Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Fellow Work Place Blogger
A guy named Steve started a new blog about Marketplace Ministry. That's a phrase from Os Hillman. Os is a good guy.
Steve asked readers (his small group, I assume) to "share how God has used you at work to show Jesus to coworkers, customers."
The honesty of the question, sitting there on a blog just struck me. Here's my response:
HillCountryWriter Category: High Calling Thoughts
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Steve asked readers (his small group, I assume) to "share how God has used you at work to show Jesus to coworkers, customers."
The honesty of the question, sitting there on a blog just struck me. Here's my response:
Steve, I've spent the past year or so wrestling with these questions in a big way.
For me, faith at work is only partially about evangelism. There are lots of ways to "show Jesus to my coworkers." Eventually, I'll get around to talking about my relationship with Jesus if/when they ask. But I won't force a conversation about Jesus with my coworkers any more than I will force a conversation about my wife and family.
I also have found that I don't have to force the conversation if I am letting the love of Christ work in me. That is how I accidentally converted one of my students a few years ago. I say "I converted her," but I was only a witness to God's work in her life. It was the biggest miracle I have ever witnessed.
Most of the time my work is lacking in miracles. I usually try to show Jesus just by doing good work. A guy named Earl Palmer says the best way to take your faith to work is to be startlingly good at what you do. Work so well that people will tolerate your Christianity, he says. That seems like good advice to me.
HillCountryWriter Category: High Calling Thoughts
Technorati Tags: work jobs careers business daily life
Comments:
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Mark
You make some interesting points. I think your point about faith at work being more than evangelism is right but I would suggest that it's about incarnating the gospel to those around us. This certainly includes proclaiming the gospel but it also means living in the good of the gospel as well.
Judging by your post, I guess you've been thinking about this a while. I have as well and I finally got off my duff and started a blog 3 months ago to promote conversations on how to engage business and cultural trends with the knowledge of the glory of God.
Please check it out if you have the time.
www.everysquareinch.blogspot.com
Grace to you
Andre
You make some interesting points. I think your point about faith at work being more than evangelism is right but I would suggest that it's about incarnating the gospel to those around us. This certainly includes proclaiming the gospel but it also means living in the good of the gospel as well.
Judging by your post, I guess you've been thinking about this a while. I have as well and I finally got off my duff and started a blog 3 months ago to promote conversations on how to engage business and cultural trends with the knowledge of the glory of God.
Please check it out if you have the time.
www.everysquareinch.blogspot.com
Grace to you
Andre
I agree completely, Andre. Incarnating the gospel is what it's all about.
The tabernacle prefigured the temple. The temple prefigured Jesus. The Church is now the body of Christ.
Another guy who comments here from time to time (Shep) talks about Christians being the hands and feet of Christ.
And of course the mouth. Evangelism is important. After all, some people are almost all mouth. (You know who you are.) And that's okay!
But there is a lot more to the body than just mouths. Together we all make up the body of Christ. Together we all incarnate the gospel to the world--and maybe that is why I shy away from evangelism myself. Too often the aggressive workplace preachers I know act as if they embody the full incarnation of the gospel.
Only God himself does that.
Thanks for the comment, Andre!
The tabernacle prefigured the temple. The temple prefigured Jesus. The Church is now the body of Christ.
Another guy who comments here from time to time (Shep) talks about Christians being the hands and feet of Christ.
And of course the mouth. Evangelism is important. After all, some people are almost all mouth. (You know who you are.) And that's okay!
But there is a lot more to the body than just mouths. Together we all make up the body of Christ. Together we all incarnate the gospel to the world--and maybe that is why I shy away from evangelism myself. Too often the aggressive workplace preachers I know act as if they embody the full incarnation of the gospel.
Only God himself does that.
Thanks for the comment, Andre!
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