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

The buzz around the NFL this year has been predominately about Tim Tebow, an unorthodox NFL quarterback for the Denver Broncos, who started for the team in their last 11 games, posting 7 wins, most of them miraculous comebacks. A college phenom, he was doubted by the professional scouts that he would not be a successful quarterback, and grasped international attention with an unorthodox NFL quarterback skill set, ability to help his team win, and… his demonstration of his faith.

Religious displays in the NFL are not new. Most players will point fingers to the sky, giving thanks to God after touchdowns. Some talk about their faith. But for some reason, Tim Tebow’s displays look genuine.

After an improbable upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first playoff game with a dramatic overtime finish, Tim Tebow answered questions from the media with the following:

“I am just so blessed to have an opportunity to be the quarterback for the Denver Broncos and play games in front of such great fans with great teammates and I’m just very thankful for the platform that God has given me… I felt like we had a great week of practice and we practiced hard and had a great game plan and we knew that we were playing a very good Pittsburgh Steelers team. I was very glad that we were able to get the win. First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ he’s done so much in my life and I also want to thank my teammates for the efforts they put out there and just showing so much character whether it’s good whether it’s bad all year and our coaches who constantly every game whether I’m doing good or bad just stick with me so I’m very appreciative of that.”

Soon after, a reporter asked this question: I know you have a faith in God, but do you have a sense of the kind of phenomenon you are nationwide?

“You know, I’m just very thankful for the platform God has given me and the opportunity to be a quarterback for the Denver Broncos, what a great organization. It is special to have the platform of playing football, as I have an opportunity to affect people. I was very excited to have Bailey Knaub here at this game. Football is amazing, we love it, we’re so passionate about it as you can see there but the real win, at least as far as I’m concerned, was being able to comfort a girl who’s gone through 73 surgeries before this game. I get a chance to go hang out with her now and that’s the biggest win of the day and so they’re both exciting but that’s what I’m even more proud of.”

In our view of work, there’s much to learn from Tim Tebow.

1) Whether we are called to become an NFL quarterback or an assistant at a bank, we should see our job as worship to God.

Tim Tebow is by far not an ideal quarterback. Stats like 2 completions on 8 attempts in a game doesn’t bring much confidence in his abilities. But, when he plays, he plays with passion for the game. His coaches love his work ethic and his poise. His teammates believe in him and follow him because of what he stands for. He believes that he’s called to play football right now and he plays football like he believes it. That’s what we are called to do. God calls us, in his mysterious wisdom, to work in this world as agents of His common grace to this world. Tim Tebow understands that.

2) God is more important than our performance. Kingdom matters are far more important than success in our job.

When Tim Tebow plays, he plays differently. He helps his opposing players up after hard tackles. He prays on the sidelines when others would be studying the next plays. In his attitude and action, he applies Kingdom principles, God’s moral standards, and the Gospel in what he does. He never sees himself as better than others. In the team’s wins, he gave all of the glory to his teammates, coaches, and God. In his losses, he took responsibility, and moved on. Often, we are too far concerned with the performance of our job. Likewise, our faith should triumph over achieving success in our job. We are in the habit of pursuing success while ignoring our faith when, in fact, we should look for opportunities to display our faith at the expense of our success.

I picked up a terrible habit in my early days of banking. On most conference calls, we would mute our microphones and incessantly make fun of the parties on the other side of the line. We would pick out all the foolish things they said. I remember the nicknames we had for the bankers, fund managers, CEOs and CFOs. They were not nice. 

Conference calls weren’t the only times when we spoke ill of people behind their backs. We speak ill of our colleagues, superiors and subordinates. Emails with subjects “<no subject>” or cryptic “PRIVATE: NSFW” are often filled with one liners, making fun of what just happened in the office. Often, gossiping becomes the foundation of office friendships. We gossip in the office and out of the office. 

We gossip for so many reasons. Sometimes, it’s for our own image. We want to be the funny person or the quick, witty person. Sometimes we gossip because of hatred for someone. We want to bring down their reputation. Sometimes it’s to be understood; we seek justice and vindication by speaking ill of the person that hurt our ego.

We struggle for our appearance and reputation on a daily basis in our workplace. We have an image of how we yearn to be perceived. Often we end up being dishonest about ourselves, trying to be someone that we are not called to be. Our reputation is so important to us because we think that we can attain righteousness or acceptance by being the person we want to be.

