Let s take a moment to study the passage Matt referenced. Someone read Psalm 139:1 6.

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1 At the beginning of this session, Matt Chandler explained that God designed you in two specific ways: your outward appearance and your unformed substance, which is your intrinsic gifts and abilities. God purposefully made you to be you. For some of you, your specific God-given passions and abilities are obvious. You ve heard stories of the doctor who knew ever since she was a little girl that she wanted to help sick people and spent hours bandaging her dolls. Or the artist who picked up a brush and felt like it was an extension of himself. Eric Liddell a runner who won the 400m Olympic Gold Medal in Paris in 1924 and was made famous in the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire said, I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure. Some people know just why God created them. For others, it s a bit more difficult figuring out your God-given passions and abilities. Maybe you re talented at a variety of things. Or maybe you still haven t figured out what are your special abilities. But as God s unique creation, we each have a divine purpose and specific abilities to help us accomplish that objective. In addition, the Holy Spirit gives believes certain spiritual gifts that are to be used for building up the church (see 1 Cor 12:8 10; Rom 12:3 8). In the context of occupations and abilities, how has God specifically wired you? What passions and talents has He given to you? (It doesn t have to be something you are currently pursuing. Maybe you re a cashier but you just know God has wired you to write music.) Let s take a moment to study the passage Matt referenced. Someone read Psalm 139:1 6. This psalm was written by King David, who was also a shepherd, poet and musician. In these first six verses, David establishes that the Lord knows absolutely everything about him. God s complete knowledge and wisdom is referred to as His omniscience. How does the fact that God knows everything about you impact the way you look at the abilities He has given you? Someone read Psalm 139:7 12.

2 Having established that God is all knowing, now David confirms that God is always present. Unlike the wooden idols that others worshiped in that day, David knows that there is nowhere he can go to escape God. We call that God s omnipresence. Do you feel God s presence at church on Sunday, but then act like He s not there with you at the office on Monday? How should God s omnipresence influence your work? Someone read Psalm 139: David has established that God knows him completely and is with him everywhere, but in these verses he shares how that is possible because in God s power, God created David and carefully planned his life. God is all-powerful, or omnipotent. You are not an accident. God made you exactly the way He wanted you to be and has a plan for your life. Inevitably, when you start to talk about abilities, it s tempting to look at others and envy the abilities God has given them. How does God s omnipotence affect the way you look at your talents compared to the talents of others? People often say, You can do anything you put your mind to. If you put in the effort, you can be anything you want to be. In light of these verses, is that true? What should we tell others and ourselves? (The goal isn t to shatter someone s dream, but to get them to look at their life from God s point-of-view. How can this be a positive thing?) But God didn t just create you the way he wanted you to be, he also placed you on earth at a specific time and location. Someone read Acts 17: Have you ever wanted to have lived during a different era or to have been born into a different family or nationality? Why or why not? What do these verses teach you about your calling and purpose?

3 Matt said that God uniquely wired you and uniquely placed you on earth primarily to make Him known. Since making God known is your primary objective, how do you do that in your marketplace? (People often associate making God known with evangelism, which is something every Christian should do. But what about other ways to make God known, including specific products, conduct, or services?) Matt talked about the cultural mandate in Genesis 1. Someone read Genesis 1: As image bearers and representatives of God, we are to fill, subdue, and rule over the earth. Just as God is a creator, we to are to create. Our desire to build something is innate. Think back to when you were a child. What kinds of things did you like to create? Now consider your present occupation. What do you currently create? Is there any correlation with what you created as a child? Matt talked about the tendency to separate things into a sacred sphere and a secular sphere. He said, The cultural mandate destroys the idea that there is a sacred and secular divide. Work is sacred because God commands us to build and create. If we re honest, many of us probably think in terms of some activities and areas being more sacred than others. What activities do you usually consider sacred? Which are secular? What does it mean that every area of your life is sacred? (God cares deeply about every area of your life. Everything you do either builds up or hinders your relationship with God.) But if all work is sacred, what about professions that promote sin or exploit people and God s creation? (God cares deeply about sin. Sin destroys. God never tempts you to sin nor does He desire for you to sin in your profession. This is potentially a delicate area. There may be people in your group who work in a profession that others consider sinful. There may be non-believers in your group whom the Holy Spirit has not yet convicted about the sin in their lives. When in doubt, extend grace.)

