The genuineness and sincerity of our relationships should remain whether our lost friends come to faith or not, otherwise they feel like an evangelism experiment gone wrong. I agree with Latitia: evangelism is far more than just saying the right words.

~Bill~

My “professional” ministry career (don’t tell John Piper I phrased it that way) has been inundated with people pressuring me to be in the office more and in the community less. It is wrong and driven by the idea that I should be available whenever they “need” me, so the expectation is that I should be in the office and receive them whenever the whim strikes.

I don’t really do it like that, but I also have people pressure me because I don’t.

Anyway…

Thanks for the inspirational post.

I know exactly what you mean about UPS. I worked there during Seminary and it is/can be a very toxic and dark environment.

I praise God for your sharing. The conversion is His work, but the telling is His work in and through us. We are responsible for the telling and you have told.

That’s a blessing.

Now let me add, once you get into a traditional church role, it is even harder to find yourself in situations where lost people abound and your witness can flourish. That is, unless you are Kevin Bussey who trolls Starbucks for the opportunity to witness every day – and he really does do that – or the Journey (Church) in St. Louis who hosts Bible Studies in a microbrewery because that’s where lost people are gathering and talking. Neither are easy and both receive tremendous pressure from fellow believers to not do that.

*sigh*

I trust you will be a mold breaker after Seminary!

Thanks for sharing and the encouragement! UPS is a very unique environment to work. I would say that 90% of my coworkers are college-age students (about 60 of them in my immediate area). Two of them are new Christians, three others (that I know) are believers, and the rest are outside of Christ. I find my goal at UPS being not only to win the lost for Christ but also to encourage other Christians in their witness and holiness because the environment is very toxic and dark. But you know how it goes: the darker the night, the brighter the light that shines!

Stephen,

That’s the word I received. No new hires for two weeks. The past three weeks training in Building 1 was quite fun, and I met a lot of people. While I look forward to being back in that area to build on the new friendships, I am really excited about being back on my belt to share life with my coworkers. Earlier this year I had started a Friday afternoon fellowship which usually was bowling at Kingpin where about half the belt came to hang out (all unbelievers). We then would grab dinner together. That time outside of work was helpful in so many ways. I really hope to get that started again. Also, being in Building 1 I met several other Christians who are interested in The Protos Fellowship. We will be starting another fellowship in the UPS cafeteria soon. While I have not desired to start a “church,” I do hope that the Protos Fellowship serves as a ministry to encourage Christians and evangelize our coworkers by making the gospel “of first importance” in our lives.

Thanks for the comment and correction!

James,

Thank you brother. I really appreciate your prayers.

Nick,

That’s right. Most of the fellow seminarians I know have a hard time developing relationships/friendships with unbelievers because they either live on campus or work in a church which makes it difficult to be rubbing shoulders with the lost on a daily basis. On the other hand, there are those in my situation who have cultivated great relationships with unbelievers, but due to that fact, find it difficult to confront them with the gospel and call them in love to repentance. I pray that the Lord will continue to turn these ruts into highways for gospel advance!

I’m sure you may already know by now, but just in case, we aren’t having any new hires coming out for about 2 weeks. So in light of this post, I’m going to be praying for that rut until we send some more new hires your way, dude!

You know, given our placement in the operation, I just realized it’s kinda weird no one’s tried to start a “church” of sorts at UPS yet.

I know this seems cliche, but you have been evangelizing even when not verbally doing so. Once your coworkers know you are a Christian, there is a silent expectation for you to ‘make good’ on that claim and people will scrutinize you for hypocrisy. It takes time to build trust. It takes time for nonbelievers to accept that you’re a normal guy and not a Christian nut.

Don’t lose your enthusiasm. Thank God you feel out of your “rut.” But remember, you may not be in a true rut even if it feels like it. Thanks for sharing!

*Letitia*

Thanks for sharing — May God transform the heart and mind of Nick.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! I will be praying for you and your co-workers.

SDG,

James

BTW, the date on the POTW seems off….