In his book, “The Secret Message Of Jesus,” Brian McLaren asks the question: What if the real difference is made in the world not by us preachers but by those who endure our preaching, those who quietly live out the secret message of the kingdom of God in the daily, workaday lives in the laboratory, classroom, office, cockpit, parliament, kitchen, market, factory, and neighborhood?
I don’t think the question should be “What if?” I think a statement needs to be made: The world won’t be changed by a bunch of preachers, it will be changed by a bunch of people who love God and desperately love the people around them–all the people of the world.
Sooo, rather than separating ourselves into two groups, the professionals and the lay people, let’s drop the categories, link arms and bring God’s Kingdom to earth right here and right now!
A group of us at work “Adopted” a local struggling family this Christmas. The enthusiasm and generosity from my co-workers was astounding, and most of them don’t even go to church. It seems they became a “world changing bunch of people who desperately loved the people around them” without even knowing it. An accidental church?
I stand in agreement!!!
Amen! I have often noticed in church (not yours!)people distinguishing between those “in ministry” and those who have to work ministry in around their job.
I once had a person tell me in a quiet voice so no one could hear, “You know I kind of consider my job part of my ministry.”
I sometimes think of church as the breakroom, but the rest of our lives is where the real work of Christ gets done.
Amen! And thanks for the reminder. Whether it’s our profession or not, we should all strive to become full time Christians – leading and loving those around us. It’s a tall order, full of plenty of challenge, but that’s what growth is all about.