Christianity in the Workplace
Titus 2:9-10
Christianity in the Workplace
Titus 2:9-10
Let’s imagine that your favorite football team is in a huddle. They’re behind by one point with ten seconds to go, and the ball is on the five-yard line. They’re just about ready to score. The fans in the stadium are on their feet. They know the next play is crucial. But the team just stays in the huddle and talks.
Eventually, the referee blows the whistle, throws a flag, and steps off a five-yard penalty for delay of game. But the team still stays in the huddle, holding hands and talking.
Finally, they burst out of the huddle cheering, run to the sidelines, out of the stadium, get in the car, and go home. Every fan would be frustrated and angry with that kind of action, because a huddle is not an end in itself. The purpose of the huddle is to plan the strategy for the next play and to give encouragement to those who are participating. It would never happen that a team would just huddle and then hurry home.
Sometimes, however, that’s an accurate portrayal of the church. There’s a spiritual conflict going on in the world, and we gather for worship.
Worship is a time for inspiration and strategy for everyday life. Christians should worship, and that’s a special time. But the problem is, we see this gathering as an end in itself. We measure the church’s effectiveness by the number of people in the "holy huddle" and by the inspiration of the hour, and then we disperse and disappear until next week.
Worship is intended to be a time for us to be inspired and to receive instruction about how to make an impact for Jesus Christ in everyday society.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13
The purpose of salt is to add flavor, and it has to penetrate the meat to do that.
Similarly, the purpose of the church is to make a difference in the world, but we have to penetrate the world in order to accomplish that.
The effectiveness of the church is not measured by what goes on in worship, but by what goes on in the lives of its people throughout the week. Rebecca Manley Pippert has a book entitled, Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World.
In Titus 2:9-10, Paul discusses this basic truth.
Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, Titus 2:9
and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. Titus 2:10
There are three principles that I want you to see in this passage that are important to our understanding. If we can grasp these ideas, it will make a big difference in how we view the church and our everyday responsibilities.
First, I want you to see that Christianity is to permeate every area of life. Paul talks to the slaves about being subject in everything so that in every way they will represent Christ properly.
A lot of people want to isolate religion from everyday life.
If you read Time magazine, you know that it’s divided into several different categories. There's a segment about sports, one about business, one about art, one about entertainment, and way in the back, there's a section about religion. That's the way many people want to segment life.
Educators will say, "Moral values ought to be taught in the home; spiritual values ought to be taught in the church. But we are in the business of education, teaching facts in the school. Therefore, we have a value-free sex education program because it’s not our job to teach spiritual values."
Politicians will say, "I am personally against abortion, but I will not try to impose my religious values on the American people. I think that’s a private matter. People ought to be free to choose whatever they want."
Businessmen will say, "It’s fine if you go to church, that’s good, but don’t try to mix business and religion or religious ethics will cause you to lose your shirt every time."
The ACLU will say, "It’s okay to celebrate Christmas in your home and in the church, but when you begin to put a manger scene on the grounds of the state capitol, that’s mixing the state and religion, and we can’t have that."
Secular people in the world don’t mind it if we meet in a huddle and talk, but they don’t want our faith to permeate other areas of life.
In all honesty, there are many Christians who would prefer it that way, too. They want to just come for an hour of inspiration on Sunday morning, and then live a double life and do as they please the rest of the week. But the Lord Jesus Christ intended for our faith to dominate every facet of our lives.
In Colossians 3:17, the Bible says, And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 1:18 tells us that Christ, And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you also accept Him as Lord. He’s not just the Lord of this one hour of praise on Sunday morning; he’s the Lord of all.
He wants to be honored on Sunday morning, but he also wants to be honored in your entertainment life, in your school life, your dating life, your occupation, and your business.
So please understand what is expected of you when you become a member of this church. You are not just expected to attend services regularly, give a little of your money, and invite your neighbor if you think the program is going to be good.
You are expected to make Jesus Christ Lord of everything. That doesn’t mean perfection, but it does mean the appropriation of his word.
It means that you acknowledge the authority of Jesus Christ in every facet of your existence. Christianity is a new way of thinking, feeling, and behaving about everything.
