The document discusses how work is good and can have spiritual value and eternal significance when done properly and as if for God. It provides examples from the Bible of God creating the world and assigning Adam and Eve to work and care for the Garden of Eden before sin. While work may feel meaningless at times, when used to make the world better and bring order, it reflects God's continued work since creation and can have lasting impact and value.

3. Dilbert tells how people really feel about work

4. Too many people’s theology about work is akin to Wally’s

6. Suppose a reporter showed up at your work and asked: “ How does your work affect the world?” What would you say? Would you stumble before answering? Would you eventually come up with a cheery answer?

7. How does your work affect the world? The idea of this series is that work is good – in spite of how it is portrayed in shows like The Office or comic strips like Dilbert Not that work isn’t hard, or that it doesn’t feel absurd or brutal or simply necessary Saying that work, when it’s properly understood and performed, is good

8. Last week: Work is part of worship – no matter what we do for a living From schoolwork to retirement & everything in between, if we do it to the best of our ability, as if for God himself, our work is an act of worship Today: work is good for God’s world Your work, whatever it is, can have spiritual value & eternal significance

9. One man’s answer after a career in politics, construction, engineering “ Meaningless, meaningless. My heart despairs over all my toilsome labor under the sun. All of it is meaningless and a chasing after the wind.” Solomon, one of the most industrious & productive workers in human history We speak of his accomplishments 3,000 years later Yet he felt as though his work had no lasting value We all feel that way sometimes

10. Does our work really matter? Full-time worker logs 100,000 hours in a lifetime At-home mom can double that What will you have to show for all those hours? What difference will you make in the world? Especially pointed for Christians frustrated by the amount of time & energy they spend on the job when they’d rather be doing God’s work – serving the church or spreading the gospel Listen to how one man resolved that tension:

11. Haddon Robinson tells of a frustrated worker “ For ten years I worked as an architect in a large firm in my city. I enjoyed my work, but as I thought about it, my work seemed insignificant. For example, I helped design some office buildings in the downtown part of that city and some homes on the outskirts of the city.

12. Haddon Robinson tells of a frustrated worker “ But I realized that those office buildings would last 50, at most 75 years they’d be pulled down. Those mansions would become tomorrow’s boarding houses or slums. I felt I wanted to do something really significant with eternal value.

13. Haddon Robinson tells of a frustrated worker “ So I gave up my job as an architect, went to seminary, and now I’m working on a mission field. I give people the gospel and build into their lives truth that has eternal significance.”

14. Is that what it comes down to? Do you have to quit your job to do God’s work in the world, or is it possible to find spiritual value and eternal significance in the job you have right now? Let’s go to the Bible & see what God has to say about how our work affects the world Back to the beginning – to Genesis 1–2

16. Genesis 1:1-2 NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (2) Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

17. God is a worker & he’s been working since the beginning We learn about the work God has been doing “ Created” More than just bringing something out of nothing Includes organizing what exists Assigning functionality to the parts That’s we see God doing here – bringing … Order out of chaos Fullness out of emptiness Light out of darkness

18. That was just the beginning More work to be done – so much that it would take six days to accomplish it all Involved intelligence & intentionality Unfolds in a logical progression, day after day, with increasing complexity and purpose God used a variety of skills: God spoke God gathered God set in place God made

19. C reation involved intelligence, skill & partnership Verse 1: God the Father initiated creation Verse 2: God the Spirit was involved in creation God the Son was the agent of creation John 1:1-3 NIV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was with God in the beginning. (3) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. All three members of the Godhead participated in the work of creation

20. But the job wasn’t finished There was still more work to be done So God created man Genesis 1:26 NIV Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Notice two things:

21. First Human beings were endowed with … God’s image – nature, attributes & ability to work Minds that can reason & compute & imagine Skills & physical capacities that enable us to work – posture, opposable thumbs, five senses & strength Other humans with whom to work – first a man & woman, then children, siblings, relatives & neighbors We were designed by God to work in the same ways that he works – with intelligence & skill & in partnership with others

