Most people sitting in the pews on Sunday morning are at secular workplaces the rest of the week. As church leaders, one of the hardest things to teach your congregation is how they should continue to live with Christ as the center of Monday-Saturday.
“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this.” Acts 2:32
Like many businessmen and women, Peter, the apostle who delivered the verse above, was not an orator by trade; he was a fisherman. He had experienced saving faith in Christ, had seen Christ in action, and had received the gift of the Holy Spirit in his life. He could tell about it to other people. This same power is available to us today, if we’ll use it.
Tip #1 – Live the faith you have. LOOK for opportunities to live out your faith and joy in Christ at work.
Surely your congregation has friends at work with whom they can share the fun of events, like a Fall Festival or a concert (not necessarily Christian music, please) or a ballgame. Teach your folks to include these friends and just enjoy the good, Christian fellowship. Everybody wins!
Tip #2 – Share the grace you receive. Your friends at work have challenges and may not have the power of the Holy Spirit to help them make it through the tough times.
Think of the people at work as if they were close Christian friends! What would they do for a church friend who had a spouse in the hospital and a couple of children at home? They would pitch in at home and also take food to the family, right? Well, do the same thing for your colleague!
Tip #3 – Learn a simple method to share the gospel in a conversation at lunch or other non-work environment.
People go to work to work. If they want to share the gospel with a friend, the boss should not have to pay for it! The gospel can be a natural part of friendship. Sharing the gospel is not too hard to learn. For instance, check out our ACT course online free. It is four 20-minute sessions on how to share the gospel in a conversation.
Tip #4 – Share your simple testimony. Make it short!
A testimony is not just a good story about your life. It’s the story of:
• your condition before you trusted Christ for your salvation,
• how you came to the realization that you were a sinner who needs a Savior,
• how you trusted Christ who died in your place and rose from the dead, and
• the fact you know without any doubt that you’ll go to heaven when you die and will have power to live every day until then!
It’s your story, and you’ve lived this story, so you’re the living, breathing witness God wants them to see.
Tip #5 – Pass along the mercy you’ve been given. Forgive.
Every person needs to be treated with forgiveness instead of judgment and condemnation. Have your group think about forgiveness in the Bible and how complete it is, not holding back or keeping a grudge. Have them think about how they can apply forgiveness in their work life. It is a compelling statement of God’s impact on their lives.
These are five quick tips on what and how to teach basic workplace actions in faith, grace, gospel, testimony, and forgiveness. Just imagine what the workplace would be like if we actually DID this!
