PROGRAM W-1751
One of the questions often asked by Christians who work in secular environments is, “How can I share my faith on my job, what is appropriate and what is not, and how do I get over the fear of sharing my faith and perhaps being rejected or rebuffed?” Those are understandable issues, and I’ve experienced some of those same feelings and often was reluctant to share my faith verbally because of that fear—which is, by the way, a mostly unfounded fear.
I’d like to address this question as I talk about the most powerful way to share your faith on your job. I call it “living a question-generating life” because answering questions is a normal and natural thing to do. Your way of life and conduct on your job should generate questions which allow you to share your faith in an organic way. I have some practical and biblical thoughts that will help you see that sharing your faith is a natural result of living a Christ-honoring life—it takes the fear right out of the whole issue.
In 1 Peter 3:15 we read, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
In this one verse we find the answer to how to share our faith at work—or anywhere else, for that matter. First, it begins with revering Christ as Lord in your heart. It means that Christ has a very special place in your heart—a unique status, above everyone and everything else. Revering Christ implies that you should understand and obey the commands of your Lord. It means you are not the center of your world, but Christ is. And because you revere him as Lord, you live a moral and upright life, always striving to please him as the Lord of your life.
So, that’s where you begin as you think about sharing your faith at work. You have to know Jesus personally by placing your trust in him as your Savior, confessing your sins, and believing that he is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to God the Father except though Jesus. Have you done this? Are you certain that you have been born again, as Jesus said? Can you tell about a time when your life changed because you accepted Jesus and revered him as Lord? That’s the bottom-line issue.
Then you have to be prepared to give answers for the hope you have. Well, how can you give answers if you don’t get questions? What could cause an unbeliever to ask you a question that would give you an opening to share your faith? Here’s how.
First, you generate questions by your attitude toward your work, your company, your manager, and your coworkers. If we talked to some people who work with you, would they describe you as having a good attitude about your job? Or do you fall into complaint or critical mode too often? Do you join in with the office gossip, or have you learned to steer clear of that kind of conversation? If you want to generate questions that give you an opportunity to share your faith, you must live in such a way that people notice the difference that Jesus makes in your life. That means you go to work each day with joy, with appreciation for your job, and with an upbeat, positive attitude toward your work.
Then, you generate questions by your work habits. You may not be the smartest person on the job, the most experienced, or the most educated, but you can be the hardest-working person and the one who does her job with consistent excellence. That’s a choice you make. Would that describe you? And are you dependable—arriving at work on time, fulfilling promises or commitments you’ve made, making your deadlines? Do you avoid taking advantage of your company by making sure you give a good full day’s work each day?
Another way your life can generate questions is by living with total integrity on your job: never fudging numbers; always telling the truth; taking nothing that doesn’t belong to you; abiding by company rules; honoring confidential information. You need to have a reputation of total trustworthiness and honesty.
Finally, the way you deal with adversity can be a strong testimony to your faith. Whether it’s personal adversity—when you’re going through some personal crisis—or adversity on the job, the way you respond to it will speak volumes about you. When your coworkers watch you handle difficult situations in a peaceful way, without panic or fear, that will often generate a question.
A good friend watched a coworker handle their very chaotic work environment and lots of constant pressure in a peaceful way. So she finally asked him how he could be so peaceful and calm where they worked. That opened a door for him to share his faith and, after many conversations and a challenge to read the book of John, she accepted Christ as her Savior because of the way he handled an unpleasant and difficult work environment.
Your work attitude and your work habits should be such that they stand out as different. Believe me, people are watching, and somebody will be attracted to that kind of life and ask you some kind of question that will open a door for a witness.
Then you have to be prepared when that door opens—when that question comes—so that you are ready to give an answer for the hope that you have in Jesus. Here are some examples of the types of questions you may get. Would you be ready to give an answer if someone asked you these questions?
- You always say something nice about the boss, yet you know she doesn’t treat us well. Why do you do that?
- I heard you say you don’t believe in abortion. How can you decide for some other woman what she should do with her own body?
- Do you go to church every Sunday?
- If there is a God, like you believe, how can he allow innocent children to be abused?
- I believe as long as you’re a good person and do the best you can, you’ll go to heaven, don’t you?
- How can you be so sure there is a God?
Some questions may come your way in a not-so-friendly form, almost like a challenge or accusation. Would you be ready to give a reasoned response with as much love and kindness as possible? It would be a good idea to think through in advance how you might appropriately and truthfully respond to such questions.
Here are some things to keep in mind when you do have an opportunity to answer such questions:
- Don’t appear as though you know it all. If you can’t give an answer, just admit it, but reaffirm that your trust in God doesn’t falter because he is a good God. If it’s an honest question about God and you don’t have a ready answer, offer to look into it and get back with them on it.
- Don’t have a holier-than-thou response or attitude. That will kill any chance you may have to share your faith. Remember, we are all sinners and the goal is to share with that person how Jesus has redeemed you from your sins so they can know the same freedom or forgiveness.
- You don’t have to say everything you know at once. Don’t overwhelm them with too much information, too many words.
- Avoid using “Christian-ese” words that will not be understood by most unbelievers.
- Avoid getting into a conversation about the differences in religions. Remember, no good is done by winning a battle but losing the war—including politics! That doesn’t mean you can’t take a stand for what you believe, but if you end up in an argument about religion or politics, you’ve missed the opportunity to talk about Jesus—and they need Jesus.
There are lots of positive things you can do to reach out in love to people with and for whom you work. Love is the thing that people everywhere need and want. The world is love-starved for the kind of love that is unconditional and caring. If you genuinely care about the people God has put in your life where you work, that will show and it will attract people to you. As we read in 1 Corinthians 13, love never fails. It never fails to touch people, to soften their hearts, or to heal wounds and broken hearts. You will never go wrong showing love to people—God’s kind of love.
Did you know that you can show love even to people you don’t like? That’s because love is an action, as we read in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Notice it does not say that love is a warm fuzzy feeling which brings tears to your eyes and causes you to be caring and compassionate. No! Love is described as patient and kind, humble and caring. Those are things you can do and actions you can take toward anyone you choose, whether you like them or not. You may not like the things they do, the way they live, or the way they treat you, but you can still choose to show acts of love toward them.
A friend of mine worked in a tough situation where she was not respected as she should be because of her race. Instead of getting bitter, she started what she called Project Love—she overwhelmed her coworkers with acts of love like inviting them to lunch, lending a listening ear, etc. That changed the atmosphere in that department! In fact, the woman who had been most verbal about not associating with her became instead a close friend, and one who still, after many years, considers her as one of her closest friends. That’s what God’s kind of love can do!
There are so many small ways you can reach out in love to people with whom you work. Send cards, emails, or texts of encouragement. Celebrate special days or achievements with them. Offer to pray for them when appropriate. And remember the admonition from Philippians 2:3-4, to “value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
You have a mission field in front of you every day you go to your job. You may be the only person there who has been born from above through faith in Jesus. What an opportunity you have to be Jesus to all those people—show them by the way you live that Jesus can transform their life as he has transformed yours.
In closing, remember this: You can always tell your story. No one can tell you that your story is not true. They may not believe in God; they may not believe the Bible; they may even be antagonistic toward the Gospel. But they can never take away your story of how Jesus has redeemed your life and given you hope and peace.
So, be ready to give an answer for the hope you have, with gentleness and respect, as Peter told us. Not in a combative way or with a righteous attitude, but in humility and thankfulness. Share your story every chance you get because people listen to stories, and your story of redemption could be the thing that brings hope to them—hope that their life can be changed, too, and that they also can know the peace and joy which you have.