It's Time to Do Something Different

So many of us get caught up with the idea that marketplace ministry is all about evangelism. Is that true?

All you have to do is read the Gospels to know that marketplace ministry is about much more than just evangelism. Let’s look at the scriptures. The time that Jesus spent with people in the marketplace was often spent getting to know them.  It wasn’t always about showing them the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus spent time ministering to the needs of people. Jesus spent time having conversations and meals with people. Yes, there were times where Jesus forgave the sins of somebody then healed them and sent them on their way.

It's so important that we start doing things differently. Take a look at the six people you regularly interact with at work - I would venture to guess that you don't know very much about them. Do you know their spouses or significant others’ names? Do you know their kids’ names? Do you know anything about their parents? Do you know anything about their home life?  When they go home at the end of the day – what is life like?

Do you know anything about their financial situation? Do you know anything about their living conditions? Do you know what their favorite hobbies are? Do you know what their favorite food is? Do you know what their love language is?

Over the next month my challenge to you is to get to know these three things:

1. Get to know everything about this person and their family – names and where they live

2. Get to know some of their favorite foods and favorite things to do.

3. Learn what their love language is. Find out a way that you can show Jesus’ love to them. (Listen to this podcast episode for more on this topic)

If you start to focus your prayer time on these six people as you're learning about them, God's heart will shape your heart so that you can see them the way that our Heavenly Father sees them. It will transform everything. It will make your workplace a mission field, your assigned place of ministry.

After you've taken this challenge, please send me an e-mail and let me know what happened. I would love to hear your story. You can e-mail me at Jim@iWork4Him.com.

Have Fun,

 Jim

PS.  Yes, you can actually start something like this in the summer.

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!

The "Secular" is Sacred

Why is it we look at some jobs and label them sacred, and we look at other jobs and call them secular? Does God look at jobs one way or the other? Does He look down His nose at some jobs, calling them secular and lift up other jobs in His arms and say these are sacred?  I don’t think He does. I believe God has created all work for His glory and for the betterment of humanity.  

So, if our job can give glory to God, no matter what that job is, does that mean that our interaction in a “secular” environment can impact the lives of pre-believers? I think so.  

Often, we forget that every single human being we interact with on this planet is a spiritual being. Jesus made it clear. Those beings are either followers of His or followers of the enemy.  There’s no middle ground. But He never said that we weren’t spiritual. Every person on the planet has a soul.  So, if every person on the planet has a soul, and every person on the planet has the opportunity to become a follower of Jesus, that means that everyone can interact with God.  

One of the most fun conversations I have with people who doubt the very existence of God is when I challenge them to pray. I challenge them to pray and tell God, “if You really exist, reveal Yourself to me.” God wants nothing more than to have a relationship with every human on this planet. He gave every one of us the capability of that relationship. But we have to reach out. And when we cry out and say to God, “If You’re real, I need You,” He responds every time.  

This week on the iWork4Him Podcast, we interview a professional speaker and former fighter pilot who challenges people to actually prayer journal during a leadership session. These are not people who recognize the existence of God but just everyday people. But he’s challenging them in his secular job and in a secular environment to interact with God and to hear from Him, to ask Him for a solution to a problems they’re facing.  

God wants to be in a relationship with you and me, and all those around us. He wants to work with us, He wants to walk with us, He wants to live with us and bring us flourishing. Don’t doubt your neighbor’s ability to experience God. Just give them a chance, and let God do the rest! 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2025: First Thing’s First: Be Awesome!

Subscribe to the daily iWork4Him PowerThoughts

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!

Pressure Washing Pastor

I think it comes down to this one thing: can you be a pressure-washing expert and a pastor, too? Is there a ministry in pressure washing people's stuff? 
Honestly, I think we make Christianity way too complicated. God never told us to quit our jobs and go into full-time ministry. He said, through Jesus, “As you go, teach them everything I have taught you, make disciples, and baptize them in my name” (Matthew 28:19). The answer is pretty clear. You can be a professional pressure washer and be a pastor, too. 
What does it mean to be a pastor? It means being a shepherd. It means caring for people's needs. It means being there for people when they need you. It means rescuing people when they’re in trouble. If Pastor equals Shephard, all you have to do is find out what a Shephard does for his sheep and do that for those God has put in your care. 
Are you a pastor? Would you even permit yourself to consider that you may be a pastor? Do you have the shepherding gift? Not everyone is called to Shepherd, but many I know are gifted at loving on people right where they’re at. So is that you? 

