The 9 To 5 Window Read online

  PRAISE FOR

  The 9 to 5 Window

  In his book The 9 to 5 Window, Os Hillman equates work with worship and shows this to be a deeply spiritual truth. By following his guidance, we can all make the secular sacred and thus transform our lives. Don’t miss this splendid book!

  Ken Blanchard

  COAUTHOR, THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER®AND THE SECRET

  It has been my experience that the marketplace ministry movement is having a significant impact on the Kingdom, and Christians are realizing that God has equipped and called them to their present location as their field of ministry. I am delighted that Os Hillman, who has been working with marketplace leaders for many years, has written this book, The 9 to 5 Window. I recommend it to those who are serious about integrating their faith into their work environment.

  Ron Blue

  CHRISTIAN FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS NETWORK ATLANTA, GEORGIA

  As a former businessman, I’m delighted to see the growing movement of “marketplace ministries” encouraging Christians to serve God where they spend most of their time—on the job. Not only does The 9 to 5 Window address issues that have caused believers to separate work and ministry, but it also provides a host of guiding principles to those who want to effectively impact their workplaces for Christ. This book helps all of us to see ourselves as ministers!

  Dr. Tom Fortson

  PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PROMISE KEEPERS

  The Savior didn’t just call us to a life inside the Church but also to a life that is outside of it, and He’s calling each of us to honor Him in all that we say, think and do—especially on the job. The 9 to 5 Window is a practical, insightful and thought-provoking book. Not only will its message transform your workplace, but it will also transform your life. Os Hillman is a true vessel of God, complete with briefcase and a Bible!

  Andria Hall

  FORMER NEWS ANCHOR, CNN

  AUTHOR, THE WALK AT WORK: SEVEN STEPS TO SPIRITUAL SUCCESS ON THE JOB

  Os Hillman gives us a comprehensive coverage and update on the workplace ministry movement, revealing that it is growing tremendously and spreading throughout the world. In this book you will find all the attributes, principles and miraculous works that God is using to cause His Kingdom to come and to be manifested beyond the walls of the local church. Every Christian needs to read this book and incorporate its truths concerning saints manifesting the kingdom of God in the marketplace.

  Dr. Bill Hamon

  CHAIRMAN, CHRISTIAN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NETWORK BISHOP, CHRISTIAN INTERNATIONAL APOSTOLIC NETWORK AUTHOR, DAY OF THE SAINTS

  Jesus Christ is moving in the workplace today in so many unique ways. Os Hillman shows us how to join God in this 9 to 5 window of opportunity. Travel with Os on this journey and marvel at the variety of ways the Spirit of God is empowering ordinary believers to transform their workplaces for Christ.

  Kent Humphreys

  PRESIDENT, FELLOWSHIP OF COMPANIES FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONAL OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

  If your faith life and your work life are important to you, you will not want to miss The 9 to 5 Window. It provides practical answers on how to live out your faith radically yet practically. Os has given us a book of depth and substance for those who want to be instruments of transformation in work and life.

  Laurie Beth Jones

  FOUNDER, THE JONES GROUP

  AUTHOR, JESUS, CEO; THE PATH AND JESUS IN BLUE JEANS

  When Os Hillman started talking about the 9 to 5 window, I knew he had put the whole marketplace movement into perspective. The workplace needs to be impacted for the Lord, and this book tells us how to do it. I loved the book, and I am confident that you will too.

  Rich Marshall

  AUTHOR, GOD@WORK AND GOD@WORK VOLUME 2 FOUNDER, ROI LEADERSHIP INTERNATIONAL

  Os Hillman is a man uniquely gifted to both describe and help shape what God is doing in the marketplace ministry movement. His insights in this book, The 9 to 5 Window, confirm this.

  Dennis Peacocke

  PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC CHRISTIAN SERVICES

  The 9 to 5 Window is an exciting, practical and challenging read for every Christian businessperson. Os brings across the challenges facing all of us in the marketplace, with many great examples and solutions. It is my prayer that this great book will inspire millions to lead and run their business on Kingdom principles.

  Graham Power

  PRESIDENT, POWER GROUP OF COMPANIES

  VISIONARY, TRANSFORMATION AFRICA AND GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER

  Os Hillman has written a book that is extremely practical and genuinely profound. Os addresses how to resolve the tension between the pulpit and the marketplace by showing pastors what is in the heart of Christians who feel a call to ministry but not to the pulpit. He draws on his own insights but also on what he constantly gleans from others in his God-given networking ministry. This book is a superb how-to manual and a must-read for all Christians.

  Ed Silvoso

  PRESIDENT, HARVEST EVANGELISM, INC.

