Follower of One : Missions For The Rest Of Us

Our second challenge in this verse is to be self-controlled. Various translations use different words, including being sober or sober in spirit. Being ready for anything means being spiritually aware and in control. We must be present with Jesus, intentional in the way we do things. The Amplified Bible says morally alert. MacArthur's commentary said we are in charge of our priorities. We're not impulsive, but purposeful. Our lusts and desires aren't out of control or consuming us. 

In our workplaces, do you ever get a bit frantic? Do you press for a deadline? Can you become a bit of a Mr. Hyde in certain circumstances? This command is to avoid becoming Mr. Hyde. We're not to be consumed by an idea, or a fear. We don't let our spirit get overwhelmed by anything other than Jesus. Sober means we're not intoxicated. Nothing controls us. We remember we serve Jesus where we are. 

Sometimes I find myself in a grump. I'm discouraged about something. Maybe some outcome I want is taking longer than I expected. Or maybe I have started wondering that it won't happen. I've started to experience the failure in advance. 

Peter reminds us to keep sober, and then he gives us the antidote - fix our hope. If we prepare our minds for action and if we're sober minded, focused, then we can fix our hope on the grace we will receive when we see Jesus. We focus past any difficulty. We set our mind on a point in the future. As we look past the current difficulties, we can move through them. When we focus on Jesus, we can be his servant in any situation. We can be ready for anything because our mind is ready for action, and our spirit is focused.

In this week's episode of the Follower of One podcast, Mike sits down with Emory Rowland. Emory is a regular guest on the podcast and this time, Mike talks to Emory about the current changes with one of his passions - TestimonyShare.com. Please welcome him back to the community! 

Episode Breakdown

1:15 - Changes to TestimonyShare.com! 

4:05 - TestimonyShare becomes an App

5:15 - How to Use The New App

7:10 - Encouraging to Communicate Your "Why"

10:10 - Your Testimony Can Have a Wide Reach

13:55 - Minister to People Everywhere without Leaving Your House

16:25 - Where to Download the New App

Your Testimony Helps Others and Yourself

Usually, when I hear anything about Testimonies, it usually involves a story for the purpose of enlightening others. Giving someone else a perspective they might have understood before can be a powerful thing. Mike and Emory talk about how Testimonyshare.com allows you to do just that but it doesn't stop there. Your testimony can also help you as well! Sometimes sharing your testimony can be freeing. Whether it is anonymous or not, it can be relieving to get your story out to others. Maybe it is something you hold so dear to your heart, you are afraid to say it? Maybe you can't say what you want to who you want? Use Testimonyshare.com to help you take action and break the mold! 

Ministering Without Leaving Your House

One of the most exciting things about Emory's new app is its ease of access. Just like the website, it allows you to share and spread your ministry without ever leaving your home. Wherever you are, you can make a difference. Especially in these times of struggle and restriction, it makes sense that we look to God for direction. How can I help people without direct interaction? How can I minister without seeing anyone face to face? We need to see opportunity where others see obstacles. Start by using Testimonyshare.com to empower your story, minister to whoever comes to the site, and build a stronger network or Christ-followers, today! 

Interview Quote

"This is a way to pray for people everywhere around the world and you can see the encouragement at the same time"

Connect with Emory

Testimony Share Website

Emory's Personal Testimony

App Store Link

Google Play Link

Leverable

Connect With Follower Of One

Join us over in our Online Community, get social with us; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Listen to our podcast on your way to work and subscribe using your favorite podcast app. Be a part of our next Marketplace Mission Trip!

Are you ready for anything? What does it take for a Christ-follower to be ready to serve Jesus in any situation? In one verse, we may have the answer. Peter writes this letter to the Christians who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire, especially the areas that amount to western Asia. As you study this letter, you find this is written to all of us who are aliens, outsiders in our present situation. (See 1 Peter 1:1-2.) 

Peter just finished telling us about the greatness of our God and our salvation. The word "therefore" connects these thoughts. Because of who God is, and how great his salvation and love for us are, then we should do 3 things.

Prepare our minds for action: in that day, they wore long outer garments. To run, they would have to pull up the cloth so it didn't entangle their legs. They would prepare to run. The same Greek word is used here. We're to ignore the details and focus our minds for action. We have a purpose. We can expect to be called upon to act. Our minds must be ready, prepared. How do you prepare your mind for action? Back when Mike commuted to work, he was aware that if he got too tired, and came home expecting to relax, he would be disappointed. When he got home from work, his wife expected him to help with the kids. Mike had to purposely switch his mind to that of helper with family matters. 

In our workplace ministries, we need to switch our brains on. Doug Spada with Worklife.org has a product called the Monday Switch Kit. It's about switching your faith on when you enter the workplace. He talks about how many of us live like atheists on Monday - Friday. One of the tools in that kit is the book, Monday Morning Atheist. You can check out these great resources at Worklife.org.

How can we stimulate one another to love and good works if we don't come together? We must join with other Christ-followers. But do we have to all get in the same room? How often should we do this? 

I have some friends who no longer attend church. They follow Jesus, but they don't want anything to do with the organized church. Mike talked about how he can understand. Every church is imperfect because it's made of imperfect people.

