Hurry To Someplace Else

By Mike Henry Sr.

Running off

What message do workplace Christians send to the world when we hurry from work to attend church activities? Do you race from work to get to church often? Are your Mondays filled with stories about church and friends from the day before?

Hurry – the wrong message

Could these and other signs of active church membership send a message to others that our work relationships are secondary to our faith relationships?

I struggled for years with the constant pull of church life. My best friends attended my suburban church. I enjoyed small groups and men’s activities. But church programs and family consumed my discretionary time. We lived in the suburbs and attended church there. So, I would race home every evening, many times to make small group meetings or church activities.

What do non-Christian friends think about us when we drop out of activities with them because we’re running off to church? My actions sent the message that my church and suburb friends were more important to me than my coworkers.

Jesus had time for people

God provided the local church for our good. We need to hear God’s word and live in community with some other Christ-followers. We flourish when we’re in accountable fellowship with other believers.

But how much time do we need? Does time at church take us away from where God wants us? Where is our ministry? Do we miss it if we’re in a hurry?

Many think ministry happens on the church property. Or maybe we might also include the poor neighborhoods and third world countries as places where one might “do” ministry. But for someone who works for a living at a government entity, for-profit business, or a secular non-profit, we must remember everywhere is Jesus’ mission field. Jesus expects us to join him in his mission wherever we are.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10 NASB

Send a different message

If you agree that God is in control, Jesus expects you to do good works for the people in your life. This includes good (or not) friends, customers, associates, vendors, teammates, and servers. It includes people near and those you wish were far away. Our mission involves everyone we interact with every day. Running from one group to get to another seems like such a waste of energy.

Who has God placed near you at work, or in your daily life? Make the most of the time. When we pray for and appreciate those nearest, we see opportunities to join God as he works in their life. We experience God working in their lives and ours. You never know what opportunities for joy and purpose await as you serve the people you already see every day.

Would you like to do more? Check out the Marketplace Mission Trip and sign up! This is a 2-week experience to help you see your workplace as “your” mission field!

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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This post was written by Tacoi Bell of The Anointed Editorial. To connect with Tacoi, see the information in the

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