  AUTHOR, ANOINTED FOR BUSINESS

  Arguably, Os Hillman is the most knowledgeable person today in the rapidly escalating Faith at Work movement. The 9 to 5 Window will give you an accurate, thorough and enjoyable overview of one of the most crucial things that the Spirit is saying to the churches in this season.

  C. Peter Wagner

  PRESIDING APOSTLE, INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF APOSTLES PRESIDENT, GLOBAL HARVEST MINISTRIES CHANCELLOR, WAGNER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

  Os Hillman has long been a leader in the Faith at Work movement, and many of our students, staff and alumni at Regent University have been inspired by his work. Os now continues his leadership with this incisive, important book, helping Christians to reframe their work from God’s perspective.

  Michael Zigarelli

  DEAN, REGENT UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

  © 2005 Os Hillman

  Published by Revell

  a division of Baker Publishing Group

  P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

  www.revellbooks.com

  Revell edition published 2014

  ISBN 978-1-4412-2526-9

  Previously published by Regal Books

  Ebook edition originally created 2013

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

  Other versions used are:

  KJV— King James Version. Authorized King James Version

  THE MESSAGE— Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson, 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

  NASB—Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

  NKJV—Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  TLB—Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

  Cover Illustration, Ed Tuttle, Eklektos, www.eklektosdesign.com

  Any omission of credits is unint
entional. The publisher requests documentation for future printings.

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to my friends, colaborers and advisory board members of the International Coalition of Workplace Ministries (ICWM), who have been a source of encouragement and an example of what it means to live a life of faith in the 9 to 5 window.

  Angie Hillman, ICWM/Marketplace Leaders, Atlanta, GA

  Andria Hall, SpeakEasy M.E.D.I.A., Scotch Plains, NJ

  Brenda deCharmoy, Consultant, South Africa

  Colin Ferreira, International Christian Chamber of Commerce, Port of Spain, Trinidad

  Dennis Doyle, Nehemiah Partners, Minneapolis, MN

  Denton Cormany, Priority Associates, Raleigh, NC

  Dennis Peacocke, Strategic Christian Services, Santa Rosa, CA

  Doug Spada, His Church at Work, Atlanta, GA

  Jan Christie, Voices of Prayer/ICWM, Cleveland, GA

  Johnny and Elizabeth Enlow, Daystar Church, Altanta, GA

  Kent Humphreys, Fellowship of Companies for Christ, Oklahoma City, OK

  See-Lok Ting, Center for Marketplace Leadership, Malaysia

  Mike McLoughlin, YWAM Marketplace Missions, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

  Tim Habeck, The Covenant Group, Atlanta, GA

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  Part I: Understanding Your Call

  Chapter 1

  Satan’s Deceptions About Your Work

  Chapter 2

  Understanding Your Purpose

  Chapter 3

  Finding Your Purpose

  Chapter 4

  Four Attributes of an Effective Workplace Witness

  Chapter 5

  Four Types of Christians

  Chapter 6

  The Religious Spirit and the Workplace

  Chapter 7

  Bringing God to the 9 to 5 Window

  Part II: Bringing God’s Power into Your Workplace

  Chapter 8

  Hearing the Voice of God—Even on the Job

  Chapter 9

  Intercessory Prayer in the Workplace

  Chapter 10

  Receiving Only What God Gives You

  Chapter 11

  Do Not Reach for the Power

  Chapter 12

  Miracles at Work

  Chapter 13

  Transforming a City

  Chapter 14

  From the Workplace to the Nations

  Conclusion

  The Power of the Staff

  Bible Study Guide

  Endnotes

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Writing a book requires lots of input and multiple rewrites and revisions before the final version is complete. It is a process that requires the skills of many others once the initial manuscript is complete.

  I want to thank my soul mate and wife, Angie, for her considerable time, feedback and personal editing skills she provided as we got to the point of giving the manuscript to Regal Books. She has been a trusted friend, wife and editor for much of my work. She is a great sounding board and spiritual companion with me in this journey.

  Once we moved into the editing process there were several others who made major contributions to this work, including Kathy Deering, Deena Davis and Mark Weising with the Regal Books team.

  I particularly want to thank Bill Greig III for his faith in this work and the vision he is showing by making an investment in this very important category.

  God bless you all!

  INTRODUCTION

  We are convinced that England will never be converted until the laity use the opportunities daily afforded by their various professions, crafts and occupations.

  Towards the Conversion of England (1945)

  What happens when Christian believers take the Word of God literally and begin to apply it where they spend 60 to 70 percent of their waking hours?

  What happens when they use their spiritual authority in their work lives, reflecting their spiritual value system in their area of influence?

  What happens when Christians move in a spiritual dimension in their work lives as few have endeavored to do before now?

