Did you know that I haven’t always worked for a Church? About 40 years ago I was a car mechanic and Kathy and I owned several car repair shops in Northern California. I didn’t “grow up in the church,” so when I was saved I had a lot to learn. Back in those early days in Weaverville we would learn about the gifts of the Spirit from Pastor Bill on Sunday mornings, and then we would practice what we learned in the Sunday evening services. It was a really stretching and fun time, and I felt like I had freedom to think about how the gifts could be used outside of the walls of our small church.
HOLY SPIRIT HELPED ME FIX A CAR
Today I want to share a story with you about how God taught me about the gifts of the Spirit in my mechanic shop, which may sound like the strangest place for Holy Spirit to show up. I hope this story encourages you today that no matter what your job is, it’s not secular. The Lord wants to show up in your occupation in this week! Will you invite Him in?
Check out this video to hear the story from our early Weaverville days:
In a nutshell:
• There are nine gifts of the Spirit and one of them is called “Words of Knowledge” (Check out 1 Corinthians Chapter 12.)
• Once you received Jesus, you became a part of a Royal Priesthood. This is not just limited to those working for the church!
• “There’s no such thing as a secular job as soon as you receive Jesus, because everything you do from that day on is sacred.” – Bill Johnson.
• As a mechanic, my worship instruments were the tools I used to fix cars. Whatever your day-to-day job may be, when you offer yourself as a living sacrifice it is pleasing to God. In fact, there is no hierarchy in worship, so we can’t judge worship
with instruments as any less or more valuable than doing your job with a worshipful heart.
• I laid hands on a broken truck and asked for a word of knowledge about how to fix it. Holy Spirit spoke to me and revealed the problem and the solution!
• God can and will show up in your job in supernatural ways if you invite Him in!
TAKEAWAY FOR THE WEEK
What is your worship this week? I want to encourage to to take a second and remember that whatever your tools or instruments are, if you use them as unto the Lord then your work will be worship! I also want to challenge you to invite God to show up in your workplace through the gifts of the Spirit this week. And next time you’re discouraged, overwhelmed, or facing a problem in your job, remember that the Lord can and wants to speak to you in those moments and hold onto my testimony.
Take some time today to think and pray about stepping into your identity as a royal priesthood—what’s one practical step you can take towards that? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. The line between sacred and secular is erased for those in Christ, so let’s walk in this truth with boldness and confidence this week!
