The iWork4Him Lifestyle

I have a friend I’ve been mentoring for 4-5 years who is in law enforcement. He is an honorable man who served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and is sold out on Jesus. However, making the connection between his work as a law enforcement officer, his faith, and his tours of duty was especially difficult for him. He struggled with the carnage he had seen in the middle east, the current political tension around his career, and the love that Jesus wants him to share with his neighbor... (aka all those he comes into contact with every day). 

Throughout our friendship, I have prayed with him and for him, but making the connection between his faith and his work has always been, frankly, just plain hard.

Then, about two months ago, I got a text message from him that said,

"I'm just mentally preparing for my journey. Nothing fancy. No theology. No arguments. Just going to offer to share the great news that is Jesus Christ. Offer a small ABC to Salvation, and if they would like, I 'd be happy to baptize them. I don't know where this idea came from, but it came to me that I could do it, and it can be my part. Even if I only lead one person to Jesus this year, one more eternal life will be saved. I'm just a nobody who wants to tell everybody."

Talk about a leap of faith - I am so proud of him! And did you catch the last line of my friend’s text message? I’m just a nobody who wants to tell everybody.

Matthew 28:18-20 says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

When Jesus gave the great commission, it was to fisherman and tax collectors – it was to nobodies. Yet, Jesus chose to use them to spread the gospel to every nation, and it was Jesus who empowered them to do so. In the same way, God wants to use you in whatever profession you’re in to bring the good news to those around you! All you have to do is take the same leap of faith the apostles did, the same leap of faith that my friend did. Say yes to God.

For some easy ways to get started sharing the gospel in your own workplace, pick up a copy of our new book, iWork4Him: Change the Way You Think About Faith and Work.

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Monday Morning Missions Trip

Have you ever muttered the words:

“Lord, I need a new job!” 

So has Mike Henry, founder of Follower of One. But, instead of praying for a new job, he asked the Lord where He wanted him to be. Here’s what Mike found out: 

God didn’t save me to “take me out of there” (my awful job situation), He saved me to leave me IN THERE!  

How many times have we thought a new job situation IS the ANSWER to our “problems”. When really it’s our heart and spirit that are mis-aligned?  

“There are 5 things we can all do in our work: pray for people, appreciate people, know what we believe, serve others and speak of our faith personally.” ~ Mike Henry

Now let’s take this to the next step, have you ever said to yourself, “I wish I had time to go on a mission trip.” Well guess what, you DO!  Your workplace IS your mission field. Your daily commute is your mission travel. And your workplace has been crafted perfectly by God, specifically tailored to you, and your giftings. We don’t need a passport or to learn another language.  We can all begin to view our workplace and every co-worker as “the mission”. We can prepare, pray, plan and then serve our colleagues in the same way we would as if we hopped on a plane and flew to another country. 

Charles Spurgeon, one of the most influential Reformed preachers said “Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.”  So which are you? 1 Peter 3:15 encourages us: 

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

What would it take for you to start tomorrow, to shift your mindset and intentionally serve your workplace as YOUR mission field?  Hear more about this amazingly effective and powerful idea that you can implement this week and even consider joining the next Marketplace Missions trip training, and go on mission.   See you there!

Jim and Martha Brangenberg

Relationship – The Greatest Gift

One of the greatest privileges Martha and I have is getting to know people just like you as we travel across the country and  record their stories for interviews.  I wish I had time to write about each person and tell you the amazing things that God is doing through people all over the country (but we do interview them and you can listen to the daily podcasts to hear their stories). 

Let me tell you about a particular ministry called God@Work on www.God.TV/work  that we recently spent time with.

We met Rich Marshall, a few years ago in DC. He has been the host of the God@Work TV show on God.TV for several years.  Rich, and his incredible wife Wilma, gather names and stories of Christ Followers in the workplace and bring them together in Orlando to tape the shows each quarter.  Recently, we were invited to be on the show (Episode #99) and offered to interview each guest to share with you, the iWork4Him audience.   How awesome and inspiring it was to hear from a pharmacist working on a cure for dementia, an evangelist reaching millions in Africa, a professional singer and so many more.  You can check out these stories on the sneak peek page  https://www.iwork4him.com/podcast?category=Sneak-peek

Your story is important, too.

