Following Christ in the Marketplace
Various Scriptures
June 22, 2003
Introduction
It¡¦s a fact of life that many, if not most of those who call themselves Christians are very sincere about their love and relationship with God on Sunday mornings.
But it¡¦s also a fact of life that many of these same people forget about that love and relationship with God come Sunday afternoon.
Here¡¦s another fact of life: many Christians do love God through the week, but don¡¦t live like it. In other words, the emotional feelings toward God exist, but it¡¦s not reflected in actions and attitudes.
So what do we do about it? The answer lies in each of us taking seriously the idea that if you call yourself a follower of Christ, that you live a life that is consistent with that.
Because you see, it¡¦s another sad fact of life that many times it¡¦s impossible to tell a ¡§Christian¡¨ from a non-Christian based on how we conduct ourselves in the world, and particularly the marketplace.
Christians have been known to lie and cheat, both in business and in personal life.
Christians have been known to take undue advantage of others.
Given this, is it any real mystery that Christians are looked at with a jaundiced eye?
Is it any real mystery that when we tell others about Jesus, they tend to put it aside as the words of someone who makes a big talk with nothing to show in their life?
Today I want to give you three ways to show the world that Christ matters to you. And that He matters to you so much that you are willing to build your life around His priorities.
If you actively live for Christ in these areas, you will get noticed. And in being noticed, you will bring attention and credibility to God.
Some of this is just common sense ¡V the problem is that common sense isn¡¦t all that common nowadays.
So I beg of you to listen up and take this seriously, for your sake, the sake of those around you, and for sake of the kingdom of God.
First,
1. Work for the Boss.
EPH 6:5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Let me say something real quick here about this passage. Slavery in the New Testament was nothing like the slavery that plagued world and American history.
Slavery in America was a blight on our history. The treatment of slaves in our country was reprehensible and sinful.
Slaves in the New Testament was quite different. Yes, the slaves were the property of the slave owners. However, the work and living conditions of most slaves in the Roman world were actually better than the average small business owner.
Most masters were kind and considerate, and kept the slaves in the homes of the owner.
Outside of the ownership issue, slave conditions were more like our present employer-employee situations today.
So with that little bit of background, let me give you four ways to show people that you work for the Boss.
„X Work while you¡¦re at work.
Here¡¦s what I mean. When you punch in at the job, do the job. Don¡¦t stand around gabbing, or puttering around. Do something.
Give a day¡¦s work for a day¡¦s pay. In fact, I think a Christian should give more than a day¡¦s work for a day¡¦s pay.
Why? Because again, you are not working for your earthly boss, but the one who will someday say, ¡§Well done, good and faithful servant.¡¨
And guess what? You will be a blessing to your employer. And another benefit is that if the company you work for needs to downsize, you¡¦re much more likely to be kept around, because employers want people who are productive and don¡¦t just work for the paycheck.
Sales motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, in his book, Over the Top, points something out that I had never considered before reading it.
He says that we work our hardest just before a vacation. We try super hard to get everything done so we can relax when we get on vacation.
Ziglar says that if we would always work like we¡¦re about to go on vacation, we¡¦ll never be without work. Even if you lose one job for unforseen reasons, the word will get out that you are worth hiring.
Now I understand that in certain situations, you are not allowed to work extra, even with pay, either by your employers not wanting to pay overtime, or by a union that does not allow it.
I still think there are ways that you can find to be valuable to your boss by giving it all you¡¦ve got while you¡¦re on the clock.
„X Don¡¦t grumble.
Can I tell you something here? The world has enough whiners. Get off the bandwagon.
¡§But my boss is a loser ¡V everybody hates him and complains about him.¡¨
Folks, you¡¦re not everybody! In fact, that¡¦s the point! Don¡¦t be like everybody else. That¡¦s the gutless way to go.
If you don¡¦t like the boss or the work, go somewhere else.
Or at least talk to someone who can do something about the problem.
I have been in the work world now for over half my incredibly young life. And one of the things that astounds me is when someone comes to me and complains about something I can do nothing about.
So I have to ask them, ¡§what can I do about it?¡¨ Go talk to someone with the authority to get it done.
Again, I understand that not every boss or manager is responsive. But you can do your part by not participating in or encouraging grumbling.
„X Be an asset, not a liability.
Be someone who is not a drain on your employers¡¦ resources. Do your job in a way that blesses your bosses.
In the Bible we have the examples of
Joseph, Daniel, and Schadrach, Meshach, and Abenego.
All of them worked for pagan, idol-worshiping kings who did not fear the God of the Bible. In fact, Daniel and his buddies were captive slaves who had been forcibly removed from their homes when the Babylonians finally conquered Judah.
Yet they worked in such a way that they were a blessing to the king.
Listen to what the Bible says about Joseph in Genesis 39. First he¡¦s in Potiphar¡¦s house as a slave.
5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
And then, during his imprisonment on false charges, he¡¦s put to work by the warden.
The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Here¡¦s the point: work in a way that blesses your employers. Be an asset, not a liability.
Now let me visit with you bosses for a moment:
„X Treat your employees graciously.
Notice I did not say to treat your employees fairly. I think Christian employers should treat their employees better than the rest of the world treats its employees.
Why? Because first of all, you are commanded by Scripture to put others¡¦ needs ahead of your own.
Second, by treating your employees as people made in the image of God and for whom Jesus died, you develop a loyalty that will not go away when times get tough.
We¡¦ve got to move on, but understand that whether you¡¦re consciously aware of it or not, whether you are an employee or an employer, you work for God, ultimately.
