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As a schoolboy I often had reason to visit the local saddler for running repairs on my satchel. That was all very convenient except for one thing: he was a keen Christian who never lost an opportunity to speak about Jesus. A stitch in the school bag could take time! Much later I came to a personal faith in Christ but all those seeds sown by Sam and others did bear fruit in the end. Perhaps that is the only place where some of the customers would have had a chance to hear the Gospel.
The apostle Paul was a workplace evangelist. When he visited towns he would speak in the synagogues and the market place about the Messiah (Acts 18). That was on the Sabbath. For the rest of the week he earned his living as a tentmaker. It was a kerbside trade so the Apostle had plenty of time to talk to customers and passers-by. While his hands were busy he gossiped the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
At work we may have more time to think than is possible at home where there is the pressure of family, TV and Internet. The police, ambulance staff, firemen and train drivers have jobs that require, at times, every ounce of physical and mental energy, but in between there is space for reflection. The industrial evangelist often arrives at those strategic moments and is able to help with a word of encouragement or practical advice. Alan, Jeff and Richard [LCM missionaries] may have their legs pulled but it is well meant and an acknowledgement that the staff know where to go with their questions. My own experience of industrial mission goes back to life in the Navy where periods at sea gave more time for casual conversations. Even the most wayward sailor would ask questions sometimes jokingly or 'by the way', but always with serious interest. Many came to Christ in this way. Later in parish ministry I realised that men in particular were much more open to discuss spiritual matters when they were mowing the grass or painting walls. It is quite easy when there is something to do with your hands to talk about personal matters, including faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells of many who met with God in the course of their working day. Moses was tending his father-in-Iaw's sheep when God spoke to him from the burning bush. Gideon was threshing grain in a wine press and mulling over the misfortunes of Israel when the Lord called him to be their saviour. Amos was called from the land and time would fail to tell of James, John, Levi, Paul, Cornelius and countless others. It may be through a colleague or friend but most people first hear the Gospel in this personal way and frequently it is at work that these conversations take place.
Workplace evangelism is a unique opportunity to go to people where they are and to befriend them for Jesus' sake. It is a low-key ministry, like that of Andrew. After he found Jesus, 'the first thing he did was to find his brother Simon ... and he brought him to Jesus' (John 1).
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