Because if it is true that God created us, then he’s Lord of everything. If it is true that Jesus Christ died to save us from our sins and from hell, then that message is needed by everyone. If it is true that Christ arose from the dead and promises perfect eternal life to those who abide in him, then that hope should dominate every day.
Let’s say that you worked as a cook in a restaurant. One day, a fire broke out in the kitchen and you could see that it was out of control. Out in the dining room, everybody is relaxed and having a good time. If you see the situation and you care about people, you’re going to be forced to go out and interrupt them. You’re going to go out and say, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please."
Momentarily, you’re going to be conspicuous and maybe even resented. The person eating does not want to interrupt their meal. The waiters don’t want to miss out on their tips. The owner doesn’t want the establishment to have a negative image. But you will risk that moment of being resented if you believe that you have a message that’s going to save those people’s lives.
The same is true with Christianity. It affects everything and everybody if it is true.
In Acts 4:18-20, The early Christians were actually arrested and hauled in before the civic leaders, look at their reply. Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20
You see, there is no area of life that is not to be affected by Jesus Christ.
The world may not like that idea, but that’s the truth. In everything, Christ is to have supremacy. We’re to be his representatives every minute, in every place.
I know of a pastor who was flying to Phoenix, Arizona, and his plane had a stop in Las Vegas. He was there for about 50 minutes or something, and he said, "I didn't want to just sit in the plane. I’d never been to Las Vegas before." So he got out and walked through the airport.
There were all those slot machines—the one-armed bandits. He thought to himself, I'm hundreds of miles from home. Nobody recognizes me here. There aren't very many people.
He had two quarters in his pocket and wondered what would happen. He slipped the two quarters into the slot machine, pulled the arm, and quarters came pouring out from everywhere. He said they were clanging in that tin tray, and he gathered them up, absolutely delighted. He stuffed them in his pockets, carried them back in a bag, went back on the plane, and counted them. He had made $28 out of those two quarters.
Well, he was delighted. Then they landed in Phoenix. As he was walking through the Phoenix airport, a couple called out to him, "Pastor Dunbar, Pastor Dunbar!" He went over to meet them, and they said, "We watch you on television in Canada every week. We're just here on vacation in Phoenix, but we watch you on television. We respect the word that you preach. You're really a man of God. In fact, we're here waiting for our son, who is on the same plane you're on."
The boy came over, and the father said, "I want you to meet Pastor Dunbar."
The boy looked at him and said, "Oh yes, Reverend. How much did you make back there in Las Vegas?"
We have to have our guard up all the time. Our faith is to permeate everything we do, in every place—our home life, our church life, our jobs, and even our entertainment. That may seem like a heavy responsibility, and it is. But in everything, Christ is to have supremacy.
The second principle I want you to see is that our responsibility is to attract others to Christ.
Look at the last phrase of verse 10: so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. Titus 2:10b
The Greek word means to adorn like a cosmetic. In other words, our lifestyle is to be a cosmetic that enhances the gospel.
You and I know that the Lord is represented in a pretty unattractive way in some circles. The world's stereotype of a Christian is somebody who never has a good time and tries to prevent other people from having a good time, too.
Sometimes our attitude and our countenance justify that kind of conclusion.
I know some people who seem to be pretty happy in church, but when they go out into the world and associate with people who are not Christians, they are so insecure that they clam up or don't seem to enjoy themselves at all. If they ever approach a non-Christian about their faith, they're so defensive that they come across as angry and condemning.
Rebecca Pippert wrote, "Christians and non-Christians have something in common. We're both uptight about evangelism."
Our fear as Christians seems to be, How many people did I offend this week? We think that we must be a little obnoxious in order to be good evangelists.
We need to remember that Jesus Christ attracted people; he drew people to himself by the thousands.
We need to understand that Jesus had a dynamic about him, a charisma that drew people.
The Bible does say that there was no comeliness about him; (Isaiah 53:2) He wouldn't be able to fill in as a model for GQ magazine.
But he did have a charisma that attracted people.
He was a strong man physically. He was a carpenter, and carpenters in that day had to fell their own trees. He was a lumberjack. His hands would be calloused and his shoulders would be broad. Because he associated with fishermen, his face would be bronzed by the sun.
