The Office

By David VanEpps

Prior to the pandemic, the office was a place where people physically went to work.  Yes, people literally woke up, showered and put on “work clothes”, commuted in rush hour traffic to an office building, sat in cubicles laden with motivational signs and posters, did their work for 8 hours, enjoyed a few cups of coffee and, if lucky, a lunch break, and then commuted home, again in rush hour traffic.  During the pandemic, most of us switched over to the home office, which requires no shower, no commute, and both sweatpants and pajama bottoms have become acceptable work attire. 

The Modern Day Office

The overarching purpose of an office is so that employees can get work done to achieve the vision and objectives of a company.  The office is a place that has the necessary tools to get the job done – computers, printers, fax machines, any specialized equipment, and, of course, coffee machines.

Each office also has its own, unique culture.  There are norms and behaviors that are considered worthy of recognition and promotion, and there are those that are worthy of discipline and corrective action. There are guidelines for acceptable office dress attire, unfortunately none of which includes sweatpants or pajama bottoms.  Most offices also have banners, motivational posters, or signs depicting the company’s vision, mission, and objectives. 

God’s Office

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?…” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV).  Therefore, God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, lives in you.  But why does He live in you?  In part, The Holy Spirit lives in you to do God’s work.  You are His office!

In many ways, we can think of our bodies as God’s office.  Only, in God’s kingdom we’re not called employees, we’re called the body of Christ.  1 Corinthians 27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”  It’s our job to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to do His work on earth.

You Are God’s Office

Imagine, if you will, the translation of a corporate office into God’s office.

• Your body is the office building.  How you honor your body reflects how you are treating His office.
• The visionary banners are statements about the Gospel being spread to everyone on earth. Mark 16:15 says, “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’”
• The mission is be about making disciples, seeking the kingdom of God, and pointing everyone to Jesus:
  • “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV).
  • “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33 ESV).  This includes prayer and being in the word.  And focusing on the spirit, not the flesh.
  • I believe the following picture would also show up on the mission statement as a never-ending reminder that our job is to point people towards Jesus, and for those who are already pointed towards Jesus, to help them move closer to Jesus.

• Of course, this office wouldn’t be complete without at least one sign depicting John 3:16 (ESV), “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Perhaps that would be the corporate mantra.
• Like any modern-day office, the walls are plastered in the corporate objectives.  And, of course, there has to be at least one acronym that nobody can intuitively figure out.  The acronym for God’s office is our statement of objectives, 4SML.
  • S – Seek first the kingdom of God
  • S – Steward the resources with which God has blessed you to do His work
  • S – Serve God and others
  • S – Surrender your life and your will and pursue God’s will for your life
  • M – Make Disciples – live the Gospel, share the gospel, and point everyone toward Jesus
  • L – Love – your words, thoughts, and actions must all come from the lens of love for God and love for others

Imagine the power that’s in you this very moment.  The Holy Spirit is working in and through you.  You have the power of God at your disposal – the power to change the world.  Best of all, He’s already given you the office, equipped it with the tools you need to do the job, and provided the vision, mission, and objectives.  Use your office to do His work and transform the world one heart at a time.

Photo Credi: Ian Dooley