I asked a few life questions in a recent post, and this was Silouan's response:

"There are probably four or five people who see you at work all day, every day. They know how you deal with stress, how you treat them and your customers and your boss, how much effort you put into your tasks (unspiritual as they may seem) and how much extra work you pick up or else leave for the next shift to worry about.

They also know you're a follower of Jesus, unless you've kept that totally secret.

So what you really have, even if it looks like a job as a waitress or office drone or salesman, is a full-time ministry to a handful of individuals. After you've worked with them for a few months, if somebody were to ask them what kind of Christian you are, they'd either say "He's kind and considerate, and stress seems to only make him work better, and we can count on him to do what he says," or else "He's a slacker - his Jesus talk is a pile of BS, he's egotistical dramatic and and self-centered, and we can't count on him."

That's the Gospel you're teaching them.

You probably occasionally talk about your life as a churchgoer or as a person with Christian influences on your thinking. At least, if Christ is at all important in your life, I assume thats the case :-) So your co-workers know that you're somebody they might ask about the latest crazy thing some "Christian" group or person did. They know you're probably good for an interesting (or maybe infuriating) view on some social issue or spiritual question.

And if your work ethic and your peaceful, caring heart has impressed them that your Jesus is real, at least to you, then when you talk about the Faith you have at least a little credibility. You may or may not end up inviting one or more of these people to church, or inviting them to become disciples of Christ. But you've got a full-time ministry job to your co-workers and steady customers - and it's one you can't quit. Even if you leave for a new job, the new job is the same in this way as the old one.

Most disciples of Christ, in every age, have not been apostles or prophets or pastors. Most of them have been family people, retailers, shoemakers, craftsmen, merchants, and neighbors. And every one of them has had an irreplaceable full-time ministry to the people they work with and for - whether they embraced that ministry or disrespected it as being not spiritual enough."

I think this is a great response to the topic, and it is how I've striven to live and work! However, in my personal life, some of this really has changed with my new job as I am spending most of my time working from home doing data entry or writing copy.

But, I think the most important thing that I can do is recognize all the more the opportunities that I do have to witness to other people. I need to be making the most of every opportunity to spread the kingdom of God... and that's not always an easy thing to do. It can be tough when I/you are tired and grumpy, or we've had a long day. I think this is what Silouan is getting at at the core of his comment: "you may be the only Bible another man ever reads."

Thanks for the awesome response man!