Ever felt overwhelmed or unequipped to share your faith with your colleagues at work? Fear not! We're here to guide you through the challenging topic of being a Christian in a secular workplace, and leading others to Christ without getting fired. As your hosts, Catherine Van Der Laan and Erica Fluckus, we're on a mission to empower Christians in the workplace to break free from fear and embrace their calling to be a light in their office.
Together, we'll explore practical steps to take bold steps of faith in the workplace, from praying for your colleagues to meeting them where they are and following God's guidance. Drawing on Jesus' example of loving those He encountered and building relationships with them, we'll discuss how you can be an effective witness in your office, regardless of your occupation. So, join us in this inspiring conversation and discover the joy of living out your faith at work, all while staying employed!
Book a free coaching session: https://www.saverstreet.com/free-consultation
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catherine.vanderlaan@saverstreet.com
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IG: @saver.street
Ever felt overwhelmed or unequipped to share your faith with your colleagues at work? Fear not! We're here to guide you through the challenging topic of being a Christian in a secular workplace, and leading others to Christ without getting fired. As your hosts, Catherine Van Der Laan and Erica Fluckus, we're on a mission to empower Christians in the workplace to break free from fear and embrace their calling to be a light in their office.
Together, we'll explore practical steps to take bold steps of faith in the workplace, from praying for your colleagues to meeting them where they are and following God's guidance. Drawing on Jesus' example of loving those He encountered and building relationships with them, we'll discuss how you can be an effective witness in your office, regardless of your occupation. So, join us in this inspiring conversation and discover the joy of living out your faith at work, all while staying employed!
Book a free coaching session: https://www.saverstreet.com/free-consultation
saverstreet.com
catherine.vanderlaan@saverstreet.com
FB: @SaverStreet
IG: @saver.street
Your mission is to go and make disciples, whether that is planting seeds or harvesting carbs. Your goal is to spread the truth of the gospel with humility, with kindness, with gentleness, in the spirit of Jesus, knowing that God is with you always. So listen, pray, listen, do what he's asking you to do, stay humble, stay effective at your role, make relationships and go see God show up. Welcome to the Money Ministers podcast. My name is Catherine Vanderlaan and I'm Erica Flukis.
Speaker 1:We're the Money Ministers and we're here to help you understand what God says about managing money.
Speaker 2:It's a tricky topic, but God says a lot about money in the Bible. Let's dive in. Welcome to the Money Ministers, welcome back. My name is Erica Flukis, with the fabulous Catherine Vanderlaan, happy to be here.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, and we have a great show. As always, we have a wonderful show, and today we're going to be talking about an interesting topic called being a Christian in a secular workplace leading others to Christ while not getting fired. I know for many of us in the body of Christ, we see this as something that we should do but don't do because we don't want to do it. We have fear. I think for a lot of us, there's fear around it. What do you think, catherine?
Speaker 1:You know what? I think this is one of the biggest mistakes of the age for Christians right now, and I'm not just blowing this way out of proportion. No, i firmly believe that this is one of the biggest mistakes. I'm one of the biggest opportunities, because we, as Christians this is related to money, because you don't want to get fired right, you don't want to get fired, even though God will provide. He can provide for you even if you do get fired. If you're getting fired for witnessing at work, you're probably doing it the wrong way. So we're going to talk about that. But I do think this is the biggest opportunity as Christians, because we're at work so much.
Speaker 1:We are in the workplace and the workplace is our mission field. Everyone is a missionary. Everyone is a missionary. If you are a Christian, you have been commanded to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age. Matthew 28, 19 through 20. So that is our mission, that is our focus. If you call yourself a follower of Christ, that is what you're meant to do, and let me ask you, why aren't we doing this in the workplace?
Speaker 2:That's a great question, i think, like I mentioned earlier, i think a lot of people are just fearful, right, they're scared to talk about Jesus. I think, for some maybe they don't feel like they're equipped. I think for some they feel like they're not well adverse with the Bible to minister or evangelize to someone. They have these preconceived notions that, you know, i'm not the pastor, i'm not the evangelist, i'm not a teacher, and I think for some people they don't want to be seen as radical, they don't want to get rejected. You know all these intervalid points because you're in, you're not in church, you're there to do a job. I just think it all boils down to fear. And then I don't want to get persecuted at work, all those things that people think about.
