The Most Important Vocation
by Roger Andersen

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Romans 12:6-8 (NIV)

A few days ago, as I was listening to a Christian radio station, I heard a minister telling his audience that the ordained ministry is God's highest calling. He said, "My father used to remind me that even being President of the United States would be a step down."

What arrogance! Was Aaron's calling as high priest higher than Moses' calling to be a godly leader for the nation? Do we really believe that the vocation of a church pastor is a higher calling than that of the President of the United States, assuming both are trying to honor God in their work? I don't think so. Yet, this thinking is not only frequent among clergy, it is often believed by those of us in "secular" vocations.

It is a terribly depressing and defeating message. This pastor communicates: "God chose me, but He didn't choose you." I'm sure this minister didn't intend to tell his congregation that they were losers, but he did imply that he was on God's first team and that they were not.

Of course, this is all nonsense. God didn't design some of us to be "first stringers" and others to be "bench warmers" or "junior varsity"? We are all made in His image, but given different and unique gifts. How then do we discern what God calls us to do? Authors Sherman and Hendricks have great advice:

...start by assessing what equipment He has sovereignly designed into you. That equipment is part of His will. Design reveals the Designer's will.¹

Whatever God designed you to do, He wants you to glorify Him with your gifts and talents. Here are some examples.

Sports
In 2007, when NFL coaches Tony Dungee and Lovie Smith were about to face each other in the Super Bowl NFL coach they released this joint statement:
As pro football coaches, we are also men of faith. Our faith drives us every day to seek excellence. It comforts us in the worst of times and produces hope in adversity. It is through our common faith in Jesus Christ that we have individually experienced God's love and forgiveness.

Nearly everything we hear in the media regarding the lives of pro athletes (and even the coaches) is tragedy - drugs, rape, robberies, fights, etc. Tony Dungee and Lovie Smith have made a difference with the talents that God gave them.

Music
Ho Yeow Sun was music director for a church in Singapore but she had an extraordinary singing and performing talent. In 2001 she decided to leave church ministry and become a pop singer. Her songs have all had positive messages and four of her singles have reached #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart. In 2003 she was among 10 international nominees to be presented "The Outstanding Young Person of the Year Award" for her humanitarian work in building churches and medical clinics in China and Indonesia. In 2004 she was named as the "Most Admired Female Personality in Asia". She also continues to testify to her faith. Ho has made a difference in the pop culture for millions of young people.

Hollywood
If you're old enough, you might remember the Motion Picture Code Seal. From 1933 to 1966 every movie script was reviewed by representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Protestant Film Office. If they all approved of the movie, it received their seal of approval and was released. Hollywood, however, didn't abandon the church, the church abandoned Hollywood. The church stopped issuing the ratings in 1966, deciding to distance itself from Hollywood. And so, we've seen a breathtakingly fast moral decline in Hollywood movies in the last forty years.²

Mel Gibson, however, was given a passion (pun intended) to make a movie about Christ's last days. Hollywood, however, considered it too controversial (can you imagine?) and Gibson couldn't find any backers. He ended up not only directing, but co-producing and co-writing the screenplay. He reportedly risked fifty million dollars of his own money to produce and promote The Passion of the Christ! It became a huge hit and grossed over $600 million worldwide.

The Passion of the Christ opened doors for other movies with Christian themes like The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia and Amazing Grace. High quality movies with sound moral messages are a cultural influence through which God can begin to work in the hearts of vast viewing audiences. There are a few Christian producers, directors and writers making a difference like Martha Williamson (Touched by an Angel), Ralph Winter (The X-Men, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek), John Woo (Mission Impossible II) and others. We need many more people like them - and like Mel Gibson - in order to change the culture.

Media
The news has become a constant stream of selectively negative images. There is nothing balanced or uplifting about it, with the exception of efforts by a few cable channels. There are a few Christians reporting the news, like Diane Sawyer and Sean Hannity. However, Christians are greatly needed in executive/production roles that influence policies and content.

There is an interesting church in Annandale, Australia called Christians in the Media Church. This is part of their mission statement:

Our aim is to see ten percent (350 people) of Sydney's media become Evangelical Christians working together to evangelize the media community by 2016. We want to encourage our network ministry members to live radical lives in service of Jesus, urging them to be intentional missionaries in the media workplaces.³

Right on! This church may be "down under", but their goal is to be on top of the mountain. These media people have answered God's calling.

Politics
Our nation may have been founded by Christian politicians but now they're hard to find. There may be numerous believers in Washington and at the state and local levels of government as well; however, they are besieged and timid. There are few districts where a politician who publicly claims that he/she is guided by biblical codes of justice can be elected (or reelected). In particular, if a Supreme Court nominee is thought to be a Christian, he or she must artfully deny that scriptural teaching would influence their judgment! Christian politicians, therefore, tend to hide from the fact that scripture should be their first resource to find wisdom.

But once in a while, a Christian may take a stand for the Kingdom. William Wilberforce was a Member of Parliament in England from 1784-1812. He led a long crusade in politics that eventually led to the abolition of England's slave trade in 1807. Yet, he was successful only because of a strong and influential body of like-minded people who stood behind him - The Clapham Group. They were made up of politicians, clergy, authors, nobility, scholars, bankers, philanthropists and businessmen; influential in every sector of culture.

Why don't we, as Christians, back our elected representatives as the Clapham group did? As Christians, we say that we look forward to when we will be under the Lord's perfect justice in heaven. Why then are we so afraid and timid to wish for that justice to be our guide here on earth? We need more Christians in politics, but we simply can't send them against the enemy without our support. We need a Clapham Group here in the United States. Anyone called?

