7. Signposts to Jesus
Your future workplace will be one of the great unreached mission fields. Pastors can’t go there, but every day you will be paid to spend your life surrounded by people who know very little about Jesus. Amazing. It’s the place where you can “shine like stars in the sky”, a place where you can be an ambassador for Christ.
Our witness to Jesus is about pointing those around us to him - like being a whole-life-signpost to Jesus. A signpost needs three things: WORDS clearly pointing in the right direction; a SUPPORT that keeps the words high up and visible; and a FOUNDATION to stop the signpost from being knocked over or turned the wrong way.
In his first letter, the apostle Peter suggests a lifestyle of whole-life-Christian-witness to the church. In 1 Peter 3:15 he tells Christians to “be ready to give a reason for the hope” they have in Jesus (the WORDS); but before that, in 2:12, he tells the same Christians to “live such good lives among non-believers that they see your good works and glorify God” (that is, lives which SUPPORT the WORDS). For Peter, living for Jesus and speaking for Jesus are two sides of the same coin.
Peter expects that followers of Jesus will be people who take time for others, who respect authority, who don’t live only for themselves, who act with integrity, who do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, who bless those who make our lives hell. The people we work with face the same pressures as us, and the way we choose to live alongside them has the potential to cause even the hardest atheists to glorify God!
Peter expects that if we live in this counter-cultural way, sooner or later some of those around us will start to ask questions that we can answer by explaining our hope in Jesus.
And what about the FOUNDATION for our signpost? Well, Jesus is everywhere in this letter, but here are some highlights: through Jesus’ death you have been redeemed (1 Peter 1:18) - that was God’s decision even before creation; through Jesus’ faithfulness you have been restored (2:24); and through his suffering you are reconciled to God (3:18). Jesus is the foundation for the signpost and he is the foundation of our lives.
Back to the WORDS (1 Peter 3:15): “But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (fear).” Six things to notice about how we tell others what we believe:
We are not all evangelists, but these words are written to every member of the church. All of us should be ready and able to explain our hope in Jesus.
We should live with a real expectation that people will ask us about our faith.
We are called to explain our hope - which is not the same as winning an intellectual battle…What would you say if people asked you what hope Jesus brings to your life?
We must speak with gentleness, not defensiveness, aggression or moral superiority. It’s not about us; it’s about Jesus.
When people ask us about Jesus we should be a little bit afraid (the Greek word here is phobos) because of the opportunity and responsibility we have in sharing Jesus’ love with those who don’t yet know him.
We need to “set apart Christ as Lord”. Why not begin by making your daily witness at work a matter of prayer?