Category Archives: Ministry Actions

Posted on

15 Killer Ideas For Christian Ministry

by

In my last post, I described a house that had gas cans, lit candles, and exposed wiring throughout. We agreed that the owner of this house is clearly trying to create conditions for a fire to break out. We also looked at how this same idea applies to Christian ministry in our businesses if we are looking for eternal impact by pointing people toward God.

Christian ministry

Examples Of Christian Ministry

Today, I would like to give you some specific ideas about how we take this same approach in our business. I do not have the space to fully describe each item on the list. Instead, I will give a brief description and then, when possible, direct you to another post on this site that goes into more detail.

My hope is that you can take even just a couple of these ideas and adapt them to your business. If you have any questions or want to discuss them further, please comment below or send me an email. I will respond as quickly as I can!

    1. Mission Statement
    God is central to our company mission statement and core values.

    2. Chaplain program
    We offer chaplain services to our employees on a weekly basis through Corporate Chaplains of America. This service is incredible and has too many benefits to list here!

    3. Owners Manuals For Life
    We put a New Testament Bible in the glove box of every vehicle we sell. The cover says “Owners Manual For Life” and we have a note inside that explains how we believe it is the greatest book they will ever read. We don’t point it out to the customer, but let them find it later.

    4. Christ in Christmas Party
    We celebrate and have fun like other companies, but we also make sure there is a story or illustration at the end of the party that contains the gospel message to keep our focus on the real reason for the party.

    5. Christian magazines, Gospels of John in lounge
    We keep Christian magazines like “TwoTen” on the tables in the customer lounges at each of our stores. We also keep pocket-sized copies of the Gospel of John stocked there.

    6. Bible Studies
    Our chaplain (and sometimes our Controller) leads a weekly Bible study in the employee break room. We do one at lunch and one at breakfast so everyone has the opportunity to come, regardless of work schedule. We provide the food and we watch a video series followed by discussion.

    7. Devotions
    I go around to each department once a month and tell a quick story or illustration with a business and spiritual message woven in. These take five minutes or so and stay very light, but get great responses!

    8. Employee Newsletter
    I write an article for our employee newsletter once a month. In this article, I follow much the same pattern as the devotions mentioned above.

    9. Library
    We have a couple of library areas across our locations where we keep books for use by employees. Topics range from spiritual to family to parenting to business. If they are looking for a book we don’t have (and it fits our mission), then we will get it.

    10. Sponsorships
    We sponsor a number of faith-based organizations around our community. While these are mostly financial sponsorships, there are also opportunities to help with things other than money. Use of facilities, social media marketing, etc. are some examples.

    11. Car wash
    We host faith-based organizations on our parking lot and provide all necessary materials for them to hold a car wash fundraiser. They provide the labor and keep the revenue from the customers. We give a per-car donation as well.

    12. Open meetings with prayer
    We take time at the beginning of our sales meetings to open in prayer.

    13. Employee recognition
    We recognize employees who go above and beyond expectations outside of their job with a couple of awards – the RPM award and the Lightning Strike.

    14. Christian music
    Our overhead and on-hold music comes from a Pandora station with upbeat Christian music. It is not overwhelming, but provides a great atmosphere in the showroom and around the dealerships.

    15. Pay for volunteering
    We provide opportunities for employees to volunteer during community events we sponsor and pay them for half the time they spend doing so.

Not Everything

This is not everything we do to create the potential for eternal impact, but it should give you some ideas about what you can do in your business.

The idea I want to make sure I convey is that all of this does not happen at once. This is an accumulation of over ten years of intentional thought and action. We started small. You can do the same.

Progress Over Time

If you work at it over time, your business will look like the house described in my last post. Everywhere you turn, you will see potential for Christian ministry to happen. You will also realize that it is good for business!

Comment below and let me know what you would add to this list! Have a question, ask it! I would love to engage in conversation about this.

