Offer Yourselves to God: Vocation, Work, and Ministry in Paul’s Epistles

by Gordon D. Fee, Jeffrey P. Greenman (Editor), R. Paul Stevens (Foreword)

Renowned New Testament scholar Gordon Fee explores the meaning of Christian witness and service in every area of life. Focusing on the implications of every Christian's calling to belong to Christ, Fee reframes our contemporary quest for a more seamless, integrated faith. His careful examination of the context and message of Paul's letters sheds light on how a Christian identity is lived out in home, workplace, and church. "I have long believed Gordon Fee's writing pen bleeds gold ink. He proves himself again a master biblical interpreter, incisive theologian, and passionate teacher. Pastors will benefit greatly from Fee's many insights on vocation, work, and ministry, but his reflections here are relevant to all believers." --Nijay K. Gupta, Associate Professor of New Testament, Portland Seminary Gordon Fee is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Regent College, Vancouver, BC. He is a leading authority on the writings of the Apostle Paul. His books include numerous biblical commentaries and books such as God's Empowering Presence; Paul, the Spirit and the People of God; and How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (with Douglas Stuart). Jeffrey P. Greenman is President and Professor of Theology and Ethics at Regent College. His research and writing has focused on Christian ethics, spiritual formation, and leadership.

Genres: Theology

96 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2019

About the author

Gordon Fee was Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Regent College, where he taught for sixteen years. His teaching experience also included serving schools in Washington, California, Kentucky, as well as Wheaton College in Illinois (five years) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts (twelve years).

Gordon Fee was a noted New Testament scholar, having published several books and articles in his field of specialization, New Testament textual criticism. He also published a textbook on New Testament interpretation, co-authored two books for lay people on biblical interpretation, as well as scholarly-popular commentaries on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus and on Galatians, and major commentaries on 1 Corinthians and Philippians. He is also the author of a major work on the Holy Spirit and the Person of Christ in the letters of Paul.

Gordon Fee served as the general editor of the New International Commentary series, as well as on the NIV revision committee that produced the TNIV. Besides his ability as a biblical scholar, he was a noted teacher and conference speaker. He has given the Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar lectures on fifteen college campuses as well as the annual NT lectures at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, North Park Seminary, the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, the Canadian Theological Seminary, Duke Divinity School, Golden Gate Baptist, Anderson School of Theology, Asbury Seminary, and Chrichton College. An ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, Gordon Fee was well known for his manifest concern for the renewal of the church.

Gordon Fee was married and had four married children.

Reviews

[Bart de Bruin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prachtig boekje van hoogleraar en nieuwtestamenticus Gordon Fee met bezinning over roeping, (alledaags) werk en dienstbaarheid in gemeente. Hij laat zien dat roeping zoals bij ons vaak gebruikt als Gods roep tot bepaald beroep in kerk of daarbuiten, niet bedoeld wordt hoe Paulus het gebruikt. Roeping is in eerste instantie de roep van Godswege die ons door Zijn Geest roept in de nabijheid van de Zoon en dat we Hem toebehoren. En vanuit deze roeping zijn we geroepen om door de kracht van de Geest te leven in het spoor van Jezus op welke plek dan ook in de maatschappij. Van harte aanbevolen.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very short book, and for most of it I thought it was very good—a four star book. Yet in the end I gave it five stars. The major reason why I thought it was lacking was its brevity. I wish Fee would say more and write more on these topics, but I cannot fault him (or the editors), as the book is based on four addresses (sermons?) he gave in 2002.
Fee sets out to argue that what Paul says about calling, work, ministry, etc., is sadly being ignored by many in the church and many churches. I agree. Putting into practice what Fee draws from Paul would give us a better grasp of the relation of Christians to work, to see our calling as a summons from God (contra what many think of as 'calling' today—chapter 1 on this topic is excellent and my highlight of the book), to grasp that ministry is what the church does and not simply the 'minister'. There are challenging chapters for every Christian, as well as for those in leadership positions within the church. Much is challenging, and while I didn't agree with everything (I actually disagreed with very little), this is an excellent book, and I'm glad I read it.

[Jess Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dans ce livre, qui est une transcription d'une série de conférences, Fee aborde les sujets du travail, de la vocation et du "ministère" dans les lettres de Paul. Il le fait notamment en replaçant ces mots dans le contexte de l'époque de rédaction des épîtres.

J'ai beaucoup apprécié la lecture de ce livre qui ce lit facilement. On y apprend beaucoup et il fait réfléchir sur notre conception des choses parfois très éloigné des standards bibliques et révèle à quel point nous lisons la bible avec les lunettes de notre époque.

[Will van Delft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible, short, and easy to read with so much insightful 1st century cultural background that makes Paul's letters in Scripture come alive.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when a theology bro pops off about things I care about. Here for it.