ن Standing Up for the Name of Jesus

“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”

In the US and in the UK, I regularly hear people around me saying the above as an expletive. And every time, I am deeply offended. I refuse to “get used to it.” Usually I take the offender aside and ask them—gently but firmly—not to do it in my presence. Most people respond with a profuse apology and a renewed respect for me for boldly speaking out. I’ve had to do this to three of my colleagues in my current workplace, and it’s somewhat encouraging to see their behaviours change as a result.

The other day though, it was my boss, the department head. He was obviously quite frustrated at something, and was venting his anger verbally in this way. It was the first time I heard him do it. But the offence was committed.

I knew that if I allowed myself “enough time” to reason this through, to contemplate and to even pray about this, the moment would be gone. The window of opportunity for correction was clearly finite and fleeting. So I just got up from my seat, walked over to his seat, and explained: “Hi. I am a Christian, and when you use the name of my Lord like that…”

I didn’t have to finish the sentence. He understood exactly what I was saying, and he apologised immediately. Even after I got back to my seat, he called out, “Sorry Joe, I shouldn’t have done that. It won’t happen again.”

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”

Matthew 10:32 (NKJV)

Here is one of the few instances when Christians can acknowledge their living Lord Jesus in our politically correct, pc-obsessed western workplace. We don’t have to be loud or aggressive about it. We just have to be willing to get up from our seat.