Posted on

Danger: Highly Flammable!

by

Let me ask you a question. What would you think if you walked into someone’s house and saw gas cans scattered all over the place in seemingly random places? What if you looked closer and began to notice exposed wiring sticking out of various holes in the walls? If you also noticed lit candles and other flammable materials sitting on various tables and shelves, what would your thoughts be?

flammable

Extreme Picture?

Clearly, this is an extreme picture and one that is not likely to happen. However, if you did walk into a house that looked like this, what would you conclude? Would you assume the owner of the house had a death wish or that he was looking for a big insurance payoff?

Regardless of his final goal, you would have to conclude that he was interested in starting a fire, right? There would be no other reasonable conclusion that I can imagine. In fact, if it WAS his goal to have start a fire, you would probably give him an “A” for effort, right?

There Is A Point

I know this is a silly illustration, but there is a point that I want to make. In our businesses, I believe it is to be our goal to bring glory to God. While business is a worthy pursuit by itself, I believe the reward we receive at the end of this life will be based on our impact on eternity, not on the size of our business.

For me, this means that I want to run a profitable business that is healthy and growing, but I want to do this for the purpose of pointing people to God. I love business and know that God has placed me in a family business because that is where my talents can be used.

Bigger Purpose For Business

At the same time, I believe there is a bigger purpose for our business. I believe I will hear, “Well done” from Jesus at the end of this life if I have successfully run the business in a way that maximized eternal impact. This idea is my “Why” and is what drives me from day to day.

So, if that is the case, what does this have to do with a house full of highly flammable materials apparently laid out in such a way as to maximize the chances of fire breaking out? Actually, the answer is simple.

Spiritually Flammable!

I believe we can do the very same thing with our businesses. I am not talking about trying to burn them down. No, I am saying that we should sprinkle spiritually “flammable materials” around our businesses that will increase the likelihood of this eternal impact happening.

Think about it. All it takes is for us to think strategically about how we can impact people for eternity through the uniqueness of our business. We can just start small and take it slow. It does not have to happen all at one time. The little things will add up over a period of time!

Start Small

Maybe the first step is a process or policy that goes beyond the norm in taking care of your employees or coworkers. Maybe it is simply the presence of a Bible in the waiting area or a Bible verse on your business card. Get creative!

Whatever the starting point, be intentional and persistent over time. Eventually you will look around and see potential for impact everywhere. Before you know it, God is working through these “flammable materials” to draw people to Him, sometimes without your knowledge!

Positive Impact

Nothing I am recommending should be a negative impact on your business. In fact, many of those “flammable materials” that you initially wonder about will eventually prove to be a positive impact on the business. God has a way of making this happen!

I guess the bottom line is that we have to see the spiritually “flammable” potential in our business. Regardless of the nature of your business, I guarantee you can come up with ways to do this if you will take some time to brainstorm it. Pray for wisdom in this area and see what God will do to answer that prayer.

When He does, trust Him and act! Start small, but start. Don’t look back years from now and regret all of the missed opportunities you had to point people toward Him!

Do you see your business as having this kind of potential?

If not, isn’t it time you started?

If so, what spiritually flammable materials have you spread in your business?

Posted on

You Won’t Believe This Culture Victory!

by

Every once in a while, something happens that really catches my attention and gets to my heart. Recently, this very thing happened in our company and validated the culture we are trying to create. I feel I have to share, especially since it actually relates back to my last two posts!

culture

Background

Two posts ago, I shared how we see our community as a critical part of the answer to the question, “Why does our business exist?” Our answer to that question, also our mission statement, is that our business exists to honor God by impacting the lives of our employees, customers, and community.

In my last post, I gave a specific example of how we attempt to create a culture of impacting the community by hosting monthly car wash events to benefit local, faith-based organizations. To get the whole picture here, you really need to go back and read these posts first.

