Introduction: Are you afraid to acknowledge your Christian
beliefs at work or in public? To my knowledge, no one in the
United States has recently been killed for being a
Christian. Generally, terrible situations like that exist
outside North America. Because I teach Labor Law, I know
that “industrial capital punishment” refers to being fired
from your job. Are people in the United States being fired
because of their Christian faith? Absolutely! A case is
going on right now where a Christian was fired because he
wrote that it was an “abomination” for the homosexual lobby
to highjack the rainbow, God’s symbol that He will never
again destroy the world with water. The employee did not
realize his statement would be seen by other employees.
Situations like that make Christians in my country worry
about standing up for the truth. What does the Bible say
about standing up for truth and how we should go about it?
Let’s dive into our study and learn more!
I. Authorized Speech
A. Read Acts 5:16-18. What motivated the arrest of
the disciples? (The religious leaders were jealous
of the power of the Holy Spirit to heal. They were
losing their influence over the people.)
B. Read Acts 5:19-20. Who has specifically instructed
the disciples to teach about Jesus in the temple?
(The angel who rescued them from prison.)
1. This raises the first issue about evangelizing
others at work. Are we asked by God to share
the gospel at work?
a. Why are you on your employer’s property?
(You are there to work. If you were not
there to work you would be trespassing.)
b. Is it honest to take the time you are
being paid to work to use it to
evangelize? (I think we should evangelize
on our own time. This assumes you are not
being paid to evangelize.)
2. The law about employee free speech generally
developed around the question of employees
using work time to lobby for labor unions. Do
you know what rules about speech resulted from
employee versus employer time at work?
(Employees can legally share their views
with other employees during break times.)
C. Read Matthew 10:5-7. Who has authorized the
disciples to share the good news about Jesus?
(Jesus Himself!)
D. Read Matthew 10:14. What important principle does
Jesus share with His disciples? (Do not harass
anyone with the gospel. If they will not listen to
you, leave the matter to God.)
1. Do you think this rule applies in the
workplace? (I do. Most of the religious
liberty litigation involving evangelizing in
the workplace arises from the claim that other
employees are being “harassed.” Following
Jesus’ rule should protect you from harassment
charges.)
E. Let’s get back to our story in Acts 5. Read
Acts 5:25-28. Is teaching about Jesus in the temple
like teaching about Jesus at work?
F. Read Acts 5:29. Is this answer the correct one for
evangelizing at work? (My answer is, “No.” The
disciples were not employed by the religious
leaders. The disciples were on their own time and
were in a public religious setting. They had been
specifically commanded by the angel to share about
Jesus in that specific place.)
G. Read Acts 5:40-42. Will you be safe from
punishment if you share the gospel?
1. How did the disciples view this punishment?
II. Wisdom in Sharing
A. In the two stories we just discussed, the
disciples were given a specific directive to
share. Our discussion about limited sharing at
work raises the question about common sense. Let’s
continue that topic by reading 2 Timothy 2:1-3.
What is Timothy being told to do? (He is given
directions to instruct teachers of the gospel.)
1. Will sharing always be easy? (One again we are
told that sharing may bring suffering.)
B. Read 2 Timothy 2:4-7. Paul makes three specific
points to Timothy about teaching and then asks
Timothy to do what? (To contemplate those points.
Let’s do just that!)
C. Re-read 2 Timothy 2:4. How would you apply this
advice to sharing the gospel? (Don’t get off-
topic. If you are sharing the gospel, be sure you
stick to the religious issues and not get into
other disputes.)
1. You may be thinking, “Bruce, you should listen
to this Biblical advice. Your studies stray
into politics. For example, you referred to
the rainbow flag in the introduction.” While
this is a good caution for me, ask yourself
whether a discussion about the Bible which
does not seek to apply truth to current
affairs is of any practical value?
D. Re-read 2 Timothy 2:5. What rules apply to
Christian witnessing as opposed to the rules of an
athletic contest? (The rules that come to mind are
the teachings of the Bible. Be sure that your
evangelism is based on the Bible.)
E. Read 1 Peter 3:15-16. What other rules about
sharing come to mind? (The second rule is
something lawyers call “professionalism.” Be
respectful, kind, and careful about how you share
the gospel.)
1. What is the practical reason for this? (If you
are not treated professionally, this will put
the other side to shame.)
F. Re-read 2 Timothy 2:6. What rule for Christian
witnessing do we find here? (Don’t be lazy! Strive
for excellence.)
G. Read 2 Timothy 2:8. What fundamental point about
sharing do you find in this verse? (We must not
lose sight of the most compelling argument – Jesus
died on our behalf and has risen from the grave!)
H. Read Psalms 19:7. Are you concerned that you are
not smart enough to do a great job of sharing the
gospel? (This tells us that sticking to the
teachings of the Bible will make us look wise,
even if we are simple. Everyone can share.)
III. Passing From Death to Life
A. Read John 5:24. What happens to the person who
believes your gospel message? (They pass from
death to life.)
1. When does that happen? Is the text referring
to the future? (If you read the following
verses (John 5:25-29) they refer to a future
event. But I don’t think that is true for
verse 24. Upon accepting Jesus as your Savior
you presently pass from death to life.)
2. How do you understand the statement that those
who pass from death to life do “not come into
judgment?” (Read Romans 8:1. This says those
in Jesus do not come into “condemnation.”)
B. Read Revelation 20:11-15. How many books of
judgment are opened? (The Bible does not say.)
1. How many books of life are referenced? (Only
one.)
2. Why do you think there is only one book of
life and an unstated number of books of
judgment? (Revelation 20:15 refers to names
being written in the book of life. According
to Revelation 20:12, the books dealing with
judgment record deeds. “What they had done,”
as recorded in the books of judgment, is the
basis for the verdict on their life. Recording
deeds takes more space than recording names.)
3. What is the verdict for those whose deeds are
the basis for their judgment? (Death.
According to Revelation 20:15 they are thrown
into the lake of fire.)
C. Look again at John 5:24. Does the idea that you
will not be judged make more sense to you when you
learn about the book of life?
D. Let’s look at another aspect of the book of life.
Read Revelation 17:8. When is your name written in
the book of life? (“From the foundation of the
world.”)
1. Is everyone saved? Or has God predestined
certain people to be saved? (John 5:24
indicates that not all will be saved. It also
tells us that salvation is a personal choice.
That precludes predestination.)
2. How do you understand your name being written
in the book of life before you were born, and
the John 5:24 statement about passing from
death to life? (God gives us all the
presumption of salvation. That presumption is
subject to our choice of eternal life.)
E. Read Revelation 3:5. Can our name be blotted out
of the book of life? (Yes.)
1. Under what circumstance would your name be
blotted out? (Your failure to put on the white
garment. See Matthew 22:1-14. When we make the
decision referred to in John 5:24 we receive
the wedding garment. We pass from death to
life because that white robe of righteousness
means that Jesus will never blot our name from
the book of life.)
F. Friend, we started out talking about the risk of
sharing the gospel. We then moved to the rules
about sharing, and we ended with the life-changing
blessing of hearing the gospel. Will you wisely
share?
IV. Next week: Faith Against All Odds.
Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
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link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.