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People like Barnabas are always needed in the church. They are peacemakers, the go-betweens who seek no glory for themselves but only seek to bring out the best in others. But “would-be” Barnabases of today need to hear a further lesson from this outstanding biblical figure. Barnabases want everyone to be happy, but sometimes it simply is not possible to please everyone without serious compromise of one’s basic convictions. Barnabas found that out later at Antioch when, in order to placate the conservative Jewish Christians “from James” (Jerusalem), he withdrew from table fellowship with those very Gentile-Christian converts we see him witnessing to so enthusiastically (Gal 2:11-13).

John Polhill, Acts (The New American Commentary Vol. 26), p 272

HT: A.W. Hall

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I love this advice from C.S. Lewis:

The way for a person to develop a style is (a) to know exactly what he wants to say, and (b) to be sure he is saying exactly that. The reader, we must remember, does not start by knowing what we mean. If our words are ambiguous, our meaning will escape him. I sometimes think that writing is like driving sheep down a road. If there is any gate open to the left or the right the reader will most certainly go into it.

In another writing, Lewis expands on this advice:

(1) Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentences couldn’t mean anything else. (2) Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t implement promises, but keep them. (3) Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean ‘More people died’ don’t say ‘Mortality rose.’ (4) In writing, don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us the thing is ‘terrible,’ describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, ‘Please, will you do my job for me.’ (5) Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say ‘infinitely’ when you mean ‘very’; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

(both quotes are as published in Excellence by Andreas Köstenberger)

This is probably the best advice I’ve seen lately for writers (aside from Stephen King’s). It’s elegant in its simplicity—which of course means its extremely difficult to put into practice. “Know what you want to say, and . . . [say] exactly that.” Use plain, simple language, be direct, don’t wax eloquent, be direct… Oh, that authors—especially those who are pastors—would take this to heart! There is little that is more frustrating to me than reading poorly crafted writing. Whether your work is overly technical and full of abstract language or simply trying too hard to create an emotional response in your readers, it’s not only forgettable, but it’s boring.

Köstenberger says it well, “There is nothing particularly Christian about dullness or lack of effort in presenting one’s message attractively and memorably. Creativity means appreciating God’s role as creator and sees creativity as a way to bring glory to God and to bring others to him.”

Let’s keep that in mind, shall we?

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photo by Piotr Bizior

What’s the purpose of having a sense of calling? A sense of calling—understanding that God has put you where you are for His purposes—is important because some days, it’s the only thing that will stop you from going on a rampage or quitting and going to work at Starbucks (I hear the benefits are great, incidentally). A sense of calling is important, but we have to be careful that we don’t hyper-spiritualize the idea.

Even typing that seems odd, though. I mean, how can you over-spiritualize a sense of being called by God?

The answer is by limiting it to ministry.

Because I work in a ministry context and I’m around a lot of Christians every day, I see this happen a lot. Well-meaning people try to motivate their co-laborers by appealing to calling. “Anyone can have a job, but in this place, you need to be called,” they might say. Here’s where they’re right: To work in ministry and survive, you need to have a sense of calling. It doesn’t matter if it’s church or para-church ministry—if you are there running on your own steam, it will kill you. And, let’s be honest, your coworkers won’t want to work with you either.

But the same is true for “normal” work, too. As a Christian, you can’t do it and excel under your own power, not indefinitely. Perhaps that’s why I found this passage from Excellence so helpful (and yes, I am aware that I’ve been talking about this book a lot lately):

Every Christian, regardless of his or her particular job or career, should view that assignment as a special calling from God, a vocation. In that vocation, whether or not it is the job they would most like to have, believers are to pursue excellence in order to fulfill their calling effectively and to bring glory to God. Every duty we have as Christians must be discharged with all our strength, because ultimately we are serving God, not other people (Eph. 6:5–8; Col. 3:23)

Here’s the point and I hope it’s helpful as we start a new week: All work is inherently spiritual. You are called to your job because God has placed you there. And by virtue of this, you are called to do your work with excellence. It doesn’t matter if you work in a church, a coffee house or at home and regardless of how long your season in that place lasts—your work is your calling. Rejoice (even if your job isn’t your favorite)!

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