We need to redefine the rules of believers in Christianity. We need to set aside the dogma of the four walls church and celebrate what the Scriptures actually say. As a believer in Jesus, you have been transformed into a new person, and you are busy changing the way you think through the power of the Holy Spirit. You have been super naturally gifted with a unique set of gifts, talents, and abilities. Those are to be used in ministering to the humanity of people that God puts in your path every day. Basically, that makes almost every one of us a pastor. We’re supposed to love God and our neighbors as ourselves.  

Stop getting caught up in titles and start doing the work that God has put before you. If it’s pressure washing, then pressure wash for the glory of God. Even more so, find a way to pressure wash with Him and see what happens next! And you might want to check out www.PressureWashingPastor.com. 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2024: A Pastor with No Pulpit

Subscribe to the daily iWork4Him PowerThoughts

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!

A Permanent Paradigm Shift

Welcome to 2024! This is the year where it all changes. Oh, sure, political things are going on this year, but that change is only temporary. The permanent change is happening in you this year. What kind of change are we looking for? The kind of change that could transform the world. The kind of change that could reshape you from the inside out.  The kind of change that can convert your workplace into a mission field and into a place of ministry. That's the kind of change we're talking about — a permanent paradigm shift in your mind. 

Almost 11 years ago, we launched the ministry of iWork4Him. This ministry has been dedicated to purposefully equipping Christ followers to live out their faith at work vibrantly. But there's one more piece that I think we've been missing. There's one more piece that eliminates the need for us to do anything. We've spent the last almost 11 years focused on recognizing that our work matters to God. God assigned us our work to match up with the gifts, talents, and spiritual abilities that were given to us at birth and rebirth when we got saved. But there's a piece that I just have come to discover in the last year or so. We need to stop working for God. 

Now I have you thinking, don't I?  You may think I've actually fallen off my rocker. And you may be right to some degree. But here's my point. Noah did it, Moses did it, Joseph did it, Joshua did it, Elijah did it, and, of course, Jesus did it. What did they all do in common? They didn't “Work4Him.” They understood that God doesn't need us to work for Him; He wants us to work with Him. This is a pretty tough concept to understand, but it comes down to Jesus saying He never did anything His Father didn't tell Him to do. He was always listening and following what His Father said. He always went to where His Father was working. He never said He came to work for God. He constantly gave us the understanding that He was working with God.  

What does that look like in your world? It starts with involving God in every decision. It continues with involving God in every interaction you have with every human being. It requires talking with God all day long and finding out where He's working and going and working with Him. He doesn't need a bunch of adopted sons and daughters doing things just for the sake of doing things. He wants us to do what He called us to do with Him. Celebrate 2024 with a new paradigm shift. Work with God this year. 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2023: Making God Your CEO

Subscribe to the daily iWork4Him PowerThoughts

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!

2024-Style Thinking

Shifting our thinking.  

Changing the way we think.  

Renewing our minds.  

All of these things imply that the way we are currently thinking needs to change. And I agree. 

For the first 40 years of my life, I thought work and God had nothing to do with each other. I worked hard, and I gave the church money so they could do the ministry. I did my best to make volunteer time in order to work at church when I wasn’t working at my job.  

Then came the shift in my thinking. Right as I was turning 40 years old, a friend of mine sent me a devotional that told me that my work mattered to God. I learned that I didn’t need to quit my job to go into full-time ministry. In fact, my workplace was my place of ministry and was a mission field because it was full of lost and hopeless people. 

