Comments on: Churches, Affirm the Importance of Work and Mission

By: Bryant King

Bryant King — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:51:42 +0000

Timmy,

I am really finding your views encouraging and helpful.

Thank you,

Bryant King

By: Timmy Brister

Timmy Brister — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:26:43 +0000

Jerry,

Thanks for catching that man! I used to have an editor who would go over my posts, but he got him a girlfriend and no long has time for me or the blog (ahem, Brad Hughes). Then he tells me that he is going to run for US Congress again. We’ll see if I have time to campaign for him. I mean, blogging and US Congress–what’s more important?

Thanks for the hat tip and link for what you guys are doing. That sounds awesome. I will check it out.

By: Timmy Brister

Timmy Brister — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:23:51 +0000

Thanks Bobby. In the decade or so I have been in ministry, I have spent almost half working full-time on staff with a church and half working in a secular workplace. When I came to Louisville, I was convinced that I was not to serve on staff with a church but work in a place where there were as many unbelievers as possible. The advantages have been numerous, not the least of which is learning myself, overcoming challenges, facing discouragement, and growing in grace. I feel like I would have little to no credibility to challenge Christians to consider their work “gospel ministry” if it wasn’t the pursuit of my own life.

Work in general may be hard or easy at times, but gospel ministry is a work that is never easy. This greater work is one that reminds us that life is war, and the workplace is a battleground where the enemy would love to keep us out of “active service” (2 Tim. 2:3).

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:48:26 +0000

You learn something new everyday. If you don’t put the URL in tags, then your blog software automatically configures it for clicking, and avoids the spam filter!

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:46:21 +0000

Timmy,

Great post.

In the Stott quote, is the following sentence missing a verb?

Every church needs to know what its members, whether paid or not, because they are the church and they need to be supported in all that God has called them to do and be.”

Should it be:

Every church needs to know what its membersdo, whether paid or not, because they are the church and they need to be supported in all that God has called them to do and be.”

BTW, I am up early due to the fact that I am going to be working today with ~750 folks who are going to use their vocational gifts and talents to perform “not-so-extreme-makeovers” for over 50 of the poorest families in this city. I won’t post a clickable link, since that often sends the message to your spam box, but you can check out http://www.notsoextreme.org/abq/ for more information. This has been totally a “God thing” as we have seen answered prayer and the hand of His providence.

By: Bobby Gilles

Bobby Gilles — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:08:27 +0000

Great thoughts, and very convicting. Like you say, work is the place where most of us spend the majority of our waking hours, and yet, so often we divorce it from our “spiritual” time. It’s simply what we do and where we go to earn money — I forget to look at it as a mission field or a place where God’s glory can be displayed through the lives of those He as redeemed.