READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l Charles Spurgeon said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter”. Is Jesus precious to us? If he is, then we would not be able to keep Him to ourselves. There is no way to love someone and not say anything about him/her to others. This statement from Spurgeon is a reminder of our calling as followers of Christ, and disciples in our workplace to have an Ambassadorial Mandate to be his representative in the world.
a. Reveal Christ
We often separate our professional life from our spiritual life. However, our faith should permeate every aspect of our lives, including our work if we have been commanded to love our Lord with all our heart, all our mind, and all our strength. This is the first and greatest commandment from Jesus. Our workplace is not just a place to earn a living, but mission fields where we can love God and share His love with others.
Ambassadors are official representatives treated with respect. Christians should be representatives of God, to deliver His message so others could know Him and receive His message of reconciliation. We are to reveal and represent Him in our worship and everything that we do. Worship does not start and end on Sundays; it should continue without stopping. We are His hands and feet and through us, God wants to reach out to those who do not know Him. Our workplace provides us with opportunities to do so by:
- Doing our work with Excellence. This is loving our God with all our strength. Faith must result in loving actions and growth in godliness. Otherwise, we will be resisting what the Spirit of God is doing within us. When we strive to do our best at work, we align with what God is doing towards godliness and love to others. We reveal Christ in a way that we are not just employees but servants of our most high God.
- Treating others with respect and kindness. We are all created in the image of God. When we treat others with dignity and compassion, we reveal Christ and show a glimpse of God’s love. These make us powerful witnesses of God.
- Standing up for what is right. Where there is corruption, dishonesty and injustice, we are called to be set apart. We choose to trust in God’s words, not what the world tells us. We stand up for what is right even when it is difficult, to show that we are guided by a higher standard that is continuously guided by God.
- Sharing of hope in Christ. Our workplace is filled with people who are searching for hope, meaning and purpose in life. As disciples of Christ, we have responses to their search for meaning. Our living hope is not based on changing circumstances but on the unchanging truth and promises of God for an eternal life in His kingdom. These truths give us the strength to face another challenge to our work.
Our character for work becomes the very foundation of our witness to redeem culture to the Kingdom of God. Our Attitude, Behaviour and Choices (“ABC”) of our character plays a very important role in our witness of who God is, embodying the qualities and virtues of Christ in our daily interaction and activities.
b. Redeem Culture to Christ
Paul urges us to do everything without complaining so that we may be blameless. This is a call to a positive and constructive character – solution-minded rather than problem-focus, and people-centric rather than task-driven. Christ came to serve, not to be served. Our character of ABCs become instruments of God’s appeal and means of His grace. The challenge of character to redeem workplace culture is to be the same person in private and in public, the same person who loves and worships the Lord undividedly every day.
Philippians 2:14-16 telling us to “shine among them like stars in the sky” is for us to become visible and make a tangible difference. To be God’s evidence of His presence and of His love to the world. We are evidence of the presence of God and His love in our workplace. And His love overcomes darkness and helps us press on steadfastly through challenges we may face.
c. Relate His Story
Intentional discipleship in the workplace is the heartbeat of this point – it is being deliberate and purposeful in how we relate the Gospel stories and how we live our faith in our workplace. Our characters should relate to others in our Attitude with our beliefs of His story, our Behaviour with kingdom values and our Choices with our surrendered actions. To be God’s evidence in the world is to bring the values of God’s kingdom into our workplace, where we truly become the hands and feet of Jesus. Christians who are intentional about their faith are more likely to have a clear sense of their calling. They make a significant impact in their workplace and experience the joy and peace that come from knowing a loving God.
Let us capture every opportunity to love and to serve, and to be a spiritual influence in our workplace. All work, no matter how humble or mundane, can be a form of worship. Let us show others what God’s love look like through our character, what His grace feels like in our hurts and disappointments, and what His truth sounds like in our convictions.
(Sermon notes by Honey Vreugdewater)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Let’s recall, reflect, consider, and commit!
Recall what specific examples of Christian character has stood out for you in the workplace.
- How has your understanding of being an ambassador for Christ in the workplace been deepened?
- How will this impact your interactions and attitudes at work?
Reflect on the key passages being shared in the sermon through 2 Corinthians 5:20, Philippians 2:14-18 and Galatians 5:22-26.
- Reflection is an opportunity to engage with God’s Word and allow it to transform your heart and actions.
- Take time to reflect on these passages and how you can grow in your Christian character, fulfilling your ambassadorial mandate in the workplace, especially in challenging circumstances.
Consider how you can demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in your workplace through interactions and decisions.
- Are there areas where you need to grow in love, patience, kindness, or self-control?
- How might practising these virtues impact your relationships and influence in the workplace?
Commit to how you would actively seek to apply the principles of work-ship to reveal Christ through the ABCs of our character.
- What steps can you take to offer your selves, abilities, efforts and decisions as an offering to honour and worship God in your work?
Take time to contemplate these questions and prayerfully consider how you can grow in your Christian character and fulfil your ambassadorial mandate in the workplace as an intentional disciple of Christ.