From that point began the journey of really understanding Colossians 3:23: Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. This is the iWork4Him mentality. You see, our work matters to God and our boss really is the Lord. Yes, we have human masters but ultimately, we report to God. 

But in 2024, our conversations within iWork4Him are going to shift from focusing on working for God to working with God. Involving God in all our decisions and actions at work, working with Him to complete projects for His glory and for His honor. Recognizing that the standard he set in the garden with Adam, as he named all of the animals, was a standard God wants us to continue today. God wants to work with us. He wants to start today.  

As believers, the ultimate experience is walking through life with God, so why wouldn’t we work with God, too? If you do this, 2024 is guaranteed to be an exciting year. 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2022: iWork WITH Him

Subscribe to the daily iWork4Him PowerThoughts

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!

A Christmas Challenge

This is Christmas week! How will you live out your faith differently this Christmas season than you have in the past? 

You see, God has placed you on a mission field in your workplace. You’re surrounded by people who don’t celebrate Christmas as Jesus’ birthday, and some of them don’t even celebrate Christmas at all. So, how can you shift your impact to ensure that those around you will experience a little bit of Jesus this Christmas season?  

Martha and I want to offer up this personal challenge: Christmas is usually a time dedicated to family and very close friends. My challenge is to ask around you today to see if anybody you work with will be alone on Christmas day. Nobody should ever be alone on a major holiday. So ask, “Are you going to be alone on Christmas?” If they say yes, invite them into your life and let them experience Christmas with you. Let them bring food to share. Let their lives intersect with yours and make your holiday celebration a little richer. 

Christmas is one of those rare seasons where everybody’s open to a little bit of truth that maybe they wouldn’t be open to other times of the year. When you love on your neighbors, whether from work or your actual neighborhood, and invite them into your lives this Christmas season, you will see miraculous things happen. So, ask around today and make sure nobody will be alone for Christmas. You are truly going to work with Him when you do this. Merry Christmas. We celebrate His birth so we can be a part of His divine rescue plan. Amen 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2021: Your Merry Mission

Subscribe to the daily iWork4Him PowerThoughts

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!

The Non-Denominational Church in the Marketplace

Denominations ‘shmominations. Were denominations Jesus’ idea? NO! Of course not. He wanted us to walk in unity as He said in John 17:20-23:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

I have seen incredible unity in the body of Christ out in the marketplace. On Sunday, we are the most segregated and separated people on the planet. But nobody cares about denominations on Monday mornings when we go to work. Marketplace believers just want to hang out and do business with people who love Jesus. I don't care that you may show your love for Jesus in a different way than I do, or sing different songs on Sunday than I do, or have a different style of worship than I do. All I care about is that you love Jesus. 

Over the last 10 years, we have watched the number of Christian Chambers of Commerce ebb and flow. Currently, the number is on the rise and the growth is driven by unity and collaboration. The US Christian Chamber of Commerce, found online at www.uschristianchamber.com , has been founded to unify the body of Christ in the marketplace through a national Christian chamber that supports and helps launch local Christian Chambers of Commerce. In other words, it's not all about the US Christian chamber but about “Christ” in chambers across the country. 

As believers, should we only be doing business with people who are believers? No, I don't think so. We should be doing business with people who do what they say they will do. However, if we can choose to bless a company being driven, directed, and guided by a person who loves Jesus, then that is a business I want to support, and I'd love you to support, too. 

But how do you find those businesses? That has been the issue for decades. There have been attempts in phone books and other printed guides to identify people following Jesus in their business. However, those guides always fell short. The US Christian Chamber is not just a guide or a phone book of businesspeople who love Jesus. It’s an online and in-person community focused on developing solid believers in Jesus, who do excellent work in their discipline for the benefit and blessing of their local community. That's something I want to be a part of! Iin fact, Martha and I are founding members of the US Christian Chamber of Commerce. I suggest you check it out online. Become a part of a movement that organizes believers to not only do business with each other for the glory of God and the betterment of the Kingdom and the blessing of local communities, but also the deepens discipleship of believers as they live out their faith every day at work. When we drop our denominational walls and walk in unity in Christ, the world is intrigued and attracted. 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2020: United We Chamber

Subscribe to the daily iWork4Him PowerThoughts

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!

