Like many other people, you might spend most of your waking
hours at work. And you've likely built ongoing
relationships with your coworkers, customers, and others in
your organization. But the prospect of sharing your faith
there could seem daunting. After all, the wrong approach to
evangelism could land you in trouble in the workplace.
Yet all around you at work, people are looking for spiritual
answers. And it's no accident that God has placed you in
your particular job, alongside them. God wants you to share
your faith at work as He gives you opportunities, and He
will help you do it.
Here are some ways you can naturally and effectively share
your faith with people you interact with at work:
Strive to live out your faith in every part of your life, so
it becomes an integral part of every ordinary encounter you
have with people. Remember that this is how the first
Christians lived. It was natural for them to share their
faith with people in their marketplaces and other places of
work.
Realize that the simple can be profound. Know that simple
activities such as listening compassionately to a customer
or sharing lunch with a colleague can be powerful ways to
plant seeds of faith in their lives. Understand that God
uses everything, no matter how insignificant it may seem to
you.
View evangelism as a process, rather than an event. Realize
that people make many small, incremental decisions about
spirituality that can ultimately lead them to faith in
Christ. Know that each step in the process is important.
Forget formulas. Understand that there is no
"one-size-fits-all" formula for evangelism, but that each
person requires a different approach that's based on his or
her unique situation.
Work to please your ultimate boss. If you want people to
pay attention to your faith, first pay attention to your
work. No matter what your work circumstances, give your
best to your job, knowing that God is your ultimate boss.
Seek to honor God and empower other people. Value an
eternal reward more than your paycheck. Let your work
performance always be excellent. Discover, develop, and use
your God-given talents in your work.
Don't discriminate between sacred and secular jobs. Realize
that God can use you just as powerfully in a secular job as
He can in a formal ministry position. Know that if God has
placed you in your current job, it is part of your intended
ministry in the world.
Show, don't just tell. Pray that God will help you reflect
some of His character in your life, so others can get a
glimpse of Him by interacting with you. Let people know
there's something different about you without even having to
tell them why. Strive to live a life that's filled with the
fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Treat other people with consideration. Realize that people
won't care how much you know until they know how much you
care. Consistently show your caring by avoiding gossip,
pursuing honesty in all situations, and genuinely listening
to others' concerns. Practice common courtesies on a
regular basis.
Never force discussions about faith. Doing so does more
harm than good. Keep in mind that mentioning faith is only
appropriate when it arises naturally out of your
relationships at work, when it naturally fits into the topic
of conversation, or when someone asks you about your faith.
Don't try to do God's job. Don't try to take on the burden
of convicting people of spiritual truths. Realize that only
the Holy Spirit can transform someone's heart. Instead,
seek simply to show others how God has made a difference in
your life and can make a difference in theirs.
Use "faith flags." When natural opportunities arise, give
people "faith flags" —brief statements that identify you as
someone who is serious about faith. This could involve
briefly mentioning prayer, the Bible, or God as they
naturally relate to a particular topic. Be sure not to
mention a particular church or denomination, as that might
raise a barrier for the person listening. And avoid
pointing to your faith as a reason for not doing something,
so you don't bolster the mistaken idea among some
non-Christians that Christianity is just a set of rules.
Share "faith stories." When someone at work expresses a
need in their life and you sense a natural opportunity, ask
if you can share a story from your own life that tells how
God helped you with a similar need. You can also share a
faith story about any other way God has worked in your life
at a specific time in a specific way, as long as it relates
well to the other person's situation.
In your stories, use conversational language, don't preach,
avoid using too many specific details (so people can more
easily relate to what you say), include human interest or a
humorous touch, use word pictures, illustrate the basics of
the gospel, and explain how God is meeting your deepest
inner needs.
Don't overload people. Stop discussing faith when you sense
that they aren't interested in going further for now. Be
patient, giving them the time and space they need to think
about what you've said so far. Seek to stimulate their
curiosity to know more whenever they're ready.
Don't be afraid to show your own flaws. Too many Christians
try to seem perfect, only to come across as arrogant and
phony. Remember that non-Christians will be attracted not
by your victories, but by God's grace. Know that they need
to see not just who you are today, but where you've come
from.
Avoid Christian jargon. Keep in mind that many people are
biblically illiterate today. Explain things in words that
non-Christians can understand.
Build strategic alliances. Network with others to share
your faith. Pray for people together, encourage each other,
and refer seekers to each other for specific needs they
have.
Invite people from work to share non-work activities with
you. Make time in your schedule to spend with
non-Christians as well as Christians, remembering that doing
so was important to Jesus Himself. Pursue common interests
with people from work—from playing on a sports team
together to seeing a movie you both want to see. Let common
needs draw you together, such as by forming a carpool.
Share your common gifts and talents; for instance, weekend
musicians could start a band together. Connect with each
other through your common concerns, such as parenting.
Deal with sinful behavior gracefully. When you encounter
offensive behavior in non-Christian friends, don't be
shocked. Remember that all people sin, yet God still loves
them and will help them overcome sin. Trust the Holy Spirit
to convince the person that his or her behavior is wrong;
don't lecture them about it, but pray for them. If your
friend asks you to participate in an activity you know is
wrong, decline gracefully without giving an explanation - or
with as little explanation as possible. Then offer an
acceptable alternative.
Ask people questions. Allow people to discover the truth
for themselves by stimulating their thinking through
questions, which is much more powerful than having them
simply listen to your thoughts.
Don't react negatively to objections. Realize that
expressing doubt is actually a good thing because it means
that someone is genuinely thinking about an issue. Expect
emotions such as anger and hostility to surface during an
exploration of faith as people wrestle with the most
important issues in life. Don't take objections personally
as people go through this process. Express your
disagreements with respect, affirming the value of the
people with whom you speak and leaving the door open for
further discussions.
If God gives you an open door to present the gospel message
in full to someone, help that person answer seven questions.
The questions are: "Who is God?," "Who are We?," "Who is
Jesus?," "What Did Jesus Do?," "What Can We Not Do?," "What
Do We Have to Do?," and "What Does God Promise to Those Who
Believe?." Practice your presentation with a trusted friend
and get that friend's feedback before delivering the actual
presentation.
Don't discount the beliefs or experiences of others. Show
respect for them. Simply ask people to evaluate how their
current belief system is working in their lives.
If you don't know the answer to a particular question, admit
it, and offer to do research with the person who asks you.
Be humble, and look to the Bible directly whenever you can.
Pray! Pray that God will help you share your faith
effectively, pray for other people's needs, and pray with
others as well. Know that your prayers have great power.
After people receive salvation, help them grow in their
faith. Help them worship God, study the Bible, serve
others, plug into a community of faith, and share their
faith with others just as you have.
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