{"id":31560,"date":"2022-09-10T15:35:11","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/7-lies-infecting-culture-and-spreading-to-your-church\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:35:11","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:35:11","slug":"7-lies-infecting-culture-and-spreading-to-your-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/7-lies-infecting-culture-and-spreading-to-your-church\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Lies Infecting Culture and Spreading to Your Church"},"content":{"rendered":"
CDC photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Daniel Im<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

It seems like everyone is working a gig or side hustle.<\/p>\n

Okay, maybe not everyone<\/em>, but close to half of the people I’ve met were part of the “gig economy.” And for the majority of them, these gigs weren\u2019t their main source of income.<\/p>\n

A lot of them were hustling, gigging, contracting, and moonlighting on the side to earn some extra cash, pay down debt, or save up for a vacation.<\/p>\n

This global trend is growing rapidly and not only affects everyday life, but also the church.<\/p>\n

In 2019, 35% of the American workforce was a part of the gig economy\u2014up from five years prior.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

That means 57 million Americans were self-employed in a part-time or full-time capacity getting paid for their time, skills, possessions, or expertise.<\/p>\n

To give you some perspective, that\u2019s more people than the entire populations of Canada, Liberia, Greece, and Puerto Rico combined!<\/p>\n

And what\u2019s so surprising about it all is just how rapidly the gig economy has grown. Can you believe that 68% of all gig workers surveyed joined the gig economy in the last five years?<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t even need to be working in it for it to affect you.<\/p>\n

Just think about the last time you bought something off of Facebook Marketplace, rode in an Uber, ordered food using DoorDash, slept at an Airbnb, or got your IKEA furniture assembled by a Tasker from TaskRabbit.<\/p>\n

That was all possible thanks to the gig economy and someone else\u2019s side hustle.<\/p>\n

The same is true even without an app because every time you get a haircut, hire a contractor, have your lawn mowed, or hire a babysitter, you are also funding the gig economy.<\/p>\n

In other words, the gig economy is not just happening around you, it\u2019s happening to you<\/em>.<\/p>\n

7 Gig Economy Lies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While I was researching the implications of the gig economy on everyday life, I noticed a loose thread.<\/p>\n

And the glitz and glamor of the gig economy came undone the more I pulled. Stitch after stitch loosened and fell apart until I was eventually left with this mangled heap of lies:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    You are what you do.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    You are what you experience.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    You are who you know.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    You are what you know.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    You are what you own.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  6. \n

    You are who you raise.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  7. \n

    You are your past.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These are the seven lies that have risen to the surface because of the gig economy.<\/p>\n

    And if they haven\u2019t already done so, they will subtly and subversively change the way you approach pastoral ministry, and also, how those in your church will approach work, life, and love.<\/p>\n

    The Challenge for Pastoral Ministry<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    This presents quite the challenge, doesn\u2019t it? Especially when the gig economy is saying things like this:<\/p>\n

    \u201cYou have unlimited earning potential, so if you want to go on a trip, just gig for a few hours.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

    \u201cWant that new outfit? Sell a few things.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

    \u201cWant the latest phone? Hustle for it. After all, everyone has free time that they waste, so just use that time and earn some extra cash. Be productive! You\u2019re in control, so make it happen\u2014rise and grind and get it done.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

    A life of freedom and flexibility\u2014or a life of control\u2014is what the gig economy tries to promise. And each of these seven lies feeds right into this so-called \u201cpromised\u201d life.<\/p>\n

    No wonder these lies have become the new way to view ourselves! They are the means to an end, since believing in them, and living our lives according to them, is apparently the \u201cpromised\u201d path to freedom and flexibility.<\/p>\n

    \n
    \n
    \n
    See also  The Power of the Ordinary Moments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Here\u2019s the reason it\u2019s so easy to fall into the trap of believing these lies\u2014it\u2019s because they are half-truths! Not the kind that are outright harmful, evil, or unjust.<\/p>\n

    They mingle truth and falsehood with the subtle and deliberate intent to deceive. And in our day and age of fake news where half-truths are everywhere, these don\u2019t actually seem too bad\u2014which is precisely why they are so deceptive.<\/p>\n

    The Opportunity for Pastoral Ministry<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    With every challenge, there\u2019s also an opportunity.<\/p>\n

    And while these seven lies of the gig economy have definitely changed the way we must lead in the church, they also present a unique opportunity to share how the way of Jesus is better than the ways of the world.<\/p>\n

    Living according to the lies of the gig economy is like living in chains. It\u2019s tiring. It\u2019s a grind and a hustle just to try and keep up. And it\u2019s actually a fool\u2019s game because you will never feel caught up.<\/p>\n

    However, following Jesus leads to freedom because following Him is a decision to follow the truth. It\u2019s a decision to walk out of the darkness and into the light.<\/p>\n

    He said it Himself: \u201cI am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me\u201d (John 14:6), and \u201canyone who lives by the truth comes to the light\u201d (John 3:21).<\/p>\n

    Freedom cannot be found in anyone else or through anything else\u2014including and especially through these lies\u2014because it\u2019s only through Jesus that anyone can experience true freedom.<\/p>\n

    And here\u2019s the truth about freedom: \u201cTruly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free\u201d (John 8:34\u201336).<\/p>\n

    The rise of the gig economy presents an incredible opportunity for you to teach those in your church what the seven lies are, how to lay them down, and what it looks like to follow the ways of Jesus instead.<\/p>\n

    For when they do this, their status will change from slave to child. From enslaved to free. From no inheritance to full inheritance. From worker to heir.<\/p>\n

    From being defined by what they do, what they experience, who they know, what they know, what they own, who they raise, and their past, to being defined by what Jesus has done for them.<\/p>\n

    Essentially, from ashes to beauty. <\/em><\/p>\n

    What an opportunity to present the truth of the gospel.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    DANIEL IM (@danielsangi)<\/strong> is a speaker, leader, and author of three books, including his most<\/em> recent <\/em>\u201cYou Are What You Do.<\/em>“ Daniel lives in Canada with his wife Christina and their three children. For more information, visit danielim.com. This is an adapted excerpt used with permission by B&H Publishing.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
    Dig Deeper at Lifeway.com<\/div>\n
    \n
    <\/div>\n
    \n

    You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies About Work, Life & Love <\/h2>\n

    Daniel Im<\/p>\n

    FIND OUT MORE <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    Related posts:<\/h3>\n
    What Do Pastors Believe About the End Times? What Do Pastors Believe About the Book of Revelation? 3 Ways to Reach Non-Religious People in Your Community <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    CDC photo – Unsplash By Daniel Im It seems like everyone is working a gig or side hustle. Okay, maybe not everyone, but close to half of the people I’ve met were part of the “gig economy.” And for the majority of them, these gigs weren\u2019t their main source of income. A lot of them … Continue reading “7 Lies Infecting Culture and Spreading to Your Church”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31560\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}