Protect Your Workplace Mission Field

 We are on the internet all the time. Since the internet became widely available to everybody around 1994, it has entered every corner of our lives. We can literally automate our thermostat, draperies, garage door opener, the lights inside of our house when we get woken up, and the list can go on and on and on. This is all possible because of the internet. The internet has brought so many incredible resources to the fingertips of everyday people across the globe. It makes it easier for us to do our jobs, and it makes it easier for us to communicate with people. Frankly, I find it amazing how easy it is to research and study Scripture. But with all that good comes a lot of bad, too. How do we protect those we love at home and those we love at work from the dangers of the internet? 

The first phase in any project trying to protect the hearts, minds, and souls of those we love at home and work is to recognize the dangers. The dangers of the internet are far and wide. There are people sending you e-mails all the time, trying to get you to click on a really pretty little link in order to invade your privacy and steal your information. They also want to steal your money. E-mail phishing is an art form that is now over 30 years old. You can't just click on links in an e-mail from somebody you know anymore. There really is danger lurking behind every corner of the internet. 

I’m a news junkie. I love to catch up on current events throughout the day as they happen.  The amazing part of the internet is that I can do just that. The latest stock quotes and up-to-the-minute news reporting are available at my fingertips. But all of those sites can lead you down a deep and dark path to try to capture your mind, heart, and soul and wrap it up in an addiction to pornography, gambling, inappropriate chats, etc.  

As business owners and leaders, we are responsible for protecting those we lead. As husbands, fathers, parents, and grandparents, we are responsible for protecting those we love and those who enter our home. As church leaders, we must recognize that Internet sin is way more pervasive within the body of Christ than almost any other kind of sin, except for maybe pride. What are you doing proactively to stop the invasion and attacks on your heart, mind, and soul? And the hearts, minds, and souls of those you love and work with? 

For years, Martha and I have had web filters and used many different brands just to make it difficult for me to click on things I shouldn't. Recently, we became aware of the power of a VPN. A VPN coupled with web filters and anti-virus can be a powerful tool on any desktop and really a tool of the Kingdom to protect the hearts, minds, and souls of those you love. 

Stop trusting those you love and work with, with one of the most dangerous tools on the planet. Open internet can damage people to deep levels. Choose a solution. We recently chose SaferNet as a solution for iWork4Him. There are many options, but you need to be proactive in fighting the enemy's attacks because he wants to damage your relationship with your Heavenly Father. Filling your mind with the internet's garbage can do that in a matter of seconds. Put on the full armor of God every morning, and turn on your web filters, VPN, and anti-virus to protect your eyes. The only reason Paul didn't write about that is because he didn't know about the internet. 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2019: Our Frenemy, The Internet

Subscribe to the daily iWork4Him PowerThoughts

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!

The Miracle of the Bible Being Taught at School

The public school system was founded to ensure every child got a basic education, teaching them math, reading, and writing. The Bible was the basis for almost all of the reading materials. Prayer was a common part of the everyday public-school experience, as well as the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America. Patriotism, loyalty, and service to God were woven throughout the curriculum. As you can imagine, things are quite different today.  

In the early 1960s, prayer and the Bible were thrown out of schools. Parents went from being the primary influencers over the educational process to the government controlling everything, including what public school students should think. Without stating the obvious too many times, public schools are in trouble. But what can we do? 

There’s a lot we can do! Many great organizations are serving public school students from the outside. Every day these organizations pray for our students, providing meals for them and after-school activities. What’s amazing is that since the 2022 election, parents have woken up to the fact that they are desperately needed to be involved in the public school system if they want to protect their kids from being brainwashed and programmed to be anti-God and anti-country. 

Martha and I were introduced to an organization called Bible2School a few years back. This is an organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth to students. And this doesn't just happen after school; it happens during school. Did you know that students have Released Time programs built into their daily school schedules in elementary school?  They have the option to participate in biblical training during the school day. And the schools have to allow it.  Bible2School is infiltrating public schools all over the country and bringing God and prayer and the Bible back where it needs to be. Talk about a pretty rough-and-tumble workplace! 