22. Second God intended them to carry on work he began He expected them to increase, to expand, to subdue & to govern the world he had created In other words, when God finished creating the universe, the work still wasn’t done God rested on the seventh day, but he didn’t quit Work of creation was going to continue for a long time The word, create , shows up again & again to describe God’s continuing work in the world God meant for humans to work with him in controlling his creation

23. Consider the ecosystem God created for the humans Genesis 2:15 NIV The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. The garden, beautiful as it was, still needed work Tending & cultivating Expansion & diversification & protection God expected Adam & Eve to use their knowledge, skill & partnership with each other to make the garden all it was capable of becoming

24. This is interesting I thought when God created the universe & the Garden of Eden, it was perfect In one sense, it was It was everything God intended it to be at that time But it wasn’t everything it could be It wasn’t all it would be when his plans were finished The world God created was good In fact, it was very good But it wasn’t done It was perfect, but it wasn’t perfected Let me illustrate

25. Can anyone tell me what this is? An original mobile phone An amazing invention Talk to people even when away from your home Brick-shaped thing with a big antenna sticking out People would see them in grocery store or sporting event & say, “Ridiculous! Why would anyone need a phone there?!” Remember those days?

26. Now, do you know what this is? An iPhone More than a phone Computer, camera, personal stereo, TV, & organizer Brick phone was good It was complete Everything a mobile phone could be at the time Not everything a mobile phone could or would be More work to be done

27. The iPhone is very good Does far more than the original phone could do But it’s still not done We can’t imagine what phones will look like and what they’ll be capable of five, ten, or 100 years from now

28. So it was in the Garden of Eden Perfect, but not perfected More work to be done We imagine the Garden of Eden as a primitive Club Med where Adam and Eve would spend their days sipping piña coladas & watching the sunset, while the animals romped in the trees

29. But that wasn’t it at all; they had work to do Plants & shrubs needed tending & pruning Animals needed named & tamed, to be useful Adam & Eve needed to procreate to bring more humans into the world Offspring needed to be cared for – nurtured & protected & educated And somebody had to make the piña coladas!

30. This took place before Adam & Eve sinned, before ground was cursed We tend to think that work is a result of the curse, but that’s not the case at all Human beings were working before they sinned & God was working before human beings needed to be saved

32. Creation was Phase One of God’s plan for the universe God intended for humans to use their knowledge, skill & connections to make the world all that he intended it to be When we do that, our work is good What kind of work do you do?

33. How do you make the world work the way God intends it to work? Some work is knowledge-based: medicine, law, IT, education, finance Some work is skill-based: carpentry, athletics, fine arts, manufacturing, or culinary arts Some work involves managing & leveraging of relationships: HR, sales, parenting, management, or the helping professions

34. Using knowledge, skills & connections for good is good work What is a botnet? Computer virus From a news article: “They secretly install themselves on thousands or even millions of personal computers, band these computers together into an unwitting army of zombies, and use the collective powers of the dragooned network to commit Internet crimes.”

35. Yikes! You know what I’m thinking? I’m glad there are people who understand this & who are writing software to keep the world safe from botnets Your work matters! When you make life better for others, when you make one corner of the world a safer, place, you’re doing good work In fact, you’re doing God’s work

37. We often make artificial distinction between sacred & secular work Bible says work is God’s work if making people & world all God intends them to be Return to architect who became a missionary Not questioning his decision, but his reasoning He reasoned that designing office buildings & houses had no spiritual significance & no eternal value But if his office buildings added beauty to the city, then his work was good If the homes he designed provided people with safety & comfort & a life together, then his work was good

38. The same can be said for any profession or occupation God wants His world to be beautiful, so he commissions people to be artists & designers & beauticians & paint store owners God wants people to be healthy, so he commissions others to be physicians & nurses & nutritionists & therapists God wants children to be loved & nurtured, so he raises up parents & grandparents & den mothers & child care workers