Speaker 1:So there's what holds people back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah. there's a lot that holds people back. Let's, let's pick those points a little bit at a time here, because one thing you said I hear a lot. I'm not the pastor, it's not my job. I pay the pastor to do this. the pastor's going to do it. Well, I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1:your pastor is not at your workplace. Your pastor doesn't know the people you know. Your pastor is doing the best he or she can, But your pastor can't reach your colleagues. You can, God, put you there. You have access to the Holy Spirit. You have the capacity to read your Bible. You have the capacity to pray. You can be a witness in your workplace when nobody else can.
Speaker 1:Don't shirk your responsibility just because you think you pay somebody to do it. That's such an American way of thinking, Guys. can we break out of that? Jesus was Jewish, He was not American, You know. he didn't say hey, you know what? Go and make disciples of all nations, Unless you make a bunch of money and then you can just hire someone to do that And guess what? Now here's your ticket to heaven, because you paid somebody else to do that. He's not going to say that. He's going to say what did you do. He's going to look at you and say how did you follow me? Do you know my voice? How are you showing me your walk of faith? What are you doing to follow me? How did you follow my words? How have you obeyed everything that I've commanded you? Yeah, and.
Speaker 2:I think it goes back to the scripture you shared with us earlier, matthew 2819,. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. The pastor isn't going. The pastor is called to the local church. That's his appointment, if you will, by God that God has ordained that pastor, but he's the penny. He's there, or she is there to equip you throughout the week, whether Sunday, whenever you meet with your congregation, so you can then go into your sphere of influence. That's what I like to call it.
Speaker 2:And go and make disciples, and so I think the key there is, people don't feel like they're equipped, perhaps, and they think, oh, okay, or they don't see themselves as a disciple maker. You know, as someone in Matthew, you know Jesus was talking about everybody there. He wasn't saying there, therefore, you pastors, are you in the fivefold ministry, you teachers, you call to ministry. You know he said, therefore, go and make all and make this the cycle of all the nation, so that's for every believer in Jesus Christ. That was a commandment.
Speaker 1:That is everyone, and it's I was going to say something and I forgot because I was listening to you. But it's, let's. Let's back up here just a little bit, because there's when some people say, hey, i don't know how, i'm not a disciple maker. Nobody is a disciple maker until they start. And the only real way to know how to be a disciple maker is to start being a disciple maker. And I know that's a little crazy, but the only way that you learn how to make a sandwich is by making sandwich. The only way that you learn how to run you know, run a marathon is by training and running outside.
Speaker 1:The only way somebody gets to be a really great disciple maker and witness for Jesus Christ is by trying, by listening to the Holy Spirit, by staying in the Word, staying in prayer, aligning your heart with God, listening for those open doors. I mean, in one of the last podcasts we talked about being really excellent at work and how amazing of a witness it is to both be excellent at work and advocate for yourself. And as a Christian, you need to be really, really good work. You have to be full of integrity. You have to be like Jesus loving, gentle, kind, humble, self sacrificing, but not a doormat, faithful to God, honest, confident in your identity as a son or daughter of Jesus, but not obnoxious. Not obnoxious. You can be a Christian and be obnoxious. I think we've all met those people. That's not what you're called to be. You're not called to be obnoxious in the workplace. You're called to be a guest. You're called to go where you're welcome. You're called to leave people to their own devices if you are not welcome in a conversation. You are not called to be a Bible thumper to thump people over the head and say repent or you will die in a very hell. You're not called to be that in the workplace. You are called to be a guest. So hold on.
Speaker 1:So we're going to go through a few different things, maybe a step by step. Can we make this into a step by step, erica? Yeah, that sounds good. Yeah, preparing how to lead others to Christ while not getting fired. And I want to prepare you guys a little bit more, because this is a long game. This is all about relationship building like Jesus did. This is all about putting on the armor of Christ, as it says, i think, in Ephesians. It's talking about, maybe, erica, but where it says put on the armor of Christ, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sword of the Spirit, all of those, the helmet of salvation, putting on the armor of Christ, embodying Jesus, listening to the Holy Spirit. It is the long game, like Jesus played. His ministry was three and a half years long and then they crucified him.
Speaker 2:Okay, ephesians 6 and 3, by the way, So you can make that scripture. that passage outlines the armor of God from head to toe.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Thank you, So all right. So let's make this a step by step. All right, Erica? what do you think the steps are for witnessing in the workplace while not getting fired?
Speaker 2:I think, with anything that you're doing, especially as a follower of Jesus Christ, it has to start with prayer, right, or? a lot of times, i think, especially when it comes to this particular situation, we put too much pressure on ourselves, thinking about, oh my gosh, all the objections that I talked about earlier, like, oh my gosh, what if I get fired? What if someone thinks I'm crazy? What if they don't want to talk to me ever again? Well, i think, really tactics of the enemy that can come to just cancel out the whole purpose and why you might even be there And you just never know, because you might be the only church that some of the folks there around you see. And so, not to get off topic, but to answer your question, i think the first step has to be prayer, asking the Lord to give you opportunities. It only takes one little crack in the window.