Our workplace is really our mission field. And Bible2School recognizes that public school students are ripe for the harvest. These students have never been presented with truth from the public school curriculum and are open to truth when they hear it. The public school system workplace is tough to break into, but it's possible. And if you've got extra time and Bible2School  is not in your area, perhaps you can help start a local chapter where you live. Because your students and the students of your community need to hear about Jesus. Talk about a transformational workplace experience for the students and the volunteers that bring Bible2School  into the schools weekly —way to go!  We need more cutting-edge ministries like this who are willing to go into workplaces that aren't Jesus-friendly. Is this a mission field that you're being called to? 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2018: Kids Need You to Teach Them the Truth

Subscribe to the daily iWork4Him PowerThoughts

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!

Money Talks

Money talks. And we know that when money walks, it actually talks louder. Do the retailers that you use on a regular basis support your values, your morals, and your patriotism? 30 or 40 years ago, we never even had to have this conversation, but today, this is a critical conversation. Many of the companies that we engage with actually support the enemy's campaign to destroy our country and to destroy the fabric of our society in the United States of America. Our country was founded on the belief in one true God and our Savior, Jesus. 

So, which are the brands that you're supporting? Have you ever looked at how they spend their profits? It's hard to argue with convenience, and some of the most convenient brands in this country support ideologies that are totally against Christianity, the Bible, and the very existence of the United States. Over the years, we have studied many brands and even changed how we choose our investments based on how companies score on a biblically responsible investment basis. We continue to dive into this topic and keep learning.   

We’ve learned that our cell phone company, big box retailers, many of our gas stations, favorite places to buy clothing, and favorite places to go out to eat – almost every one of them – support morals and ideologies completely opposite to a biblical worldview. Why does this matter? I think it's obvious, but I'll state the obvious. 

 When the companies that we support with our dollars turn around and invest in ideologies that destroy the family and besmirch the reputation of the Church, the body of Christ; these companies have evil in mind. They want to destroy the very things that God created. They want to destroy the things that bring stability to any country or community. And just to be clear, I'm not just talking about supporting abortion – it’s so much more. But honestly, if the places where you are spending your money are supporting the killing of innocent children, then it’s time to find a different place to spend your dollars. 

Recently, Martha and I were really distressed after finding out that our cellular phone carrier supported so many things that are anti-biblical, anti-God, anti-family, and anti-country. The number is staggering when I look at how much money I have spent using cellular service with this company in the last 20 years. And then to think that a percentage of every dollar I have spent has gone to supporting the things I fight against every day as a Christian talk show host. So, we looked for options and were so relieved to find Patriot Mobile. This is a company dedicated to God, family, and our country.  

We made the switch after learning that they don’t compromise their quality, since they utilize all the major cell phone carrier towers. We have become passionate supporters of Patriot Mobile over the last few months. Their overt support of God, the family, and the United States of America makes them our #1 choice for spending our mobile service budgetary dollars. You can discover more about their service and story online. Visit www.PatriotMobile.com/iWork4Him and use promo code “IWORK4HIM” to get free activation when you switch.  

Christ followers hold over $30 trillion in retirement funds in the United States. Imagine if all those dollars were invested in companies that only supported God, family, and country. Or even if the companies we invested in didn't actively fight against God, family, and country. Remember, money talks. Imagine if we allowed our retirement fund investments to talk about our values by investing only in companies that align with those values. It would send a tidal wave of communication to companies constantly fighting against the things we stand for. We serve the one true God, our Savior Jesus, whose power is given to us through the Holy Spirit. Be a good steward of the dollars you've been given and spend them wisely. Remember, your money talks even when you can’t! 

TAKE THIS TOPIC FURTHER:

Listen to or watch show 2017: A Business You Can Believe In

Subscribe to the daily iWork4Him PowerThoughts

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!