The task of the church is to make the invisible Kingdom visible through faithful Christian living and witness-bearing . – J.I. Packer

What kind of ketchup do you like? At our house we try to cut costs and will often buy a non-name or generic brand. There are many items where I can’t notice the difference, but I don’t like generic ketchup. It just doesn’t taste right. I’ll always buy the Heinz before some off brand. 

Did you know that the founder of Heinz Ketchup, Henry Heinz, was a committed Christ-follower? Here’s what’s even more interesting. Henry J. Heinz’s parents, John and Anna, wanted him to be a pastor and even enrolled him in the Allegheny Seminary. Yet had he gone into the ministry, he would have missed out on the ministry God had called him to. 

In 1869, Henry went into business with L. Clarence Noble. They established the Heinz & Noble company in Pittsburgh, selling horseradish as their initial product. That same year, Henry married Sarah Young. The Christian couple determined to always put God first, but then the financial panic of 1873 struck the nation. Banks shut their doors. Businesses closed. And in 1875, the Heinz company had to file for bankruptcy yet through their financial struggles, he and Sarah’s faith preserved. Their faith in God not only helped them through their financial struggles, it also guided them to honor Him no matter what. Though bankruptcy legally freed Henry from his debts. As a Christian, he felt responsible to repay everyone he owed. He kept detailed records in a “Moral Obligation Book” until he’d paid back every debt. 

His godly character made it easy for him to share his faith with everyone. In his twenties he became a Sunday School teacher and ultimately became the Sunday School superintendent of his church. For nearly twenty years, he oversaw the Sunday School of Grace Methodist Protestant Church in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania.

At every step of growth and expansion, Henry operated Heinz company according to Christian principles. He treated both employees and customers fairly and honestly. He offered employee benefits that included access to a rooftop garden, a gymnasium, and even a library. His employees received free health care. For anyone who had worked for him for three years, he provided a life insurance policy. He personally visited or had someone visit any worker who was ill. So, while becoming an industry giant, Henry kept people, not profit, his priority. He once offered someone the advice, Make all you can honestly; save all you can prudently; give all you can wisely. Though a businessman, Henry Heinz, was in full time ministry.

Today we’re beginning a new series on the Old Testament book of Nehemiah: Making a Difference for God.  Many of the books of the Bible were written by prophets or pastors. Not Nehemiah, he was a government worker…a bureaucrat, an advisor to the king. Yet, he lived for God full time. He lives out Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

This is important! Every person who follows the will of God in all of their life is in full-time Christian work. God calls some to the ministry. Others are called to be accountants, or in marketing, or teachers or construction workers. The Bible never makes a distinction between sacred and secular. The Hebrew word avodah is the root word that has the same meaning for “work” and “worship.” God sees all of our work as worship.

Too many in the Church have incorrectly elevated the role of the Christian worker to be more holy and committed than the person serving in a secular environment. Yet the call to the secular workplace is as vital as any other calling. God wants to have His people in every sphere of life. Otherwise, many would never come to know Him because they would be separated from Christ-followers. So, wherever we are, whatever we do, we are to be salt and light for the Lord Jesus. 

In other words, we’re all in missions. Some are called to foreign lands. Some are called to the jungles of the workplace. Wherever you’re called, serve the Lord there. Let Him demonstrate His power through your life so others might experience Him through you and see your vocation as work and worship to His glory.

Serving the Lord full-time encompasses the entirety of our lives, including our vocations and the ways we engage the world around us. Psalm 104 reminds us that God actively sustains and renews His creation through the work of His people. He continues to “feed the hungry,” “give sight to the blind,” and “care for his creation,” but God chooses to do so through the hands and skills of His image-bearers in our varied vocations and professions. Consider the following examples of how our work can be an expression of God’s sustaining care for the world:

The baker who provides nourishing bread to feed the hungry.
The doctor who restores sight and health to those in need.
The teacher who teaches those in a classroom. 
The engineer who designs structures to shelter and protect people.
The stay-at-home parent who nurtures and shapes the next generation.

In each case, the worker partners with God’s ongoing work of grace, love, provision, and care for His creation. Our jobs are not a means to an end but a sacred calling to be co-laborers with Christ in His redemptive mission.

When we embrace a biblical understanding of work, it will radically transform the way we view our vocations. Instead of seeing work as a necessary evil or a distraction from “real” ministry, we recognize it as an integral part of our calling as followers of Christ. Then, when we understand that God Himself is a worker and has made us co-workers with Him, we elevate the dignity of all forms of work. 

There is no “sacred-secular” divide—all honest labor, when done with excellence and for the glory of God, is sacred and pleasing to Him. So, instead of viewing our jobs as obstacles to “real” ministry, we see them as the primary context in which God has called us to serve Him. God has uniquely gifted us with talents, skills, and abilities meant to be used for His glory and the good of others. When we approach our work with this mindset, we will steward these gifts faithfully, using them to glorify God, and to bless and serve those around us.  

Nehemiah was a full-time servant for the Lord in the King’s court. We are too! So, whatever you do, your work is a sacred calling. Nehemiah didn’t just “punch in.” He knew who his true employer was. Though a massive construction project, he faithfully stewarded his gifts for God’s glory. And God wants us to do the same thing wherever He has placed us. So, remember that the next time you pass the ketchup!