Speaker 2:I think that's the very first step is seeking God. God, i would love to minister in my workplace. How do I and it can be simple How do I do that? How do I lead others to Christ? To you? you know I have this personal relationship with you that I love, that I enjoy, and I want other people to experience the same thing. Show me how to lead others to you And God will. But like you said, it's a process. It's not going to be, you know, boom, boom, boom, and I think then you have to. When you pray, you got to make sure you're sitting still enough, patient enough, right To listen for the voice, the still small voice, typically, that God is wanting you to listen. So I think it starts. That's the very first step in leading others to Christ in your workplace.
Speaker 1:That's a great step, yeah, absolutely. It kind of goes back to align yourself with God Exactly Yeah, and ask him for guidance. That's almost the first step. If you guys have been listening to this podcast at all, you know that that is the first step to a lot of things. Align yourself with God, ask him for guidance, that's really. And listen. I also think that maybe this step number two would be once God gives you something to do, you go and do it.
Speaker 1:It might seem a little crazy, or it might seem a little bit old for you. or a step of faith, or maybe pointless.
Speaker 2:It may seem like I don't understand This is so mundane.
Speaker 1:Yeah or pointless. What a great point. Yeah or pointless, but go do it, because you might not know the point, but God knows everything And so if he's asked you to do something, go do it. I know, at one point in my career I had an office and it was like really drab, it was not decorated, and I'm not really one to decorate things with a lot of color or like a lot of different. I'm just not all that creative. So I thought I'm going to put a few Bible verses in there. I'm going to put a couple of these here And this is why I'm so embarrassed that I cannot remember the Bible verses for some of these things because I had them on my wall.
Speaker 1:I literally stared at them for years, erica years, and I still don't know the addresses. But one of them was everything I do, i do it for the glory of God or as unto the Lord, something like that. And the other one was I can endure all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things. The actual translation like the more accurate translation instead of I can do all things, is I can endure all things through Christ who strengthens me. So it's about being patient and enduring and all that.
Speaker 1:Anyway, i put those in my office. So if anybody and I actually like prayed over my office and asked God to bless me in that place, to keep all evil out of that office, to bring people in with a clear mind and a faithful spirit when they came into my office And so people were always very calm in my office because God was blessing me every single morning. Sometimes it wasn't terribly faithful in this. In this, i had a prayer that I would pray, that I wrote for myself every morning and it modeled the Lord's prayer, but it was very specific to my situation And part of it was that God would. I asked God to bless me and guide me in all of the work that I did to then enable me to bring others to Christ.
Speaker 1:So part of that was asking God for those open doors and asking God to to just bless everything that I did, so that people would look at it and go how did she do that? How? how is this going so well for her when maybe it's not going so well across the organization? Why was everything she's touching just just turning out great? And when people would ask me that, i would say it's all by God's grace. You know God, god's, god's blessing, this I'm. God is present, he's here, he's faithfully helping, and people thought I was crazy. Yeah, they kept promoting me, though, because everything, everything is kind of like Joseph almost everything.
Speaker 2:I touched into gold.
Speaker 1:Yeah, They were. They were like I don't know. She keeps blaming God for all of the success, but it seems to be working. I guess we'll give her more. Step number two might be be bold. Be bold, Do what God has asked you to do. Be bold and courageous. Be out there, Be authentic. Do not be afraid to do what God has called you to do. And I gave those examples because that was what God called me to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i love that, because a lot of times it's not. It's not going to be rocket science, it's just a simple instruction, and I think sometimes we're looking for this oh, i need to start a Bible study or I need to you know, I'm going to.
Speaker 2:I'm going to be known as the pastor. No, it may just be. start praying for your colleagues. Just pray I mean not in the workplace necessarily but get up early in the morning before you get ready for the day and intercede for your colleagues, or take them out to lunch or just sit at the table. You don't have to host the Bible study, lunch or anything like that.
Speaker 2:And we can see this model played out with Jesus, right Where he met people, right where they were or are. what their need was, you know, healing the blind or the sick, the woman at the well. He wasn't judging anyone, he wasn't afraid to Hank to be seen with them, like especially the one with the well. that was really something he didn't have to do, right? I mean, in those days, yeah, he could have said, yeah, i can, i don't have to sit here and minister to her. I want to give her living water. you know, i already know her story about her husbands and the one that is with her now, not her husband, but he knew that she needed him.
