How to be a Faithful Witness in the Workplace
In order to evangelize in the world, we must get along with theworld.
We Need to Get Along
Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:8, “To sum up, all of you beharmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind-hearted, and humble in spirit, notreturning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead,for you are called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”
This is our access point. This is our point of contact with theworld.
Our Christian virtue, which is hard-fought internally and thenmanifested externally, grants us favor in the world. We ought to seek to findfavor in the world, because favor in the world is our opportunity to witness to the world.
In Genesis 39:4, Joseph found favor in Potiphar’s sight and became his personal servant. In Genesis 39:21, the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. In Genesis 41:38, Pharaoh bestowed his favor upon Joseph by making him second in command in all Egypt, even giving him a signet ring and a chariot.
Notice where Joseph found favor.
He found it in Egypt—the most godless nation of the day. Josephbefriended the Egyptians. He got along with them so well that they preferredhim—they favored him over their own. Why? How? Because in essence, Josephpracticed the principle of 1 Peter 3:8. He washarmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, humble in spirit, neverreturning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead.
That is how we are to interact with the world.
We forget this truth. The world is not the enemy. The world is the mission field.
The enemy is our sinful nature that we internally battle, butthe secular world—we love them. We are sympathetic toward them. Why? Becausethey are lost and hopeless. We are kindhearted to them. We are humble beforethem. When they insult us, we return that insult with kindness. We repay theirevil with kindness, love, and blessings.
Does it sound odd to say that we are to have harmoniousrelationships with the world? It shouldn’t, because Paul wrote in Romans 12:17, “Never payback evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men,”and then he goes on, “if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peacewith all men.”
As the world becomes increasingly secularized, as it becomesmore aggressive and hateful toward us, as far as it is possible from our end,we are to be at peace with all men.
Too often, we are Pharisees. Too often, we speak of the world inbelittling, condescending, judgmental tones. I understand that the world doeshorrendous, horrific, and sinful things.
But that is what sinners do: sinners sin.
We are to build relationships—good relationships, peacefulrelationships, harmonious relationships—with unbelievers, because that is wherewe find the most fruitful opportunities to proclaim the gospel. Was Christ notcalled a friend of sinners?
Good, harmonious, friendly relations with the world give us accessinto the world.
Pastor MacArthur once said that the greatest problem withevangelicals is that we hate the mission field. I will tell you that mygreatest moments of evangelism at work have come from my friendships at work:men with whom I carpool, men whom I eat with at lunch, men whose families havebeen at my dinner table with my wife and my children. These are the men withwhom I have been able to evangelize, pray, and share the gospel.
We fight this secular world by befriending the people of thisworld.
WE NEED TOSUFFER
Next, as believers who live in a secular society, we need toensure that we are suffering for all the wrong reasons.
Peter writes, “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?” ( 1 Pet 3:13 ). He writes this immediately after telling his readers to be harmonious with all men in 3:8. Even in a godless secular society, people generally reward good behavior and punish bad behavior.
Peter writes, “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God” ( 1 Pet. 2:19–20 ).
When we suffer unjustly, we find favor with God.
We need to ensure that when we are suffering, we are sufferingfor all the wrong reasons. In other words, we’re not suffering because we havedone wrong. We’re not suffering because we worked negligently. We’re notsuffering because we were irreverent or insubordinate to the authorities overus.
Suffering in those situations is suffering for the right reasons. When we do wrong, we should suffer. But if we suffer as Christians, let it be that we suffer because of our faith. Despite the fact that we were harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, humble, excellent in all of our behavior, and that we repaid evil with good – if we suffer even then because of our faith, then we suffer unjustly. If we suffer, may it never be for sinful behavior. May it always be for our faith.
Sometimes as believers, we can have a martyr’s complex. We are treated harshly at work, we are not liked; we are ostracized, slandered, reviled. But the truth is, sometimes we can earn that type of response because of condescending and unpleasant attitudes, or even unreliable performance at work. Yet it is that very man who claims to be persecuted for his faith. To men like this I say, “You are not being persecuted because of your faith. You are being persecuted because of you. You are being persecuted because of who you are and how you are behaving.”
As we live in a secular world, the reality is this: we can stillget along for the most part with unbelievers. We can and should have harmoniousrelationships with them, because even in an unbelieving world, who is there toharm you if you prove zealous for that which is right?
If we suffer, let it be for our faith and not because of ourbehavior.
WE NEED TOSHARE
Finally, how do we proclaim the gospel to a highly secularizedsociety?
We proclaim the gospel clearly, fully, and unapologetically.
Peter writes,