Covenant Life Church Pastor John Butler

Regardless of what you think about their politics, you have to appreciate the way Starbucks has taken over the country. A coffee shop that began in the Pacific Northwest sells coffee to people in Haralson County and around the world. How did they do it? Starbucks created a culture that attracted people, and coffee was only part of it. They have what’s called the “Third Place Policy.” They want to be the third place in your life: home, work and Starbucks.

This week, we’re continuing our “Employed by the King” series with a discussion about Kingdom culture. If you’re going be employed by the King in any capacity, it doesn’t matter what your job description or title is; God wants to create a culture around that work. As a matter of fact, once you understand and surrender to His culture, it won’t matter what the job is. People will know that you’re employed by the King by the way you live out the culture of the Kingdom.

Last week, we started talking about our "Employable Skills." Each of us has work to do, but thankfully, everyone has a special enabling given to us by God. People often get confused about what the gifts look like or where they come from. As we learned together, the work does not have to be spiritual in nature; it has to be spiritual in why and how it's used. All gifts from God and should be used for His Kingdom.

This week, we're continuing this discussion by looking at five specific gifts. Verses in Ephesians 4 address what is commonly referred to as the five-fold ministry. There are five offices mentioned, but at best, the modern American church only has two of them: pastors and teachers. We never talk about evangelists, prophets and apostles — at least not in a way that is biblically-accurate.

Last week, we began a series called “Employed by the King” to help us address the issue of spiritual unemployment. We have to allow our faith to influence our activities, attitudes and decisions because there is important work to be done. Before engaging in the work of the Kingdom, however, we must first develop the character and nature of Christ.

This week, we’re continuing the series by looking at our “Employable Skills.” This portion of the series will be in several parts, and it’s rooted in this idea: when you love King Jesus, you will naturally want to start being employed by Him, but people often believe that they don’t have anything to offer. Verses like 1 Corinthians 12:7 and 1 Peter 4:10 tell us that everyone has been given gift.

The church in America is suffering from an ailment that was present even in the time that Jesus was trying to establish the church: spiritual unemployment. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells His disciples that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. We don’t have a shortage of lost people; we have a shortage of saved people who are devoted to discipleship.

This week, we’re starting a new series called “Employed by the King” to help us address the issue of spiritual unemployment, which is rooted in the false notion that you can be a person of faith without allowing that faith to influence your activities, attitudes and decisions. Being a part of the Kingdom of God is not just about what you believe; it’s about what you do. It’s about faith-fueled work.

When you consider the intricacies and beauty of the world around us, it’s easy to think of God as somewhat OCD. His attention to detail is unmatched. He created 20 different shades of green in the trees and put the earth exactly far enough away from the sun that we don’t burn up but close enough that we stay warm. The list goes on and on. If anybody understands efficiency, it’s the Lord.

Given this, it’s baffling to read about His interactions with people after the resurrection. From an efficiency standpoint, they don’t make a lot of sense. There seems to be a lot of wasted time. This week’s message is called Encounters with the Risen Savior. By looking at the way Jesus interacted with people after His resurrection, we get insight into His passions and priorities, and in the process, we might find out just how important we are to Him as well.

The old song that many of us grew up singing says that on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross. That cross is what we reflect on during Good Friday. While the cross certainly is far away from where we are standing or sitting right now, it’s important to consider a question about a different kind of distance: how far are you from the cross? When you think about the cross of Jesus, how far away do you stand? In recognition of Good Friday, we’re going to talk about the cross from a distance and see how we can be close enough to the cross of Christ to be forgiven, grateful and changed.