How well do you know Jesus?

You might know him as Jesus, the Bible also calls him:

- last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45)
- Almighty (Rev 1:8)
- Alpha and Omega (Rev 1:8)
- Amen (Rev 3:14)
- Arm of the Lord (Isa 51:9)
- Branch (Isa 4:2)
- Bread of life (John 6:32)
- Cornerstone (Psalm 118:22)
- Counsellor (Isa 9:6)
- Deliverer (Rom 11:26)
- Door (John 10:7)
- Everlasting father (Isa 9:6)
- Faithful witness (Rev 1:5)
- God (Rom 9:5)
- Holy One (Acts 3:14)
- Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69)
- I am (John 8:58)
- Immanuel (Isa 7:14)
- King of kings & Lord of lords (1 Tim 6:13)
- Lamb of God (John 1:29)
- Life (John 14:6)
- Light of the world (John 8:12)
- Lion of Judah (Rev 5:5)
- Lord of Glory (1 Corin 2:8)
- Lord of our righteousness (Jer 23:6)
- Man of sorrows (Isa 53:3)
- Messenger (Mal 3:1)
- Mighty God (Isa 9:6)
- Morning Star (Rev 22:16)
- Overseer of souls (1 Peter 2:25)
- Passover lamb (1 Corin 5:7)
- Pioneer of our faith (Heb 12:2)
- Prince of life (Acts 3:15)
- Prince of peace (Isa 9:6)
- Redeemer (Job 19:25)
- Ruler of God's creation (Rev 3:14)
- Resurrection and life (John 11:25)
- Righteousness One (Acts 7:52)
- Rock (1 Corin 10:4)
- Root of David (Rev 22:16)
- Rose of Sharon (Song of Sol 2:1)
- Ruler (Matt 2:6)
- Sun of righteousness (Mal 4:2)
- True vine (John 15:1)
- Witness (Isa 55:4)

Wowsers.

Evangelism in the workplace - what have the staff team learned?

One of the oddities of being set aside for paid church ministry is that we’re surrounded by Christians in the workplace. That’s a joy, but it’s also really unusual and means that our understanding of evangelism in the workplace is not always as accurate as it could be.

The survey responses have been very helpful at identifying some of the blind spots in our thinking and teaching. In no particular order, here are some of those areas:

1. “I think we head that we should tell our colleagues about Jesus, but not really how to do that. I think the motivation is there for many but the lack of experience lowers confidence.”

2. Emmanuel’s teaching sometimes assumes a level of bible literacy that our colleagues simply don’t have. This means we need to keep working hard at linking biblical teaching with concepts and ideas that our colleagues are more familiar with. 

3. “The biggest challenge is not sharing ideas, it’s in personal holiness.”

4. When the topic of workplace evangelism comes up, we should be hearing more from those who are actually getting on with evangelism in the workplace – rather than the vicar!

5. We’re very good at cheering for missionaries to Japan; we could do more to cheer for missionaries to Aztec West (or other places of work...)

Missionaries to Aztec West

6. People feel pulled by good responsibilities in too many directions. One respondent has said,

“We want to be the best husband and father we can by making sure we’re around for bath and bible time. We want to do the best job we can – which usually means doing more than 37.5 hours a week. We want to take responsibility at church. We want to make and keep friends outside of work and church.

These ‘pulls’ on our lives…make us subject to a slightly dangerous cocktail. Whilst we know the gospel of grace, we still feel the need to be successful in each of these areas. Wanting to do ‘good’ in each of these areas is both a response to the gospel and potentially a way we can undermine the gospel of grace. The impact of all this is that our time is just restricted. Dunno how to solve it”

As a staff team we’re very grateful for the honesty of these responses – particularly the last one. 

We’ll certainly try our best to incorporate them into our teaching and preaching. But please don’t rely just on us. You’re the ones on the front lines in the workplace. You’re the ones who know best how to speak God’s word in love to each other, on the way home from work, over the phone, as you wash up the dishes together. As you take in and live out God’s word, spur each other on to keep standing and keep speaking for our great King. 

Evangelism in the workplace - what to say?

This is the forth in a series of blog posts about evangelism at work – feeding back the results from a recent survey of members of Emmanuel. 

We’ve discussed the challenges of speaking about Jesus. We’ve talked about factors that make it easier: location and personal relationships. We’ve considered how that might affect how we use our time.And when the moment arrives to speak about Jesus. What do we say..?

Well, it all depends…My experience is that the opportunities to do a full-gospel presentation to a colleague at work were very rare. That can be discouraging if you’ve come from a university background where there is far more openness to discussing the gospel.

The survey responses back this up. Opportunities for evangelism tend to be of the salt and pepper kind: we sprinkle small little nuggets of truth in here and there. 

