Sharing your faith in God with people who you work with is one of the trickiest concepts that Christians have to deal with in our modern society. Obviously, we know that spreading the Good News of God’s glorious grace is one of our most important jobs as disciples, but we also must do so the right way. Faced with the realization that some companies do not allow employees to share their faith with others during work hours, how can you share your faith in the workplace?
Depending on your job status (fulltime or parttime), you probably spend somewhere between 20 and 40 hours at your place of employment. That means that you realistically spend somewhere between 80 and 160 hours per month with your coworkers. When considering those numbers on an even bigger level, that puts you spending somewhere between 960 and 1,920 hours every year with the people you work with. As a disciple of Christ, it’s easy to see that this amount of time with your coworkers presents a great opportunity for you to share your faith with them.
However, there are some considerations that need to be made. First of all, many workplaces have rules in place that focus on the discussion of religion in the workplace. While we understand that our walk with Christ is built on a relationship, not a religion, that kind of stance probably won’t work if you’re reported to your supervisor. While we’re going to discuss some effective ways to share your faith in the workplace, it’s important that you do so in a way that aligns with company policies.
Take note, this doesn’t mean that you’re ashamed of your faith in Christ, or that you are somehow putting your work about your relationship with Him. Being obedient to the rules set forth by those in authority over us is a Biblical concept. Moreover, being a good employee is a Biblical concept! For instance, in Colossians 3:23, Paul discusses how we should treat our work as a branch of our personal ministries.
Additionally, it’s important to understand that the process of sharing your faith with others doesn’t mean that you force your beliefs upon others, a concept that we will discuss in more detail in a moment. If you’re ready to learn more about sharing your faith in your workplace, you can discover more about what God’s Word says about how to do it the right way here!
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
James 1:22 (TPT)
Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life.
You may have heard it said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Arguably, this concept is never truer than it is when discussing sharing your faith in the workplace.
While it’s important that you know Scripture (a topic that we will expound on in a moment), none of that means anything if you don’t live out what you claim to believe. For instance, if you claim to have been changed by the love of God but you’re still mean, rude, and nasty to the people you work with, none of them are going to be interested in the relationship that you claim to have with God.
At the root of our relationship with Him is love for Him and love for others. If you don’t convey that love for others, no one is going to be interested in the number of verses you can quote. Even more importantly, there is no workplace rule that can prohibit you from showing love, grace, mercy, kindness, and other Fruits of the Spirit to the people you interact with at work! Actions speak louder than words, and that is certainly true when looking for ways to share your faith in the workplace.
Know What You’re Talking About
2 Timothy 2:15 (TPT)
Always be eager to present yourself before God as a perfect and mature minister, without shame, as one who correctly explains the Word of Truth.
Many believers look at this verse and believe that it only applies to ministers who stand up on Sunday mornings to share the Gospel with a congregation. While it’s certainly important that those men and women know how to correctly explain the Word of Truth, this verse applies to every believe since every believer is in a ministry position. If you didn’t think that you were a minister, it’s important that you understand that you are. Your ministry may not involve a platform and a pulpit, you may never stand in front of a Bible study class and teach, but you are most certainly a minister of the Gospel.
With that in mind, it’s vital that you know what you’re talking about. Your workplace may never allow you to walk in with a Bible and share stories found in Scripture with your coworkers, but when you apply the first step that we discussed (living out what you profess), the people you work with are going to start asking you questions.
These questions may not directly involve what the Bible says about certain topics. Instead, someone may ask about how you seem to be so joyful in the face of stressful workplace situations. These opportunities allow you to quickly share your faith in Christ.
Spend plenty of time reading the Bible, reading devotions like this one, and taking other steps to get a deeper understanding of Scripture.
You Can’t Help Everyone
Matthew 7:6 (TPT)
“Who would hang earrings on a dog’s ear or throw pearls in front of wild pigs? They’ll only trample them under their feet and then turn around and tear you to pieces!”
These words of Christ are some of the harshest that we ever see Him use. However, Christ knew the pain of trying to share the life-giving Gospel with people who were really just looking for an argument. Unfortunately, you will probably run into people in your workplace who are looking for the same thing. It’s important to know when to simply walk away.
There will be people that you run across who are angered by any mention of God’s Word. While there is certainly hope for these people to be saved (God saved Paul who started aided in the arrest and execution of Christians), it’s important to understand that you can’t reach everyone.
If you run across someone who wants to argue theology, don’t be afraid to end the conversation, and walk away. God doesn’t need us to get into nasty, heated debates with people who aren’t really interested in the message. Instead, our ability to calmly end those conversations will show others that the love of God is present in our lives.
Pray for Opportunities
1 Corinthians 16:9 (TPT)
There’s an amazing open door of opportunity standing wide open for me to minister here, even though there are many who oppose and stand against me.
Finally, you should ask God for the opportunity to share His Gospel with the people you interact with at work. If you think back to the math we did at the beginning of this study, you will recall that you might spend roughly 2,000 hours a year around your coworkers. That’s an open door in its own right. However, when you ask God to open specific doors, He will respond to your faithfulness.
Today, ask God to give you one opportunity to share your faith with someone you work with. Additionally, you should be attentive enough to recognize these opportunities, even when they seem small. An innocent question from a coworker who wants to know why you seem so happy can be an opportunity to share the joy of the Lord.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to effectively share my faith with people I work with. If there are rules that prohibit the discussion of faith during working hours, show me other opportunities. Most of all, help me to live out what I claim to believe. In Christ’s name, Amen.