(Taken from an interview with the Beijing Business Community)
BBx: Some Christians really enjoy it when they can worship God at church on Sundays, and they do it without a shadow of doubt that this is the truth and the way of living. Yet when Monday comes, they would put a coat of ‘the world’ and turn into a worldly person to face work. There is a struggle in order to keep true to what they believe is true. Did you ever have to experience it? What advice can you offer to us at workplace?
Chan: Firstly, when at a workplace, it may not be possible (or permitted) to talk about Jesus. However, in John 10:10, we read that the thief has come to steal, to kill and to destroy. Jesus came so we may have life and have the life to its fullness. So from the time we become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have begun to receive life in all its fullness, the joy in giving thanks. All of this is the eternal truth in the Scripture. So if you go to church on Sunday and you feel inspired (I hope you do), then on Monday when you wake up, the first you say is, "Something good is going to happen to me today in Jesus’ name!", and, hopefully, you will have some time to pray and to read the Bible. And you go out, living for Jesus. You live the Christian life. You live in the sense that you are the recipient of life in all its fullness. You understand that you can do your work with energy and desire because you’re not working only for this company, but you are working for the Lord. Because the joy of the Lord is in you, what should be happening is, as soon as you go to work, you smile. If you come to my business, you will find there are a lot of posters everywhere, and one of them says, ‘You are now entering a 15 Smiles Per Hour Zone.’ Not that I force people to smile, but I encourage them to realise that when they begin to smile, it releases endorphins in their brain, producing a feel-good factor. Smiling doesn’t cost anything and it makes you feel better.
A Christian needs to live a life of discipline. When we go to work or are outside the church community, we are a witness to Jesus and the life He has put within us. And this life is real; this man called Jesus lives today. He has sent His Holy Spirit to live with us, therefore, when we go out and about, the Holy Spirit and God’s presence are with us all the time. We do not need to fear or be anxious. So we work through the day with the Lord beside us all the time. A Christian should be the happiest person at work. When you live that way, you are telling people about Jesus.
Someone said about a Christian, "Do you know, when you preach to me, I can’t hear what you are saying, because your life is shouting so loud." I have a high standard for Christians who work for me. Sadly, regular churchgoers can be the worst of your workers, which is a terrible thing to say. Worshipping is not just when you sing songs; it should be when you are doing everything in your life. However, Christian leaders have failed to teach people that work in the world is important. That needs to change. The way we look at the world needs to change.