Dear Friends,
How to prepare for a Christian Fellowship in the workplace is the question for us today.
In our very first blog, we set the scene in that these series of blogs will be written to encourage and support Christians to become true followers of Jesus Christ in the place where they spend most of their waking lives, at work.
We have based this on the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ commands, and expects all his followers to represent him wherever they are. So we are His ambassadors (in the workplace) as though God were making His appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:20). The Lord expects us to be the salt and light of wherever we are and to shine before others, so that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).
As illustrated in the surveys in the links below, we know that we spend a lot of our waking lives in settings that are broadly described as ‘workplace’ https://bit.ly/Indysurvey28sept2018. We spend even longer hours nowadays working from home https://bit.ly/nationalsurveyApril2020. It is therefore a matter of huge significance to ensure that we can serve God in the workplace.
The world and the Bible agree that work, after the fall of Adam, is drudgery or a curse (Genesis 3: 17-19). Solomon, later on, described work under the sun as sorrowful, grievous; with no rest, and as vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:22-24).
However, the above definition of work is not God’s original intention. Work for Christ Disciples is supposed to be our way to worship God and to add something good to society. We were created to live a fulfilled work life that should be full of joy.
The mistake many of us are making is to think we can only serve God in Church where we only spend 2 or 3 hours a week. This mindset puts us right in the group of people who endure the drudgery of work for the entire week so that they can have their 2 days ‘free’ weekend or save for a holiday!
God has placed most of us in the workplace to fulfil our life purpose. He has equipped us with the skills, abilities, and experience that we need to make a success of it. He then also fill us with His Holy Spirit which gives us the supernatural ability to excel more than anyone else. If this is true, then a Christ-Disciple who is unfulfilled in the workplace is most likely either in the wrong job or living a life of disobedience.
Workplace Christian Fellowship – Individual Preparation
We need to be satisfied that we are in the right work before we can make a positive impact. It is, therefore, necessary to review our current work situation. The following are few important resources that can help us determine if we are in the right job:
- Findmywhy is run by professional psychologists and can give you meaningful insight and clarity about what you can do for employment https://www.findmywhy.com/
- The book ‘The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?’ by Rick Warren is a good read https://bit.ly/goolesearchpurposedrivenlife
I also would like to share a new resource from Jordan Raynor & Company. The simple assessment helps check how your work is meaningful and matters for eternity. It takes less than 5 minutes to complete and below is the link:
I have also done the assessment, using my role as a Team Manager, and below is an excerpt from my result:
My work matters to God in at least three ways because:
- God created and then delegated authority to man. This means that management is good and God-like. As a manager, I reflect the character of the creator God who creates and then delegates authority to others.
- My work is a means of fulfilling Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Simply loving my team well is good and God-honoring in and of itself.
- I also recognised that my work is a means of making disciples (see Matthew 28:19). In other words, Jesus was commanding that we make disciples as we are going throughout life, and of course, that includes our work. The workplace is one of the primary places we can build relationships with nonbelievers and therefore make disciples!
On completing the brief assessment, I also received personalised feedback based on the information I shared. This includes links to further resources to help me do my most exceptional work for the glory of God and the good of others.
I strongly recommend that you also complete the assessment so you can be encouraged that your work matters.
Workplace Christian Fellowship – Team preparation
A team consists of at least 2 people. Based on our understanding of scripture, we understand that partnership, unity, and trust among Christians in the workplace is a great indicator for success on the job as well as to strengthen our faith in work. The partnership and support we learn from the example of Daniel, Shadrack, Mishaek, and Abednego is a good one to review https://fmministry.co.uk/how-can-i-be-a-true-follower-of-jesus-christ-at-work-example-daniel-and-his-friends
It is therefore important to identify at least one other Christ Disciple to partner within the workplace. The following steps of identification may be helpful depending on whether you work in a small or large organisation.
- Start with prayer – Because we are in the world, obedience to God’s commands and allegiance to His principles would not be easy. We, therefore, need to renew our minds daily to resist conforming to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). We do this through prayer, submitting ourselves to God’s will, and obeying His commands. We need Jesus Christ, His Word, and His Holy Spirit to help us achieve this. The only place we can access all 3 is through spending time and communicating with our Father, in prayer.
- Find out if there is an existing Christian fellowship in your workplace. If you are in the UK you can check a database from Transform Work UK at https://bit.ly/twukfindagroup If outside of the UK check online as there may be other similar organisations in your part of the world that hold such information.
- Ask your colleagues if they are Christian, if they know of an existing group or if they will like to partner with you in starting one.
- Make a date to join or start a fellowship. Even if it is only you, set a regular time to have a prayer fellowship with God in your workplace.
We shall continue looking at workplace Christian fellowship groups in the next few blogs. Please share the blog with others if you find it helpful. Please also continue to send your feedback and comments to hello@fmministry.co.uk or use the comment box below.
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