Over at World, Brian Brenberg of The King’s College writes on the significance of advancing God’s kingdom through a regular 9 to 5 job.
On Labor Day, we should honor those who serve the Lord 9 to 5. But if you think I’m talking only about pastors and preachers, then you need to meet a man named Stephen. Acts 6 opens with the Greeks complaining that their widows aren’t getting enough to eat in the daily distribution. The apostles, meanwhile, are working so hard to feed the widows that they can’t find time to preach. And as the church grows, the problem gets worse. So, like good economists, the apostles propose a division of labor: They’ll stick to preaching and let the disciples find somebody else to serve tables. When we talk about “full-time” ministry today, it’s the apostles we usually have in mind—people whose daily work is devoted to preaching and teaching. The problem is that most of us aren’t preachers, and probably shouldn’t be. Most of us are much better at jobs that fall into the “non-preaching” category. To put it in the language of Acts 6, most of us are table servers. And most of us have no idea if this work matters to God.Read the remainder of the article here.
