Gospel Evidence on the Job
In an earlier blog, “An Open Door for Churches,” I briefly described seven Kingdom-of-God reasons for getting up and going to work. This article will expand on the sixth of those: By working we can show truth in action.
In God Loves Your Work, I relate the following true story:
It happened one day while I was working as an information assistant for the highways department in our state. A man I’ll call Marc was part of a Bible study group that met in my office during the lunch hour. Since our group was no secret, others in the agency had come to identify him with our gathering.
The internal walls of our office building were made of painted steel. As it happened, I was rounding the corner from a main hallway into one that crossed it. That’s when I saw Marc. He had pinned a non-Christian in the right angle formed by the steel wall and one side of a Coke machine. Marc was “witnessing” away at the cornered man with some clearly unwelcomed intensity. Suddenly, my face felt flushed. I was embarrassed to be identified with this fellow Christian.
What could have prompted Marc to engage in such offensive behavior? Here’s my best guess. The emphasis he had heard over and over had imprinted a wrong idea: “Witnessing means just one thing—verbalizing the gospel to unbelievers. Unless you are speaking the gospel to them, you are not obeying Jesus by being a witness.”
Let’s put this idea under the microscope. Can that notion pass the truth test?
The Marriage-Workplace Analogy
On the job, people have to deal with each other day-in and day-out. What keeps them together? Maybe a labor contract, a signed agreement, the inability to find work elsewhere, or something else. In a similar way, married couples cannot just walk away from one another. Their wedding covenant vows unite them. In either case—whether in a workplace or marriage—if Christians constantly preach to non-Christians, their words can quickly be perceived as “spiritual” nagging. No one appreciates being a captive audience.
This is the issue Peter addresses in speaking to Christian wives: “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives” (I Peter 3:1). In other words, the non-Christian husband may be “won over,” not by what the Christian wife says, but by what she does. Truth demonstrated; gospel acted out.
The Evidence of Actions
Jesus himself saw his works as evidence of the good news about himself: ”But if I am doing them [the things my Father does], put aside for a moment what you hear me say about myself and just take the evidence of the actions that are right before your eyes. Then perhaps things will come together for you . . . .” (Jn. 10:38,MSG). Jesus saw his actions, his doings, as a witness.
Speaking, of course, is important. To understand the gospel, people need to hear it in words. Billy Graham could evangelize in crowds that included unbelievers, because people were free to walk away. They were not trapped. But the human relationship dynamics in an office or shop differ from that of an audience.
Peter outlines an approach that fits the workplace: “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” (I Peter 3:15). Do others find it puzzling how you consistently demonstrate so much hope? If they ask you to explain that evidence, then the door swings wide open for putting the gospel into words.
Pitch Fatigue
Today, countless appeals bombard us every day. These bids for action reach us through texts, phone calls, emails, websites, TV and radio ads, billboards, signs in retail stores, and on and on. As a result, we become leery of cons and ulterior motives. When non-Christians perceive that fellow workers are “pushing” the gospel on them, the scam-alert buzzer sounds and the fraud filter snaps into place.
What can disarm those protective shields? Demonstrations of truth. Lived-out examples of selflessness. Evidences of integrity. When the behavior of a Christian models authenticity, reality, and true humility, co-workers are more likely to listen with interest.
Peter, who knew about life in the fishing business, writes: “Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives . . . It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society” (I Peter 2:12, 15 MSG).
That’s the witnessing power of doing good.
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From Chapter 11, “Embodying Truth”:
“Our witness will engage not only our mouths, but our eyes, ears, hands, and feet—all the members of our bodies.”