Maybe it’s as we offer a biblical perspective on family life or a film. Maybe it’s as we explain how our faith has made a difference to what we do with our holiday time or money. 

We shouldn’t underestimate the cumulative impact this will have. We’re gradually building up a picture of what it means to live in the King’s Kingdom.

The survey responses suggest that– in time – the opportunities to have in depth gospel conversations do arise. It’s been a real encouragement to read the survey responses. Amongst the challenges, there are stories of colleagues being willing to read the bible, attend Christianity Explored courses or come along to church events.

Yes, speaking about Jesus usually involves crossing some form of pain line. And often we don’t put things very eloquently. We might not see fruit for a very long time. But, in the words of Mark Greene, let’s remember that, “the Holy Spirit is at work and has, over many millennia, shown himself to be more than capable of overcoming a billion apparent obstacles to the communication of the gospel news in a myriad different contexts – open, closed and deliberately murderous.”

One final point. A number of survey respondents picked up how they’ve been encouraged in their evangelism by knowing that they have friends and other Christian colleagues praying for them. In particular, one respondent pointed out that “the City Centre prayer meeting is a real help – it keeps evangelism on my radar.” We all recognise that evangelism in the workplace – being on the frontline - is tough. Knowing you’ve got prayer backup seems to make a real difference in those moments when you need courage, perseverance and wisdom in speaking about Jesus.

If you want any details about the City Centre prayer meeting, please get in touch with me. 

Evangelism in the workplace - how to use our opportunities

If location and personal relationships matter when it comes to evangelism in the workplace, what do the survey responses suggest about how we could use our time at work?  

First, work socials help to build important bridges. Social time with our colleagues helps to establishing the sorts of bonds that make gospel conversations easier. Many of us may be uncomfortable with much of the socialising that our work teams do, because they’re often heavily reliant on alcohol. We’re right to be cautious. But we have to be careful not to automatically withdraw from work socials because they’re not as wholesome as we’d like them to be. Sharing more than just our professional life with our colleagues sets a platform that makes conversations about Christ easier in the long-run.

The paddle boarding social may not have looked quite like this...

If you really aren’t comfortable with your current team socials, why not organise something you would like to attend? I recently heard about a member of Emmanuel who organised an after-work social that involved paddle boarding! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it was the Christians in the office who became known for organising creative and fun work socials?

Second, try to use your lunch-times well. Once work finishes in the evening, many of our colleagues head home. So after-work socialising can be difficult. That makes lunch a useful opportunity to spend time with colleagues outside of the office. 

Yes, it’s true that pressure or culture to work through lunch is often there. But, can you plan to protect one or two lunchtimes each week? If you can, use that time to get out of the office with a colleague: go for a run, go for a coffee, go for a walk. These are the times when it seems easier to speak about Jesus.

Third, make much of common interests. Whether it’s Bake-Offs, Kick-Offs or Dance-Offs, there’s nothing like being able to enthuse over an interest or hobby to draw people together. Just before leaving work at my law-firm, I started going fly-fishing with a colleague. I’m a novice and we’ve only been out to Chew Valley Lake a few times. It hasn’t automatically made it easy to talk about Jesus, but it has made it easier. And, helpfully, it’s been lots of fun along the way.

Of course, these are just some examples. They’ll work for some, not everyone. Really, the key seems to be intentionality. With life at work being busy, we need to think carefully about how we can make the most of the opportunities that are around us. More of that in my next post.

Evangelism in the workplace - the opportunities

This is the second in a series of five posts about evangelism in the workplace. 

In the previous post I mentioned the common challenges that many of us face when trying to speak of Christ in the workplace. However, opportunities still abound and the survey responses suggest certain specific factors that make it easier to speak about Jesus.   

When it comes to sharing the gospel, location matters. Lots of us work in open plan offices, so starting a conversation about Christ is particularly tricky. But that doesn’t rule out being able to share the gospel during working hours. 

Here are some of the occasions where respondents have found it easier to speak about Jesus:

-         

       # whilst popping down to the canteen to get a coffee;

       #going for a run at lunch-time with a colleague;                                    #going to the pub after work; and

      #business-related car journeys.

Moving away from the confines of your desk, or leaving the office entirely, seems to make it easier to have meaningful conversations about non-professional matters, particularly when it comes to the topic of Christianity.

It’s striking how many respondents said that car journeys have provided wonderful opportunities to have good conversations about Jesus! Who would have thought any good could ever come out of being stuck in traffic?!

Without a doubt, conversations have been most productive when they’re held on a one-on-one basis. That should be a huge relief for those who are introverts and find one-on-one socialising much more comfortable.

