HOW TO SURVIVE THE WORK PLACE
How To Be A Survivor - Part 6
Titus 3:14 (GN), Ephesians 2:10 (LB)
Jeff Seaman
You will spend approximately forty percent of your life at work, your job—about 150,000 hours. Surveys show that about one-third of Americans say “I hate my job.” Other surveys show that nearly two-thirds of Americans are in the wrong job. Even many people who are successful at work really don’t feel very fulfilled by their work. They are making money, they have a lot of income, but they don’t really feel fulfilled by their work.
I am here to tell you this morning that God wants you to be a survivor, but more that a survivor, he wants you to be an over-comer, He wants you to be victorious and to thrive in the work place.
We’ve been looking at How To Be A Survivor. If you are going to have significance in the work place, you must see your work as God see it. Today, I want us to look at using your work as a ministry. YOU ARE IN THE GREATEST MISSION FIELD OF YOUR LIFE!
The Bible says in Titus 3:14 "Our people must learn to spend their time doing good, and providing for real needs. They should not live useless lives." When it says "our people", who’s it talking about? Christians. If you’re a believer, the way you approach your work should be totally different from the way everybody else approaches their work normally. For a Christian there are two purposes behind work. One, do good. That’s called ministry. Two, provide for real needs. That’s called productivity. God wants you to be productive in your work and He wants you to minister through your work. It says "they should not live useless lives."
When I think of useless, I think of the cartoon character Dilbert. This last year, one of the top ten best selling books in America was The Dilbert Principle, a collection of Dilbert cartoons. It’s about a guy who works in an office who is basically useless. The book contains wisdom on topics such as Humiliating Your Subordinates, Disparaging Your Co-Workers, Taking Credit For the Work of Others, Exaggerating Your Talents, Using the Computer to Look Busy, Using Sarcasm to Get Your Way.
What makes Dilbert cartoons so funny is that they really are the truth about a lot of work places. Many people in many work places are basically just marking time. They’re just watching the clock, waiting for the day to get over so they can go home. They don’t love their work, they don’t enjoy their work, they certainly don’t produce anything. They’re just marking time.
On the other hand, there’s another book called The Bible. The Bible says that in your work, God doesn’t want you to mark time, He wants you to mark lives. He wants you to make an impact with your lives. He wants you to influence people for good.
Eph. 2:10 "God gave us new lives from Christ, and long ago He planned that we should spend these lives in helping others." That’s called ministry. We are saved to serve. We are made for
ministry. No matter what kind of work you do -- sales, management, self employed, service industry, education industry, working in your home, working out of your home, whatever. The Bible says God wants you to use your work to help other people. That’s called ministry.
One of the most basic truths in the Bible is: I serve God by serving others.
HOW CAN MY WORK BE A MINISTRY?
Corinthians says, I Cor. 16:14 "Do all your work in love." That’s the key. The key to turning your work into a ministry is not what you do, it’s how you do it. Mother Teresa once said, It’s not the kind of work that you do, but how much love you put into it that matters." I Corinthians 13 tells us that "I may accomplish all kinds of things but if I don’t do it in love, it’s worthless." In God’s book it doesn’t count. God wants you to work in love. When you do your work with an attitude of love God says it turns just normal, menial work, regardless of what it is, into ministry.
How can I work in love? Three practical ways the Bible teaches. SOME SAY THAT THEY CAN’T SARE CHRIST THEY WONT LET YOU, WELL THERE IS NO LAW AGAINST LOVE!
1. The first has to do with the co-workers, clients, customers you work with or anybody you see on a regular basis in your work. ACCEPT PEOPLE UNCONDITIONALLY.
Every week you spend about forty hours side by side with all kinds of weird people with hurts and hang ups and all kinds of problems in their lives, habits that you don’t like. There are the obnoxious people you work with. There are the difficult people you work with. The prideful people, the immoral people, the angry people, the lazy people. All of these people you have to work with on a regular basis. We’re all of different sizes and shapes and different hang ups in our lives. How does God want me to react to those difficult people I work with?
The Bible says He wants me to accept them. That is the Christian thing to do. Accept them as Christ does us. Notice Romans 15 "Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified." When you accept a person that you really don’t like, the Bible says God is glorified. You have actually done ministry to that person. This is good because all of us need acceptance. One of your most basic needs is you want to be accepted. That’s why you dress the way you do. That’s why you drive the kind of car you drive. Down inside you just want people to accept you. And everybody around you wants the same thing.