39. The same can be said for any profession or occupation God wants knowledge to increase, so He calls people to do research & design computers & write books & teach students God cares about justice, so he calls people to be attorneys & judges & lawmakers God values order, so He puts managers in charge of departments, secretaries in charge of offices, & homemakers in charge of households God wants people to live in peace & safety, so he enlists soldiers & police officers and government officials

40. The May, 2009 Christian Chronicle tells of the Pitman Church of Christ MISSION STATEMENT: “We, the local body of the church of Christ, devote ourselves to following the will of God as it is revealed in His infallible Word, the Bible. We exist to glorify God in our collective worship, to reach out to the lost with the gospel, and to build one another up in love. Knowing that we are saved by grace, ALL members are encouraged to use their God-given talents to serve others and to grow in faith, toward God and His son, Jesus Christ.” 20 mi. south of Philadelphia People drive 40 miles to attend Stress close connections Sunday night small groups Wednesday night meals

41. The key to the church’s growth – friendship evangelism Perception that the church can’t grow in the Northeast — that people won’t respond to the gospel But the Pitman church defies that notion By loving people & showing them Jesus People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care

42. Examples abound Anita O’Hara – an old bar girl – baptized at 65 Elder Greg Krinks, pulled her aside & asked why she had no teeth – she had lost them in an accident Krinks: “But I want to give you teeth, I’m a dentist.” Francis Stetser – a drug & alcohol addict – turned his life around after deacon Rich Rinne hired him for construction job When “Franny” died at 46, members overwhelmed wife Sandy with concern & she was baptized Horatio Fenton – Jamaican immigrant – had lost job Depressed because he wasn’t supporting family Befriended by Dan Cooper & the church – no one judged him Became deacon in 2001 & elder in 2007

43. Meet Kelly & Troy Spencer Troy was doing electrical work for elder Dwight Thompson & his wife Mary Lea Mary Lea showed up at his house with a cake Kelly & Troy were baptized Troy remembers walking into the building for the first time “ Dwight greeted me and introduced me to this one and this one,” he said. “I never felt like the new guy. I felt like I walked in somebody’s home and I was immediately a part of the family.”

44. And I couldn’t help slipping this in My daughter, son-in-law & grandson: Carla, Sherwin & Tanner Darunday

46. There was a time in this country when people of color couldn’t … Eat in certain restaurants Attend certain schools Live in certain neighborhoods Pursue certain careers Things had been that way for a long time Many attempts to change the system had failed

47. But along came a man Martin Luther King didn’t like how world worked in 1950’s Didn’t think that’s what God had in mind so he went to work Used knowledge of history, government & human behavior to teach a new strategy for change: non-violent resistance Used skill with words to inspire & challenge the American people to pursue the dream of an integrated and just society Used connections with politicians & preachers to put pressure on our nation’s industries & institutions

48. Soon other workers joined the cause Cleaning woman refused to give up her seat on a bus Social workers went south to register voters Small business owners dared to serve people of color Educators taught their students that all people were created equal Lawmakers drafted & passed civil rights legislation His work set in motion a movement that transformed us into a nation where people of all races & backgrounds can sit together at the table of brotherhood

50. Every Monday morning you and I have the same opportunity To put our knowledge, skills & connections to work – if not for justice, then for beauty or truth or health or whatever endeavor God calls us to When you and I work to make life better for one person, for one community, for one industry, we are joining God in the work He’s been doing from the very beginning – the creation and expansion of a universe that reflects his glory in ever increasing ways for all of eternity When you understand this, work is good In fact, it’s very good

51. Before you can join God in His work, you must join God in His will Ephesians 4:17-24 NIV So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. (18) They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (19) Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. (20) You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.

52. Before you can join God in His work, you must join God in His will (21) Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. (22) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; (24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.