The Job Of An Evangelist

Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

Colossians 3:22

In 1990, following a televised Monday-night game, eight players from the San Francisco 49ers and eight from the New York Giants knelt together at midfield to pray. The practice was criticized by Sports Illustrated magazine, and NFL officials indicated they might stop it—which they didn’t. The practice continues today.

Being a witness for Christ means two things: making your faith a matter of public record and making sure your work style is consistent with the Gospel. What would it do to the credibility of the Gospel if an NFL player used abusive language, took cheap physical shots, and argued disrespectfully with referee rulings . . . and then knelt down to pray as a Christian after the game? Such a lifestyle in the workplace of a football player would significantly discredit the Gospel.

The workplace can be a challenge to our spirituality. But Scripture says the way we work and honor our employer brings credit, or discredit, to Jesus Christ.

The job of an evangelist is to do his work so well that he is invited to explain what makes him different.