This morning our focus is on your job as ministry. The point of the message can be put first in a declaration and then it could be stated in a prayer. So I'll state it at the

outset so that you'll know where we're going and maybe be able to follow more

easily along. As a declaration the point is this, how you do your work, that is your 8 to 5 job or whatever shift you have,

how you do that work is a big part of your obedience to Jesus Christ. It's an essential

portion of your Christian discipleship. Stated as a prayer, it might go something like this.

Father, grant us all the grace to be conscious of your presence all day long through our work,

and the grace to obey your commands in all the demands of our jobs

and in all the relationships in which those jobs bring us. I think that's God's word for us today and I'd like to develop

it from 1st Corinthians chapter 7 verses 17 following. So if you have a Bible, you'll want to follow along I think in the text.

1st Corinthians 7. Now before we look at that particular portion though, let's orient ourselves in this chapter because I think

it's surprising in a sense that what Paul says here about our vocation seems out of place in the text or a chapter that deals mainly with

marriage but I think if we catch on to what the issue is in the chapter it won't appear out of place.

The Church at Corinth had this question for Paul, it seems.

Here we are as pagans discovering fellowship with the living Christ.

Surely it will make radical differences in our lives.

Surely we will be drawn out of relationships in which we've lived as pagans.

And there was a great deal of uncertainty there about what relationships would be abandoned. So they ask about a few. For example, they ask first

of all, will Christian partners continue having sexual relations? That's verses 1 to 7. And Paul answers with a

resounding yes. Don't abandon that particular dimension of the marriage

relationship in verse 3. We talked about that back in February

then down in verses 12 to 16 they raise another question what about if one of

the partners in the marriage becomes a Christian and the other one doesn't.

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