers who need to hear. We have opportunities to influence our employers and coworkers to help redeem this world. We can be a Kingdom-worker by using our position and influence for His Kingdom.

What we see from Tim Tebow isn’t fake– it’s a genuine display of faith. He will sin and put football before God at times — all of us do. But no one can deny his genuine desire to display his faith. He’s been criticized by so many in this world for displaying and expressing his faith to others– and they aren’t wrong. He is! And, in fact, that’s what we are called to do. As a blog puts it, “If Tim Tebow sold steak knives for a living, he’d be the same way. Except he’d be the “crazy religious steak knife guy.” Football is just what he happens to be doing now. He wants to win games and be the best quarterback of all time because it broadens his territory. His final destination is not money or fame or victory, they are means to an end: to hype Jesus on the biggest platform in America.

This Sunday (Jan 22), we will be discussing how we ought to understand and live “ambition” in light of the Gospel. Tim Tebow seems very ambitious—making the play-offs, making dramatic comebacks, and capturing the hearts of many football fans. But, his ambitions are rooted in something much deeper.

Join us this Sunday as we discuss ambition.

Read a blog for Tim Tebow and his faith:  http://supermassiveblog.com/post/14237066259/timtebow

Read a blog by Chuck Klosterman against Tim Tebow and his faith: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7319858/the-people-hate-tim-tebow

by Ethan Park

This past Sunday during the Q&A session, someone asked whether there are some jobs, vocations or companies in which we as believers should not work. This is indeed a very deep question– a question we at Faith & Work have been contemplating for a long time. It’s a complex topic that merits a deeper look at how God views our work, and its impact on how we work and what we do.

The Bible says that work in itself is good. Dorothy Sayers defines the biblical view of work as “the gracious expression of creative energy in the service of others/society.” In other words, our work is an extension of God pouring out his common grace to the world (i.e., blessing this world). A realtor’s work helps people to find a place for themselves. The work of Apple Inc. helps us to have devices that allow us to enjoy music and connect with one another. All work is good work if it is helping our society to move forward.

There’s brokenness in each of these jobs though. Realtors may fall into temptation of greed, and work for the commission, rather than finding the right house for someone. Apple’s iPods and iPhones amplify our tendency for materialism. The brokenness of our world takes our good work and corrupts it into work that causes more problems in the world. But, we have to separate the original intention of the work and the brokenness of our work in analyzing whether we are doing good work or not.

I have a few questions that may help you in your own review of your work.

1)      In reviewing your work at its purest original intention and form, is your work, in any way or form, not a blessing to our society/people?

2)      In reviewing your work at its purest original intention and form, does your work have any misalignment against God’s will and His standard?

3)      Does the Bible condemn or warn against sinful practices that are central to your workplace’s/industry’s foundation?

If you answer yes to any of the above questions, your work may not be something God called you to. As His people, God calls us to work in areas to help our society without crossing God’s moral standards. Some jobs are obviously wrong– working as a pimp or a serial killer, working in scams or adult film industry; there are jobs that we as believers clearly should not be involved in.

Next question:

4)      Is the culture of your work and vocation aligned to its purest original intention and form? If not, can you operate against the culture of your work to its purest original intention and form?

In most work, the culture within work is well aligned to the purest original intention. Some are not. Take injury lawyers, as an example. Despite how we think of that work, it is indeed good work, trying to fight for the oppressed who have been injured unjustly. However, the culture of injury lawyers has somehow succumbed to chasing ambulances, taking advantage of the weak and our justice system. The culture of that sector is not aligned to its original intention. But, a believer can work as an injury lawyer against the culture of that sector. It will require constant reminder of the beauty of your work, fighting for those who are injured unjustly.

Last question:

5)      Are you living for the original intention of your work, or are you working alongside the culture of your work?

