Two kinds of people report for work on a Monday morning.

One has the approach, “I am an employee who happens to be a Christian.” The other has the approach, “I am a Christian called to serve God as an employee.” The difference between the two is profound. The first sees his job as a job. The second sees his job as a ministry and work as a means to worship. He realizes that he is on a mission every day he goes to work and that mission is to impact the workplace for Christ.

But how do you reach co-workers for Christ in the midst of a global pandemic where some are working from home and don’t have a chance to interact with fellow employees, supervisors, etc.? How can you be on mission for Christ in the workplace in 2021?

Allow me to make three suggestions.

Don’t take God’s responsibility on your shoulders

The adjustments that need to be made in our day are not easy. Furthermore, for someone who has a heart for reaching others for Christ, they can be absolutely frustrating. A person who always loved to share Christ one-on-one with fellow workers recently shared with me, “This COVID thing has almost killed personal evangelism for me.”

Take comfort in the fact that God is more concerned about people than you are. Ask Him for much needed wisdom. Would the person you would like to talk with feel comfortable meeting for breakfast or lunch? If you alluded to spiritual things in an email, and she responded positively, could you send her a book to interact with over the phone? May God be opening a door through an online call for you to interact about spiritual things? Might an upcoming birthday allow you to spend a little time with him celebrating his contributions and seek an opportunity to talk about spiritual matters?

Related: Register for our February 24 webinar: Workplace 2.o – Seven Principles for Sharing Christ in the Changing Workplace

God has a reputation for doing the unexpected and He has earned it! A sincere prayer such as, “God, show me what I might do that I could be overlooking” could cause amazing things to happen. You do not have to come up with the ideas; let God generate those. I keep reminding people that God’s job is to open doors (Colossians 4:3); our job is to walk through them.

Pray for boldness to speak up

The need for boldness in sharing the gospel is always there. Whether it be witnessing in the workplace while social distancing, through social media, or via any other digital platform. As always, opportunities in the workplace are often missed not because it was not an appropriate time, but fear took over boldness instead of vice versa.

A comment could have been made, “Hey, let’s meet during our lunch hour sometime and I will tell you about the most life changing decision I ever made.” Or, “We really ought to have a longer talk sometime. Something happened to me years ago that really changed the way I approach life – and I would love to talk with you about it.”

Unfortunately though, we become the victim instead of the victor of our fears. Remember that boldness is one of the things Paul the apostle prayed for (Ephesians 6:19) and we should as well.

Do bridge building now, witnessing later

Employees are not to steal from their employers. (Titus 2:9-19) The employer is paying you to work not to witness. Stealing a fellow employee’s time is as serious before God as stealing your employer’s funds. Many workplaces are such that it is not appropriate to discuss spiritual things during work hours. Howerver,  that time though can be still used of the Lord.

The good work ethic you demonstrate, the care you have for someone who missed work due to illness and received a card from you, the integrity you demonstrate, the consistency in the cheerfulness with the way you come to work each morning, and your willingness to put others first on the job, speaks loudly to those who do not know the Lord.

Bridge building on the job can lend opportunities outside the job whether it during break times, over lunch, or on the weekend.

Caution! Do not spend so much time building bridges that you never cross them. Some speak too abruptly about spiritual things. Others take too long and the non-Christian begins to wonder, “If Jesus Christ is so important in your life, why did it take so long for you to mention Him?”

Conclusion

Ask the question,” Where are you going (or logging onto) every day – to your job or your mission field?” If it is your mission field, following these few suggestions could cause you to have an impact greater than you ever imagined.