On July 2, 2020, the Gospel Talkshow or Tantianshen, a Chinese Christian live broadcast outlet, launched a live program focusing on four main dilemmas in the workplace. Pastor Song Guang and Pastor Zhang Zhongqiu from northeast China shared their answers.
Confusion one: How do you know your job is a calling from God?
Pastor Zhang: First of all, be sure that God calls us to do different types of work. A different calling doesn’t mean that we will be successful in our jobs. God does not call us in an instant. When he calls us, God must prepare the time for us to learn.
How do you know God is calling you? When you are doing work, there must be something that withholds you or an incredible difficulty. If there is a misalignment between our thoughts and the work God prepares, he will interfere with your work. Christians should be spiritually aware and feel peace from God.
God calls you to stand on a position, there will be bumpy roads, but he will help you and be present with you. We should know that since this is the calling from God, he is responsible and will protect and bless you.
Pastor Song: There is a premise of confirming the calling.
It matters if we invite God to be charge of our life choices when we face important career choices. The premise is to exercise God’s sovereignty over our life.
Confusion two: My work time conflicts with the schedule of church services. What should I do?
Pastor Song: The biblical principle is not giving up meeting together.
God knows that as humans we have limitations. Once we give up the fellowship, we are more likely to suffer from weakness and may even leave the faith. Not forsaking assembling together is to let us have a good fellowship life. We should have the mind of loving God.
If we have faith, we would rather try something else and believe his providence. If you don’t have faith and desperately need your job, then you should make adjustments. The key is to continue the spiritual connection in Christ. In terms of the church’s responsibility, it should change for young people. More meetings should be added.
Pastor Zhang: The church should add more services. As for professionals, they should have a right understanding of time.
A person with a good mind of loving God will not stop meeting or neglect their work due to religious meetings. Meeting and work are also worship and should be balanced.
The significant thing is thto have a mind that loves God. The person who can attend services can bring down the power of the Holy Spirit. The core is the heart. A person with a hungry heart will think of many solutions.
Confusion three: Is making money a sign of loving the world?
Pastor Song: Work itself is a kind of grace that God gives us. It’s a misunderstanding of the Bible that “people who make money are lovers of the world.” When a man works, his wages are credited to him as an obligation. It is not necessarily related to the love of the world.
Loving the world means that you love money more than Christ. But we should not judge one from the outside because it doesn’t reflect one’s heart. We need to check their motivation. Only God knows what exactly a person values in their heart.
Pastor Zhang: Loving the world has nothing to do with what we do, but what’s inside us.
Confusion four: How should we apply our Christian faith to our work?
Pastor Zhang: A workplace is a place where believers practice their spiritual life.
How to practice love? First, be aware that love has boundaries then don’t love others according to the flesh.
Live out Christ’s love by the Holy Spirit. Love is not blind humility but lives in righteousness and integrity with self-protection.
There are rules. Secondly, live a consecrated life. If you sin in money at work, you can’t give testimony. Love has rules and is holy. You should love your enemies.
Pastor Song: The best way to love your neighbors is to live your life for the Lord Jesus. Protect yourself from physical and spiritual harm and keep your spiritual life healthy.
- Translated by Karen Luo