Blanket Drive

About a week or two after our last car wash event for the year (due to the weather getting colder!), we held an employee blanket drive for Emmaus Women’s Shelter, a local homeless shelter for women and children. With the cold weather quickly approaching, they had a need that we wanted to help meet.

In order to deliver the 100+ blankets we collected from employees, we enlisted the help of one of our Clean-Up department employees, “Joe”. He was eager to help and the blankets were delivered without incident, or so I thought!

Surprise Twist

The next day, “Joe” came to me and asked if he could have a minute to share something. I quickly agreed. What I heard was incredible to me! He told me that he had helped to deliver the blankets to the shelter and was shocked to find children there. He could not believe there were so many children that were homeless.

Keep in mind that “Joe” is in the most “entry-level” position in our company and has more financial needs than most. He went on to tell me that he could not get the children off his mind, wondering what they were going to do for Christmas. He said he wanted to help make sure they had gifts at Christmas.

He then asked if we could do another car wash event where we asked people to bring toys instead of paying for the car wash. I then asked him who would actually work the event, washing the cars, since that was typically the job of the organization we were helping. He said he would get other employees to volunteer their time (their Saturday off) to do it.

Another Car Wash?

My first reaction (transparency here – it wasn’t culture!) was to think about the cold weather (this was mid-November) and many other reasons it would not work. I really did not think we would have many employees volunteer to give up their time off to do it. I am not knocking them, but that is a big deal when they work so hard during the week.

To check his commitment level, I gave “Joe” a test. I told him to go create a sign-up list and see how many employees he could get to volunteer for this car wash event. I told him we would talk further when he came back.

Less than 90 minutes later, he was in my office with a list of 25 employees willing to staff the event! I was shocked!

Not The Best Conditions

I have to tell you, I still did not know what to do. Thanksgiving was less than two weeks away and people were not going to come out in droves for a car wash. It could be snowing that day (it’s possible!) or raining and cold.

My mind continued to flood with excuses. The problem was that I had a very committed employee in front of me, and whether he knew it or not, he was calling me on my commitment to real ministry.

I told him it was a done deal. We would hold the event on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, hoping that the natural shopping traffic would help our cause. We posted details about the event on Facebook and our normal channels.

Not satisfied, “Joe” got another employee to create a paper flyer for him and he went from gas station to grocery store and to the WalMart parking lot, passing them out. He did this by himself!

Culture Victory!

The day of the event was cold…maybe not cold for some of you, but sub-40 degrees. That is cold enough when you are washing cars with hoses, buckets, etc.! The traffic was not overwhelming, but it was decent. My brother and I joined in and worked the whole event right there on the hoses! We were soaked and exhausted, but I can’t remember being more fulfilled recently.

The end results amounted to roughly $1,200 raised along with a truck load full of toys donated! “Joe” ran the entire event and delivered the toys and the money. He was on cloud nine (and deserved it).

He single-handedly motivated 25 employees to volunteer their time washing cars in the cold and provided Christmas for a crowd of homeless children. In fact, when we later recognized his efforts with a “Lightning Strike” award at the company Christmas party, everyone in attendance gave him a standing ovation!

Tough Question

Folks, I still get emotional thinking about the impact that one guy had on so many people. He had the least to give, but produced amazing results. What about you and me? In anyone’s book, we have so much more to give than “Joe” does.

So the question is this:

What are you doing with your time, treasure, and talents to impact eternity?

Posted on

Best Practice: Community Car Wash!

by

car wash

Over the years I have been writing this blog, I have tried to focus on action rather than theory. Sometimes I have been successful with this and other times I drift. Today’s post is pure action. While a community car wash might not make sense in your particular circumstances, I hope my description of what we do will spur your creativity in coming up with an idea of your own!