He was a caring person emotionally. He knew how to weep and laugh. People who had troubles could bring their problems to Jesus, and he understood.
He was a courageous person publicly; he was not afraid to take a stand against the tide of popular opinion.
He was a brilliant man intellectually, with no peer. Even his enemies were amazed at the depth of his insight, asking, "How can this be? He never went to our schools."
The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?” John 7:15
He was an excellent communicator. The common people heard him gladly, and the lawyers and doctors were amazed at his teaching, noting, “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards declared. John 7:46
People from every walk of life were attracted to Jesus. There was the blind beggar Bartimaeus, When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Mark 10:47
Then there was the aristocrat Nicodemus, who sneaked an audience with Jesus at night. (John 3)
There was that wicked woman at the well—married five times and living with a man to whom she was not married—who went to the city and said, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” John 4:30
(And yet, He still cares for me).
There was also the pious, rich young ruler who fell at Jesus' feet, declaring that he had kept the commandments, “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Matthew 19:20
Little children wanted to sit on his lap, and older people wanted to be healed by him.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14
Crowds of more than 5,000 people would go out into the wilderness and follow him around the lake just to hear him speak.
Just before he died, Jesus comforted his disciples, who were kind of mellowed out, by saying, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
We are to represent that Christ in the world. That means there should be an attractiveness about us. There ought to be a peace, a joy, a love, and a vitality that makes other people look at us and say, "I want to know the same Lord they know. They've got something I don't have."
Other people ought to be able to see that we have a good time and that we can laugh, but that it's clean.
There should be an attractiveness about us that draws them to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
We're not supposed to turn people off.
The last principle I want you to see is that, our job provides the primary opportunity for witness.
Paul says, Teach the slaves to be subject to their masters.
None of us here is a slave, but most of us are employed by someone, and the principles set forth in this passage are applicable to us all.
Paul told the slaves, "You perform your job in such a way that you'll be a magnet attracting people to Christ."
Christianity is to make a difference in how you perform your work. In fact, from a spiritual perspective, the primary purpose of your job is not just to earn a living, but to be a witness to Jesus Christ. There are going to be non-Christians and weak Christians around you who need to be reinforced.
When John Kennedy was campaigning for the presidency in the late fifties, he visited a coal mine in West Virginia. One coal miner said, "Mr. Kennedy, is it true that you're the son of one of the wealthiest men in America?"
Kennedy said, "Yes, it is."
The miner asked, "Mr. Kennedy, is it true that you've never really wanted for anything in your life?"
John Kennedy replied, "Well, I guess so."
The miner continued, "Mr. Kennedy, is it true that you've never done a hard day's work in all your life?"
Kennedy nodded.
The coal miner smiled and said, "Mr. Kennedy, I want to tell you something, sir: you haven't missed a thing."
Maybe that's the way you see your job. It's a kind of drudgery. You put up with it, and you'd get out of it if you could. But God sees your job as an opportunity for you to introduce Jesus Christ to those who don't know him, and to encourage and reaffirm those who do.
Robert Maddox, in his book The Christian Employee, suggests that God arranges our lives so that we have to work with non-Christians. He says we spend an average of 63% of our waking hours at work. We complain about the worldly people we have to work with, whom we would never associate with in any other setting, but God has arranged it so that the Christian life interacts at work with people we would probably avoid otherwise.
A lot of Christian people think that if they were really spiritual, they would quit their secular work and become a missionary or something.
God does call some people into full-time church work, but the truth is, he probably has you working right where he wants you right now. You have to interact with people who need the contact of the gospel. They would turn off a preacher and they would not read a tract, but they do observe your life, giving you the opportunity to get to know them and influence them.
The Wall Street Journal reported on a survey of 750 non-churched businessmen who were asked, "With whom would you like to discuss spiritual things: a member of your family, a clergyman, a missionary, or a fellow businessman?" Ninety percent of them said they preferred to talk to a fellow businessman. You see, it's not paid representatives that people believe; it's satisfied customers. Your job is an opportunity for you to be a missionary.
It's important that it be done properly, and Paul gives some suggestions here.
He says to teach the slaves to be subject to their masters in everything.
Teach them to have a submissive spirit. That doesn't come naturally. From the time we're born, we have a rebellious spirit.
