Secular vs Spiritual Jobs

I don't know when this started - calling jobs as secular vs working full time in church as pastors as spiritual. During 'revival meetings', the preacher will call people to the front to get them to commit to their 'callings' from God. These callings generally implied a call into the full-time ministry work, especially missionary works. Have you ever heard of a calling into "Business" or "Movie" vocation?

These narrow-minded thinking (God's calling means full-time mission work and only mission work is spiritual work; implying all other works are secular and not spiritual) result in much harm to the church and its effectiveness. For a church to be more effective and to have a greater impact, we have to break free from such narrow mindedness and biases. We are called to preach the gospel in the vocations that God has called us to be. In each of our vocations, there are many people that the pastors and preachers will not be able to reach. We are the ones anointed by God to reach the ones God put in our vocations.

We can see some improvements in preachers who preach the "Kings and Priests" calling of

• Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen
• Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

However, they still suffer from dividing the calling into two vocations - some are called to be Kings and some are called to be Priests. They said Priests are to give the visions and Kings are to give the provisions. Implying businesses exist to give money to the church to execute the visions. I have a problem with this narrow-mindedness. Providing provisions for the church by the businesses is just too narrow again. I have no issue if a business is for the vision of Christ - i.e. pro the vision and not just provisions.

The business itself has the vision to touch lives for Christ (the great commission) in ways that provide employment, products and services and the development of the nations they are in. They have great influence in showing how businesses should be run and how people should be treated. They show how 'Bible' should be lived.

I prefer the ways Ken Eldred addressed this issue of Business and Missions in his book "God is at Work". The relationships can be expressed three ways:

1. Business for Missions - the typical view
   
2. Business and Missions - the improved view
   
3. Business as Missions - the enlightened and correct view

Putting Business as second fiddle to the mission and not seeing the business is the mission has caused the church miss out many businesses that are used by the enemy. e.g. the media and performing arts, technology etc.

The gateways to a city are:

A: Arts and Entertainment
B: Business and Economics
C: Church and Religions
D: meDia and Distribution
E: Education
F: Family
G: Government

Let's not divided the gospels into compartments and keep people out. The message of the gospel should be the foundation and embedded in and show out in all the business and vocations that God has called and given us the abilities and strength to succeed in.

1Co 10:31b whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Updated 25 Oct 2011 Lim Liat (C)