Posted on

Would Your Community Miss You?

by

We recently hired some new employees in the sales department. As part of their orientation, I spent a couple of hours talking with them about the history and philosophy of our business. Of course, I went into detail about our Mission Statement, Core Values, and Vision Statement. In doing so, I tried to give them a clear picture of the vital part we believe we play in our community.

community

Community Is Crucial

I don’t know about other companies, but we see our community as a crucial part of the answer to the question, “Why does this business exist?” You probably already know this, but this question is the one you are answering when you create your company’s mission statement. For us, this question also influences our core values and our vision statement as well.

See, we believe we are simply stewards of this business and that God is the actual owner. As a result of this belief, we see our roles as running the business in a way that brings honor to Him and impacts others for eternity, pointing them to Him. For our family, that is why our business exists.

When looking at the purpose of the business through this lens, it becomes clear that our community is a huge part of our mission. No, we are not a church and could not fill that role if we wanted to. However, we still feel our business practices and our involvement in the community can impact everyone around us in a way that leads them to Him.

Execution Will Be Different

The execution of this kind of mission will be different for one business than it will for another. A business with 10 or fewer employees will carry out this mission differently than one with 100 employees. A service business may approach this from a completely opposite angle than a manufacturing business. The “How” is not as important.

What is important is that we strive as Christian business owners to make our businesses such a vital part of the community that we would be sorely missed if we were to disappear. Can you imagine what that would look like? Is your business already there? Even if so, can you now relax?

Pray For Wisdom

If this is new to you, then I encourage you to stop and pray about it. Ask God to show you how to start down this path. Ask Him to give you insights as to how you can leverage the influence of your business to bring Him honor. Pray for wisdom in starting down this path.

If this is not new to you, then I would suggest you stop and take an inventory of what your business is doing to accomplish this mission. Is there more you could do? Are there new and creative ways you could impact the community and earn customer loyalty at the same time? Have you asked your employees for ideas? How are they involved?

In my next post, I will describe for you an example of how our business attempts to do this in our community. We certainly don’t have it all figured out, but maybe our idea will spark something with you that will turn into a successful effort. Until then, take some time to brainstorm this.

What are some ways your business impacts your community?

Does your community recognize your business as one involved in the community?

What would your community miss the most if your business were to disappear?

Posted on

The Success Edge – Marketplace Christian Podcast!

by

In place of a post today, I am sharing a link (below) to my first Marketplace Christian podcast. Actually, I am just a guest on Tyler McCart’s podcast! Tyler has a website called The Success Edge where he uses interviews of people from all walks of life that also happen to be Christians in the marketplace. He sees his goal as helping Christians in the marketplace be inspired, be a light, and succeed! Here is his intro video:

Meeting Tyler McCart

Tyler and I met through LinkedIn and he invited me to be a guest on his podcast. Folks, I can tell you he was professional from the very start. I was very impressed with his preparation and the way the entire process went so smoothly. He is truly driven to excellence in what he is doing…and this is not even his full time job!

I encourage you to click over to his website (thesuccessedge.biz) and check out all of his interviews. I think you will be impressed with what you find! Here is a summary (from his site) of what you will find:

We look forward to bringing you podcast interviews from successful Christians in the marketplace as they share their business victories, failures, turning points, ah-ha moments, and more!

You will also find topical podcast episodes to help you grow in your Christian walk and career. Thank you for joining us on this journey, and as we say here at The Success Edge, we’ll catch you on the flip side!

Of course, I also would like for you to check out Episode 53 in which Tyler interviews me. Let me know what you think by commenting below! [CLICK HERE for podcast!]

We had a good time! I am sure you see immediately that he has a lot of energy and passion around what he does. Make sure to spread the word about what he is doing so more of us can learn from his efforts!

You can connect with Tyler here (click on each to connect):

Itunes Podcasts

Stitcher Radio

Facebook

Twitter

Posted on

Giving: Are You The Eye Dropper Or The Jug?

by

Recently, a good friend of mine was teaching on the topic of giving and he asked an interesting question. He told us to imagine we were desperately thirsty and someone offered us water to drink. His question was this, “Would you prefer they give you drink out of an eye dropper or a gallon jug?”

giving

Give Me The Jug!

