Wisdom to witness for Jesus Christ in the workplace should be the main aim of every Christ Disciple in the workplace. It is therefore important that every Workplace Christian Fellowship must work to equip the membership in this vital area.
This wisdom is required to strive for a good balance in sharing our faith with our customers, colleagues, and our employers. And by exercising this wisdom, we can remain in the workplace and effective in witnessing to the otherwise un-reached.
According to an article by Ryan Hoselton titled ‘’3 Principles on Workplace Witnessing’’, our time at work is to strive for excellence in our responsibilities to the glory of God. Our show of respect for others and general good conduct can help create opportunities outside the work hours for gospel conversations. Ryan’s article makes the case that Gospel message will not be effective from a bad worker. You can read more of this at 3 Principles on Workplace Witnessing – (christianity.com)
Wisdom to witness – the legal constraint
The ability to witness in the workplace depends firstly on the level of religious freedom available in the Country; the organisational policy and professional ethics of the workplace. The believer then needs Godly wisdom to work with the constraints.
There are countries in the world where religion is totally forbidden in which case all witnessing will be underground. Then there are secular countries where religion is meant to be private but with varying level of freedom of expression and association.
There could also specially regulated areas of work with regards to sharing of faith. An example of such is the health and social care sector where professionals are deemed to be in a position of power over their ‘vulnerable service users’. The professional ethics of such prohibit the sharing of faith by the worker.
Another ‘tricky’ area of witnessing is from a senior manager to a lower grade staff. The lower grade staff may make a claim for harrassment, bullying, being left out or discriminated against.
As written in the previous blog: It is a privilege that we have laws in the United Kingdom that protect the rights of employees with (or without) religious faith in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 prevents employers from discriminating against employees on the grounds of their religious beliefs, whether directly or indirectly. The European Convention on Human Rights guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion (Article 9), freedom of expression (Article 10), as well as the Article 11 right to freedom of association.
More of that can be read at https://fmministry.co.uk/the-role-of-organisational-support-in-workplace-christian-fellowship
Wisdom to witness from scripture
The anchor scripture for wisdom in witnessing is Matthew 10:16. Here, Jesus told His Disciples “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves’’.
Christ’s mandate for us to become “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” implies that we must develop discernment in our witnessing, especially in the regulated workplace.
The reality is that discernment in witnessing will become increasingly important as we approach the end of this age. Scripture tells us that the love of many will grow cold and more persecution will take place even in the so-called secular States.
We have already seen many high-profile cases where professionals have been ‘cancelled’, harassed, de-registered, and sacked because of the expression of their Christian beliefs. There would have been many more of those un-documented.
Nevertheless, true Christ Disciples know they have no choice but to be a witness in the workplace. It is a command placed on every one who claim to love the Lord.
The command is to witness in the workplace
‘’Then Jesus came to them and said, “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 very end of the age.”- Matthew 28:18–20.
This is the go-to scripture for witnessing, evangelism, and disciple-making.
Jesus called us, saved us, and then send us to make disciples of people that He will bring around us! The workplace is each Disciple’s primary ministry and the workplace fellowship is our ‘Church’ for making disciples.
I had the special privilege of being part of a discussion on the Great Commission in a Workplace Christian Fellowship this week. The following are points that we all agreed:
- The command to be a Witness is for everyone who considers him/herself a Disciple of Jesus Christ
- We cannot afford not to witness as that would either mean we don’t love Christ or that we don’t love the people around us
- It is important to let people at work know that we are a Disciple of Jesus Christ so that our witnessing can be linked to our faith.
- Our witnessing can be in different ways such as how we work, behave and relate to people.
- We can freely share with people who invite us to share our faith with them.
- We need to be wise and seek God’s direction when we undertake direct witnessing such as praying or sharing the Gospel with others. This is very important in regulated professions.
- We should act with boldness when we have direct instruction from God as He will back us up if we face persecution because of our obedience.
- Our witnessing can be towards both non-believers for salvation and believers for encouragement and growth.
- Witnessing is possible whether we work in the office or remotely out of the office. Every contact is an opportunity to witness.
Wisdom to witness – Steps to take
As shown in scripture and agreed by most believers, the question is not if, but how we can be a witness for Christ in the workplace. Otherwise, there should be no reason for us to remain.
Just as with Jesus, the unbelieving world and even some of our brethren will mock us and take offense at us when we fully obey Christ in witnessing. This is to be expected.
According to 1 Peter 2: 21 – 22 Jesus Christ endured suffering for us even though He did not do anything wrong, leaving us an example to follow.
As Jesus stated in Matthew 28:20 ‘’I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” He will be with us through whatever we have to face because of our obedience to His Great Commission. May we all be encouraged by the Lord’s promise so that we can grow in our workplace witness.
The following suggestions are offered to keep us focused on the mission:
- Pray daily for wisdom and faith to obey God in the workplace and for those you are in contact with.
- Let people in work know that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.
- Be excellent in your work, doing every task as worship to the Lord.
- Be an ambassador of Christ, being the salt and the light of the workplace both in word and character.
- Connect, make friends and socialise with various people in the workplace.
Additional steps:
- Look out for opportunities to share your faith whilst listening to the Holy Spirit for guidance. Then act boldly in faith.
- Receive it joyfully when persecution comes. Wait for God’s deliverance and a promotion to the next level!
If you need support – Christian Concern is an organisation in the United Kingdom that supports persecuted Christians. You can email info@christianconcern.com or check out their website at
www.christianconcern.com
I hope you have benefited from reading this blog and if so, please share with others. Please also continue to send your feedback and comments to hello@fmministry.co.uk or use the comment box below. Next time we will start summarising as we are gradually coming to the end of this series.
Please note that Fishers of Men Ministry is interested in offering support and encouragement to individuals and workplace fellowship groups so please drop us an email if you need advice or support in the area. You can also check out our website to see how you can get involved in this work https://fmministry.co.uk/getting-involved
God bless you and let us keep growing in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ
Adesina