Marketplace Ministry Part 2

Continuing my thoughts on the role of church leadership in the transformation of society, the passage in Ephesians 4:11-16 indicates that one task of church leadership is to equip the people of the church to do the "work of the ministry", which can be more simply (and less religiously) translated the "works of service."

I propose that the sphere for these works of service is not the weekly weekly meetings of the church. Rather, I propose that the primary sphere of this work is the marketplace - the place where society interacts. As believers function in this way in society, society will be transformed and the church will also be built up into the mature manifestation of Christ.

In order to do this we must have seasoned people who have learned to do the "works of service of the Kingdom" in the context of business, media, sports, education, government, etc. Then they must invest time to train the people in our churches who already find themselves working in these areas.

What constitutes the "works of service"? I suggest they are the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. They are also the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22. We need both in the marketplace- the supernatural grace gifts of the Spirit and the supernatural overcoming life of Christ (love, joy, peace, self-control, meekness, etc).

 As a balance to what I've been proposing here, we must not neglect to build the community of the local church. That community is based on personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That community functions in love for one another, encouragement and accountability with one another. That community is the fountain out of which the works of service in the society must flow.

 

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