Which brings us on nicely to the next factor that leads to evangelistic opportunities: the importance of personal relationships. Most opportunities to speak about Jesus arose where respondents had a common interest, or personal (rather than purely professional) relationship with a colleague. That’s not to say that other, more random, opportunities don’t arise. But where there is a connection that goes beyond our employment obligations, our colleagues seem more willing to hear us out when we speak about Jesus.

One respondent put it like this, “Whilst there are always surprising one-off conversations, if people know you a little better they come to know your attitude and what you believe which paves the way for better discussions when things happen.”

In his book, Fruitfulness on the Front line, Mark Greene writes, “Sometimes I think I am too worried about me feeling comfortable to share, rather than being concerned that the other person feels comfortable being open with me, feels that I can be trusted, feels that they are safe.”

If we are to develop the kind of trusting relationships that allow us to care for our colleagues and makes speaking of Christ more natural, then being open and honest with them about our lives is important. One survey respondent commented, “When I am more open with my colleagues – they are more open with me. When I share my struggles/weaknesses and let them know that I trust Jesus to sort them out, suddenly I find they are willing to ask more questions.”

Some colleagues won’t be interested in opening up. But others will; and if we’re to take Jesus’ command to love our neighbour seriously, we should be seeking to show interest in the lives of those around us at work. I wonder – would your colleagues describe you in that way?

In my next post, we'll consider some specific and practical ways in which we could make the most of the opportunities presented by location and personal relationship.

Evangelism in the workplace - survey results

For many of us, evangelism in the workplace is like a trip to the dentist. We know we’re meant to go and when we get there, we know we’re meant to open our mouths.  But we’re afraid that when we do, unpleasant things will happen.

Last month I emailed over 50 Emmanuel members with a set of questions about their experience of evangelism in the workplace. Over the next few days, I’m going to distil the responses into a series of blog-posts. My prayer is that we’ll all find something useful to spur us on as we live and speak for our Great King.

Challenges

Evangelism in the workplace is tough for all sorts of reasons. Of the responses I received, three particular challenges stood out.

The attitudes of our colleagues towards Christianity was described as “indifferent,” “fine for you,” “cynical” and “scornful.” Speaking about Christ means we can expect raised eyebrows, blank faces, smirks and conversations cut short. How true the apostle Paul got it when he said that the gospel is “folly” to those who don’t know Christ.

Workplace equality and diversity policies are also adding to an atmosphere where we are feeling increasingly less welcome to share our faith. As one respondent put it, there is a “fear of being branded a fundamentalist.” That said, one response mentioned a diversity officer who went out of his way to support a Christmas carol service. Thankfully, it’s not yet all one way traffic.

The biggest challenge to evangelism was busyness. Of course, we’re paid to go to work to…work. But it seems that many are dealing with a significant pressure and excessive workload. This makes finding the time to socialise with colleagues difficult. One respondent commented, “It’s easy to go all day…without chatting to anyone.”

Here are two reasons why it’s worth sharing this gloomy information.

First, if you’re tempted to think you’re the only one who finds it difficult to stand for the Lord at work, be assured – you’re not. Not a single respondent suggested they found it easy or abundantly fruitful. And this shouldn’t surprise us. 

In Luke’s gospel, we’ve been hearing how Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. So if we stand with Jesus, we can expect to suffer with him. Isn’t there something liberating about admitting, “OK, this is tough. But it’s not unexpected and I’m not alone”?

Without excusing ourselves the responsibility of speaking for Christ, we must also be patient. One respondent wrote, “I am just about reaching the point (with one of my closest colleagues of over 10 years standing) of having serious conversations about Christianity.” We should applaud such patient and prayerful perseverance.

Second, we must remember that speaking of Jesus is just one of the ways in which we honour God in the workplace. It’s not the only way. By getting up and going to work, we’re participating in the great task God gave us back in Genesis 1 and 2. What an honour! By working at our jobs with a godly attitude, we bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31). What an honour! 

Time to be honest: I have always found this a challenge to believe. “Do I really honour God in the way I file my paperwork?” One respondent put it this way, “Christ seems far away from the daily routine of 9 – 5.”

But if we’re taking God at his word, we must remember that God does not only smile on us when we speak to a colleague about him. So next time you’re feeling discouraged about evangelism at work, remember that God delights as you subdue the chaos of your inbox and follow company policy on invoicing.

As great as the challenges are for evangelism in the workplace, survey responses have also shown many opportunities. More of that next time. 

