Witnessing on the Job
The Following is the Script for this Video:
Why does God send Christians into the world of work? If you have an office job, is your desk just an extended pulpit? Is the work you do only a clever cover for a witnessing-to-coworkers platform?
The Greek marturion is often translated as “witness.” Many Christians narrow their idea of witnessing to speaking: verbally explaining the gospel and inviting others to receive Jesus. They find it frustrating that the workplace provides so few opportunities to “witness” if measured by this definition.
But the New Testament also uses marturion in a wider way to include the idea of providing evidence. For example, in Mark 6:11, shaking the dust off the apostles’ feet was a marturion, a witness, against those who refused to listen. So we can give evidence both by what we say and by what we do.
Psalm 19:1-3 makes it clear that the heavens—without using words—offer evidence, convey truth about God. This wordless evidence “declares,” it “proclaims,” and it “reveals.” Although the skies have no literal speech, “they pour forth speech.”
And as Paul says in Romans 1:20, God’s Creation provides evidence of his eternal power and divine nature. This invisible truth is not heard. It is “seen.” Yet the evidence of such visible truth is enough to leave those who reject it “without excuse.”
But people ignore the Creation evidence. Like soil under trampling by constant pedestrian traffic, their hearts become impenetrable, hardened against the truth. When the seed of God’s Word lands on the soil of such hearts, it remains on the surface or bounces off. People become word-proof, unmoved even by words from God.
Hardened heart-soil needs to be broken up, prepared to receive the seed. And so—as one way to soften hardened human hearts—God plows the ground by placing live samples of his new creation right among them. These samples are people whose own hearts have been transformed by the word and Spirit of God. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come” (II. Cor. 5:17).
Just as the stars in the first Creation can bear witness by shining silently, so too can God’s new-creation people. “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky”
Jesus’s parable about the wheat and weeds makes it clear that his new-creation people will live side by side with those who don’t know him. And in the Sermon on the Mount, he describes how light from those in Christ will reach others: “Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Notice, he does not say “hear your good words” but “see your good deeds.”
Peter essentially repeats Jesus’s words when he explains how to live side by side with non-Christians: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Day after day, week after week, and year after year, old-creation people work shoulder-to-shoulder with new-creation people. On the job, both groups go through the same difficulties. As they do, they can watch how each responds to the inevitable challenges of the work world.
Let’s imagine meeting some of these new-creation people. Here’s Greg. And Melissa. And Ray. Each of them knows and follows Jesus. They all spend their days at work. In various ways, their coworkers have come to know that they are Christians.
For a couple of years, Greg worked as a website designer for a furniture company. A bullying boss ran the office with an iron hand. He belittled staff, did a lot of finger-pointing, and often ranted. What Greg’s coworkers said about the boss doesn’t bear repeating. When his outbursts landed on them, they either yelled back or withdrew in fear. How did Greg display evidence that pointed to God’s new creation?
Greg prayed regularly for this boss and for strength and wisdom in responding to him. Counting on the Spirit within, Greg refrained from instant payback when mistreated. The Spirit of Christ produced patience and kindness in Greg, along with self-control. So he found ways to bless when cursed, to overcome inbound evil with outgoing good. The contrast in Greg’s behavior with that of his coworkers became a witness to them—evidence of God’s fingerprints on his new creation in Greg.
For years, Melissa has served as an office manager in a federal agency. Just recently, their agency’s budget was cut drastically. The news has thrown everyone into panic mode. Which of them will lose their jobs? When will the layoffs happen? Fear clouds the air. People who had normally gotten along have begun to suspect each other. How can Melissa give evidence that Christ is helping her face her own uncertain future?
She keeps reminding herself that she is “working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Col. 3:23). Her hope is in the Lord, not in a federal payroll. So rather than reinforcing the general fear in conversations, Melissa—whenever appropriate—shares how God has answered her prayers in previous precarious jobs. By radiating personal peace about the future, she provides a kind of DNA evidence of her faith.
Ray has worked for two decades as a sales rep in the biotech field. This means he works side by side with those in the “rat race,” the crushing pace of those competing feverishly with others for money, power, and status. Ray’s is an extremely driven environment where sales reps are vying for bonuses and promotions. To get ahead, they are tempted to “bend” the truth to persuade potential customers.
Several years ago, Ray faced and confessed his own greed. He learned to put this occupational hazard to death and to consider himself alive to the generous life of Jesus within. He practices both being content with what he has and a lifestyle of giving to others. While some fellow reps turn to drugs and alcohol in their attempt to cope with the rat race, Ray exudes a steady peace among his peers—visual evidence of new creation.
Do Greg, Melissa, and Ray ever witness with words? Yes. They are alert for the opportunities described in I Peter 3:15—“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Sometimes, those in their work circles will ask them why their lives and attitudes differ so much. When that door opens, these Christians happily share their stories and the gospel message.
God calls all Christians to witness, to give evidence, in both word and deed. But depending on our gifts and callings, the words/actions balance will vary from person to person. In the triangles that will follow, let yellow represent witnessing ACTIONS. Green will stand for witnessing WORDS. The side-by-side triangles will compare the word-action proportions of an evangelist . . . and a mail carrier. Each will witness through a blend of words and actions. But the evangelist’s witness will include a higher proportion of words, while in the witness of the mail carrier, actions will be more prominent.
Just before returning to his Father, Jesus told his followers: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” What would your community look like if, in the power and with the diverse gifts of the Spirit, all who belong to Jesus were to bear witness to him with their own appropriate blend of words and deeds?
Chapter 11: Embodying Truth
“The work of some [Christians] will involve voicing the good news about Jesus. . . .The work of others will mainly call for showing the truth as it is in Jesus through what they do and how they do it.”
