Christians Should Bring Christ Into The Workplace With Their Character Despite Pushback, Author Says

Os Hillman

Given the challenges Christians are facing due to their belief, an author said that they must fight to live out their faith in the workplace.

In his book, "31 Degrees of Blessing for Your Work Life," Os Hillman shared his views on how people of God can bring the light of Christ at work and support their fellow believers as well.

Speaking to The Christian Post, Hillman said that Christians must both be "witnesses" and "problem solvers." Their behavior at work will also help show the character of Jesus to their colleagues.

"The first thing we need to understand is that you as a follower of Christ are the witness, whether you say anything or not, it's ... how you conduct yourself in your workplace that's going to reveal the character of Christ. The second thing is that we need to be praying for our co-workers and those above us so that God can work through ... you in their lives," he said.

"That's what Jesus did. He was a problem solver. Every time he met somebody, he solved a problem first. And when we solve problems, we have influence," Hillman continued.

He also advised Christians to use their time at work appropriately.

"[D]on't use company time to discuss faith issues. [Use] your coffee breaks or [free time] before or after work so that you're not accused of stealing time from your employer. And you ... want to honor the company that you work for," the author stated.

Hillman founded Marketplace Leaders in the 1990s. Upon learning that Christians are challenged with integrating their faith into their jobs, he published the devotional, "Today God is First," to help Christians with the issue. He said that for the last 15 years, the book has improved believers' awareness in understanding the relevance of "bringing Christ" to their work and calling in life.

The author also thinks that a lot of believers are unaware of their rights to share the gospel with their workmates. He further said that Christians have "to stand" and know their rights to self-defense, as well as understanding freedoms of speech and religion.

In a hostile environment at work, Hillman said that believers must stand their ground "as much as possible". But if the situation turned so bad in a way that believers cannot function at work anymore, he said that they can choose to either take the matter to court or leave the job.

He added that no matter how difficult one's boss can be, as what happened to Joseph, Daniel and Nehemiah who were persecuted for their faith and belief, God can work miracles through any situation.

Further, Hillman said that believers must also support faith-based companies and businesses owned by Christians, often targeted with "cancel culture."

Citing the story of Chick-fil-A, wherein LGBT advocates pushed for its boycott due to their opposition with its CEO's biblical belief on sexuality. But Christians showed their massive support to the company, making it one of the organization's biggest sales in history.

The author also commended Hobby Lobby for standing against Obamacare Health and Human Services that supports abortion. He said that believers must stop their support for companies that "stand for unrighteousness," urging them to "vote with our pocketbook to be able to influence the activities of companies."

He is also concerned with the Equality Act's implications to Christians, in their work and businesses.

"This legislation certainly will remove some of the protections Christians have to be able to refuse employment to those that may be ... involved in a lifestyle that would be contrary to the Christian value system," the author said.

 Hillman said that the bill will impact the believers immensely and warned that it will nullify the exemption of the church from taxes, for its opposition on marriage with the same gender.