I remember late in my high school days when I first decided I wanted to become a pastor. At the time my thinking was this: “I want to do the work of God, it seems like the only work worth doing, so I need to become a pastor.” It turns out, as I learned later, that doing the work of God is not limited to being a pastor. In fact, it is not limited to being any kind of church worker. No, the work of God goes far beyond the scope of the church; it is something that involves all Christians everywhere!

When we talk about the work of God, we often use the word vocation, and rightly so, but where we sometimes make the mistake is when we use the word vocation to mean the same thing as occupation.

While all Christians don’t have the same occupation, they do have the same vocation, which, simply put, is a call from Jesus to faith and to a life of service in Word and deed. Where we miss the mark is in thinking that certain occupations hold the power of the Gospel rather then leaving that, as it should be, to the Holy Spirit who enables us to do the work of God.

Download a PDF of Apologia: Vocation, the Chance to Serve in Plain Clothes