Food for Thought - chocolate tasting

Food for Thought returns for 2016. We’ve mused over coffee, chomped our burgers and supped some wine. This time, we’re going to be savouring the best chocolate you can find in Bristol. On Friday 18 March, we’ve invited master chocolatier, Zara Narracott (from Zara’s Chocolates), to come and tell us about what makes for really good chocolate. For those of you concerned about the ratio of “talk to chocolate” – rest easy. The main part of the evening is going to be given over to team blind tasting chocolate challenges. Will you be able to tell your Ecuadorean cocoa from your Columbian cocoa?

We’re not doing this just because we love chocolate. We want to put on an evening where our friends and colleagues can come and enjoy themselves doing something a little bit fun and different, whilst also hearing about our great King, Jesus. So there’s going to be a bitesize talk about the resurrection; we want to give our friends some food for thought about the real meaning of Easter.

So, can you think of a couple of people who’d be up for coming along? If you’ve been to a Food for Thought evening before, you know we’re in for a corker.

Details:

Friday 18 March, 20:00 – 21:30

COGS church hall, Bishop Road, BS7 8NA

Tickets: £8 on the door. If you are able to come, please help our planning by rsvp to Ian Taylor: iant@emmanuelbristol.org.uk

Interests and idols

I was asked an interesting question on Sunday – in response to preaching on 1 Corinthians 9:24 – 10:14. How do you know when an interest is becoming an idol?

We can probably all agree that interests = good but idols = bad. Interests are good because they’re a way of affirming and enjoying God’s good creation. (Don’t misread me, I’m not condoning an interest in internet hacking or anything illegal). So what gets you ticking? At the moment, I’m learning how to make bread at home. Anything better than the smell of fresh bread at home? No way.

But it can be quite a short leap from taking a hobby and turning it into an idol that distracts you from living the “other-centred” life. Especially if you really enjoy your hobby. So how do you know when that’s happening?

1. Think “time.” If my bread making is regularly stopping me from going for a beer with James, my non-Christian friend, then it may suggest I value it more than reaching out to others with the gospel.

2. Think “money.” How we spend our money indicates where our treasure is (Luke 12:34). Does that mean it’s wrong to buy tickets to the Rugby World Cup? No. But it’s probably worth tallying up how your spending on your interest compares with your giving to the gospel. The bottom line can be quite revealing.

I suppose it comes down to ordering. Let’s be passionate about our interests; let’s foster and grow them. But let’s make sure they never outgrow our love for the Lord, our love for his people and our love for those outside of the Kingdom.

One final thing. It’s possible to use our interests for others. Think of the Emmanuel football team. Those guys love the Lord and they love football. And what they’re doing is combining the two. As they do so, they’re reaching out to non-Christians and growing friendships with Christians. So there’s a challenge: how can you use your interest for the good of others?

An evening with Ruby & White

Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck – that’s where I want to eat. Consistently recognised as one of the greatest dining experiences in the world, where beautiful food is cooked up by one of gastronomy’s kings.

But if I never get there, I won’t be too worried, because there’s another feast I’m looking forward to that will knock the socks off anything served at the Fat Duck. Here’s the prophet Isaiah’s food review: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine, well refined” (Isaiah 25:6).

God often describes the blessings he will shower on his people as a banquet. A banquet that all his people will be able to tuck into when the new heavens and new earth are revealed. Are you looking forward to it? I am. We might not be there quite yet. In the meantime, we can still enjoy the taste of a perfectly cooked-steak, a fresh gin and tonic or a chocolate brownie layered with caramel. In fact, they provide literal foretastes of what we can expect when God finally makes everything new.

So come along to our next Food for Thought evening. We’ve called it “Meat the butcher” and we’ve invited Ruby & White’s head butcher. He’s going to bring with him half a pig and demonstrate some core butchery skills. You’ll be able to put your meat-related questions to him and learn a little bit about meat provenance and different cuts of meat.

Ruby & White are also bringing their burger ban with them and will be serving up freshly prepared burgers to keep hunger at bay. You’ll never buy a McDonalds burger again.

We’re not putting this on just because we love meat (although we do). Ian Taylor’s going to be doing a bitesize gospel presentation to challenge some of the ideas that our non-Christian friends might have about our God – that he’s a “porridge-grey” boring kind of God. It should hopefully be a starter for ten, allowing you to chat further with your friends about the gospel.

If you were at the coffee-tasting morning a few weeks ago, you’ll know we’re in for a treat. We really think it’s the sort of thing lots of our non-Christian friends, neighbours and colleagues will be interested in coming along to – so please get inviting. You can download a flyer here.

The evening is on Friday 12 June, from 7:30 – 9:15 at Alma Church Hall. Tickets cost £10 on the door. That includes a burger, beer (or something soft) and fresh cut of pork (if you want it). If money’s an issue, don’t let that stop you from coming. So we know numbers, please email Ian Taylor if you’re planning on coming: iant@emmanuelbristol.org.uk.