It is getting harder to live out our Christian faith in the workplace! Can I get an Amen!
I hear from believers regularly who tell me they are afraid to express their Christian beliefs in the workplace. They are worried expressing their faith will damage working relationships, they are afraid people will exclude them, and even that expressing their faith will negatively impact their careers!
As a result, many Christians are keeping their faith hidden in the workplace. They don’t want anyone to know they are believers for fear of what might happen.
This is not how we should be!
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus tells us not to hide our light. Instead, Jesus tells us to let our light shine before men so they will see our good deeds and be drawn to the Father.
But how? How can we follow Jesus’ teaching and let our light shine in the workplace?
Jesus Himself modeled what we should do in two specific ways; He dined with sinners, and He spoke the truth in love.
Dining with Sinners
In Jesus’ day, who you chose to share a meal with said a lot about you. Eating dinner with someone was a mark you shared common interests, that you were friends.
In Matthew 9, we read about Jesus having dinner with tax collectors and sinners. The self-righteous Pharisees thought it was terrible that Jesus would associate with such lowlifes.
On another occasion, Jesus was having dinner with a Pharisee (Luke7). Suddenly a woman burst into the room. She was known in town as a sinner, probably a prostitute. She fell at Jesus’ feet and worshipped Him as she anointed Him with oil. Again, the Pharisees thought if Jesus knew what kind of woman she was, He wouldn’t even let her touch Him.
Jesus was not afraid of being seen with and having relationships with many people. There were the self-righteous Pharisees, tax collectors, and sinners. Jesus even spent time with society’s outcasts; the blind, lame, lepers, and the poor.
No one was outside the circle of people Jesus cared about and loved. To demonstrate His love and caring, He spent time with people. He built bridges to connect with people by building relationships with them.
You can’t build relationships with people without spending time with them. You cannot hide in your holy huddle of Christian co-workers and be a light to the world. You must come out from under the basket and let your light shine!
Speaking the Truth in Love
Speaking the truth in love is where many Christians get themselves in trouble. We react in one of two ways when addressing sinful behavior. We either belittle the offender with our self-righteous bullhorn, or we passively ignore the behavior.
Neither approach is effective. No one says, “Yes, I want to know more about Jesus because you are yelling at me, damming me to hell!” And no one turns from their sin unless they understand what sin is and how it impacts our lives.
Again, Jesus modeled how we should talk to others about their sin.
In John 4, Jesus spoke the truth in love to the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus first established a relationship with the woman by asking for a drink of water. In the ensuing conversation, Jesus confronted the woman with her sin of not being married but having lived with five men. He didn’t yell at her, and he didn’t belittle her either. Neither did He ignore the sin in her life. He simply stated the facts. Only after building this relational bridge did Jesus explain the Gospel to her.
Let Your Light Shine
If we will obey Jesus and let our light shine before men, we must,
- Leave the safety of our holy huddle and engage the world of non-believers in our workplaces and,
- Establish meaningful relationships with non-believers to earn the right to speak God’s truth in love.
I know you feel safe surrounding yourself with other believers. It’s scary to seek people who believe differently than we do and build authentic, loving relationships with them. But this is precisely what Jesus challenged us to do, and it is the best way to let our light shine before others.
More Articles
I have written many articles on interpersonal relationships. You can find them by typing “Interpersonal Relationships” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are several of my favorites.
- #328: Our Employees Need Doctors More Than Judges!
- #310: From A Somebody To A Nobody and Back Again
- #308: Is All This Division and Animosity Necessary?
- #270: Acceptance and Approval Are NOT the Same Things!
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. What is keeping you from dining with sinners in your workplace and speaking the truth in love?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?
Category: Relationships | Interpersonal Relationships
Great message. It’s more comfortable to hang out with like minded people, but when we open ourselves to experiencing people with different views and lifestyles, we learn more. Kindness goes much further than being judgmental. And if people learn to trust us, it might be easier to help them grow.
Kindness builds relationships, and relationships build trust. If only we had more folks willing to follow this simple formula!
Great demonstration about how to open and available in the workplace. Jesus is our model. Take the first step and spend time with everyone. Listen and learn about them. Do not judge or criticize. Our light can shine when we show love and respect.
I would tell my consultants not to isolate during lunch; many wanted a break which is ok. A few times each week have lunch and breaks with the customers. Get to know them. You’ll get along better when the going gets tough at work.
Be open and available – hallmarks of a good leader. Sadly, many leaders are so busy “doing,” they don’t take the time to build relationships needed to lead effectively. One of my old bosses (from Germany) said a European tradition is to “go to sauna.” It was their version of building relationships like we do via coffee or lunch.
[…] week we explored Two Ways to Let Your Light Shine in The Workplace. Jesus modeled how He engaged with many people rather than sitting in a holy huddle surrounded by […]