But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good. —2 Thessalonians 3:13
In his classic novel Hawaii, James Michener tells of the first voyage of missionaries to these elegant, but uncivilized and pagan, Pacific Islands. Even though they meant well, these missionaries caused the devastation of native Hawaiian culture and ultimately the death of many of its people. Instead of converting Hawaiians, the missionaries turned them upside down. The natives were confused.
I remember reading this powerful and disturbing tale, wondering what these missionaries could have done differently to touch these people as Christ would have. Then I remember taking this question and applying it to my place of business.
What would it look like, I wondered, if a real Christian showed up where I work? What would he do? How would he conduct himself? How would he treat his unbe- lieving colleagues?
As Christian men in the workplace, these questions should drive us all. What does it look like to be a Christian in the workplace?
Unless you are independently wealthy and, therefore, answer to no one, you have a boss. This boss may be shareholders. This boss may be a board of directors, a chief executive officer, a vice president, a division head, a manager, a supervisor, or a foreman. In all these cases, you have been entrusted with the oversight of things that don’t belong to you—time, resources, equipment, or subordinates. This is a serious obligation.
There must have been some Christian businessmen at the church in Thessalonica. And the apostle Paul must have felt challenged to answer their questions about what it looked like to be a missionary to the marketplace.
Men have struggled with this issue for centuries and have proclaimed their Chris- tian witness by placing a Bible on the corner of their desk, or praying before they eat lunch, or even openly talking about Jesus.
Paul summed up his advice to Christians in the marketplace: “We were not idle among you; we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and toiled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. . . . Do not grow weary in doing good” (vv. 7–8, 13).
Does this mean that the only thing you need to do to live your faith at work is to be diligent? Does this mean that if you are a faithful steward of the corporate funds other men will automatically confess their sins and follow Christ? Uh, no. Not necessarily.
Paul is telling us that if we are foolish with the assets we have been given, if we shave the truth on our expense reports, if we are careless with our own time, and if we are thoughtless of subordinates and disrespectful of our superiors, then any witness we might give of our Christian faith will be ruined. The Bible on our bookshelf, the prayer we whisper at lunch, or the witness we give will become a sidesplitting joke.
Hard work is Christian. Careful spending of corporate assets is Christian. Personal integrity at every level is Christian. Honest confrontation of the facts with your boss and empathy with your employees when they face hard times in their personal lives is Christian.
If you are not doing these things and have decided not to, please take the Bible off your shelf, stop bowing for grace before meals, and quit making all those Christian noises.
If your life doesn’t line up with what you believe, the natives will be confused.