This is very important. All of us need acceptance because none of us are perfect. We’re all in the same boat. We’ve all blown it. We’ve all made mistakes. If you expect perfection from people you’re going to get frustrated. The Bible is basically saying "Cut them some slack!" Give people a little room. We’ve all blown it and made some mistakes. We need to learn to accept each other.
But how can you accept the jerk at work? The key is to look past their behavior and see their hurt. Beneath that obnoxious or immoral or dishonest or lazy or prideful behavior is some real deep hurt. Everybody’s hurting. Hurt people hurt people. The reason somebody hurts you is because they’re hurting inside. When I don’t feel good about myself I certainly don’t want you feeling good about yourself. I walk around being sarcastic, obnoxious, trying to put you down to make myself better -- all because of the hurt that is in my own life. What you need to do is try to look past the behavior which irritates you or you disagree with and look at the hurt underneath. It’s a lot easier to be sympathetic with hurt than it is with anger or irritation. Look past the behavior and see the hurt. Then you can accept them.
One of the amazing things is that the people you work with those who deserve your love the least need it the most. Those who are the least lovable are those who need it the most. God says, If you want to be like Christ at work you need to accept other people.
James 2:13 "Mercy triumphs over judgement." God says He wants you to minister to the people at your work. You can’t minister to people and judge them at the same time. Be accepting. Cut them some slack.
If you really want to deal with people, there are people at work you disagree with. They may cuss and use God’s name in vain all the time or they may be living some kind of immoral lifestyle that you obviously know is wrong. But if you’re going to minister to people you can’t be shocked by them. I’ve been a pastor for 12 years. I have seen every kind of sin possible known to man. I’ve heard it all. Nothing shocks me any more. You could tell me anything and it wouldn’t shock me because I know human behavior Because I know what grace God has shown to me. God has been gracious to me in my faults, my sins and all the skeletons in my closet. The Bible says if God has been gracious to you, you need to be gracious to other people.
There is a big difference between acceptance and approval. You can accept someone without approving of their lifestyle. You can show love to a person without saying what they’re doing is OK. A lot of people are doing things that aren’t OK. God says it’s wrong and self defeating, damaging, harmful -- sin.
Jesus was the model for this. He loved everybody in spite of their sin. He loved and accepted them all without approving of their behavior.
Example: One day the religious leaders brought to Jesus a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They wanted Jesus to immediately judge her. Jesus did not put her down. The first thing He did was defend her dignity. He protected her. He showed her value because she’s valuable even if she is doing the wrong thing. The first thing He said was, "Whoever is without sin can cast the first stone at her." Of course, everybody in the crowd had blown it themselves and they began to slowly walk away. Once the crowd was dispersed, Jesus looks down at the woman and says, "Where are your accusers?" She said, "They’ve all gone away, Lord." He said, "Neither do I accuse you. Go and sin no more." That’s it? That’s all He’s going to say to this girl? I would have pulled out my three point sermon on adultery and say, "You’ve blown it because of ..." But Jesus defends her publicly. Was what she did wrong? Absolutely! Adultery is wrong. He defends her publicly then in the privacy of a one on one conversation, where He protects her dignity and value, He says "Don’t do it any more." Instead of pointing to her past and what was wrong, He says change the direction, go a different way now.
That’s what you do with people who are blowing it. You don’t start beating them up for their past. Has nagging worked on you? Does nagging cause you to change? It doesn’t work in the office. It doesn’t work at home. It doesn’t work in churches. That’s why I don’t nag you. I could talk about the sin of the week and what you’ve done this week. But the fact is what we need is somebody to help us change. You can’t help somebody change without first accepting them. I value you.
How do you do this? Galatians 6:1 tells us, "If someone in your group [in your work] does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him right again, being careful because you might be tempted too." Don’t go with the attitude, "I’d never do that!" Given the right situation you’re capable of anything and so am I. It says, "Go and gently help..." Circle "gently help." God says you don’t rub it in when they blow it, you rub it out. You need to be gentle, not judgmental with people who have fallen into a problem, fallen into a sin. Be gentle, not judgmental.
I want this to be really practical. In each of these points I want you to think of a specific person you can apply this with next week. On your notes, where it says "Who?" write down the name of one person that you will demonstrate acceptance with this week. Maybe it’s the most obnoxious person you can think of at work. If you don’t put down a name you’re not going to do anything about it.
2. The second way you can minister to people at your work is AFFIRM PEOPLE CONTINUALLY.
This means treat them with dignity because they matter to God. If you want to stand out in your company, one secret puts you head and shoulders above everybody else at your company. Be an encourager. When you get known for being an encourager at your company you’re going to be at the top of the class. Encouragement is very difficult to find today. The Bible says, "Encourage each other and build each other up."
