Reflections
NEW WINESKINS FOR THE LEAST OF US
(IS THE CHURCH EXPERIENCING A SECOND REFORMATION?)
By Pete Hammond
Have you ever wondered about questions like these?
Where is the Church on Tuesday? What does the Lordship of Jesus Christ mean in the workplace or on the job? What does justice look like in government, education, finance, health? care, agriculture, manufacturing or sales? What does the Holy Spirit have to do with the building trades, food service, communications, transportation, law or the arts? Do Christian laity have anymore to do in building the kingdom of God than praying, paying and obeying? Is there a difference between the ministry of the laity and the ministry of the clergy? Is evangelism the special responsibility of only those who are gifted or called into it as a profession, or is it the calling and privilege of every believer? Is work a result of the curse and destined to forever be painful and sweaty drudgery?
These and other questions are being probed and unpacked by believers all around the globe. Let's look at each one briefly. In terms of the church, believers are recovering the truth that they are still the church when they are not gathered together in a place of worship with each other, but also when they are scattered into the various worlds of work?whether it is employment, business ownership, family development or volunteering. The reality of Jesus being Lord over all of life and creation (Colossians 1:15?23) is calling believers to re?evaluate their responsibility for their gifts received from God like, skills, temperament, relationships, and life itself (1 Tim. 4:4). Our Lord's teaching on justice through our being "salt and light" in the world (Matthew 5:13?16) is moving believers to think and act differently about politics, wealth & poverty, stewardship of the environment, oppression, war & slavery, hunger & malnutrition, gender conflict and injustice, race & ethnicity, and power. Many believers are discovering that the Holy Spirit is concerned for more than just special gifting (1 Cor. 12) as they engage the report of God's divine Spirit in the construction of the mobile worship center of the Hebrews when men & women were "filled with the Spirit of God..to work in all manner of workmanship." (Exodus 31:1?5, 35:30?36:7).
Both clergy and laity are recovering the liberating truth that every believer is called to ministry (Ephesians 4:11, 1 Peter 2:9?10). It has been aptly observed that there are different ministries for clergy and laity. The ministry of the clergy is all about identity. They are to remind the church of who we are in Christ thereby protecting the church from amnesia. The ministry of the laity is to bring vitality to the world protecting it from anemia. The sobering challenge of fulfilling the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28:18?20 & John 20:19?23) has moved many believers to the realization that witness is the calling and privilege of every believer in every place every day and that is it more than words (Acts 1:6?8, Jas 2:14?26). Employers, business owners and employees are re?discovering that work is not a result of the curse. The fact is that we are created in the image of God who went to work each day of creation, and then "created us in his own image and likeness" (Genesis 1:1?31) is being taken seriously. The curse from sin turned a good thing into sweaty toil, but Christians are to restore work just as Jesus did (John 5:17). We were created to be workers and this godly activity will continue into eternity (Isaiah 61:4?9, 65:17?23). Many have noted with hope that "the first reformation gave the word of God back to the laity and that the second reformation is giving the work of God back to the laity."
The Word In Life Study Bible acknowledges a new approach to the Scriptures that affirms this refreshing view. Ray Bakke and I led a team of 14 people over a seven?year stretch in developing this innovative work. The twenty?one themes include laity, work, urbanization, wealth& poverty, church in the world, women, ethnicity & race, power, witness & mission, family life, the environment, the arts, government and ethics. It also describes over 200 jobs held in biblical times with parallels to today. It was our dream to reconnect the "then and there of biblical times with the here and now of today" to help all God's people be able to live kingdom values in work and family. We desire to help reconnect the two reformations again so that the church can be a blessing to every nation (Genesis 12:1?3).
Pete Hammond is a husband, daddy, and grandpa. A senior veteran of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the leader of its Ministry In Daily Life work, he is the creative developer of the Word In Life Study Bible and a PC(USA) elder. He and Shirley live in Madison, WI and travel to Chicago to see their children and grandchildren at the drop of a hat.
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