Christ is Lord over every area of life, including every professional area. You are free to pursue your vocation with vigor and freedom knowing Christ is Lord over that area. How can this reality give you power and encouragement in your work today?
Christ gives us power for our work through the Holy Spirit, and he gives us encouragement for our work by praying on our behalf.
The Holy Spirit, Our Source of Power
At Pentecost, the Spirit was sent to be the Advocate (Paracletos) to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn 16:7). Particularly, the Spirit was sent to do the following:
- Convict “the world” concerning the sin of unbelief (Jn 16:9)
- Provide a conviction of the winsome attractiveness of Christ when He was no longer present as a visual example of it (Jn 16:10)
- Show that the problem of evil will have a culmination in the “ruler of this world” (Satan) being judged (Jn 16:11).
The conviction being discussed applies not just to individual people but to “the world” (Jn 16:8). There is a public dimension to the Holy Spirit’s work, as well as a private and personal one.
When we confront the public issues of the day (from a biblical perspective), we don’t have to rely on our own intelligence and power alone. We can appeal to the Spirit to be our prosecuting and defending advocate. The work of the Spirit applies not only to evangelism and missions, but to other areas of culture. Christ empowers our gifts to be used in the church and the world.
The evangelical church has focused on personal salvation, or at best, personal discipleship, but not on detailed, specific help for people as they do their work in the world through various professions. Christian author William E. Diehl writes in Christianity and the Real Life:
I am now a manager for a major steel company. In the almost thirty years of my professional career, my church has never once suggested that there be any type of accounting of my on the job ministry to others. My church has never once offered to improve those skills which could make me a better lay minister, nor has it ever asked if I needed any kind of support in what I was doing. There has never been an inquiry in the types of ethical decisions I must face, or whether I seek to communicate my faith to my co-workers. I have never been in a congregation where there was any type of public affirmation of a ministry in my career. In short, I must conclude that my church doesn’t really have the least interest in whether or how I minister in my daily work.
In this man’s life, it’s as if Christ was not Lord of all of life. In truth, the Spirit is meant to empower us in public as well as personal life. The Spirit is meant to gifts not just for evangelism, but for our work.
Prayer, Our Encouragement
What does Christ as the ascended Lord continue to do? Among other things, he prays for us. As the great High Priest, he “always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).
Christ died for us, rose for us, reigns in power for us, and prays for us (Rom. 8:34). When Simon Peter fell into denying Christ, the assurance of his return to faith was, “I have prayed for you” (Lk. 22:31-32). If Christ is praying for us, should we not be encouraged as we encounter difficulties in this world – in our jobs, families, and relationships?
Hopefully you will find this knowledge – that the Holy Spirit is empowering us in public life and Christ continues to pray for us – a source of power and encouragement for your work.