I am pretty sure your answer to that question is the same as mine – I want the gallon jug! I am not sure anyone would prefer quenching their thirst out of an eye dropper over a gallon jug. No real brain teaser there.

It was his follow up question that got my attention.

When giving, are you more like the eye dropper or the jug?

Great Giving Analogy

Since I am one that likes analogies, this was perfect for me. I instantly understood the question and began thinking of the appropriate parallels. While virtually analogy has its limitations, I think there are several lessons we can get from this picture.

First, think about how much and how often you give. I am not really talking about your tithe at this point, but all that you give over and above the tithe. [This post is not about whether the tithe is a New or Old Testament requirement or expectation. Set this issue to the side for now.]

Questions To Ponder

How often do you find yourself giving to those around you? How much do you give?

Does your giving hurt? Is your giving sacrificial or out of abundance?

When you think about this, are you separating your business and personal lives?

Do you hesitate or are you quick to give?

Do you think your giving represents the eye dropper or the jug?

Another Giving Perspective

Let’s think about another perspective for a moment. Let’s say you are the holder of the water and you want to give it to someone to quench their thirst. If you want to make sure their thirst is fully quenched, which would you prefer to use – the eye dropper or the jug? Why?

Certainly, you can give more and give it faster if you use the jug, right?

So how do you think God looks at us when He wants to give? Does HE see you as the eye dropper or the jug? Why should that matter?

God’s Giving

Well, if He wants to give through you and you act more like the eye dropper, then He will not be able to give you as much or as quickly as He may want. If He wants to give THROUGH you to those around you, but you are slow and tight like the eye dropper, what do you think He will do?

On the other hand, what if you give like the jug? Do you think God will give you more resources to give to others because He can give more quantity and more quickly through you? Have you considered this before?

Once again, I am giving you my thoughts based on what I believe to be true. So that you can see I am not making this up, I want to check the Scripture to make sure it backs up what I am saying.

God’s Giving Purpose

Check out the following verses from Genesis. This is God speaking to Abram (later Abraham) and giving him the original covenant between them. Notice the dual ideas of being blessed and then being a blessing:

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:1-3

Blessed To Be A Blessing

Can you see that God promised to bless Abram and his people (Israel), but that they also were to be a blessing to all peoples on earth? This is HUGE and so often we neglect this very idea. We want to be blessed, but we are often hesitant to bless others with this blessing we have been given.

God did not say He would bless Abram so he could kick back and enjoy it. His intention is that the blessing He gives is to be used to bless others – all over the world!

How Achieved

Now that we see the purpose we have, let’s look at HOW we achieve it:

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:38

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Be The Jug!

Hopefully, you can see that we are all to be more like the jug in our giving. As we give, we are given more. This is the principle of the sower. As we are given more, we continue to give even more. This goes on an on.

This is not a prosperity gospel. This is about God giving more through us because we have giving hearts. This is about our hearts seeing His purposes and responding with our own giving.

I pray you will take these words and ponder them. Pray that God will show you where you are today and where he wants you to be. I promise He is faithful to do it.

Because I want to give you every opportunity to take action, I am going to tell you about an opportunity for you to give right now. My friend, Pastor Rajeev, does incredible work in Northern India where the Christian population is less than 2%. He is trying right now to raise the money he needs for his annual budget.

I encourage you to stop what you are doing right now and pray what God would have you to do for Pastor Rajeev. If you want to learn more about what God is doing through Rajeev, check out the links below. At the same time, don’t let your research distract you from the immediate need! Check them out:

Partners In Action Donation Page

True Life Mission Website

Gospel For India Blog

Posted on

How To Be A Missionary Without Leaving Your Job

by

If you have been reading this blog for very long, you know that I most often write from the perspective of the Christian business owner or leader. Today I am writing about how to be a missionary without leaving your job. Instead of writing to the Christian business leader or owner, I am writing to those who are employees.

missionary

Missionary At Work?

