"The Sacredness of Secular Work" (Jordan Raynor)

TITLE: The Sacredness of Secular Work: 4 Ways Your Job Matters for Eternity (Even When You're Not Sharing the Gospel)
AUTHOR: Jordan Raynor
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook & Multnomah, 2024, (224 pages).
 

One of the most popular resources for Christians is to find meaning in everyday work. The interest revolves around questions about practicing one's faith in the world. What does faith in the marketplace mean? How do we live the spiritual life in an increasingly secular world? What does it mean to be a Christian in the workplace? What should we do if our workplaces forbid us from practicing our faith? Does our work really matter? What does gospel living look like? In this book, author Jordan Raynor asserts that our work not only has "instrumental value" on earth, it also has "eternal intrinsic value" to God. "By "instrumental value," it means our work matters because it can be an opportunity to explicitly share the gospel with people we work with. "Intrinsic value" refers to how our work matters even when we are not explicitly sharing the gospel. The Great Commission should not be the "only" commission in life as it might give us a flawed sense of living as a Christian in an unChristian world. The primary reason is that though He lived with the gospel in mind, Jesus never turned everything into a "Great Commission" act. Many of his simple acts are that of care, compassion, care, and common living. One observation that the author makes is how the focus on the Great Commission Only is only a recent phenomenon. The Early Church did not have that distinction between sacred and secular lives. In fact, the words "Great Commission" did not even show up until the 1800s. In other words, the reason why so many today are asking how our work matters to God, is due to the mental separation of sacred and secular worlds. After listing the five ways we have misapplied the Great Commission, Raynor also enlarges the understanding of work beyond mere paid careers. This forms the major part of the book that looks at how we can live out the gospel in 99% of the time when we are not explicitly "sharing the gospel."

Part One shows us how to do that. Raynor distinguishes the abridged gospel from the unabridged one by showing us that the gospel is more than salvation from sins. The full gospel begins with creation, affected by sin, continued with redemption-renewal, and culminating in the consummation. The Great Commission needs to be seen together with the First Commission given back in Genesis. He then expands our understanding of heaven by distinguishing between "Half Truth" and "Whole Truth" about heaven. He gives us five ways to do that. For instance, one half-truth is to see heaven merely as a future place we will go instead of the whole-truth that heaven can be anticipated tomorrow and also enjoyed today.

Part Two describes how we can apply this expanded paradigm of the Whole Commission and the Whole Truth. This is expressed via four ways to live eternity today. 

1. Ordinary ways apart from changing-the-world projects
2. Meaningful work that lasts
3. Living heaven on earth
4. Making disciples without Christian-labelled deeds
   

The first way takes the pressure off from the desire for significance. Sometimes, the tendency to rely on big-changing projects before starting can discourage people from doing anything in the first place. We can please God through simple practices such as sharing God's hope and love with people via good deeds. It can also instill wonder in God's creation. Building upon this is the second way of maximizing our work for eternal rewards. What are the things we can do to gain God's pleasure? Raynor gives examples such as hard work, quality builds, enduring insults, charity, prayer, doing good even to our enemies, and hospitality. The third way focuses on bringing heaven down to earth just like how we pray in the Lord's Prayer for God's will to be done in heaven as it is on earth. This means learning to shake off things that do not belong to the Kingdom; plant the things that do; and be representatives for God wherever we go. The fourth way shows us the more explicit things we could do in sharing the gospel. This includes acts of prayer, good deeds, friendship evangelism, spiritual conversations, and a readiness to explain why we believe in Jesus. The author also includes other online resources for pastors and laypersons on his website.

My Thoughts
There are already many resources available about practicing faith in the marketplace. So what makes this book any different? I want to answer it at two levels. The first level is the similarity level. It is similar to many other books in wanting to expand Christian living beyond Sundays. It affirms the need to erase any divide between the sacred and the secular. It differs by encouraging us to witness without the burdens of Christian "labeling" or conforming to modern perceptions of Christian witness. Raynor does it by reminding us that gospel witness is more than sharing John 3:16, distributing tracts, or organizing evangelistic events. This is important because such tactics squeeze gospel sharing into a small box. By tearing down the half-truths and limited versions of the Great Commission, believers can be freed to witness at any opportunity given to them. There is no need to wait until there is a Sunday service on evangelism before inviting friends. There is no need to wait until people are ready to hear a gospel presentation. We do not need to limit any gospel presentation to only the New Testament! 

The difference level is how the book frees us to live integrated lives at all times. We do not have to feel guilty when we are not sharing the bridge to Jesus or the Four Spiritual Laws. Our witness is not about sharing the gospel openly but living well consistently. The four ways that Raynor has advocated can point us forward on how to witness freely and guilt-free. We do not have to depend on any world-changing events. Neither do we need to restrain ourselves from passionately chasing after eternal rewards. Our ordinary work and play matter to God. Even when people insult us, we can learn to endure for the sake of Christ. Thankfully, Raynor did not ditch those who yearned for that familiar gospel-sharing method. His fourth way helps us to identify ourselves as Christians unabashedly and to maximize opportunities to share spiritual truths with anyone who asks us for the reasons for our faith. 

This is an encouraging book about guilt-free Christian living that is orientated toward whole witness and wholesome living. 

Jordan Raynor is a leading voice of the faith and work movement and bestselling author of Redeeming Your Time. Through his books, podcasts, and weekly devotionals, he helps millions of Christians in every country connect the gospel to their work. Raynor also serves as the executive chairman of Threshold 360. He has been selected as a Google Fellow twice and served in the White House under President George W. Bush. A sixth-generation Floridian, Raynor lives in Tampa with his wife and their three young daughters.

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Waterbrook & Multnomah via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.