4 If all work is sacred, why do we value some professions more than we value others? Does God? How might the cultural mandate encourage you to have a greater appreciation for someone else s work? Does the cultural mandate affect the way you view environmental issues? Why or why not? What responsibilities do you have in your occupation, as stewards of God s creation, for the environment? Near the end of this session, Matt talked about this generation s prevalent lack of purpose. He said that this is the most entertained generation the world has ever seen, but they are bored out of their minds. We have more to do today than there has ever been in the history of the world, but we re bored. And I think that s because all of that stuff, it is a shadow, an echo of something else. We are drawn to epic movies about heroes and deliverance and protection, and all the while, we are being beckoned into that actual story being played out in the universe. We are drawn into romance and passion, and we leave and feel good for a little while, but then need another high. We ve replaced the real thing with shadows and vanities. At first look, we might conclude that Matt was talking only about what people do with their leisure time. How does Matt s comment relate to your job? What might be shadows and vanities for you at work? (People often look at their jobs as a means to create personal wealth and significance. There s nothing intrinsically wrong with money or significant responsibility. But if those are the primary goals, then you ll end up disappointed and empty. God designed us to have a greater purpose than just amassing personal wealth and earthly titles. See Philippians 3:8 12.) Matt said that this generation lacked purpose in their work. Many people work hard in the pursuit of wealth, comfort and pleasure. But the Bible teaches us that these should not be our primary goals in life. There s nothing wrong with having money, being

5 comfortable, or experiencing pleasure if experienced in the ways God intended. But it is wrong to worship money, comfort, or pleasure. When Matt mentioned vanities, he was referring to the book of Ecclesiastes Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, Vanity of vanities! All is vanity (Eccl 1:2, NASB). As we read a part of Ecclesiastes, it s important to remember that this book was written by King Solomon. Solomon was the third king of Israel, after Saul and David. He spent seven years building the first Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6), and thirteen years building his palace (1 Kings 7:1). He was a brilliant leader and politician, greatly expanding the kingdom south to Egypt, north to Syria, and east to Mesopotamia. He established a trade empire and built many cities. All of this made Solomon insanely wealthy (1 Kings 10). His trade business alone brought in at least 25 tons of gold each year (at today s gold prices, that s about $1.38 billion a year). He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. And he didn t just accumulate wealth. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. If anyone understood business, wealth, power, comfort and pleasure, it was Solomon. Someone read Ecclesiastes 2:1 3. What things did Solomon pursue in these verses? Now read Ecclesiastes 2:4 9. What other things did Solomon pursue? Someone read Ecclesiastes 2: What was his conclusion in verses 10 & 11? How often do we pursue the exact same things Solomon wrote about here? There s a lot of different opinions within Christianity about wealth and prosperity. It s important that we have a biblical viewpoint about this issue. Someone read Deuteronomy 8: What do these verse teach us about wealth? (God gives us the ability to create wealth. If God blesses us financially, we are to remain humble and remember that it is a gift from Him.)

6 Someone read Proverbs 23:4 5. We know that God gives us the ability to create wealth, but what do these verses caution us against? (Don t make the pursuit of money the goal of your life. Don t run yourself ragged trying to gain wealth. This is both about our attitude and our behavior.) In Matthew 6:24, Jesus tells us, No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. That begs the question, what are you supposed to do if in your radical pursuit of God through business excellence God blesses you financially? Someone read 1 Timothy 6: This passage provides solid teaching for godly behavior for those who God blesses financially. In these verses, Paul writes of two things that wealthy people should not do, and four things that they should do. What are the two negative commands and the four positive commands? Don t: 1. Be arrogant. 2. Put your hope in wealth. But instead: 1. Put your hope in God. 2. Do good. 3. Be rich in good deeds. 4. Be generous and willing to share. Notice that Paul isn t just concerned about what you do with your money. Yes you must be financially generous, which starts with the proper attitude about yourself and God. But we are also to be generous with our lives our time, effort, and deeds. And then Paul ends with a surprise. In verse 19, Paul shows the result of living generously. Not only will you store up treasures in heaven, but you will also truly live now the way that life was supposed to be lived. How often do we get this mixed up? We think that if we are able to accumulate more stuff, then we ll be happy. But in truth, we really begin to live as we obey God and become radically generous with all of our resources. Think of a time when you were able to give generously to someone else. How did that make you feel?

7 How can you, with all the resources God has given you, become radically generous? Take a moment to think outside the box and be creative. Include not just your finances, but also your time, effort, and deeds. How can you surprise someone with your generosity for God s sake? Matt ended this session by challenging us to consider how we can work as worship. He said that for some of us, our responsibility is to be heralds of the good news of Jesus Christ in our workplace. Not all Christians run multi-million dollar corporations. Some are in middle management while others are just starting out. You may not have control over how the assets of the company are used. But you do have control over your life and how you communicate with others. How can you herald the good news of Jesus Christ in your workplace? But Matt also said that others will have considerable resources at their disposal. He challenged us to consider how we could maximize our business for the kingdom. Take a moment to consider your business and the industry that you are in. How could you use not only your profits but also your product to bring glory to God and advance His kingdom? Don t be limited by what other corporations or organizations have done. This might be the most important business question you ever ask yourself. Hopefully your discussion time was inspiring, but don t stop there. Take some time this week to pray. Ask God to give you a vision for your job, for your company, that will maximize your effectiveness for Him. And then hold on for the ride of your life!