For years, ministers and pastors have preached about heroes of the Christian faith that have left their “secular” jobs to go into Christian ministry – maybe even as a missionary. We are told they are no longer working for a paycheck, but are now serving the Lord in Christian ministry.

I am sorry if I offend you in this – especially if you have preached this before – but this is hogwash! To believe that you have to leave business or another professional industry before you can serve the Lord as a full time missionary is erroneous. It is simply not true.

Become A Missionary

Right now, right where you are, you are able to be a missionary. You can do full-time Christian ministry work right in the job you have – no moving required! You will have to change your approach, but not your location or employer.

Below are some steps I think you need to take if you want to make this happen.

Step #1 – Pray & Study

You may notice that virtually every first step I list in my blog posts has to do with prayer. Quite simply, that is because that is the best way to access the purest wisdom available to you.

In this case, I am suggesting you pray for several things from God. First, pray for the vision to see your job as a mission field. Pray that He would open your eyes to the harvest that is available right where you are. You can’t work where you can’t see!

Next, pray for a desire to grow in your faith and knowledge of Him and His Word. What you need is consistent time in His Word and an open heart and mind that can absorb AND apply what you read. Pray that God will give you a hunger for His Word so that you find ways to study rather than reasons not to!

Finally, pray that God will equip you for the specific ministry that He wants you to do. Don’t predetermine how this will look. There are innumerable ways for Him to equip you as a missionary because there are also countless ways for Him to use you in ministry on the job. Also pray for the faith to trust this equipping since you will likely face doubts when the time comes.

Step #2 – Look Around

In the spirit of the last part of Step #1, the next step is to begin looking around in earnest for opportunities for Christian ministry. Sure, you are still in the learning phase of your ministry, but you will eventually figure out that this phase never actually ends!

Begin looking at the people around you. These people could be your customers. They could be your co-workers or even your boss. Unless you work with weather balloons in Antarctica, you likely work around people! Even if your contact with them is mostly over the phone or by email, I promise you can influence them.

As you look at and study these people, look for their needs. If the people you work with are anything like the rest of the people on this planet, then they have needs! Some of these needs may not be obvious to everyone, but I guarantee you will begin to see needs that others cannot see.

Step #3 – Act

As a missionary, you are looking for opportunities to meet these needs in a way that conveys God’s love for them and points them to Him. Initially, you do not need to preach about your “Why” for serving them. You don’t need to do anything at all that explains your reasons. Just show love as you meet the needs.

This is the best part of being a missionary as an employee in your job. There are rarely, if ever, any company policies against this kind of behavior. Meeting the needs of others in a way that conveys God’s love will not get you in trouble with the HR department!

You don’t need a Bible on your desk or a cross screen saver on your computer. You don’t have to be allowed to pray out loud in a meeting or anoint anyone with oil. You can do exactly what you need to do within your employer’s guidelines!

No matter how restrictive your job happens to be, showing God’s love like this will be acceptable. So rather than hiding behind the “rules” of your employer as an excuse for not being active with your Christian faith at work, begin spreading God’s love today.

Meet needs in creative ways and allow the real joy that is in your heart to shine through. Eventually, the opportunity will likely present itself for you to share your reasons. When it does, God will give you the words and the timing. Trust Him for this. Trust Him for the results.

Step # 4 – Return To Step #1

Keep one thing in mind here. I am a strong proponent of digging into God’s Word for learning and equipping, but I am also in favor of acting NOW! Please start praying, reading, and studying now, but do NOT wait until you feel fully qualified before you start DOING Christian ministry.

Too many times, we make the excuse that we must know more before we do more. To some degree, this can be true. However, it can also be an excuse! Start acting in love and let God guide you AS you are also learning at the same time.