Gossiping is sin because when we gossip, we try to build up our self-righteousness by tearing down someone else’s and building our own reputation. By gossiping, we reject the Gospel by taking control of building our own righteousness.  The Gospel puts an end to our need for gossiping. We are to accept our place as a sinner, who has been redeemed by Jesus and His blood alone. When opportunities arise for gossip, we refrain from it because the subject of the gossip is also a broken person in need of Christ. We don’t gossip because we don’t need to build up our righteousness by tearing others down. When others gossip about us, we don’t defend ourselves, because we are sinners whose righteousness has been fully obtained by Christ’s death alone. Our personal dignity is sustained by grace, not by our defence.

 Next time you face opportunities for gossip, consider the Gospel. We, the undeserved heirs of the God Almighty, do not need to struggle for our own righteousness—Jesus is our righteousness.

Please join us for a casual lunch get together at the Marche, in BCE place, on the 15th of November.  Come to meet other Grace Toronto people working in the business sector and enjoy some good discussion on living as Christians in ‘Business Toronto’.

Faith & Work will be in one of the private rooms off the main dining area.  Kindly RSVP to Jordan Mayes, so we have an idea of the numbers.

Where: Marche, at BCE Place (Wellington St. W. / Yonge St.) – ask for Jordan Mayes
When: Tuesday November 15th 2011 at 12:00pm

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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.

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.

Ever caught yourself complaining?  Lately, I have been convicted of my own grumbling:  against colleagues, against friends, against the general ‘situations’ that I’m caught up in. 

Work can be an area of our lives in which we feel particularly inclined to complain.  Often in situations (not of our own choosing), dealing with people of varied personalities, frustrating encounters of mismatched expectations brew a recipe resulting in bad attitudes, eye-rolling and grievances. 

In our workplaces, complaining against another can be such an easy thing to do.   If we are wronged, we feel justified in our complaints and often feel affirmed when others agree with us. 

Particularly troubling, complaining often takes the form of an unwillingness to confront the person toward whom we feel indignant or disgruntled.  Instead, we take solace in our grumblings to others.

James 5:9 says “Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged.”  Further to this, we are commanded to take the attitude of Christ, in humility, considering others better than ourselves. Philippians 2:3-5 continues on to say that we are to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. 

From personal experience, I can attest that when I am grumbling against another, I am certainly not considering that person as better than myself.  But when I look to the cross, and see the grace that was afforded us by the death of Christ for those so underserving, it puts all of life in perspective.  I can choose to complain and have my ego satisfied by others that feed my need for affirmation, or I can remember that Christ died on my behalf, for my sins – though he was certainly undeserving of such a fate. 

At a deeper heart level, I can turn to Christ and rest all of my fears, anxieties and feelings of indignation in Him.  Changing my attitude in how I interact with my colleagues, both in front of them and otherwise, can be one of the biggest testaments of my faith in Christ. 

So, next time you are tempted to be a grumbler, remember the grace that was afforded you by Him, who made you perfect by His sacrifice.  God gives us the power to be changed, and because of this, we have confident hope in Him.  In 2 Corinthians 9:8, it says “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Recently, I came across an exercise called “Tongues Exercise” in which we were asked to note each time we boasted, defended or gossiped that week. As I started this exercise, I realized how much I commit these sins. Given that most of us spend 40-50% of our waking time at work, we often commit these sins in our workplace.

My most upsetting and tragic moment in my career occurred within my first few days on Bay Street. I completed a small project to be reviewed my superior, and he came back to me with a significant amount of revisions. In fact, my work was apparently so bad that he paid a visit to my desk and began his lecture about the need for perfection. My defence was simple and, to this date, I believe justified: I followed 100% of my superior’s directions, and his dissatisfaction in my work only spoke to his issues with his own ideas. I needed to be vindicated. But, because it was still the first week, and my vindication came after work, around a table with my friends, over beer and nachos.

These things happen too often in our workplaces. We are bound to make mistakes (and then give excuses) and we will be blamed for our work and actions that don’t merit such blame. And, sometimes, we will be justly blamed for things. Yet, in each circumstance, we yearn for righteousness. We want our name to be cleared. We seek vindication.

Stanley Voke, in his article, “The End of Struggle” states that “there is in all of us a struggle to get and keep our own righteousness, which is why it is so hard to come to the sinner’s place.” We see it in humanity’s first sin; Adam and Eve blamed one another to maintain their sense of righteousness. We see it among the Israelites: Pharisees kept their laws to find their righteousness. We, too, seek our own righteousness by defending against others’ criticisms and making excuses, desiring for others to understand our perspective.

