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In conference rooms, group chats, or company dinners, Christians often stand at a crossroads: either build a wall against the world and withdraw, or be swept along by its ways. Missionary Kim Sung-won, author of *The River of God*, speaks of a third path that is neither of these. Today, based on a lecture on the same theme as Chapter 7 of the book, "Christians in the World,", Christian Work LifeI have summarized four pieces of wisdom on how to become a warm light without becoming a '꼰대'.

Christian Workplace Life: Why Are Neither 'Escape' nor 'Assimilation' the Answer?

The Bible often portrays the order of the world separated from God as 'Babylon.' Missionary Kim Seong-won states that the workplaces we go to every day and the realities of our lives can be precisely that Babylon. While the sense of alienation felt by believers in such places is natural, when that alienation leads to escape or condemnation, faith ends up being severed from the world.

4 Wisdoms to Become a 'Light in the World' Shared by Missionary Kim Sung-won

1. Instead of fleeing, seek the Shalom of the place where you stay. The Jews taken captive to Babylon wanted to refuse to participate, cursing the enemy city. However, God, through Jeremiah, told them to build houses, cultivate gardens, and pray for the peace of the city—that is, 'Shalom' (Jeremiah 29:7). The starting point is to faithfully fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to you there, rather than viewing the workplace with hostility.

2. Approach with grace and sincerity instead of the standard of condemnation. The Bible summarizes the temptations of the world as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). The problem arises when we apply the standard of the law to colleagues, asking, "Why are they acting like that?" under the pretext of guarding against these temptations. Missionary Kim Seong-won points out that this very attitude easily leads to the behavior of a "꼰대" (a derogatory term for an old-fashioned, authoritarian boss) in the workplace. Jesus did not pray to be taken out of the world, but rather to be preserved from evil within the world (John 17:15).

3. Do not make technology and power idols. Humanity attempted to exalt itself without God by building the Tower of Babel with the bricks of technology. The expectation that today’s cutting-edge technology, artificial intelligence, and political power can create a perfect world can be the same temptation. When political stances outweigh the Gospel, the community easily splits. A Christian is someone who does not blindly believe in any power structure or ideology.

4. As a traveler with heavenly citizenship, shine warmly. The Bible calls us “strangers and sojourners” (1 Peter 2:11). This world is a temporary dwelling place, and our hope is in Christ. A person who remembers to whom they belong can shine God’s warm light in the midst of daily life, without oppressing others or being assimilated by the greed of the world.

Bringing Sunday faith into Monday's daily life

Missionary Kim Sung-won studied aesthetics and Western classics in Seoul and has served for decades as a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) missionary in France, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, Sweden, and other places. *The River of God* covers a Christian worldview that connects faith, culture, and intellect through 12 themes, including happiness, the meaning of life, the problem of evil, art, science, and missions. Chapter 7, introduced today, is the story closest to the daily workplace.

Mrs. Lauren, together with CIMIO, plans content to help Missionary Kim Sung-won's message reach more people through Instagram channels and YouTube lectures in various languages, including Korean, English, French, and Italian, and jointly manages Korean-English comment communication.

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