Pray – Learn – Act – Pray – Learn – Act.

Rinse, lather, and repeat.

If you are not already acting like a missionary at work, why not?

Do you see how simple this can be regardless of your restrictions?

What should be your next step?

Posted on

Are You A Bridge Builder Of Relationships?

by

Many of my posts on this blog are directed at Christian business owners or leaders who can choose how they share their Christian faith at work. Normally, they are not prohibited from doing so. But what about others of you? How are you to accomplish the same results when you are limited in how you share? I think the answer is in becoming a relationship bridge builder.

relationships

Limited In Sharing Christian Faith?

What I am about to share applies to all Christians, not just those in jobs where their Christian faith is unwelcome. The strategy works in virtually every situation. However, for the purposes of this post, I am going to direct my comments to those who ARE limited in sharing their Christian faith at work.

Daniel – Slave In Babylon

I want to start by looking at Daniel 1. In this chapter, we find out that Daniel is one of the exiles from Israel that was brought to Babylon to serve in the king’s court. Can you think of a more worldly job than to serve on the court of the king that just conquered Israel? Me either!

As we read on, we learn that Daniel was faced with defiling himself with the king’s food. Instead of compromise, Daniel persuaded the king’s chief official to allow he and his friends to eat vegetables instead of the offensive food.

This strategy worked. As a result, Daniel and his friends proved to be healthier than the other exiles. In fact, as servants in the court, they were found to be ten times better than any of the others.

While there is much to be learned from the entire book of Daniel about living out your Christian faith in a secular environment, I want to focus on just this one example. I encourage you to read the rest of the book of Daniel on your own for more learning.

Daniel – Bridge Builder

The point I want to make here is that Daniel was a bridge builder.

Daniel was not seen walking around the king’s palace with a bull horn, screaming about the injustices of having to eat something that conflicted with his Christian faith. He did not raise a stink by filing a petition with the king.

Neither was he seen silently sulking about his predicament. He did not whine about it or make excuses about why he could not be intentional or proactive about his faith!

Intentional Relationships

Instead, he pulled the king’s chief official off to the side and made a deal with him. Daniel knew the chief’s motivation was to look good in front of the king. Daniel played to this and built a relationship with this official that served to meet both of their needs.

Notice a couple of points here. Daniel and his friends were rewarded by God for their faithfulness. He gave them favor with the chief official. He gave them knowledge and wisdom and He gave them favor with the king in future chapters when Daniel was able to interpret dreams for him.

At the same time, it is clear that Daniel continued to operate as a servant in the king’s court. He did so by doing his job and doing it well, better than any around him. As a result, he was able to establish relationships that would later result in the king actually saying the following:

Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings!
Daniel 2:47

Relationships In The Workplace

What we need to understand is how to take this example and replicate it in our workplaces. If we can do this, there are some amazing possibilities. People you think would be the last to acknowledge God will shock you with their turn-around!

If you want to see the results Daniel saw, then you need to do what he did.

1.) Trust God.
Rather than fretting over his circumstances (his home country was ransacked and he was carried into slavery), Daniel trusted God for His will to be done. Daniel remained faithful to God, but did so in a way that allowed him to build relationships where he was. He put his full faith in God and relied on Him for the results.

We need to do the same thing in our jobs. Even when it looks like there is no way we can influence others toward God, we need to trust God that He knows a way. Keep your eyes open and be on the lookout for the relationships He will use.

2.) Do your job better than anyone else!
Rather than throwing a pity party at the limits he faced in his new surroundings, Daniel threw himself into his job and did it better than anyone around him. He did not just get by, but excelled. This excellence helped with his bridge-building, at first with the court official and later with the king himself!

Take this same approach with your job. It doesn’t matter that your boss or owner is not a Christian. Work harder and smarter than anyone around you and set yourself apart. The reward will come – probably in a way you least expect it. And it may be more than you could hope for!