As believers, we live for very different things than what this world longs for. We don’t need financial wealth, security, power or recognition. If we live for the glory of God, then how we work and our decision making will undoubtedly change. If you work as an injury lawyer, you no longer work to find quick bucks. You work for the injured. If you work as a trader, your goal is no longer solely maximum profitability; you work as a part of a mechanism of the market, providing liquidity for buyers and sellers. If you work in high-risk lending, you do it to give another lifeline to those in dire situations, not to become a predatory lender. As believers, we live for higher standards and goals. We no longer live to make a name for ourselves, but to bring God’s Kingdom to this world we live in. Our work can and should be an integral part of bringing God’s Kingdom to this world.

Most of us struggle in seeing our work to be God’s agent in pouring out common grace to our society. I worked as an M&A investment banker, often using words like “synergy” as a replacement to layoff cost savings. It was difficult to justify that my work was a way of God loving His creation. But, I had to keep reminding myself that my work was bigger than how I looked at it.

So, back to the original question– are there certain examples of work that we should not be involved in? The answer to that is yes, we shouldn’t work in positions where the purpose of the job is to go against God’s desires and betterment of this society. For most of us, we should reflect on our job and think about how we are glorifying God in our work.

by Alexa

They won’t recognize us
I have been a part of my current company for six years and have gained a reputation for being a good employee—I’ve even been told that I am a “good person”. My colleagues have begun to notice patterns in the way I live and work which cause them to see me as a moral and principled “good person.” As a Christian in a non-Christian work environment, this should make me glad—they do notice a difference in me! Yet I find myself uncomfortable with this label of “good” or “moral” or a “strong-values” person. I struggle with knowing that their understanding of me is as shallow as good principles and moral living. How is it that they can see me as a “moral person” with little to no understanding of what it is (or who it is!) that motivates me to live and work in this way?

As part of the Faith and Work ministry, seeking to challenge our cultural and personal views of work, we seek to heed biblical warnings against common workplace sins such as gossip and disrespect. Acting morally (staying out of gossip, being respectful of others) is most definitely evidence of my transformation in Christ and is beneficial to my workplace—but is that enough? Why am I being pegged by colleagues as merely a “good person”? Any employee could be a good person, with or without Christ motivating them. So how do I get them to see and understand the depth behind my actions—that I am no more “good” than any one of them, and that my conduct is not for the sake of principle but is rather a response to Christ transforming my life by his gospel?

Two attempts at change
I am striving to be bolder in the workplace. My colleagues already see my actions; now I am trying to expose my motivations behind them. I tend to be quite private and give generic answers to questions like “How was your weekend?” My challenge to myself is to be more bold in telling colleagues what is important to me, what drives me—and to allow them to see what is shaping my conduct around the workplace. 

I am also beginning to realize that Christians in the workplace are not simply “good employees” who live at peace and do not cause problems. I am trying to open my eyes to the brokenness and sin in my company—the ways that sin has corrupted and twisted my area of work. The more I see the brokenness, the more I will be responsible to stand against it, or pray for the strength to heal it. As I allow God to open my eyes to these things, I realize that some circumstances will require me to face confrontation.

Deeper Understanding
My understanding of faith in the workplace is growing. I had started to understand reformed work theology as “Christians are topnotch employees.” We do have a higher calling to do good work—we care about our coworkers, we care about the company, we care about doing our job well. I think Christians are tempted to allow the gospel only to transform them to the point of being good, moral people. What the gospel is talking about is so much more powerful than simple morality—Christ desires and calls Christians to be so much more than a percentage of the workforce who are the best hires because they are faithful employees, good performers, and keep their noses clean from gossip. [That being said, Christians really should be viewed as a very "hireable" group. Recruiters should seek out churches for exceptional applicants. It is so interesting to me that corporate value statements and ideas of "professionalism" typically mirror biblical truths!]

As people who have been convicted of their sin and know themselves to be no more moral than the next person, we are called to be more than exceptional employees. We are called to bring justice and compassion to our workplaces, no matter the consequences. We are called to bring the love of Christ to our colleagues even when it seems next to impossible. We are called to show the corporate world how they can truly put the values they desire into reality, even when it may mean suffering for those decisions.