The Gospel puts an end to our need for defence. We are to accept our place as a sinner, who has been redeemed by Jesus and His blood alone. When others blame us unjustly, we don’t need to defend because we don’t live by their standards. We don’t need to defend our reputation because we are not enslaved by our own need to keep up with our reputation. When we make mistakes, we don’t need to make excuses.

So, the next time you feel the urge to defend yourself, think about the Gospel. We, the undeserved heirs of the God almighty, do not need to struggle for our own righteousness—Jesus is our righteousness.

By Mike Logan

The choice that we are faced with is perhaps the most defining characteristic of our postmodern society. For a Christian who believes that God has prepared things for him to do, choices about everything from what job to take to where to live can be daunting and even disappointing. We often look for the burning bush that will tell us how we are to leave our indelible mark on the world. And yet God’s message to us is that his calling is really about how we live out our lives in obedience to Christ (Ephesians 1:4), within the church (1 Peter 2:9), and in our community (Ephesians 4-6).

There is no doubt that God created a very select few to make that indelible mark on the world (think Moses, David, Paul, and maybe Justin Bieber) but we must remember that our identity rests in our relationship with Christ. We are meant to live out our callings in many different ways at any given time and in different stages of life. In our journey of life, godly wisdom allows us to both discern the expression of our calling that is currently appropriate and prepare for changes to that expression as our seasons of life change. Godly wisdom does not require a burning bush!

Discerning how to express your calling

Our first call is to Christ himself. Give him control of your life, your agenda, your aspirations and achievements. You won’t be able to discern how to express your calling in other aspects of life without a relationship with Jesus. Once you understand God’s providence in your life, discerning the appropriate expression of your calling in the church and community is largely about understanding your own gifts and passions, and seeing these through the lens of opportunities and responsibilities given to you. Start by thinking about these questions:

1. What are my gifts and skills?

2. What are my passions?

3. What opportunities are there for me to use these skills and passions in the church, in the economy or workplace, in volunteer work and in my neighbourhood?

Think deliberately about these questions. Pray about them, and talk about them with your friends, family and elders. Remember that God calls us to many things so think about what you do with your time holistically rather than just about your job.

Preparing for changes

Godly wisdom can also help you discern how your station in life is likely to change. Is marriage in your future? How about children? A management position at work? A leadership position in a ministry? God can surely surprise us with the unexpected, but often these changes in circumstances (along with their commensurate responsibilities) can be foreseen. Recognize how your past experiences and skills are working together to point you in a certain direction. Surrendering this to Christ, embrace the opportunities he is giving you to prepare.

Our calling is to Christ, the church and our community. Making sure your life’s foundation in Christ is solid through surrendering to him will allow you to discern how best to express your calling in the choices you make.

By Mike Logan

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10

We are so often faced with the world’s standards that assign us our identity based on
our achievements. We strive to get into the best schools, to choose the right course
of study and to get a good job. But as Christians, we can rest in the assurance that
God prepared things for us to do before we were born, and loves us unconditionally
through the lens of His own gracious sacrifice. There’s just a small problem with that: in
a modern world where we can be whatever we want, what does it mean to do the things
God has prepared for us to do?

If God indeed calls us to do good works he has prepared for us, it can feel as though we
are not only trying to satisfy the expectations of our parents, our friends and family and
ourselves, but also God Almighty! Disappointing my parents is bad enough, but what if I
disappoint God?

This perceived expectation often leads to Christians valuing some professions more
than others. Perhaps it’s missions, medicine, international development or teaching
rather than law, marketing, real estate or carpentry.

Despite our best efforts, we all question what we do at some point. We question our
assumptions (would God look down on carpenters?) and the advice our parents gave
us. We ask what would have happened if we had gone to a different school. The
nagging, underlying question remains: What will happen if I miss doing the things that
God has prepared for me?

Faced with this added pressure, many of us have cried out in desperation “Help, God!
Give me a sign!”

Moses got a clear message from God (Exodus 3:10). So did Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10)
and Gideon (Judges 6) and Jonah (Jonah 3:1-2). So where’s my burning bush? Where’s
my giant fish?!

This brings us back to our first question: what does it mean to do the things God has
prepared for us to do?

Join us on May 15 for What’s My Calling?, a panel and discussion about what it means
to be called by God to our work

Coming soon; Part 3: Being Assured of My Calling.