We talk a lot about work -- or your "calling" -- at Trinity because your work matters to God.

Work is good. God reveals himself in the first pages of the Bible as a God who works.

As Jesus says in John 5:17, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working." Today, however, we consider work to be only that activity or service for which we are compensated. Today, we spend an inordinate about of time working in this way, and yet there are few if any personal Bible studies or small group materials that focus on how the gospel applies to our work beyond sharing the gospel with fellow associates & colleagues. We seek to remedy that by teaching you how to integrate the gospel into your home & work.

Why is it important for Trinity to equip you in this area? For the past one hundred and fifty years Christian discipleship programs have largely emphasized matters of personal devotion (i.e., piety, evangelism training) and discipleship (i.e., knowledge of doctrine, Scripture memory). Over time this has created a private / public divide in our knowledge base for how to live out the implications of the gospel. As Christians in the heartland of America, we have inherited a strength and weakness from our Christian fore bearers. We are very strong in the “sacred/private” aspects of Christianity: we are nice, kind, generous people, especially outside of work. But at work ("secular/public" aspects), we often operate by a totally different ethic and standard (e.g., consider the Christian business man who berates his employees when they underperform (merciless), or the Christian dentist cuts corners on her patients' checkups (laziness) or who begrudgingly gives raises to her dental hygienists (stinginess), or the lawyer who always reminds his paralegals how much their insurance benefits cost the practice (a power grab). We need fresh training on how to view the services we provide, the products we make and our work itself as an extension of God’s Kingdom and an act (not object!) of worship to King Jesus. Trinity will equip you in this area.

How do we live out the Gospel at work?

We encourage you to share the Good News of the Gospel with your colleagues and clients, but this is usually against company policy. What then? Should we undermine our employers? Must we leave our Christianity at home and operate by a different worldview at work?  

The Gospel at work matters.

God created this world good (Gen 1-2), but sadly it was destroyed by the Fall (Gen 3). The Good News is that God did not leave us to our own demise. By sending His Son He is graciously drawing a people to Himself (the Church) and renewing the fallen creation (Gen 4-Rev 20) by His Holy Spirit. By faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the Gospel not only changes our individual status before God (through faith we are adopted as God's children, something we don't deserve) but the Gospel restores our sense of calling in the world for the good all people. Whether you are an engineer, accountant, plumber, doctor, teacher, stay-at-home parent or something else, Scripture shows us four ways (at least!) to live out our callings in light of the Gospel.

Ethics

Operating clearly within the legal and moral codes of your field of expertise (Ex. 20; Dt. 5).

Experience

Enjoying the work itself and the thrill it brings to you (Gen. 1).

Evangelism

Telling others how God is restoring the world & inviting them to believe in Jesus (Matt. 28).

Excellence

Performing the best quality of work for your employer & clients that you are capable of offering (1 Cor. 10:31; Eph. 4:28, 6:7; Col. 3).

The best way to begin to apply these truths is to join us at Trinity this Sunday! 

Kingdom & Work