Speaker 2:But my point in that I don't want to get off track is to say that, well, that's a great point. You may know that someone is broken. You may know that they are the world's biggest heathen, but just like Jesus did, he didn't come and attack her, the woman at the well, or criticize her. You know, he kindly was letting her know. yeah, i know your story. Yeah, he wanted to educate me. But it's all about meeting people where they are and getting to know their story And God can give you some hints right Along the way. he can give you discernments. He can speak to you about other people by the Holy Spirit. But I think one thing that you can do a great way to meet people where they are and just be relational, because everybody loves relationship.
Speaker 2:They love to talk about themselves, right Even if you're just saying like, yeah, let's meet up for lunch, especially if, you know, maybe you work at a big company, as I once did, and you have a cafeteria right inside your building which makes it nice and convenient. So it makes it very easy for you to say, hey, tim, john, just making up names, hey, how about we all get grab lunch and let's sit and talk? And you do most of the listening and just get to learn people, get to know who they are, where they're from, what they're dealing with. You know, a lot of times you get into conversations with people and they will start to just tell them themselves. They can start to tell you the issues that they have going on without thinking they told you. But as you were talking earlier, catherine, i thought about this.
Speaker 2:The scripture, proverbs 69, that says which version am I looking at? Amplified, a man's mind or man may make plans in his own. Let me read it word for word. The amplifier said a man's mind plans his way as he journeys through life, but the Lord directs his steps. And I just lost the scripture.
Speaker 2:Where was it? Oh, my gosh, my computer just blanked, but that was pretty much the scripture. Oh, but the Lord directs his steps and establishes them. We can have a bright idea or a plan, but ultimately and it's okay, like we said in the earlier broadcast, to have a plan or do the work that you think or you believe God is showing you to do, but be okay if God interrupts you and allow him to guide your, order your steps. So the key I want you to take away and what I just said is God will order your steps. Again, it goes back to praying Do listen, like you said, follow up because prayers are two way conversation here, really here and listen to what God is showing you to do, and then meet people where they are and allow God to lead you to that next step. I think that's very crucial.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's step three is really establish real relationships with people. Exactly.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:It's super difficult to witness if you don't know anybody. And I'll tell you what. Jesus went around. He went to a lot of parties and we see and we read in the Bible a lot of when he was teaching. He wasn't teaching all the time, he was listening, he was getting to know people, he was helping them, he was healing, he was providing food.
Speaker 2:In the house meeting lounging, Yeah, He was at weddings, enjoying celebrations Right Right.
Speaker 1:He and he got to know people, and so the way you do this is to really love people, like God loves people. You love them, you care about them. Yes, even that person that you are, you are having trouble with that person. That's a little bit difficult with the you know around you. Yes, even love them. Actually, joyce Myers, who I love, said one thing the other day that just tickled, tickled my spirit, which is a weird phrase, maybe I won't use it again, but she said pray for your enemies, pray that God would bless them. And I thought my spirit really them. You know, i know God asks me to do it, but I don't want to. And then she said I'll tell you why, and you know that perked my ears up. She said when you pray that God would bless your enemies, do you really think that God is going to bless them, to guide them, to direct them their steps, without changing them When?
Speaker 2:you ask for God to yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when you ask for God to bless your enemies, you're asking for God to do something very difficult in their lives and to change them to be more like him. That's what you're asking for When God will do it. He is active, he is willing, he is working. He is working all of the time And you can do what God has asked you to do, which is to love people like God has loved them, like God loves them. For God's love, the world that he gave his only gotten son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God so loved the world. God loves all of us. So go be like Jesus, make disciples of all nations. The workplace is your mission field. Yes, go make relationships And then, as people are telling you, like Erica said, they are going to tell on themselves, they're going to tell about the difficulties in their lives. They are going to talk to you about all these things. Ask if you can pray with them, because I'll tell you why You need to trust that God's gonna show up. You need, as a Christian, you need to trust that God is going to show up, because He always does Not. Sometimes always There were.
Speaker 1:Let me tell a very, very quick story. I was in this secular environment, super, super. I was like there were hundreds of people in our office building and I was the only Christian that I knew And it was the same place that I had those Bible verses on the walls and prayed at almost every morning. People knew that I was a Christian And I loved people. I tried Some it was some. They were very hard to love And you know we're all people. One in particular I had a very hard time working with. But I tried to love people And they knew it. They knew that I cared. They fully knew that I cared. I helped them at any point that they asked. I guided them along the paths that they needed to take. Anything that I could do to help my colleague, i would, and they knew that sometimes they were sick and I would bring them food And even with my kids in tow, who were very young at the time, i would. I would help them because I thought Jesus wanted me to And that was true.