That is so important, especially today in America, because we live in a very negative culture. Most people get far more jeers than cheers, far more pokes than strokes. We live in a society where the number one form of humor is put downs. People constantly at work are demeaned, degraded. They are the butt of sarcastic insults. They’re put down, criticized, maligned. When somebody comes along and says, "Good job!" it’s very rare. You’ll stand out like a star on a dark night. You’ve become an encourager.
Unfortunately, in most work places the message comes through loud and clear in most offices that you really don’t matter to God and you don’t matter to us. In fact, you don’t matter at all. All that matters is your work. If you keep your nose clean and you put in your time and you give us your time and energy, it doesn’t matter about anything else. We’re not interested in your life outside this job. Just help the company and then get lost. The message comes through loud and clear that the only thing you’re valued for at that job is the talent and energy you put into it. Beyond that, they couldn’t care less about the rest of your life. What only matters is what you do for us.
God calls us to do the exact opposite. God says, as believers, we are to value everybody. Jesus says, those people you work with I made, I created them. Not only that, I died for them. That’s how much they matter. When you look around at people -- even people who are insulting you and putting you down, God died for them. He sent His Son to them and they do matter. When you affirm people, you raise their value. When you appreciate people, you raise their value. Appreciation means to raise in value. If you bought a home in the late 80’s you know the meaning of appreciation. (If you bought it in the early 90’s you know the meaning of depreciation.) Every time you appreciate somebody you raise their value. That’s true in your own family.
How can you affirm people?
By noticing them. There are probably people you work with that you don’t even notice.
By listening to them.
By applauding their contributions.
By being interested in more than just their work but also their life beyond work.
By including them rather than excluding them in events.
Three specific way to affirm right out of the Bible.
1. Listen to them. Gal 6:2 "Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ." One of the greatest gifts you can give people is an attentive ear. Fathers, one of the greatest things you can give your children is to look them straight in the eye and listen to them. It says, "I value you. I value what you have to say." Husbands, one of the greatest gifts you can give your wife is to look her straight in the eye and listen to her. When she wakes from the faint, tell her you love her! When I listen to someone it says "You matter. I value what you have to say. I value who you are. I think what you have to say is important." Every time you genuinely listen to people at work you’re ministering to them when they’re talking about something that’s a part of their life, that they care about. By listening, I show I care too. It says by doing this you obey the law of Christ.
What is the law of Christ? The great commandment. "Love your neighbor as yourself." You like to be listened to and so does everybody else.
2. The second way to affirm people is use positive words. The Bible says Ep 4:29"Speak only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs [not your needs, but theirs] that it may benefit those who listen." God wants us, as believers, to be people builders not people users. Most of the world is filled with people users. God says when you speak positive words of encouragement to people and you build them up -- "Good job! Nice try! I appreciate what you did" and you say a positive word that gives hope, you’re ministering to people.
Would you like to know how to change somebody who doesn’t want to change? Treat them the way you want them to become as if they have already become it. That’s called speaking in faith. People tend to live up to our expectations of them. Husbands, do you want your wife to treat you like a king? Then treat her like a queen. We’re all like little puppy dogs. Any time you get one word of criticism you tend to sulk. But if somebody gives you one word of praise... You can go two weeks on one good compliment and you remember it over and over. You don’t know the power of your words. The Bible says when you do that to people you’re ministering to them. If they make any effort toward the Lord, commend them on that. If they make any effort to being more mature, more productive, whatever... when you see something good in their life, compliment it and that area will grow. What you compliment tends to grow.
3. A third way you can affirm people is by praying for them. 2 Corinthians 1:11 "You are helping us by praying for us." Make a prayer list of the people you work with. Make a list, put it in your Bible, pray for them and watch what happens in your office or on your job site. You cannot pray for people and not see them start to change. They will. I encourage you to tell them you’re praying for them. Even ask them, "What do you want me to pray about?" Even unbelievers appreciate people praying for them -- covering all the bases. Every time you do that you’re building a bridge on which you can minister to people.
Write down a person you will, this week, encourage. You will affirm them either through positive words or listening to them or praying for them. Write down a name of somebody you work with.
You don’t have to be ordained to be a minister. Every Christian is a minister. You’re not all pastors but you’re all ministers. It means God wants to use your talent and ability to help other people. You don’t have to go to seminary to have a ministry. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to have a ministry. You don’t even have to be a mature Christian to have a ministry. For you to be able to minister at work it only takes two four letter words: LOVE and TIME. If you’re willing to put the love and the time into it, you can help people by accepting them, by affirming them and ...
