Episode 9
The New Christian Podcast
Title: How to Live Out Your Faith in the Workplace
1.
Greetings
2. I also wanted to let
you know that I will be compiling these first 10 episodes into a small book
published on Amazon Book. In the coming weeks, I will be editing the show notes
and producing a book that you can get on Amazon Kindle.
3.
Also, I wanted you
to pray for all those affected by this Coronavirus.
Thank you for joining me again this week for episode 9
of the new Christian podcast. In today’s episode, I want to discuss how we share
our faith in the workplace.
When we think of our work and how can we share
Christ with our coworkers, I’ll bet some of us sometimes have fear. Not fear of
how our coworkers might react, but how our workplace and company may react.
Let me give you the latest information on what the law
says about that. The American Center for Law and Justice is a legal firm that
litigates many cases in support of Christian values. They state, “Title VII of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on
religion. This includes refusing to accommodate an employee's sincerely held
religious beliefs or practices unless the accommodation would impose an undue
hardship (more than a minimal burden on the operation of the business).” They go on
to say, “Federal and State laws protect the religious freedoms of employees and
employers. Employers can run their business in conformance with godly
principles and employees cannot be forced to act in a manner that conflicts
with their religious beliefs. For instance, Christian employers may hold and
participate in voluntary chapel services and prayer meetings for employees, and
employees can share their faith with co-workers during breaks or free time so
long as it is not disruptive.
In short, there is no law requiring the workplace to
be a religion-free zone.”
For more information and link on this just message me
and I can forward them to you.
With that being said, how does one share their faith
in the workplace?
1. Gentleness, self-control, & love. 1 Peter 3:14-Do
not fear their threats; do not be freighted. But in your heart revere, Christ as
Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you have. But
do this with gentleness and respect.
a. John 13:34-35, A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I
have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that
you are my disciple if you love one another.
2.
View the work
itself as a ministry.
People don’t like to be condescended to or
manipulated. If you are only in that workplace to get a conversion out of
people, they will know it and they will resent it. Excellent performance in the
work itself, for its own sake, along with humane treatment of customers and
coworkers, will earn you the right to be heard. Paul’s tent-making wouldn’t
have been a viable evangelism strategy if he made lousy tents. The fact is that
you have not left the full-time ministry. The word “ministry” simply means
“service.” All Christians, without exception, are in full-time service to Jesus
Christ, and to the world, he cares so much about. Whatever a Christian
does—writing reports, driving trucks, sweeping floors—is a ministry to God and
neighbor. When it is done in a God-honoring way, it is a powerful witness that
draws people toward the verbal witness.
3. Be patient.
Earning the right to be heard takes time. You should
not expect evangelistic opportunities quickly. Trust that as you labor
faithfully, God will use your track record of excellent performance and humane
treatment of people to awaken the hearts of those around you. I have heard stories
of people who came to Christ after retirement; they became convinced Christ was
alive after reflecting on decades of seeing Christians do their daily work so
differently.
4.
Evangelize
relationally.
I know the whole idea of “relationship evangelism” has
sometimes been used to crowd out the verbal proclamation of the gospel. But we can
do both, and I’d encourage you to evangelize relationally at work. That means
not reducing the gospel to a canned set of bullet points. When opportunities
arise, focus on being responsive to the person you’re witnessing to—and trust
that as the Lord works in them, they will continue to grow more responsive to
the gospel. This is especially important in the workplace, where relational
dynamics can be complex and boundaries are important.
Just remember that as Christians we are a call to no
hide our faith in the church house, nor are we to leave faith at the doorsteps
of our church, but we are to as Jesus put it. Matthew 28:19-20 “All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always to the end of the age.”
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