One of the biggest obstacles to living the life we’ve always dreamed of is the cultural currents that promote the separation of the secular and the sacred. This is an obstacle to living our best life because it is not aligned with Biblical teachings. God is Lord over all, imbuing all of life with sacredness. The secular-sacred divide is a false dichotomy that leads to compartmentalized and fragmented lives. It’s a lie.
It might help to understand where this divide came from. These cultural currents have prevailed upon us for hundreds of years. Some historians believe they began during the Renaissance and Enlightenment in the 14th-18th Century. Separation became institutionalized in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially in Western Europe and America.
Our First Amendment, for example, speaks to the separation of church and state. The writers intended to protect the church from the state, not the state from the church. Philosophically, the sacred became a private, personal matter, while the secular ruled the public sphere.
When I fell in love with Jesus and began following him, I longed for the abundant life he promised. To fully embrace that life, I realized I would need to leave my job and eventually commit to full-time ministry. That’s how the fish were swimming, so it made sense to enroll in seminary because that’s how a person became qualified for serious ministry. Perhaps you’ve experienced the same pressure to “go into ministry” to make a ‘real’ difference. There appeared to be different levels and expectations for followers of Jesus. No one said that to me, but as far as I could tell from how people behaved, that’s how Christianity worked. So, I tipped my toe into seminary night school to begin testing the waters.
But the entirety of Scripture paints a very different picture. The apostle Peter captured the arc of the Biblical story when he wrote about the priesthood of all believers. He was making a powerful statement about the identity and role of every Christian. This concept appears most clearly in 1 Peter 2:5 and 1 Peter 2:9:
“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5 (ESV)
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
Isn’t it fascinating that our Lord Jesus chose twelve men without theological training? Why would he choose followers who had no political influence? How many of them would fit the label of high net worth donor? That’s not how we typically choose leaders—in churches, non-profits, or the marketplace. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)
I’m not saying we don’t need seminaries, trained theologians, or full-time pastors—we do. But here’s where it gets personal. My friends, the truth is that ALL followers of Jesus are called into full-time ministry. All of life is sacred and overflowing with divine purpose. One of my favorite Bob Goff quotes captures this essence: “Don’t call it ministry; call it Tuesday.”
Your mission is to fulfill your purpose right where you are. You have everything you need. Work doesn’t give your life meaning; you bring meaning to your work. Wherever you go, the Kingdom of God has arrived … in you.
Run the play!
Finding Our Place in the Story
Where in my life have I unintentionally bought into the lie that some work is more “spiritual” than others?
What would it look like to incorporate sacred purpose into my everyday routines on a Tuesday, not just a Sunday?
How might I live differently if I truly believed I was already a full-time minister of God’s Kingdom, right where I am?
PS: Please add your thoughts in the comments section. Iron sharpens iron.
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