How Can I Evangelize?

I know that many of you are like me in that we struggle with the question of envangelizing at work. It is a sensitive topic, but I found this article to be very positive:

2 Timothy 4:5
''Do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry”

For the Christian, true fulfillment in life can be summarized by the popular bumper sticker slogan, “Bloom where you’re planted.” Peter said it this way: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another” (1 Pet. 4:10). Your greatest fulfillment in life will come when you discover your unique gifts and abilities and use them to edify others and glorify the Lord.

God allowed me to understand this vital principle while I was still employed as an aerospace engineer. I knew God wanted me to be an ambassador for Him at Honeywell, so I started a breakfast Bible study in the bowling alley next door. My announcement about the Bible study had only been posted in our office about an hour before a Jewish fellow pulled it off the wall and brought it in to me. “You can’t bring Jesus in here,” he objected.

“I can’t do otherwise,” I said. “Every day I walk in here Jesus comes in with me.” He was not impressed with my response!

One of the men who found Christ through that Bible study became a flaming evangelist. He shared everywhere he went. When I left Honeywell, he took over the Bible study.

A few months later I went back to visit my friends in the Bible study; “Do you remember the Jewish fellow?” the leader asked.

“Sure, I remember him," I said, recalling his brash opposition to our Bible study. “Well, he got sick and almost died. I went to the hospital and visited him every night. Finally I led him to Christ.” I was ecstatic at the realization that I had become a spiritual grandparent. The sense of fulfillment was exhilarating. And it all happened because I started a simple Bible study where I worked in order to do what Paul said: “Do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5).

God has a unique place of ministry for each of us. It is important to your sense of fulfillment that you realize exactly where that place is. The key is to discover the roles you occupy in which you cannot be replaced, and then decide to be what God wants you to be in those roles.

For example, of the five billion people in the world, you are the only one who occupies your unique role as husband, father, wife, mother, parent, or child in your home. God has specially planted you to serve Him by serving your family in that environment.

Furthermore, you are the only one who knows your coworkers as you do. You occupy a unique role as an ambassador for Christ where you work. These are your mission fields and you are the worker God has appointed for the harvest there. Your greatest fulfillment will come from accepting and occupying God’s unique place for you to the best of your ability. Sadly, so many miss their calling in life by looking for fulfillment in the world.

Find your fulfillment in the Kingdom of God by deciding to be an ambassador for Christ in the world of work. (2 Cor. 5:20)

May God bless you as you share His love to others in the workplace. Have a wonderful weekend.

Bill

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

Peace is one of things that is easy to conceptualize, but not so easy to realize. Our lives are filled with conflict at so many levels. We deal with people who wear on our nerves. When you try to drive somewhere during rush hour (for my So Cal Brothers and Sisters that would be rush hours) you fight to get to where you want to go. When you turn on the news you hear about wars and violence. On a spiritual level you battle with sin and temptation. It seems like we have to battle for everything that’s worthwhile. And yet, God has a different idea about winning:

2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

Luke 10:3-6 (NKJ)
"Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. "Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. "Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house.' "If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.”

Peace is a hard thing to find in this world. Fortunately, we know the source of all peace. Jesus will give you the ability to live in peace and to share it with others.

Blessings,
Bill

Attitude of Gratitude (Part 2)

Here’s another piece written about attitude that speaks to my heart. I hope this touches you as well:

What a relief that God sees everything! He already knows your situation. On the other hand, though, He also knows how we’re thinking. So in dealing with frustrations, it’s important to ensure we aren’t grumbling for the sake of grumbling.

I Samuel 16:7 “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Issues like boredom, repetitive tasks, and low level pay are usually outside our power to influence, unless a more satisfactory job comes along. They may provoke us to blame persons or organizations. They may tempt us into going slow, or discouragement, or a ‘so what’ attitude.

The better alternative is to ask the Lord to check our motives and thoughts. He already knows them, so He won’t be hassled if something isn’t right. Let Him help you deal with anything that needs attention. If the workplace problem is still there afterwards, face it as a reality and remember that Jesus dealt with realities including physical and emotional tiredness, living with only the bare necessities, powerful opponents, and unjust arrest and conviction. He’s got experience. Ask Him to direct you.

Lining up our hearts with the Lord like that is a spiritual reality check. Then, it becomes easier to:

• See things to give thanks for (coffee break, pleasant coworker, humor, etc);
• Show competency and reliability (people notice, whether they show it or not);
• Pray silently, keeping close to the presence of God.

Done with a good heart, these practices ease the day’s frustrations. Practice them, learn them, do the spiritual reality check, and keep doing them until they are normal to you. God will glorify our efforts. Paul tells us (paraphrased) that ordinary men chase a crown that will not last, but we do what we do to get a crown that will last forever! (1 Corinthians 9:25)

Here’s a different spin to today’s subject. Perhaps you are in a position to help improve the conditions of other people who are affected by these kinds of situations. Pray about how to use your influence for good.

Bill

Gratitude Is The Right Attitude

Do you know people who complain about everything? I'm sure most of you can think of somebody at work (or perhaps at your church) who is always down or upset about something. Think about how that makes you feel. How about you parents out there who listen to your children complain when they don't get what they want. Perhaps you didn't get them the right toy, or you're serving the wrong food, or the don't like what they have to wear to church,…complain, complain, complain. Doesn't it make you wonder how our Heavenly Father feels when we complain about things? We want a bigger house, a nicer car, a new toy of some kind…wha, wha, wha. Folks, this is nothing new. The nation of Israel also did a lot of complaining:

Psalm 106:24-25 (NKJ)
They did not believe His word, but complained in their tents.

Exodus 16:11-12 (KJV)
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, at even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.

God knows what is best for you. Just as you are a good parent and provide what your children need:

Luke ll:10-13 (NKJ)
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

The key here is that we should ask for things we need. Those are the things our Father will provide. I want to encourage you today to find contentment in the gifts given to you by our loving Heavenly Father. Don't get caught up in the complain game. God will bless you when you live with an attitude of gratitude.

Blessings,

Bill

Where Will Your Faith Take You?

Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I pray that you and your families are well, and that you are rejoicing in your relationship with Jesus. Today I'm sharing a good devotional I received from a local writer here in Louisville. Paul the Apostle’s life ended in Rome, then the power center of the Mediterranean world. How he got there says something about his thoughtful reflection on God’s ways.

Acts 28:17-20 And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: "Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death. But when the Jews F112 spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation. For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."

Paul was in protective custody in Israel for several years before going to Rome. At his final hearing in front of the highest authorities, he defended himself so well that they wanted to set him free. However, they could not. Paul had appealed to Caesar, the emperor in Rome, so they were obligated to send him there for another judicial hearing.

Paul could have been a free man again if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar. To understand why he closed off that possibility, we must realize that he had spent years presenting Christianity to all kinds of audiences, and he wasn’t going to lose an opportunity to present the faith to the very highest authority. Suppose Caesar accepted Christ? The empire would change. Millions of people could hear the Gospel of salvation. So Paul took great personal risk to spread the Gospel in the center of power.

What can this say to Christian working men and women?

• It says there is no substitute for knowing Christ and understanding his ways and applying that in all situations including work. Paul’s openness to God led him to believe God would come through for a major evangelistic move in Rome. Sure enough, that happened.
• It says that rather than letting problems undermine us, we need to value truth in Christ.
• It says we are not in charge of our destiny. God calls the shots in that department, not withstanding talk about “taking control” of our lives.
• What does God want to say to you through it?
  

Blessings,

Bill