3.) Reach out.
Daniel did not allow his circumstances to dictate how he would exercise his faith. He was bold and reached out to those around him. I am sure Daniel had no idea that his plan to do so would eventually put him in front of the king. He simply knew that God had placed him there for a purpose and he knew that relationships could help with that purpose.

You and I need to think the same way. The relationships we build may be the ones that allow us to share our faith right there OR they may lead to other relationships that will. Either way, we must be bold and reach out to build them. God will use them!

Have you seen the evangelistic benefit of building relationships?

Can you look back and see missed relationship opportunities?

Who do you know right now that you need to reach out to?

Posted on

Are You To Be An Active Or Passive Witness?

by

In many of the small groups I have been in over the years, there is one question that has come up quite often. This may not be the most popular question or even the most passionately argued, but it does come up a lot. The question is this – are you to be an active or passive witness?

witness

Passive Witness Camp

To be more clear, there are usually one or two people in the group that get a little uncomfortable when the subject of evangelism comes up for discussion. Immediately, they get images of standing on the street corner with bullhorn in hand and shouting out warnings to those passing by.

Maybe their picture is more subtle, but just as uncomfortable for them. Either way, they usually say something like, “I don’t have the gift of evangelism.” Maybe they say, “I don’t like to talk about my faith.”

Many suggest, “I think we should just live our Christian life by example. We should not have to tell people what and why we believe. They should know it by the way we live.”

Are these people in the “passive witness” camp wrong?

Active Witness Camp

Before you answer, let’s look at the other camp. When this discussion about our responsibility to witness comes up, these others jump all over it! They are quick to talk about the number of times they have shared Jesus with some complete stranger, a customer, or maybe a childhood friend.

They can tell crazy stories about how people have accepted Jesus as a result of them simply asking an innocent question that led to an intense conversation about eternity. This discussion really gets the people in the “active witness” camp fired up!

Are they wrong?

Who Is Right?

So what is the answer?

Are you to be an active or passive witness?

Fortunately for you, I have the answer! That answer is “Yes!”

Active And Passive Witness!

Yes, you are to be an active witness. Yes, you are to be a passive witness. You are to witness both actively AND passively! Neither of these options is acceptable only by itself. If we are to be fully committed disciples of Jesus, then we are to witness in every way available to us.

Sure, there are some personalities that are naturally more outgoing. These people will most likely witness to people in situations where the less outgoing may be uncomfortable. That is fine.

However, that does not remove the responsibility from the less outgoing! It only means that these people need to be more intentional about building relationships with the lost around them for the purpose of eventually talking to them about Jesus and their eternity.

The Workplace Needs Active!

When you look at the statistics of the workplace, Barna reports that roughly 40% of the U.S. adult population is unchurched. That means there are plenty of people around you in the workplace that need what you have. They need you to share your faith.

If you do not already have a solid relationship with them that would allow you to do this, then you need to get to work! Start intentionally working on your relationship with them. Get creative, but get closer. Of course, you are to do this with a sincere desire to touch their heart, not for a tally mark in your Bible.

The point here is that you are to be active as a witness for Jesus. Using a bullhorn is not the only way to do this. Whatever your personality or circumstances, find a method that plays to your strengths. Then start!

Example Still Necessary

And for you “active witness” campers, do not let your natural ability to witness to others overshadow the need for you to also live out your faith by example! Whatever your personality, you are also called to live a godly life as an example for those who are watching.

This means your business practices are to be above reproach. You are to walk what you talk! You are to live out all that Jesus has commanded us – in every facet of your life.

You are not free to live as you please simply because you are good at approaching complete strangers with the truth of the gospel. Your witness and your example should go hand in hand!

Scripture Backup

I will leave you with a few verses that can serve as back-up for what we have discussed here. There are plenty more where these came from, but this is a good start!

You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lamp stand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Philippians 1:27

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
1 Peter 3:15