The next action to take in following Christ in the marketplace is to¡K
2. Sanctify your lifestyle.
The word sanctify literally means ¡§to set apart for holy use.¡¨
I want to encourage you to live a life that is set apart for God and His use, and I want to focus for a bit on 4 areas that come to mind immediately to me. There are others, but these are kind of the ¡§biggies¡¨ to me.
„X Be gracious in your speech.
Colossians 4:6 - Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
I mentioned grumbling on the job. But this also deals with things like gossip ¡V oh, excuse me ¡V ¡§prayer requests.¡¨
How about this? When you¡¦re eating out and the restaurant gets your order wrong, how do you react?
Do you graciously either take it as it comes, or gently tell the waiter or waitress that your order is wrong?
Or do you get all bent out of shape, loudly complaining and making a scene?
This one¡¦s a personal one for me. I worked in food service for a number of years, and it has been my experience that some of the hardest people in the world to serve are Christians.
God to any restaurant today and watch. And you¡¦ll cringe like I do when I see people who call themselves Christians make absolute fools of themselves by how they talk to the servers.
I worked for a Christian conference center for a couple years. My wife worked in the dining hall. And there was at least one time I felt like going in there and punching a guest who was rude to my wife.
Jesus says that our speech reflects what¡¦s in our hearts. Maybe you need listen to yourself sometime!
„X Dress modestly.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 - I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
Ladies, dress nicely but not in such a way that you cause men to stumble.
I have to admit my shock at some of the fashions today that are geared to pre-teen girls. They are designed to let these girls advertise things girls aren¡¦t ready to give away, if you know what I mean.
Parents, it¡¦s up to you to dress your kids in ways that are flattering but not racy. And please don¡¦t tell me that they buy the clothes themselves with their own money. If they are not adults, you are responsible for them, and that includes how they dress.
And this is for boys and girls.
Guys, you¡¦re not off the hook here. We need to be careful in our own dress. Tight shirts and pants serve only one purpose: to attract the opposite sex.
„X Have healthy relationships.
Proverbs 13:20 - He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
This doesn¡¦t mean that we ignore others (non-believers), but that our focus is on those who enhance our relationship with Christ.
Do you hang out with people who lift you up, encourage you in your walk with God, and hold you accountable to a higher standard of living?
Why is this such big deal? Because it¡¦s easier to drag someone down than to pull them up. And you need people around you who are willing to help you up.
Choose your friends carefully. I can¡¦t say it enough, or strongly enough.
„X Be a good sportsman.
This is becoming more of an issue all the time. Sports are a part of our lives like never before.
I like sports, and I really enjoy watching them. I suppose most Christians do. So let me tell you that you need to display Christlikeness when you are watching or participating in sports.
When participating, play well, but well within the limits of the rules. Don¡¦t get a reputation for being a dirty player.
Encourage your teammates and coaches.
Don¡¦t get a reputation for being a whiner when things don¡¦t go your way on the court or the field.
Can you disagree? Yes. But the Bible says we¡¦re not to be an argumentative jerk ¡V that¡¦s my translation, but you get the idea.
Don¡¦t trash talk, and don¡¦t argue needlessly.
When you¡¦re watching, be a positive fan. I have made it a rule that when I¡¦m watching a game, I will never yell at a player, except to encourage them.
If they are not playing well, they don¡¦t need me to tell them that. They need to hear that I still believe in them.
And parents, this is all the more the case when the player is your son or daughter. I can¡¦t believe what I¡¦ve heard parents say to their kids when they have made an error or something.
I¡¦d like to get up and thump¡¦em on the melon ¡V in Christian love, of course.
I also try never to yell instructions to my kids during a game. That¡¦s the coach¡¦s job, and I¡¦m not the coach. I won¡¦t undermine the coach¡¦s instructions, unless I see something that would be against the rules or unsportsmanlike.
I don¡¦t yell at the umpires or referees. That accomplishes nothing accept to make you look like an emotional fool
Folks, when watching or participating, be an encourager, not a discourager. You can really shine for Christ in the sports arena.
The last action we¡¦re going to look at today in following Christ in the marketplace is to¡K
3. Have an eternal outlook and attitude.
Not saying we should just be people full of positive mental attitude slogans.
Understand that since you are a child of God, you have more to live for than to just survive.
Colossians 1:16 says ¡V everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. (Message)
When you live like you have a purpose outside of yourself, it reflects on everything you do. And it attracts people to the faith.
Do you live like you have hope for this life and beyond?
Do you live like you really believe you¡¦ve been forgiven, that you¡¦ve been given a new life in Christ and a home in heaven?
Do you live like you really believe that God is in control, even when things don¡¦t go your way?
Bottom line: let your love for Christ overflow into all other areas of your life.
If you call yourself a Christian, a follower of Christ, then you need to live like you love Him. All the time. 24/7/365-6.
Romans 12:2
Be intentional about this ¡V don¡¦t live life by default.
Folks, any dead fish can swim downstream. I want to encourage you to swim upstream.
It¡¦s hardest when you first get started, because you¡¦re having to change your patterns of thinking and behaving that have been part of your life for some time.
And quite honestly, when you start swimming upstream, you have to spend a lot of time dodging dead fish. Many won¡¦t understand, and some won¡¦t like or appreciate what you¡¦re trying to do.
But it¡¦s worth it ¡V I promise.
Not only do you bring credibility to God and to the good news of Jesus Christ, you bring honor to yourself, and blessing to others.
Now who wouldn¡¦t want a deal like that?
Would you like to make a significant impact on our society? Are you sick of ungodly influences having such a hold on our area? The implement what we¡¦ve looked at today.
See the changes that happen in your own life and in the lives of those around you. And watch that spread to your neighborhood, co-workers, colleagues, etc.
And when people are changed by their relationship with Christ, societies begin to change.