Education
For most of history, education and Christianity were partners. Consider this:

• The first book read in most of the world was the Bible.

• The missionary movement in the 19th century pioneered tens of thousands of schools throughout the third world.

• Christians were at the forefront of educational progress:

  • Justin Martyr established catechetical schools in Ephesus and Rome (2nd century) and Clement established a prominent school in Alexandria.

  • Christian schools were the first to educate women. St. Augustine observed that Christian women were better educated than pagan male philosophers!

  • Reformer, John Calvin was one of the first to advocate universal education.

  • Graded levels of education were introduced by German Lutheran layman, Johann Sturm because he believed this would motivate students to study.

  • A devout Christian, Frederick Froebel, first established Kindergartens with the idea to teach young children the connection between God and nature.

• Our most famous colleges and universities were founded on religious principles.

  • Harvard was Puritan and named after a Christian minister. The motto was "For Christ and the Church".

  • Yale was started by Puritan clergymen. Its purpose was that "youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences who through the blessings of Almighty God may be fit for employment both in the Church and Civil State."

  • Princeton was founded by Presbyterians. The first class was taught by Rev. Jonathon Dickinson who was quoted as saying "Cursed be all learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ."

What a long way we have strayed! There are still a few bastions of Christian education left like Wheaton, Bethel, Gordon, Grove City and others, however, the universities and institutions that most influence our public education culture are largely devoid of faith. Most Christians who decide to become teachers or professors seek to work in Christian-affiliated schools, which is certainly more "comfortable" for them. They would be mistaken, however, to think that teaching in a Christian school is a greater ministry than in a secular institution. God is calling many Christian educators to seek posts of influence in our secular schools. They will be outnumbered, marginalized and even ridiculed - but if there are enough of them they might start to reverse the educational decay in our country.

Business
The marketplace is probably the arena where most of us are called. Private industry employs more people than government, education, media and entertainment combined. Therefore, it is the place with the greatest number of opportunities to influence our culture for Christ. As in sports, music, media, government and education, this sector has lost much of its spiritual way. Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, Arthur Andersen are a few examples of the unethical practices, greed and corruption in our corporate culture. As if to reinforce this corruption, shows like The Apprentice and Survivor teach viewers that the key to getting to the top is to undermine peers and cheating is a shrewd strategy, as long as you don't get caught!

Of course there are Christian executives, CEO's and business owners at work in the corporate world, but not many - not nearly enough. Wall Street is run on short term greed and most CEO's serve mammon (profit) and not people. But if you serve people you will have a balanced Godly view because this encompasses both shareholders and employees.

Consider this. A pastor has his congregation "under his wing" for thirty minutes or so each Sunday but our boss at work has us under his guidance, direction and influence for forty or more hours. With such a short time the pastor needs to be very overt and direct in his message. With such a long time, however, the boss can be very covert and subtle in his influence - either for good or for bad! At any level in the organization you can have an influence on work values to steer it towards a more righteous culture. This may be God's calling for you.

Family
We don't often think about "family" as a vocation, but it is. In particular, for the "stay-at-home" parent (a vanishing species) it is the vocation. For the rest of us who have careers outside of the home, it is our other vocation. God calls each of us, as parents to raise our children according to biblical guidance.

Christian values, however, are being eroded in the family as we are bombarded by "educators" who tell us that scriptural guidance on family roles and values are no longer relevant. In response, some Christians are finding their calling as workers and leaders in organizations that uphold and defend Christian family values.

Take the Mountain
We know that God has called us to salvation, for Revelation 3:20 says:

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock, If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (NIV)

Christ has called us, but He did not give us a pass to sit on the sidelines until the rapture! Many, however, simply sit on the sidelines, lamenting societal decay but shrugging it off. "After all", we say, "It's just the end times."

Christ, however, left us as caretakers for this world until he returns. The parable of the ten minas makes this clear:

A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, "Occupy till I come." - Luke 19:12-13 (KJV)

Christ has left us in charge until He returns. We are told to be caretakers for his kingdom. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, we are to be occupiers - run things until He comes back and takes His place.

We need to do a better job. Whether you are called into a profession in business, government, education, media, sports, entertainment or the church, God wants to use you for His glory on this earth.

We might feel that our role is insignificant, but He wants to amplify our abilities and raise us up to glorify Him. Throughout history he picks the small person (David), the last son (Joseph) or a person "slow of speech" (Moses) to do great things. Wherever He calls you, don't underestimate what He can do to increase your influence for His kingdom. The apostle Paul spoke about this in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29:

For you see your calling brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world...to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. (NIV)

Whatever God has called us to do, large or small, for us it is The Most Important Vocation. If we answer His call, He will sanctify it and anoint us for His service. He will magnify our abilities and raise us up that people may glorify Him.

"It is the business of the church to recognize that the secular vocation, as such, is sacred. Christian people and particularly the Christian clergy must get it firmly in their heads that when a man or woman is called to a particular job of secular work that is a true vocation as though he or she were called specifically to religious work."

1942, Dorothy Sayers
Acclaimed mystery novelist, professor and devout Anglican

¹ Doug Sherman and William Hendricks, Your Work Matters to God (Colorado Springs; Navpress, 1987), page 134.
² Jocelyn C. Green, Hollywood and the Christian Market Segment (Today's Pentecostal Evangel, December 11, 2005)
³ www.christiansinthemedia.org

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