Marketplace Ministry Part 5

Continuing my thoughts on equipping believers for serving in the marketplace:

So you may say, "Well this is all great Bill, doing good for people and helping them succeed in business, education, government, etc., but where does the societal transformation come in?"

I'm glad you asked that question! 

I will say two things:

1. The agent of transformation is the Holy Spirit.

2. The power of transformation is God's love.

If we are surrendering to Jesus daily, then the life and power of the Holy Spirit is naturally flowing through us wherever we are and the love of God is also flowing through us. We trust God that His love is impacting those around us and that He is leading them to open their hearts to His love and His very real Presence and activity. Here is a secret: He has already been working in their lives since before they were born and He loves them more than we ever will.

Our task is to love and serve people in the power of the Holy Spirit, energized and motivated by the love of God. Our task is not to force people to believe in our certain set of doctrines. (Every Christian has a different set of these and they will all tell you they are the "right" ones!) As we serve and love people with their best interests in mind, we create an atmosphere of trust and friendship in which the Holy Spirit can work to bring transformation into their lives. We live in the light of the love of God for us and then serve others in the power of the Holy Spirit, using our spiritual gifts.

One thing I've neglected here is the subject of prayer. I've been working for Cisco for 19 years now, and early on I started a Bible study there during our lunch hour twice a month. I gathered a small group of Christians and we met to study the New Testament and to encourage each other to live out our faith at work.

We closed each meeting by praying for the leaders of our company. We prayed that they would have wisdom to make ethical decisions and to lead our company with integrity. We also prayed that our company would be successful and that it would grow and be able to employ more people.

In Jeremiah 29:7 we read this message from God to Jeremiah the prophet:

"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

I'm not suggesting that our jobs are places of exile (although some may feel that way 😉), but I think we should pray for the success of our company and wisdom for our leaders. God hears and answers these prayers. Those Christians with the spiritual gift of leadership may eventually sit on the board of directors of companies or be the CEO or VP of a company and they need wisdom to lead a company with the ethics and values of Jesus. Even if the leaders of your company are not Christians, praying for them will make a difference. God is able to influence people regardless of their relationship with Him.

Concluding with this quote from Dallas Willard:

“Individually the disciple and friend of Jesus who has learned to work shoulder to shoulder with his or her Lord stands in this world as a point of contact between heaven and earth, a kind of Jacob’s ladder by which the angels of God may ascend from and descend into human life. Thus the disciple stands as an envoy or a receiver by which the kingdom of God is conveyed into every quarter of human affairs.”

~ Dallas Willard

 

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