Episode 5: Lifestyle Evangelism

Thank you for being back for episode 5 on Bloom Where We Are Planted. Today, I want to share about lifestyle evangelism. This is to look at how our lifestyle can make a difference when we treat the workplace as a mission field.

In the workplace, our values, attitudes and conduct are probably the most powerful ways to draw people’s attention to our faith. As the cliché goes: “People do not care what you say until they see how much you care.” Our Christian lifestyle is often counter-cultural and draws either tacit admiration or antagonism. What others cannot avoid is to pay attention.

What we say or do has the power either to bless or curse, to build or tear down. There are different ways we can be a blessing to our co-workers and bear a positive testimony. For instance:

1. We can be approachable.

A greeting, a smile, a positive word and a listening ear encourage others to feel comfortable in our presence. The apostle Paul advises in Ephesians 4:29 - “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”

2. We can be helpful, supportive and generous.

 Jesus says in Luke 6:38 - “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured in your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you”. Think of our colleagues as our neighbours. We owe God a duty to love them as ourselves.

3. We can exercise a non-judgemental attitude.

 Jesus says in Matthew 7:1: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged”. This does not mean we cannot be objective. This is why Jesus also says in John 7:24 - “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement”. He is implying that we must focus on the issue, not the person, whenever possible.

4. We can show appreciation.

Exercise the habit of complimenting or giving praise when deserved. Learn to “show proper respect to everyone” (1 Peter 2:17) and to “hold them (those who work hard among you) in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other” (1 Thessalonians 5:13).

5. We can speak kindness and concern.

A piece of good advice from Proverbs 25:11 - “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver”.

6. We can exercise restraint in our anger.

It is common to get angry over work issues, relationships and unmet expectations. For Christians, a spirit-controlled temperament can mitigate much undue negative consequences. There is good reason for restraint as “a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). As the cliché goes: “Be sure brain is in gear before engaging mouth!”

7. We can avoid gossip.

We know how gossip has a life of its own and can be really destructive. If restrained, much strife can be avoided. Proverbs 26:20 says: “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down”.

8. We can resist unethical practices.

They will only result in negative consequences at some later point in time. The Golden Rule or ethic of reciprocity advises in Matthew 7:12 - “Do to others what you would have them do to you”.

9. We can avoid immoral behaviour.

As Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 - “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honourable, not in passionate lust like the heathen who do not know God”.

On a Sunday, people see the best of us. Come Monday, they see the real us and decide if they like what they see. Our words and conduct matter! As Darren Shearer puts it:

The local church is like the showroom for Christianity. The workplace is the test drive. The workplace is where our unbelieving co-workers get to see if they really want what we have…. They see how much God truly matters to us in our daily lives. (unquote)

In the Bible, we see how Joseph had a good testimony despite his unenviable situation both as a slave and as a prisoner. As a result, we see a clear pattern of God’s reciprocal blessing with statements in Genesis 39 such as “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered” (v. 2); “his master saw that the Lord was with him … the LORD gave him success in everything he did” (v. 3); “the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden” (v. 21).

The underlying lesson is that when we honour God through our lifestyle (in words and deeds), he will grant success in his ways and in his timing. Joseph is a good example of effective lifestyle evangelism even in the worst of places.

Building up the Saints

The workplace is also an excellent place to build up the saints. So often, we focus on the lost without paying attention to the wounded soldiers for Christ. Many believers need encouragement and right advice in the various challenging situations they face at work. Being often in the minority, believers appreciate mutual encouragement, prayer and spiritual guidance from mature and more experienced believers.

The workplace is, in fact, a melting pot for believers of various denominations who can overlook their differences and focus on the mission field and battleground at hand.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up…. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12b) (unquote)

I personally find it helpful for believers in the workplace to organize fellowship and prayer gatherings on a formal or informal basis at least once a week during lunch time or after work. In this way, they provide mutual accountability and a reminder of their testimony. At the same time, it is a good place for learning how to contextualize and apply Scriptures to their work.

When the opportunity arises, Christians in the workplace can consider some forms of group evangelism such as the Alpha course. This can be uplifting even for the Christians as they engage and witness the transformation that can take place as they allow the Spirit of God to work in and through them.

Conclusion

In the midst of sometimes less than desirable circumstances and pressures at work, we should look beyond our work to a new vision of a mission field where our Christian witness truly matters. It changes our attitude. It changes our perspective. It brings excitement for the opportunities to partner Christ in the workplace to reach those who need encouragement, love, healing and hope.

Your Christian beliefs, values, habits, behaviour and character are meant to make a difference in the workplace. At the same time, the challenges you face there can refine your Christian character. God never wastes any of your experiences, even painful ones. That is, if you are humble and willing to learn from them.

Wherever you are planted in the workplace, it is both a holy ground and a battleground. The outcome depends on how serious and effective you are as the “salt” to preserve what is good (our doing) and “light” in pointing people to the God of our faith (our being). Both your doing and being are together a potent combination for Christ. This awakening to the “spirituality of work” takes both consciousness and discipline.

We need to ask God to make his presence felt in our daily interactions in the workplace as a mission field. So bloom where you are planted!

I have come to the end of my series on  Bloom Where You Are Planted.  Let me close with a prayer for all of you listening in:

“Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank God for instituting and blessing work in our lives.  We are reminded that in this fallen world, we can make a difference in the workplace. Help us shine for you.  Help us preserve what is good.  May our belief, our values, our attitudes, our habits and our character draw others to yourself.  May you be glorified through us when we bloom where you have planted us.

In Jesus Name, AMEN.”

Thank you everyone for your attention. God bless you!

Study Questions

1. How can you be of mutual encouragement and support to fellow believers in the workplace? What can Christians do together?

2. Are there opportunities for you to identify, pray and connect more closely with one or more colleagues in the workplace with the objective of sharing the love of God at the appropriate time?