Author: Phill

The Sacredness of Secular Work, a book review

/ Phill / Leave a comment

In the beginning God created heaven and earth… and work! 

Scripture mentions work more than 800 times. Surely God has an interest and purpose in it.

To begin, I was uncomfortable with the use of the sacred/secular terminology because it is a false dichotomy which the title seemed to support. I soon realized Jordan knew readers would be comfortable with these terms. Then as he teaches about them he draws the two together and erases the dichotomy.

Raynor surveys the broad outline of the whole Gospel in the Bible with the familiar 4 Act Model.

1.   Creation – God created the world and revealed His plan. He gave mankind the assignment/commission to continue the creation process he started.

2.   The Fall – When sin came into the world it disrupted everything. Life became hard and dysfunctional.

“The curse broke much more than just our relationship with God . It broke everything God deemed good in Act 1 — human beings, the nonhuman world, and the world of work.” p.46

3.   Redemption – God sent his son Jesus to redeem His creation and restore it. This leads to the fulfillment of God’s plan for the Kingdom of God where God and man will dwell eternally.

4.   Renewal – The process has begun. It leads to a new heaven and new earth where God and His creation will enjoy each other forever.

 “Jesus said that his kingdom will be implemented, at least in part, through you and me.” p.55

Our work has meaning because it gives God pleasure and because it is part of His plan for the Kingdom of God. Raynor’s examination of the Kingdom of God opened some new lines of thought for me.

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Jesus the parable teller

/ Phill

Jesus the parable teller 

Most of us like to listen to stories. Whether it is for entertainment, or to make a point. Stories are memorable and stick with us. I found this excerpt in a book by storyteller Jackson Day a very succinct explanation of the power of story and why it was Jesus’ preferred teaching technique. Parable Seeds: Second Sowing explains why Jesus taught in parables.

“Jesus knew that people receive truth best when it was clothed in story. That is why when Jesus spoke to the crowd, He didn’t say anything to them without using parables (Mark 4:34). Jesus mastered the art of clothing truth with stories. Jesus’ parables didn’t illustrate His message; His stories were His message. Jesus told stories in order to put His listeners on the road to truth. Most of the time, Jesus didn’t even explain His parables. At the end of many parables Jesus said, ‘He who has ears, let him hear.’ 

“Story was Jesus’ form of speech. Jesus did not come to earth as a theologian; He came as a storyteller. Jesus did not lecture using point-driven abstract language. Jesus told stories every time when He spoke to crowds. Common people gladly heard Jesus tell His parables. Christians who are faithful to Jesus’ message need to be faithful to imitate Jesus’ storytelling approach. 

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 GO Equipped In-Person Course Coming to Atlanta this Fall

/ Phill

Do you have a desire to serve Jesus through your profession, business or studies?

The GO Equipped course is designed for students, businesspeople, workers and professionals who desire to let faith and work go hand in hand.  The course has an international focus but is also very valuable if you want to learn new things about serving Jesus at your current workplace.

The course introduces you to major subjects that are essential for every current or aspiring tentmaker. This includes teaching in areas such as:

• Businesspeople, professionals and students in God’s global strategy

• Why did God create work?

• Six ways of bringing your faith to work

• The international job market and how to find a job

• Business as Mission

• Building your cross-cultural understanding and competence

• Team dynamics

• Good tools for serving Jesus through your work

• Spiritual disciplines and workplace discipleship

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Reaching the Unreached – a book review

/ Phill

“You can’t read this book without becoming uncomfortable or convicted.” declares Jones at the beginning of his book.

Who Is This For?

This is helpful for reaching unreached whether around the block, or around the world.

The author, Peyton Jones, is a Great Commission church planter. He is a student of the Primitive (early) church. He studies the methods of Jesus and the Apostle Paul and adapts them for today’s context/

More importantly, he is an out-of-the-box thinker. He brings a fresh look at old themes and brings practical applications to the work of the mission of God for his Kingdom workers.

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