On most jobs, if people are told to be in at eight o'clock, they'll bump up against the rule to see if they can arrive at 8:05 and get by with it. If they can get away with 8:05, it becomes 8:10. If they are given three additional sick days for the year, they'll find some way to feel under the weather and take those personal days.
One business attempted to establish a drug testing program for its employees working in sensitive areas. The employees immediately filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board, saying, "We don't take drugs, but we don't want the company infringing on our rights and telling us what to do." There's something in our spirit that naturally tries to step across the line of authority.
But Christians are to be distinctive. We are to have a compliant spirit at work. The Christian is to learn to repress pride and to respect delegated authority.
The Christian slaves were told to be obedient to their masters. We are told in the Bible that even when masters were harsh and unreasonable, they were still to be respected.
How much more should we, if we voluntarily take a position, have a submissive spirit toward those in authority over us, even if we don't fully understand why certain directives are given?
Years ago, when Reggie Jackson was playing for Baltimore, he was on first base and was waiting for the signal to steal. He knew that he could beat the throw of the catcher and jump on the pitcher. However, the team had been told not to steal unless the manager, Earl Weaver, gave the signal.
There was no signal, but Jackson, knowing he could make it, took off anyway. He slid into second base safely. He got up, dusted off his uniform, and looked over at the dugout with a smug smirk on his face, confident that his safe steal had vindicated his judgment.
After the game, manager Earl Weaver took him aside and explained why he hadn't given the steal signal. The next batter was Lee May, the second most powerful hitter they had next to Jackson. Because first base was now open, the opposing team simply chose to intentionally walk Lee May, completely negating his bat. The batter after him was one who had been very ineffective against that particular pitcher, so Weaver felt forced to bring in a pinch hitter early in the game. This weakened their defense and shortened the bench, and the Orioles went on to lose the game.
You see the problem? Jackson had a limited perspective. He had a handle on the pitcher and the catcher, but that was the only thing he saw. On the other hand, Weaver was watching the whole game. He had a larger perspective. Jackson wanted to steal second base; Weaver wanted to win the ball game. There are times when you may think you know more than your boss, and perhaps you do. But perhaps he or she sees the bigger picture. It's not our task to second-guess, but to be submissive.
The people you work with can tell whether you're proud and rebellious or whether you're humble and cooperative.
The way we respond to authority says a lot about our submission to the authority of Christ.
The Bible says that Jesus humbled himself and became obedient, even unto death.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:8
Paul goes on to say,
Teach them to try to please their masters.
In other words, have a pleasant spirit. We are often so afraid that if we try to please those who are superior to us, we'll be accused of “kissing up to the boss,” so we bend over backwards to avoid it.
You know who we want to please? We want to please our peers.
Ultimately, we want to please ourselves.
But Paul said to try to please them. Notice he used the word try.
There are some superiors who can never be pleased. But as much as possible, try to be cooperative. Make your employer look good.
Ours is not to be a grudging obedience that grumbles behind the back of the boss and then goes ahead and does the task anyway. We are to obey pleasantly and willingly. That means we smile and keep an upbeat spirit. It means we try to do our best all the time.
An article in Campus Life magazine called "The Lady in 415" told of a nurse who sought to be pleasant on the job. Eileen was one of her first patients, a woman who was totally helpless. A cerebral aneurysm had left her with no conscious control over her body. As near as doctors could tell, Eileen was completely unconscious, unable to feel pain, and unaware of anything going on around her. It was the job of the hospital staff to turn her over every hour.
...to prevent bedsores and to feed her twice a day what looked like a thin mush through a stomach tube.
"Caring for her was a thankless task," the nurse wrote. "When it's this bad," an older student nurse had told her, "you have to detach yourself emotionally from the whole situation, otherwise you just throw up every time you walk into her room." As a result, more and more she came to be treated as a thing, a vegetable, and the hospital jokes about her room were gross and dehumanizing.
But the young student nurse decided that she couldn't treat this person like the others had treated her.
