The message of Jesus Christ sets people free. Jesus – and sharing Jesus – is God’s plan to heal hearts, renew spirits, and drive sin out from the land. (Ez 36:26; 2 Chron 7:14; Acts 4:12) This truth does not ‘clock in’, and certainly never ‘clocks out’. (This is why your Christian employees are honest on the job, as well as off the job!:)) I have never been an employer, but I have been an employee, and I have lost 3 jobs because of my witness. All 3 employers were Christians - and this is in the ‘Bible Belt’ of the USA!:) Nevertheless, as a disciple of Jesus, I am called to heed his Spirit, hold Jesus high, and be prepared to be bold, to be challenged, to pay a price… (Gal 5:25; I Tim 6:12; Acts 4:29, Mark 8:34-38; I Peter 3:15) We are all called to witness. Sometimes, I believe, we may find our ‘primary’ role and ‘call’ as a ‘back-up’ to others who are sharing their faith. This is how ‘missionaries’ get ‘sent’ – they have backers. This was true for Paul, this is true today. ‘How will they preach unless they are sent?’ (Rm 10:15) As an employer, I would defer these considerations to you:
Employers – like employees – need wisdom and God’s spirit, so that we work ‘in step’ with the Holy Spirit. (John 5:19; Gal 5:25) However, none of us can – or, rather, ‘should’ - hide our ‘cowardice’ or ‘fear of man’ or ‘love of money’, behind words like ‘prudence’, ‘wisdom’, ‘proper’... No one understands the role and challenges of anyone else – so we dare not judge - but we are all called to follow, serve and sacrifice for the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Luke 12:4-5,8-9) With much given, much is expected. (Luke 12:48) If you have the authority to open or close doors to the gospel, to support or block (or even punish) the testimony of others, you will certainly give an account for this. An employer – like anyone else - must own responsibility for the gospel going forth, or being hidden under a ‘basket’ – or under a ‘profit’. (Matthew 5:14) Jesus said to Pilate that he would not have the authority he did (to give life or death), unless it had been given to him by God. (Jn 19:11) We are all going to give an account for the ‘talents’ we were given to protect and invest – and as an employer your ‘talent’ to invest may include not only your own ‘witness’, but the witness of other Christians you oversee. (Luke 19) We do have the power to ‘hinder’… (Matthew 18:6-7) Here are some ideas I would defer to you:
‘And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.’ Matthew 10:42
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AuthorPeter Walker. Archives
March 2022
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