"An Intelligent Carpenter"

A friend and former classmate of mine posted this quote yesterday and it got me really thinking.

"The Church's approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables.” - Dorothy Sayers

God has given each of us extraordinary gifts, skills, talents, abilities, etc. and most of the time we as Christians don't see the beauty of each one.



I love that God can be glorified just as much in a teacher teaching 2nd grade math; as a charismatic preacher laying down his best sermon ever.

A lawyer can glorify God as much by defending her client (or prosecuting for that matter) to the utmost best of her ability; as a missionary can by reaching an unreached people group.

An intelligent carpenter can glorify God by making such a good product for his customers; as a worship leader can by leading a congregation in full heart felt worship through music.

You see, though the men and women who give their lives to vocational ministry are worthy of respect for the call God has placed on our lives, we owe to you, to them, to everyone just as much respect, gratitude, love, and appreciation for those who fix septic lines, research medical advancements, or fight fires when they do it for the glory of Christ!

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 

-Colossians 3:12-14

Jesus said people would know we are Christians, that we are truly followers of Him, by the way we love each other... and to extend that... by the way we love our neighbor. We love our bosses, our coworkers, our clients, our customers, all who are our neighbors... by doing the best work we can do, by being the best (insert your name here) you can be.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

-Colossians 3:17

I believe the best way YOU can glorify God today in what you do, the decisions you make, the person you choose to be is to be the best version of yourself, and to truly use your gifts, talents, abilities to your best to help others or provide others with what they need.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 

-Colossians 3:23-24

 
I don't want to be a person who burdens others by placing all these restrictions and guidelines on people. I want to be a person who lives and preaches the message of freedom in Christ, to worship Him with what He has gifted us with.


Sidenote:
***(This can be abused of course and we will touch on how that can be abused in a future post.)***

My friend went on to comment, "In a culture where I see Christians refusing service to people they disagree with, I am reminded that that is not the way of Jesus. The way of Jesus would be to produce such a high quality product and to be so gracious in the process that it could not help but start a conversation about who we are in Christ."

Amen, and Amen.

Would you wrestle with my friend and I with that quote? I believe Dorothy Sayers can teach the church a lot with that statement.

"The Church's approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables.” - Dorothy Sayers

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Nathan Bryant

is a pastor living in Phoenix, AZ. As a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri he majored in Biblical Leadership, New Testament Studies, and Missiology. Nathan has a combined passion for unity and discipleship in the global church.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our causes.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our boundaries.

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