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
青年牧者对谈：基督徒如何解决四大职场困惑？ 努力赚钱就是贪爱世界？ 工作与教会聚会冲突，该怎么办？ 这份工作是神对我的呼召吗？ 在工作中，如何践行我的基督信仰？…… 弟兄姐妹们，对于工作，您是否有未解开的困惑，导致您在工作中迟疑不定、无的放矢？ 谈天社第四期2020年7月2日 邀请了两位对职场牧养有负担的青年牧者——宋光教士与张忠秋传道，对这四个问题进行了解答。 以下是当天对谈内容节选摘要： 问：如何判断我做的工作是否是神对我的呼召吗？ 张传道：首先要知道神会呼召我们做不同的工作，对每个人的主权不一样不意味着神呼召我们做某个职位就一切顺利。 神呼召我们不是一瞬间的，神在呼召我们时，神一定会预备我们学习的时间。 如何知道神呼召了我？ 当我们从事某个工作时，有一定的拦阻（出奇的不顺利），我们的想法和神预备的可能有偏差，神就会拦阻我们。 基督徒要有属灵的意识，有从神而来的平安。 神呼召我们在一个位置上，也会有坎坷的，但神会帮助我们与我们同在。 我们要知道：神呼召、神负责、神保护、神祝福。 宋传道：如何知道神是否是神的呼召是一定有一个前提的。 面临人生重要择业选择时，有没有真正的让神来掌管我们人生的选择，这点是很重要的。 确定的前提是将神放在生命的主权。 问：我的工作与教会聚会冲突。 该怎么办？ 宋传道：圣经原则是不可停止聚会。 神知道人的有限，一旦离开团契生活，人就容易造成属灵软弱甚至背弃信仰。 不可停止聚会是为了让我们信徒之间有美好的信仰生活。 个人而言，要有爱神的心智。 有信心的话，宁可转行也相信神的预备。 没有信心的话，如果现实境况就是很需要这份工作，那个人要有所调整，重要的是不能断了基督里面的属灵连接，从教会的责任而言，对教会牧养的挑战：青年人很多来教会，教会针对青年人做出调整。 应多多增加教会的聚会。 张传道：从教会层面考虑，增加教会牧养场次；不要把主日迷信化；对时间有正确的认识。 个人的心智上，有美好的心智的话，就不会停止聚会，也不可看重聚会就忽视工作。 聚会、工作都是一种敬拜，要有一种平衡。 重要的是有没有爱主的心智。 敬拜得胜的人才能带下圣灵的能力。 核心而言，心很重要，很渴慕的心就会想出很多解决的办法。 问：努力赚钱就是贪爱世界？ 宋传道：工作本身也是神对我们的一种恩典。 “努力赚钱就是贪爱世界”，这是对圣经真理的误解。 做工得工价是应当的，这与贪爱世界没有必然的联系。 什么是贪爱世界？ 爱钱过于爱基督。 但我们也不能单从一个方面来看，我们不知道人的心到底是怎样的。 需要查看做事的动机，内心里看中的到底是什么。 不能从表面行为简单的去判定，人心里到底看重的是什么，只有神知道。 张传道：贪爱世界与我们做什么无关，与人的内心有关。 问：在工作中，如何践行我的基督信仰？ 张传道：职场是信徒属灵生命的操练场。 面对挑战如何践行爱？ 首先明白职场属灵原则，爱要有界限，不是凭着自己的血气去爱。 靠着圣灵活出基督的爱，仁爱不等于一味的谦让，是活在公义正直当中，学会保护自己。 爱人不等于纵容别人去犯罪。 一味的忍让不是爱。 爱要有尺度。 还有要过过分别为圣的生活：例如工作中在金钱让犯罪，你就没有办法去见证了。 爱的前提要对付罪恶。 基督徒要守规矩，按规矩行事，基督徒很多时候在讲规矩时讲感情，讲感情的时候讲规矩。 并且爱要有尺度，爱要圣洁，爱要爱仇敌。 宋传道：对身边的人谈爱，最好的方式是，将我们的信仰主耶稣活出给他们看，活出见证。 保护自己不仅是外在自身的权益和安全也要懂得保护灵性不被影响，不让自己的属灵生命处在不健康的状态。 其他问答分享包括： 职场中最重要的品质和最要不得的品质是什么？ 基督徒在职场中该怎样面对领导或者老板呢？ 特别是有些拖欠工资或者不好的老板？
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
Young Pastors: How Should Christians Handle Dilemmas in the Workplace?
