Sharing the Gospel at Work
Two weeks ago Daniel took us through the theme of work as found in the book of Proverbs. Work, whether in the context of a paid job or chores or housework or volunteer service, is something that we can become consumed by or that we can completely shun. Unfortunately, Christians often make a false distinction when it comes to work: we separate work and ministry. We often think that work is what we are paid for or what we do apart from the church, and ministry is everything done in the context of the church. This dichotomy is false and unbiblical. In his book, The Busy Christian’s Guide to Busyness, Tim Chester (speaking specifically of work in the context of a paid job) dismantles this dichotomy and offers a helpful insight for Christians who struggle with reaching their co-workers with the Gospel:
The attitudes of Christians to their work, and their conduct at work, are to commend the gospel. In the good world that God made, taking delight in working and serving others would be its own justification. It would be enough to have done these things in a working day. But the world is no longer like that. Now it is populated with people who are alienated from God; people who need to hear the good news. And so the workplace has also become an important place to witness to Christ through word and deed. We worry about how we can build gospel relationships in our neighborhood, but at work those relationships already exist. Unbelievers can throw away a gospel tract, send away the person who knocks on the door, turn off Songs of Priase. But they can’t avoid the gospel witness of a Christian colleague. ‘Often the people who know us well don’t live next door, they work at the next desk,’ says Mark Greene. ‘We fish in pools and puddles when in our workplace we are sitting by an ocean’ (Greene, Slave New World).[1]
Chester continues:
Opportunities to follow up the witness of work often take place off-site and out of work hours. You may get a chance to say something in a tea break, but the opportunity to talk in depth is more likely to come in the pub after work. And that means as churches we need to recognize and value these opportunities even if it means Christians can’t always get to church activities as a result…We need to approach each day as ministry – serving others and looking for opportunities to share the gospel.
So what would this look like in our lives? What would it look like if every day was lived out for the glory of God? What if instead of complaining at work or laughing along with a dirty joke told by a colleague we pointed others to the cross? And, to get a bit closer to home, how has this looked in your life? Do your co-workers know you are a Christian? Is the gospel constantly flowing from your lips in conversation? When is the last time you shared the gospel with a co-worker? What are some of the struggles you face when you consider sharing the gospel at work? Do you see work and ministry as mutually exclusive?
The questions here are not rhetorical. Leave your answers in the “comments” section below. I would love to hear how you are struggling with this issue and striving to grow in your ability to love your neighbors.
[1] Tim Chester, The Busy Christian’s Guide to Busyness (IVP: Nottingham, 2006), 70-71.