But, does our framework for understanding limit the author's meaning here? We can go crazy in isolation. God created us to need each other. But up until 100 years ago, we couldn't interact with one another without being in the same place at the same time. Sure, you could write letters and send them by snail-mail. Most of the New Testament are letters to people who were not nearby. But the interaction was low, participation was minimal. For most of human history, unless people are together, in the same room, they couldn't interact very well. 

Today, that's not the case at all. We have video conferencing capabilities. We can interact, face-to-face, with people all over the world. Imagine what technology can do to your ability to interact with others, to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.

But watch out that you don't create a global echo chamber, either. Remember yesterday we talked about how this stimulation isn't always pleasant. When a horse took a spur, it hurt. We need relationships with others where we challenge and where we are challenged, we encourage and we are encouraged, we inspire and we can be inspired. Video interaction isn't easy for many, especially when we need to invite other viewpoints. But fight the temptation to build an echo chamber. If everyone you interact with every day thinks just like you do, then you'll never be provoked or stimulated. (See yesterday's episode.) 

We need to interact with others. We need to give encouragement and we need to receive correction, reproof and training in righteousness so that we may be equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).

Do you even know who the other Christians are in your workplace? This series of "let us" statements in Hebrews are written to believers. And here the author suggests that we should stimulate one another (NASB). Other words include encourage, motivate, stir up, provoke. Some translations have "spur." 

When we stir up something, we shake it up. We're messing with the status quo. When something is unstirred, it isn't mixed well. It's settled like sweet tea with all the sugar at the bottom. We have to mess up the order of something to produce the desired result. When you spur a horse, you irritate them. They go faster, because they want to get away from the pain. 

The idea here is that we will challenge one another, encouraging one another to do the things that make Jesus visible: love and good deeds. We want to encourage one another to make a difference with our lives. We don't just get through work. Mike's most common prayer about work was to "get outta here!" He confessed to doing his job so he could leave. There's a bit difference between doing our jobs so we can leave, and doing our jobs to obey Jesus and love others.

Today, let this podcast stimulate you and spur you on. Perform your work to obey Jesus and love others. Make your work a "good deed." Ask Jesus to use you to make a difference in the life of a coworker. If the coworker you're working with is a Jesus-follower, spur one another on. And if they're not, find another way to demonstrate love through good deeds.

Here we have another "let us" passage. The author is encouraging the Hebrews. In the last verse, he encouraged them to draw near to God. Now he encourages them to cling to the confession of our hope. To hold fast means we cling to it. We never let it go. Regardless of our circumstances, and what we think we see or experience, we hang on. 

And we're called to hold fast without wavering. It means we're immovable. Unbendable. This word is only used here in scripture. It means not bowing or bending. The idea is that we don't compromise, we don't surrender and we don't move. Hold fast without moving. 

But what do we cling to? We cling to what we claim about Jesus. The confession of our hope is what we claim about Jesus. We must know him to make claims about him. 

Right here, in this verse, the author reminds us that God made the promises and he is faithful. When we hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, we find the strength and the energy to do things that can't be explained. We want to live a life that can't only be explained with Jesus. He can make our life defy understanding. As we hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, we find the strength to go above and beyond. His character and his promises are the reason we can serve people who don't appreciate us. We can work jobs that aren't perfect fits for our gifting. We can invest in and give even more than is expected of us. We can cling to and expect the hope God promised regardless of our situation, or our circumstances. We can give more than is expected of us. And when we're asked, we can point people to the source of our hope, Jesus.

Today, let's remind ourselves something about the faithfulness of God. What has he done in your past that encourages you to keep going without bending? Share it in the comments. Send a note to [email protected]. Call to mind a story of God's faithfulness from your past. And if you can't think of one, reach out to us. We'll share some stories and pray for you. 

When we deal with sin in our own lives, if you're like Mike, you can sometimes think you're not qualified. Maybe you lost your temper yesterday, or you did something worse. We all have. None of us are qualified through our own actions or behaviors to be used by God. But this passage shows us Jesus still has a job for us. 

We all screw up. Mike said he often feels like the before-picture. But if ministry is helping others move one notch closer to Jesus, when we get an opportunity to help someone else, we should. We will get opportunities again today. The people you work with need to move closer to Jesus. Most of us are trying to move closer to him already. But everyone takes their own path. The almighty Creator of the universe loves us and enjoys us. He's moving heaven and earth to be close to us. So as we draw near to him, one notch at a time, we can also help others draw near to him too. Don't let your brokenness keep you from God.

Today, let's focus on resting in the assurance that Jesus paid for our sin. Ask him to show you where you can appreciate and enjoy him more. If you need to make something right with a coworker, please do. And if we are convicted of sin in our life, we should deal with that too. Jesus may keep us out of his work because of sin in our lives. We'll talk about how our relationship to Jesus impacts this tomorrow. But today, remember Jesus paid for your sin. You can't pay for it. There aren't enough things you can do or say to fix your past. But if you see an opportunity to serve Jesus by helping someone else move one notch closer to him, then by all means do it. Don't judge success by the results either. If you're faithful to do what you think Jesus wanted, then thank him and learn from the results. Look for ways to be a blessing to your coworkers today and watch Jesus work.