  What happens is that lives, workplaces, cities and nations begin to be transformed by the power of Christ. Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:10, “Thy kingdom come … Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (KJV), becomes a reality in the here and now.

  In the first Reformation, Martin Luther did us a great service by bringing the Word of God to the common man and woman. The second Reformation is taking the work of God to the common man and woman. We are now seeing early glimpses of what can happen in and through the life of a Christian who is willing to break the sacred/secular divide that has held sway since the days before the Reformation.

  However, we have yet to be fully liberated. At present, it is reported that less than two percent of the population attends church in England. It has become a secularized society because the above warning issued in Towards the Conversion of England in 1945 was not heeded by the Christian leaders of the day. America is rapidly moving in the same direction if something does not change.

  For years, the organized Church has sought to make an impact on the culture through various religious activities, such as city prayer meetings, pastor unity meetings, spiritual warfare conferences, intercessory prayer, spiritual mapping, and so on. These activities are very important, yet we have not seen one major city transformed for Jesus Christ. Why is that?

  It is because we in the Church have not equipped or commissioned those who have the authority in the cities to impact their spheres of influence for Jesus Christ. We have not helped them to realize that they are the army of the Lord—not merely the supporting personnel who supply the tools and equipment to those in the Church.

  We have wrongly equated “ministry” to what takes place inside the four walls of the local church. We have failed to affirm the worker at IBM, the clerk at Wal-Mart, the nurse at the hospital or the sixth-grade teacher at the elementary school that the work they do five days a week is as important as any ministry they do within the four walls of their local congregation. In fact, surveys reveal that more than 90 percent of church members do not feel they are being equipped by the Church to apply their biblical faith in their daily work life. As a result, they are ineffective for Christ at their places of employment, which allows the culture to continue to take away spiritual ground from the kingdom of God. In other words, by not equipping those in the Church to impact their workplaces for Christ, we give over every area of society to the kingdom of darkness.

  In the pages that follow, you will discover what it takes to experience God’s power in your day-to-day working life. I am convinced that most of us have never experienced God’s presence in our work because we have not understood what is required of us to receive it. We have lived so much on principles that we have missed the way to live in His presence as it relates to our vocational calling.

  You will also learn new biblical truths that apply to your daily work life. You will read incredible stories about the new breed of worker who has gone beyond the status quo to become a transformer in his or her sphere of influence. You will discover why I believe there is a God-birthed movement now underway that could become a societal “tipping point.”

  I invite you to walk with me as we enter new territories still unclaimed for the kingdom of God. However, beware. You may never be the same after our journey.

  —Os Hillman

  PART I:

  UNDERSTANDING YOUR CALL

  CHAPTER 1

  SATAN’S DECEPTIONS ABOUT YOUR WORK

  Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

  2 PETER 1 : 1 0 - 1 1

  I first met John Wigington in 1999 when he attended one of my first Called to the Workplace workshops in Atla
nta. John is a classic example of a man who loves God and has been called to the marketplace since his early teens. However, after graduating from high school, John assumed that his only option for serving God was in full time vocational ministry. He believed that his passion for Christ meant he was to become a pastor or a missionary. His pastor even encouraged this idea. This can be one of Satan’s greatest deceptions. Here is John’s story in his own words:

  Since childhood, I had loved God with all my heart. I loved to read and study my Bible, along with many of the great Christian classics, but I also enjoyed books about business and economics. In the seventh grade, I became very interested in the stock market. In high school, I began reading the Wall Street Journal and many other business magazines.

  The summer after I graduated high school was a special time in my walk with the Lord. I read many books about discipleship and memorized large portions of Scripture. Before starting my freshman year of college, I went to my pastor and told him all that God was doing in my life, and that I wanted to give my life and future to Him. I dreamed of writing for the Wall Street Journal or Forbes magazine. I could see myself becoming a stockbroker or investment banker.

  But that was not what my pastor saw. He said that he believed God was calling me into the ministry to become a preacher. So I spent three years in a Bible college, when I should have spent four years in a business school learning to apply my business skills through a Kingdom perspective to transform Wall Street for Jesus Christ.

  Shortly after graduating from Bible school, John decided to pursue a career in financial management, and today he is a stockbroker on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. However, for years John struggled with guilt for being in business after going to Bible School. It was not until he attended one of my workshops that he began to see things differently. As John states,

  Before I attended your Called to the Workplace workshop, I felt that the enemy had put a false sense of guilt upon me for being in business. This rendered me ineffective both in my walk with the Lord and in my business. I couldn’t understand what God was doing. It wasn’t until the workshop that I understood and saw what the Lord had been doing and preparing me for since childhood. For the first time, I realized I wasn’t called to vocational ministry—I was already in ministry! I was called to be a follower of Christ and my destiny was business.