She talked to Eileen, sang to her, encouraged her, and even brought her little gifts. One day when things were especially difficult, and it would have been easy for the young nurse to take out her frustrations on the patient, she was especially kind. It was Thanksgiving Day, and the nurse said to the patient, "I was in a cruddy mood this morning, Eileen, because it was supposed to be my day off. But now that I'm here, I'm glad. I wouldn't have wanted to miss seeing you on Thanksgiving. Do you know this is Thanksgiving, Eileen?"
Just then the telephone rang, and as the nurse turned to answer it, she looked quickly back at the patient. "Suddenly," she writes, "Eileen was looking at me, crying. Big, damp circles stained her pillow, and she was shaking all over." That was the only human emotion that Eileen ever showed to any of them. But it was enough to change the whole attitude of the hospital staff toward her.
Not long afterward, Eileen died. The young nurse closed her story, saying, "I keep thinking about her. It occurred to me that I owe her an awful lot. Except for Eileen, I might never have known what it's like to give myself to someone who can't give it back."
Listen to Colossians 3:22, Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24
You are not just serving a human superior; you're serving the ultimate superior, Jesus Christ. He is taking note of how you're performing on the job, so do it pleasantly.
Paul also says to control your tongue. In verse 9, he says, not to talk back to your employer.
There are all kinds of ways that people talk back to their boss—usually behind their back.
They might say, "Look, that's not my job, that's not in my job description," or "I've been doing this for ten years, I know what I'm doing, buzz off."
Or, we can complain, gripe, and moan about how hard we work, making it miserable for everybody. When we do that, we lose the respect of our fellow employees, even though they may not express it.
James 3:8 says, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
Learn to control your tongue at work, and don't get involved in all the griping and rumors that circulate.
I heard about a college student who couldn't find a job for the summer. Finally, he applied at the zoo, and the owner of the zoo said, "Well, I could use you. I need somebody to play the part of the ape. Our ape died, and we've got another one coming in, but if you'll just dress up in this ape costume and pretend to be the ape, it'll pay $15 an hour."
Well, it was pretty degrading, but he decided to do it, and he actually kind of enjoyed it. He'd rattle the bars, scare people, growl, and eat bananas. He was having a good time until one day, as he was rattling the bars, the little trap door between his cage and the lion's cage sprung open. He looked over, and there came the lion, stalking right at him.
He panicked and screamed out, "Somebody please help me! I'm a man in this ape costume! Please help me, please help me!"
The lion nestled up right next to him and whispered, "Would you be quiet? You're not the only student who needs a job this summer."
You can always find somebody to gripe with, and always somebody telling you how tough you have it. But for the most part, you will give a good witness for Jesus Christ if you restrain your tongue.
He also said to have a right attitude toward money: "Don't steal from your master."
Slaves would especially be tempted to steal since they were so poor. That's still a problem today—taking little things that go unnoticed.
But it's not just outright stealing; it's your attitude toward material things that people notice.
If you're always griping about being underpaid, always begging for an increase in salary, or getting involved in all the conversations about greed around you so that you're just one of the bunch, then your values shine through.
Others ought to be able to see that our attitude matches Paul's when he said,
for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:11-12
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
If you want to open the eyes of some people around you at work, just leave the impression that you're content with what you have. That is rare.
Finally, he says to, show that you can be fully trusted.
It's a basic philosophy of the workplace today not to trust anybody. Security forces often begin with the premise that eighty-five percent of employees will rip you off if given the chance. But we're to be distinctive once again. We're to demonstrate that we can be trusted, that we will do what we're asked to do, and that we will not rip anyone off.
When Joseph was Potiphar's slave, Genesis 39:9 says that Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph's care. With Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food that he ate. Joseph was that dependable and that trustworthy, and I know that Potiphar was impressed with Joseph's God.
Even though he was slandered and she lied against him, Joseph was even trustworthy with Potiphar’s wife. Look at the verse just prior.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused.
Genesis 39:7-8a
That's integrity. That's trustworthiness. Wherever you are, regardless of who you're with, you remain trustworthy.
You see, I don't think we influence people by carrying a big black Bible to work, holding noontime Bible studies, and twisting people's arms nearly as much as we do by having a submissive, pleasant spirit, restraining our tongues, and being honest and trustworthy.
When people see Jesus Christ in us, they are attracted to him.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, Colossians 3:23
Do it all as unto the Lord Jesus Christ.