Being Purposeful With Work, Chuck Proudfit #70

In this week's episode of the Follower of One podcast, Mike speaks with Chuck Proudfit. Chuck has served in general management at Procter & Gamble, the Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery, and LensCrafters Corporation. He currently sits as the President of the Board for At Work on Purpose and leads a business consultancy called SKILLSOURCE. All of Chuck's focuses have the foundation of Christ so please welcome him to the community! 

Episode Breakdown

1:05 - Meet Chuck

1:50 - At Work On Purpose

4:10 - Skillsource 

9:45 - Biznistry

11:05 - At Work On Purpose Services

15:15 - How to Get Involved

18:25 - Ambassadors for Business

20:10 - Advice from Chuck in the Workplace

22:55 - Connect with Chuck and Team

Work is a Crucible 

You are supposed to like your job, but many don't. We need to focus on getting the most out of our job in every way we can! However, spiritually speaking, work is a crucible. Even if you love your job work is a crucible on your beliefs for 99% of Christians out there. Why? Because most of us separate our faith from work. That is why when we try to integrate, it is much more difficult than it seems. Here is the good news - nothing worth having comes without struggle. "It is who we decide to become out of that struggle that matters." What are your biggest fears in living your faith in the workplace? How can we help? Take the Marketplace Mission Trip to find out more too! 

Use Spiritual Lenses 

Perspective can give us a lot of knowledge we didn't have previously. It helps us understand one another, and think outside the box. One of the most useful tools in a Christian's arsenal would be our spiritual lens. Chuck talks about the best way to get involved in your workplace tomorrow and we start by putting on our spiritual glasses. Find out where God is working at your job already. Use that knowledge to then get involved and see something blossom from that experience. You don't need to have a "mountain-top" experience to know or see God act in your life! Let us know what you see next time at work in the comments. 

Connect with Chuck

Chuck's LinkedIn

At Work On Purpose

SKILLSOURCE

BIZNISTRY and Book Link

Connect With Follower Of One

Join us over in our Online Community, get social with us; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Listen to our podcast on your way to work and subscribe using your favorite podcast app. Be a part of our next Marketplace Mission Trip!

Who do you say Jesus is? Does your life support your statement? When we live giving our lives away, we operate on a different economy than the rest of the world. In verse 30, Jesus tells them not to tell anyone else. There will be another time for talking. But for now, simply knowing is enough.

We live our lives according to what we think about God. If you believe in a big God, you can freely give (See Matthew 10:8 and Romans 8:32). You know whatever you give, more will be given to you. (See Luke 6:38). But if you hang on to your time, if you obsess about your own schedule, your own tasks, your rights and your career, you operate apart from Jesus. 

Mike talked about being convicted because of his own fear of loss. The more we have, the easier we scare. Maybe that's why so many seem so fearful in our world these days. But today, remind yourself why you believe in Jesus. Remember what he promised you and what he has done in your life already. 

As you remember, you practice today's action item. Remember why you follow Jesus. Then, get out on the limb. Try and out-give God. Try to serve others beyond what you typically do. Ask God to show you how you can invest in others, and then watch how God expands your horizons. Try to double the number of people you pray for, or the time you spend getting ahead so you can be interrupted. Give you family more, and give your coworkers more and take less for yourself. Ask God to give you peace and rest as you do.

Then watch him work. The farther "out there" you get, the more likely people will ask about your motivation. That's when you get to say what you practiced from day 3. Simply tell them the reason for your hope. Answer in the first person. Sometimes we get the chance to speak. But we can always serve. Stay busy serving, looking for opportunities to share about the reason for your hope, and the One you follow.

Bezalel was gifted by God to build things primarily in gold, silver and bronze. God knew what he was. This wasn't a fluke. God knew what he needed and, in this case, God even told them who to use.

Your gifting is for your time, your workplace, and your sphere of influence. In Colossians 3, Paul reminds us that whatever we do, we do for God. Therefore we should do it very well, with excellence. Often, Mike talks about the first marketplace minister being the man in Mark Chapter 5. But it could be Bezalel, too. God gifted this man for this work.

Maybe you wonder about your gifting. Mike was frustrated in many of his jobs. Much of what he had agreed to do wasn't what he was gifted to do. He talks about how he took many jobs for money. But for many of those jobs, Mike learned 2 lessons: 1) Whatever our hand finds to do, do it with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10), and 2) God causes everything to work together for good (Romans 8:28).

How you do your work, or whatever you do, it speaks to what you think about God. If you know God is powerful, and he's in control, you can do your best and trust him. When you do excellent work, you take God at his word. Trust God to do his part, too. He will use you. You may not see it right away, but God is trustworthy. You will also tell your coworkers and customers that they're important to you. They'll sense the value you create. They may even ask you why you work so hard. Then you'll get to mention that Jesus is your motivation. 

Today, deliver excellent work. And ask God to show you how your gifts can be a blessing to others. When you do, your life becomes a testimony to what you believe about God, too.