Each day you head off to work, you are entering the largest mission field in the world. This field is FULL of people who are lost and hurting and DESPERATELY need to meet Jesus. You may be their only chance. That is the beauty of relationship. God loves us so much, He sent Jesus to die for us, so we could have relationship with Him and then have loving relationships with others.  You are so important in your job. Please don’t ever think that your job isn’t a ministry. You touch the lives of people every day. They need you there. Please don’t quit.

In 2020, Martha and I will be collecting and sharing at least 263 more stories. Help us to meet those 263 people through your relationships.  Just pop me an email introduction jim@iWork4Him.com.

I am honored that you are reading this and God is honored at your heart and attitude towards bringing your relationship with Him to work.

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Please Stop Using This Word

"Jim, you're not cut out to be a pastor. You could never handle having 400 bosses. It's ok, you can be a lay minister. The church needs lots of volunteers."

Oh, my church pastor missed a huge opportunity to send me in the right direction there on that day.

Read on.

On July 13, 1979 I committed my life to full-time Christian Ministry, so did Martha on that very same day (3 years before we met). Now, naturally, I thought that meant that I would be working within a 4-walls church because that is what I grew up hearing.

When I finished college, Martha and I settled in a little town called Lakeville, MN. We joined a local church and we immediately got involved in the youth ministry as volunteers. After Martha finished college, I enrolled in Seminary to get my master's degree so Martha and I could fulfill my commitment to the Lord. My church pastor found out and he spoke those words above to me. I unenrolled in seminary and resolved to be just a lay minister.

UGH! The lies spoken into me that day crippled my attitude towards my work for 16 more years. If only there had been a different approach. Maybe I wasn't cut out to be a church pastor, but I could have been encouraged to be a pastor in my workplace.

What if I had been commissioned to see my work as my mission field and my place of ministry?

I could have grasped my daily work as a high calling on MY life and that I should take it very seriously.

The very term "LAY" minister implies that there are two tiers in ministry. Those who get paid to do minister, and then everyone else: the Lay ministers. This word derives negative feelings in me about a two tiered system of importance in the kingdom. IT IS A WORD I WILL NOT USE ANY MORE. What about you? Would you stop using it too? We need to let everyone know that your work in your office/field/parking lot/warehouse/ hospital - all of that is ministry.

You are not a second tier citizen in the Kingdom because you don't get paid by a 4-walls church organization.

Please encourage your pastors to recognize the hurt and harm that this word causes. It also causes a bunch of confusion, which is why I wrote last week's blog that you can read HERE.

So please STOP using the term "Lay Minister" and START recognizing that you are a minister in your work, which is your mission field. You have been assigned there by God and its not by chance.

I'm grateful to now understand that I am a minister in my work and you are too!

Col 3:23 23 -

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Why We Work

Monday on iWork4Him we interviewed Dave Kahle about his Book : The Good Book in Business. In this book Dave makes a startling observation of scripture that I have never heard in a sermon, but I believe it to be 100% true.

In Genesis 1, God created Adam. He placed Adam in the garden that He has created and told Adam to work it/cultivate it. Dave Kahle goes on to make this observation and I paraphrase, God gave Adam work before he gave him a wife. It's as if God said to Adam:

"here is your work and by working you will be getting to know me."

We already know God is a worker and a creator, but did you ever think about God wanting to work with you? We do know that God took daily walks in the garden, Adam's workplace, so they could talk. Adam and Eve knew that sound, that's why they knew to hide when they heard it. Did you ever what they would talk about? Would it have been work? The work that God assigned Adam? The relationship they had with each other - co-workers?

God wants to be involved in your work. He wants to walk side by side with you and reveal himself to you as you work alongside Him.

Thanks, Dave Kahle for your perspective this week.

On a final note for today, I heard someone say a few weeks back "Prayer IS the work". Put that in context of your daily walk and it changes everything.

Genesis 2:15 New Living Translation (NLT)

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.

PS! It’s Not too late to “Be The Gift” Donate now by click this sentence :)

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!