The Gospel at Work – How working for King Jesus gives meaning and purpose to our jobs?is the latest in a series of books (For example, Work Matters – Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday work by Tom Nelson and?Every Good Endeavour – connecting your work to God’s plan for the world by Tim Keller) designed to outline a clear theology work before discussing the implications of this for a range of issues facing Christians in the workplace.
?My plan is to blog my way through this book as, even a quick scan, indicates it as a highly valuable resource. ?
So here’s some basic information before we get into a chapter-by chapter look at what authors Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert have to say:
- The book is available in paperback and Kindle format – a very easy read
- David Platt writes the foreword
- Free downloadable 6 session Study Guide if available – you need to sign up to get access
- Short video introductions for each session are also available via a YouTube channel. ?Check out Session 1 – The Challenge: Idol vs. Idle?here.?
The authors assert that,
“Most Christians fall into one of the two main problems when it comes to work: either they are idle at work, or they make an idol of work. ?
Both of these mindsets ? idleness in work and idolatry of work ? are deadly misunderstandings of how God intends for us to think about our jobs. In The Gospel at Work, [the authors] unpack the powerful way in which the gospel can transform our work and bring meaning and purpose to it. They answer some of the tough, practical questions that Christians in the workplace often ask, like: What factors should matter most in choosing a job? How should I think about how to treat my boss, my co-workers, and my employees? Is full-time Christian work more valuable than my job? Is it ok to be motivated by money? How do you prioritize ? or balance ? work, family and church responsibilities? Solidly grounded in the gospel, The Gospel at Work confronts both our idleness at work and our idolatry of work with a challenge of its own ? to remember that?who?we work for is infinitely more important than what we do.” ?
Here’s a list of the chapters we’ll be working through:
- The idolatry of work
- Idleness in ?work
- The gospel in the workplace
- The King’s purposes in our work
- How should I choose a job?
- How do I balance work, church and family?
- How do I handle difficult bosses and coworkers?
- What does it mean to be a Christian boss?
- How can I share the gospel at work?
- Is full-time ministry more valuable than my job?
Stay tuned for regular blogs as we work through these chapters.
?Murray Wright, 28 August, 2014
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