3. ASSISTING THEM EAGERLY.
Be willing to lend a helping hand in a practical way. Lend a hand, give a lift, do an errand, provide a meal, baby sit, offer help with a project. There are thousands of ways you can assist people in a practical way. There’s a new ministry starting here called People Helping People. It says, "I can contribute in the following areas: home repair, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, handyman, landscaping, gardening, domestic, housekeeping, baby sitting, running small errands, helping people move, auto repair, minor auto repairs and maintenance, professional, attorneys to help with wills, accountants, real estate professionals. You can use what you know how to do to help other people. That is called ministry. Every opportunity and every need that you see is simply a way to show God’s love.
Galatians 6:3, "If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody." God isn’t impressed with your status. He’s impressed with your service. God doesn’t care about your status -- "Hey, look at all those symbols I’ve got in my life!" God says "I want to know about your service. I didn’t put you on earth to have status. I put you on earth to be of service."
In USA Today a few weeks ago there was a full page ad put out by the employees of Southwest Airlines praising their president. It had a list of all the things they were grateful for. One of them that really struck me, was "For helping handle baggage on Thanksgiving Day." The CEO of the company was out helping with the baggage because it was busy on Thanksgiving Day.
Jesus said it like this, "If you want to be great, learn to be the servant of all." He modeled it. In Matthew 20 he said, "Your attitude must be like My own for I didn’t come to be served but to serve." Jesus said My purpose for coming to earth is to serve. What’s your purpose on earth? In my nature I want to be served. I don’t want to serve anybody; I want to be served. I want people to wait on me. I want people to help me, do things for me. Yet, the mark of a Christian is the moment you become a believer that attitude starts changing and the Bible says that one of the ways you can know you’re really a believer, you’ve stepped across the line, is that you down deep have a desire to serve. If you have no desire in your life to serve you might check on, "Am I really a true believer?" Because the Spirit of Christ is service -- giving yourself away.
We’re all full of good intentions. But we just get too busy. Good intentions are not enough. The Bible says, Prov.3:27-28 (GN) "Whenever you possibly can do good to those who need it. Never tell your neighbor to wait until tomorrow if you can help him now." Because when we procrastinate sometimes it’s too late.
Here’s the question: Who in your office, at your work site, where you work, who is barely hanging on by a fingernail? Make it your business to know. That’s what being a Christian is all about. There are people all around you who are hurting and they’re bleeding. Behind that smile and facade on the inside they’re dying. There are people all around you at work who really have a major hurt in their life. Why don’t we help them? Because we’re too busy to notice.
You say, "But I’ve got problems. I’ve got things in my own life. I’ve got things to do. I’ve got goals to achieve. I don’t have time for ministry." You’re too busy. If you don’t have time to help anybody else unselfishly in the world, your life is too self centered. It’s that simple. God did not put you here on this earth to live just for yourself. If you’re too busy for ministry, you are too busy. One day you can explain that to God.
Being a Christian means accepting people unconditionally, affirming people continually, and assisting people eagerly. God wants us to help others out.
Write down the name of a person that this week you will offer practical assistance to this person. You will help them. You will offer to help them any way possible. Write down a name. Put somebody on your list. Then do something about it. It could be as simple as picking up a phone and saying "How are you dong?" Sometimes a phone call can save a person’s life. Sometimes a phone call can turn a person around.
Why should I do this? Why should I be involved in using my work as a ministry?
Colossians says, 3:23 "In all the work you’re doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. Remember, you’ll receive your reward from the Lord." You’re actually working for God.
The Jesus said it like this, Matt. 25:40 "Anything you’ve done for one of my brothers here on earth, however humble, you’ve done for me."
For a believer, if you claim to be a Christian, work is never just a job. It is a ministry. It is an opportunity to show Jesus’ love to the people around you. We serve God by serving others. I’ve heard people say, "I just wish I could quit my job and serve God full time." Wrong! You don’t have to quit your job to serve God full time. You can do it right now. You can do it serving tacos at Taco Bell. Don’t quit your day job. Just use if for God and serve Him full time. What God is looking for is full service Christians in a self serving world. Get started today!
Prayer:
Pray, "Dear God, I want to stop doing business as usual and I want to make a difference in people’s lives through my work. I want to stop marking time and start marking lives. I ask You to use me to show Your love to others." Maybe you’re not even a Christian yet. You are a seeker. You’re considering the claims of Christ. If you’ve been depressed like the man talked about in the skit, there is hope. There are people here who care about you in this church and this church family is here to serve you. God cares about you. let us know about your need.
Lord, fill our lives with love. Help us to look outward to see the needs around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
