Jesus promised us many good things, but he also warned of the sacrifice we would face as his followers and more importantly in our work as his ambassadors. As we consider how we represent Jesus as ambassadors in the workplace, we really need to consider what Jesus says about the reality of this role and take counsel from how some of the best ambassadors in the Bible handled this.
In John 15:18-20a Jesus told his disciples:
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”
The word ambassador comes from the Latin root of ambacus, meaning servant. The servant or ambassador in these verses from John is not greater than his master. If your master is Jesus, you can count on all the hatred and persecution that he experienced. But how might this hatred or persecution show up for us as we represent Christ at work by serving others?
First, let’s really think about why we are persecuted in this world—at work or in general. We are in a foreign country, ruled by the prince of the power of the air, not in the heavenly realms. More specifically, we can count on the devil trying to thwart our good efforts to serve God’s Kingdom!
1 Peter 5:8 states: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
We must be watchful and aware that this can happen at any time, and when we are feeling discouraged in our serving, we need to consider this verse.
We have all faced this, especially when we are sharing our faith with someone at work. The enemy wants to sow the seeds of self-doubt to thwart our efforts!
You have been there. People notice you are different. Maybe you are positive when it seems like you shouldn’t be. Perhaps it is how you lead and provide feedback to your team. Are you more uplifting than anyone in your office—always looking to be a mighty encourager, and coach? Are you offering help? Maybe you have even bought a coffee for someone who was having a bad day.
As ambassadors we show our faith by saying no to certain things that others engage in at work. Whether it is gossip or not attending a happy hour that seems to happen often, you may feel like you don’t fit in with your colleagues. Rest assured your absence from both gossip and even a wild happy hour honors the Lord, and you are being his servant at work by not engaging.
Are you showing up and reporting something that needs to be brought to light? Maybe it is a simple compliance issue, or it could be something more egregious like theft. This is being Christ’s ambassador.
All these actions are your faith at work 1.0—ways to b