I’m currently taking an evangelism class at my church. As a result, I’ve been thinking a great deal about when and where it’s appropriate to give the gospel. My first thought was a resounding “everywhere and anytime!” Then, I started thinking about our command to “be subject to the governing authorities” (Ro 13:1) and the call to “be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.” (1 Pe 2:18) Of course, there’s a built-in limit to those commands as we are to obey God first in all things. What standard should we follow when determining where and when to give the gospel?
Respecting Authority
Regardless of whether you work from home or go into an office, you’ve made an agreement to trade your time for money. In such, it makes sense that you want to focus on providing the services for which you’ve been contracted. Therefore, spending time doing anything but that would be breaking your contract with your employer. You might be thinking, what about breaks? I would say that you’re still on your employer’s time and often in their place of business. As Christians, we want to be above reproach and therefore respect their wishes while on their time and in their place of business.
Putting God First
Putting God first means acting in good conscience according to His commands. While we are commanded to share the gospel, we are not commanded as to when and where. Therefore, it’s going to be a wisdom decision and if we’re coming from a place of love for our neighbor it becomes much easier to make that decision. Determining to share the gospel with a co-worker or anyone else connected to your work environment just might mean inviting them to coffee or some other non-work-related event.
Are there Caveats?
Of course! If someone outright asks you what you believe it’s clear that we are to speak the truth in love. We are never to deny the truth of scripture in any situation. If someone asks about your position on a moral issue, I highly recommend being ready to make an argument from scripture. If you can’t, tell them you’d prefer to give the truth rather than an opinion and you’ll get back to them. Be careful not to get into unnecessary quarrels and be ready to teach the truth with patience.
Final Thoughts
A good question to always be asking is “how can I best honor God by loving my neighbor?” You don’t honor God by getting up on your desk and telling people they’re going to hell without Jesus. I know that’s a bit extreme, and it makes the point that we should think through each situation having godly wisdom to speak truth in love. When my co-workers asked what I believe I would give them the clear gospel. If I was asked about a moral issue, I did my best to give a biblical answer, rather than my own opinion. If I saw someone suffering due to the lies of this world and their own sinful choices, I talked to them off-hours. Do you have another perspective or is there something I’m missing? Tell me in the comments or feel free to contact me.