Summary of Hugh Whelchel’s Presentation “How Shall We Then Work”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySjUUzU6wRQ&nohtml5=False

Hugh used to feel that the most important work he did for God was “in the church” as a “lay leader” (
leading adult Bible studies, doing religious things) , not what he did as a businessman. He envied
pastors, missionaries and those in so-called “full time Christian” service.

Then, he made 5 key discoveries that radically changed his perspective of his work. And even though
they had been taught by the church for centuries, he had never heard them before.

1/ The Gospel is about more than “our personal salvation” – Instead, it’s about the Restoration of all
things.

2/ Adam and Eve’s “job description” assigned by God applies to ALL Christians today.

3/ Third, he began to understand what Jesus meant when He said, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”
AND what that means for our work today.

4/ Fourth, he discovered the truth about God’s work in the world for those who work with non-
Christians or in “secular environments” ( ie. Most workplaces)

5/ Finally, he realized what the Biblical meaning is success really is. The chief end of work is to glorify
God, serve the common good and to further God’s Kingdom.

Realms of Endeavor: This includes Arts & Sciences, Business & Economics, Education, the Church,
Sports & Entertainment – every aspect of our culture

Scope of the Gospel: The Gospel in not simply a message for individuals (telling them how to escape
God’s judgment) it is ALSO a message about a Kingdom, a new Society, Community, Covenant, Family
and Nation. It’s a new way of life.

It’s about a new Culture and He calls us to build a “City of God” a “New Jerusalem”.

Why All This Matters: In light of this, we can begin to see why our work matters to God and why it
should matter to us.
Next Steps: If we want to live personally fulfilling and spiritually significant lives, we need to discover the
Biblical doctrine of work!

A Serious Situation Arises: What Hugh described at the beginning has been called the “sacred/secular
divide”, that our Spiritual lives have to do with Sunday activities and the rest of what we do during the
week isn’t really spiritual and doesn’t really matter that much to God.

The Bible’s Answer:

Our response to our Father should be unlimited, all encompassing, and comprehensive; it’s not limited
to church on Sundays. It should appear in every dimension of life.

This divide of sacred and secular is responsible for the popular mindset that our relationship with God is
compartmentalized to church-related events and activities. Quite the contrary, our response to God
should reverberate into every facet of life: at home, at work, in our families, in our communities, and at
church.

This divide has also perpetuated the lie that working in the church is the only “fulltime Christian
service.” All of life is spiritual, or sacred. There is no inch of creation where Christ does not rule and
consequently no dimension of our lives in which he is not present. By demolishing this dichotomy, we
realize that God cares about everything we do.

Our response to his power and glory can come from every thought, word, and action if we steward all
we have to his glory and honor. In this, we find fulfillment.

Question: Have you tended to live your Christian life with a “sacred/secular” mind-set ? If so, how has
this manifested itself? If not, how did you overcome the tendency to “compartmentalize” your life?

What would our lives look like IF we lived out our walk with Jesus in every area of our lives? Think about
the way we’d spend our time, money and energies during our “free time”, with the family and
especially at work? What changes might need to take place for us to be living for Jesus “24/7”?