Lots of times, we tend to put a big boundary between the "church" and the "world". In a way, this is as it should be, since we are supposed to be "in the world, not of it". However, we still need to be "in the world". We can't just shut ourselves off from the world because it's sinful, or because we're called to be holy. That's the problem I have with Amish communities, and people who think it's fine to be a "Christian Lite". How can you support your standing when Christ clearly says, "GO OUT INTO ALL THE WORLD and make disciples of all the nations, baptzing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"? Being a Christian is all about being willing to step outside of your comfort zone because you love God and you love other people.
That's what John Piper is talking about in Chapter 8 of Don't Waste Your Life. He talks about jobs and how important yet simultaneously unimportant they are. This is a rather hard concept to bring across.
Allow me to explain: Christians should not make a huge distinction between "secular jobs" (e.g., insurance salesman) and "Christian jobs" (e.g., pastor). Neither should we judge people based on their vocation: for instance, the President and the guy who works in the landfill should be given equal respect, since they are both people created by God. This applies to the church as well: a pulpit does not make one any more in-tune with God.
As you can see, jobs are not important in that sense. This does not mean that you should quit your job because in the end it doesn't matter, because actually it does. Your job (or school, or whatever) is the place that you interact with people. Christians are called to interact with people in the same way that Christ did. That means showing love 24/7, even on your bad days, even on Mondays, even when you haven't had your morning coffee, even when you have three tests you haven't studied for, even when fill-in-the-blank. Your personal problems sometimes need to be put on the backburner.
Why? Why should we be loving and caring and genuine? It's not because people are nice to us. It's not because of anything we receive.
It's because we're created in the image of God. And God is love. Ergo, we should love.
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