Speaker 1:So then when I went and they were telling me about their troubles and we were talking about this over lunch or whatever, i would say do you mind if I pray with you? Can I pray. Can I pray for you? They said yes. They said yes because they trusted me, not because they knew God yet, but because they trusted me and I cared about them. And they thought well, you know, this woman is a little bit different. And so I prayed for them.
Speaker 1:And wouldn't you know? almost every time they would come back to me afterward and say they don't know what happened. But you know, this whole situation was that my mother is out of the hospital, my father stopped having alcohol withdrawal seizures, my job situation with my spouse has like magically resolved. And every single time I would say don't we? we prayed about that Last God. he'll show you who he is. We prayed about that. And Erica said earlier sometimes you're the only church that they know, and I heard that a lot. You're the only Christian that I know. I just think sometimes you're wrong. Your role is to plant seeds and sometimes it's to harvest, but God makes it grow.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely Yeah, and that's a good point. I love that because I was praying over that scripture earlier that you know, sometimes we want to see results, we want it now. We live in this microwave society, right, and so we may really be zealous, you know, have this really heart full. It's like, oh, i know that they need to be saved And I, just, i just, you know, i just want to pray for them, i want to see them change. I think some of us Christians really have a heart to see people change and transformed And that's awesome.
Speaker 2:But know that your labor is not in vain and that you, God, may call you to just plant the seeds, or maybe come and water a little bit, and you may never see the fruit for the rest of your life. And you have to be okay with that because at the end of the day, that's God's child. God is responsible, like you said, for that increase, and so take the pressure off yourself because this is God's. God is in control. And it makes me think of Proverbs. I love Proverbs, so Proverbs three and five, that says trust in the Lord for all. You're heartily not into your own understanding. So, even in this scenario, at your workplace, trust that God will lead. You will give you that open door. Trust them in everything right, in everything with your money, but don't lean into your own understanding of how it could go wrong or how it should work or what you need to do, or just trust God. Trust God.
Speaker 1:The next part of that scripture is in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.
Speaker 2:Yes, it is, That's Proverbs three, five and six. that's verse six.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, i just memorized it together. I don't know why.
Speaker 2:I did too, actually, but yeah, that pretty much explains it all. So thank you for bringing that up, that second verse.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, that's. I mean all of truth. The truth of God can be found in the Bible And anything that we say on this podcast or anything that anybody says at church or anywhere. Always look at the Bible to make sure that the truth is from God. If at any point it disagrees with the Bible, search to make sure that you know the truth that the Bible is saying and then trust the Bible. Don't trust us. Trust the Bible, yeah, and that's not to say I mean we kind of know the Bible but, like, trust the Bible, go read it yourself.
Speaker 2:It's always good to do your own research. Even when you go to church, your pastor maybe he or she, maybe an awesome woman or man of God then teaching the word, or preaching the word for 30, 40, 50 years. But if he's humble enough, they will say to you look it up yourself, go read the text for yourself, Because it's important to know, for you, to put eyes on it in the text and know in your heart what the truth is.
Speaker 1:That's right, that's right. So, guys, i'm gonna, we're gonna leave you with a mission, and this mission is your workplace, where you are at work, whether it's a difficult place to work or whether it's an easy place to work I actually don't know anybody who has an easy place to work But your mission, that's just the people who come talk to me. But your mission is to do the will of God, which is to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Speaker 1:So again, that's Matthew 28, 19 through 20. And he's saying that apart. Your mission is to go and make disciples, whether that is planting seeds or harvesting carbs, your goal is to spread the truth of the gospel with humility, with kindness, with gentleness, in the spirit of Jesus, knowing that God is with you always. So listen, pray, listen, do what he's asking you to do, stay humble, stay effective at your role, make relationships and go see God show up.
Speaker 2:Hey man.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. Yeah, i think that sums it up. You did an excellent Catherine. That sums it up. I have nothing more to add, all right that sums it up.
Speaker 1:We will see you in the next episode.
Speaker 2:Okay bye, take care.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Money Minister podcast. I'm glad you're here. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate our podcast on iTunes or whatever you're using to listen. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at saverstreet, and if you need help with your personal finances, feel free to book a complimentary consultation at saverstreetcom. We'll help you find what you need in your journey to financial independence. I'll see you in the next episode, music.