And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city."
Acts 18:9-10
I received a great question regarding speaking about Christ in the workplace. Here is my reply.
I am a firm advocate of employees not "stealing time" from their employers, by not giving full attention to the job in favor of other personal interests, whether spiritual, or political, or anything else for that matter. I believe speaking up about the Lord while on the job should only be done with a few provisos:
First, speak about the Lord in everyday conversation. In the same way we are free to speak about our spouses and children at work, why not just mention the Lord as a part of one's life?
Second, speak more "evangelistically" only when we are not "on the clock." When we are being paid to do a job, detailed conversations are seldom, if ever, appropriate. But before and after work or during lunch breaks, just as other people are free to talk about "news, weather, and sports," why shouldn't Christians be free to speak about Christ and the gospel?
Third, when we work for a truly Christian employer, employees may have more liberty, but we are still being paid to do a job and we owe our employers our undistracted attention to the work.
Fourth, we must be sensitive and winsome when speaking about Christ, whether at work or anywhere else. If a person is clearly not interested, and especially if a person tells us he or she is not interested, I believe we should honor that. Pushing when a person says "stop," only pushes the person away instead of toward Christ. When I have been told, "I'm not interested," I like to say something along these lines: "I understand. There was a time when I was not interested either. God graciously changed my heart. I pray that the Lord will change your heart as He changed mine. Forgive me if I have offended you. I will not pester you, but if you ever have questions, feel free to ask." And then don't pester the person unless they ask.
Fifth, as essentially important as speaking about Christ and the gospel is, let us pray, pray, pray. Let us speak to God, asking Him to change people’s hearts and to use us as He pleases. If they have been clear that they do not want to hear it from us, ask the Lord to send someone else to whom they will listen. After all, only the Holy Spirit can convert people’s hearts. We cannot.