Working as for the Lord
The fourth session at Northreach Church Camp brought the theme of Everyday Faith into the workplace.
Ian Hussey spoke from Ephesians 5:21 through to 6:9, focusing particularly on Paul’s instructions to slaves and masters.
The verse that stayed with me was Ephesians 6:7:
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.
Ephesians 6:7, NIV
A passage to read carefully
Paul was writing into an ancient household shaped by slavery. He was not describing a modern workplace, and slavery should not be treated as though it was simply another form of employment.
That distinction matters. The passage addresses people who did not possess the freedom and workplace protections many of us have today. It should never be used to excuse exploitation, threats, unsafe work or abusive leadership.
Yet Paul’s words still challenge the way Christians approach work and authority. He tells slaves that their service is ultimately seen by Christ. He then turns directly to masters and reminds them that they also have a Master in heaven, that they must not threaten those under them and that God shows no favouritism.
The accountability runs in both directions.
Work itself is not the curse
The session also returned to the beginning of the Bible. In Genesis 2, before the Fall, God places Adam in the garden to work it and care for it.
Work was part of God’s good creation. The Fall brought painful toil, frustration, thorns and difficulty, but work itself was already there.
That changes the way I think about an ordinary working day. Work is not simply something to endure until the weekend. Even in an imperfect workplace, it can be one of the places where I use what God has given me, serve other people and act with integrity.
Who am I really working for?
One line from the message captured the personal challenge for me:
I don’t work for you. I work for Jesus.
This connects strongly with my experience in a previous role. I allowed some of what was happening around me, particularly how I felt I was being treated and spoken to, to get inside my head. It began driving my emotions and changing how I felt about the work itself.
Ephesians 6 gives me another way to look at that season.
It doesn’t mean poor leadership or unfair treatment no longer matters. It doesn’t mean a Christian should tolerate abuse or remain silent about conduct that needs to be addressed. But another person’s behaviour does not have to determine the kind of worker I choose to be.
If I am ultimately serving Christ, my effort and integrity should not rise and fall according to whether somebody is watching, whether I feel appreciated or whether a manager has spoken to me well that day.
There is something freeing in that. A manager may direct my work, but they are not ultimately the reason I choose to do it well.
The responsibility that comes with authority
The other side of the passage may be even more challenging as my own responsibility increases.
I am not only someone who works under authority. I also influence the work and experience of other people.
Ephesians 6:9 does not allow Christian leadership to become, “Work hard because I am in charge.” The person with authority remains accountable to Christ and has no greater value before God than the person carrying out the work.
That leaves me with two questions.
When I am under authority, am I working sincerely and wholeheartedly as someone serving Christ?
When I have authority, am I treating people with the dignity, fairness and care I would want to answer for before Christ?
My attitude matters. My effort matters. My conduct matters too.
That is what I want to carry home from this session. Everyday faith belongs in the workplace, both in how I respond to authority and in how I exercise it.