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Your Profession is Your Pulpit by Paul Wilson

Articles, Current Issue

Did you know that every Christian is in full-time ministry? Whether you realize it or not, if you are a Christian you are a full-time minister in the Kingdom of God. You may not work for a church or have an official title of pastor, bishop, apostle, or evangelist, but you are indeed a minister of the Gospel. As an entrepreneur running your own business or an employee working for an organization, you have been given the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility of taking your ministry to the marketplace. The Apostle Paul, who earned a living as a tent maker in addition to being a preacher, says it like this:

… And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

I wonder why it is that most Christians do not see themselves as full-time ministers. Even worse, most Christians do not see the importance and relevance of their daily work as it relates to advancing the Kingdom of God. Studies say that 97% of Christians work outside of the church. Unfortunately, other studies say that over 90% of Christians don’t hear relevant messages that relate their spiritual life to their work life. If these statistics are even close to being accurate, a very large percentage of Christians go to work every day without a true understanding of their Kingdom purpose, calling, and opportunities to make an impact for God.

 

I believe this is a key reason why many Christians experience a lack of fulfillment in their walk with Jesus. He has not been meaningfully integrated into the activities that consume the majority of the hours of their lives, i.e. work. The workplace is a key sphere of influence for the Kingdom of God that contains a ripe harvest of souls, but has few laborers who understand the concepts and necessity of marketplace ministry. Christians must recognize the power of their profession as a virtual pulpit for communicating and more importantly demonstrating the love of God.

7 Mountains of Culture

Our global society can be broken down into seven domains or circles of influence, which are also referred to as the 7 Mountains of Culture. These include Religion/Faith, Family, Business, Government, Education, Media, and Arts. If you notice, only one of these areas explicitly includes the church. Everything else is outside of the church, which I generally define to as the marketplace.

In Genesis 1:26-30, God gave Adam a mandate to exercise dominion over the entire earth and everything in it. Relating this to our modern vernacular, Christians should be focused on continuing to execute that mandate by influencing and controlling these seven sectors of society. To the extent that we don’t “dominate” these seven areas – including the church – is to the extent that anti-Christian values are allowed to freely operate in the world.

It is sad that many Christians do not see their value in the Kingdom if they are not preaching in the pulpit or singing in the choir. The Bible tells us the Body of Christ is made up of many members with diverse spiritual gifts and natural talents. Everyone is important to God’s grand plan for mankind. However, His plans do not only include what happens in our church services twice a week. I would even propose that He is more concerned about what happens Monday through Saturday in our lives than what happens for a few hours on Sunday morning or a midweek Bible study.

When the veil in temple was torn after Jesus was crucified, it represented the barrier between people and God being removed forever. It also represented the elimination of the wall between what we consider sacred and what we consider secular. Apparently all of us did not get the memo, because even today many people still have the wrong perception that what happens in the church is sacred, and what happens outside the church is secular. The truth is that wherever a Christian is should be considered sacred because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And whatever we put our hands to do for the glory of God is to be considered sacred, including our jobs, businesses, and careers.

Your Work is Your Witness

The best example of biblical principles that some people might ever see is how you operate in your business or on your job. These days many people have been burned by their church experiences, so they stay away from the building and congregations. However, because you are the church, people get the chance to see one of Jesus’ disciples up close and personal. You get the opportunity to be a Christ-light in a dark place, where people are oppressed, depressed, and suppressed by the current economic environment.

“… you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:3

The marketplace is the perfect place for you to communicate and demonstrate your faith through word, deed, and action. God is a God of excellence, so your excellence is an exercise of righteousness. How well you do your job – with the right attitude – could be the key to someone being introduced into a relationship with Jesus. You may not like your job, but God has a purpose for you being there. You must seek Him to find out what that purpose is rather than just jumping from job to job, and never finding fulfillment in the work or your compensation.

Whether you work in customer service, IT, human resources, or sanitation engineering, when you use your gifts and talents to produce exceptional work you bless others, bring glory to God, and fulfillment to yourself. You do not need a church pulpit to influence people for the Kingdom of God. You become the church and build a pulpit in the marketplace when you honorably represent God in your work.

Marketplace Pulpits

“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.” Proverbs 22:29

The Bible shows us how God has routinely used men and women who were not full-time prophets or priests to influence and impact people for His glory. He used their positions in the marketplace to change lives, transform families, and determine the direction of countries. Here are a few of those examples:

  • Joseph became a top official in the Egpytian government, second in command only to Pharoah. His influential position allowed him to provide the resources to rescue his family and others from a severe famine (Genesis 37-50).
  • Bezalel and Oholiab were master craftsmen specifically recommended by God to Moses to lead the building of the first tabernacle (Exodus 35:30-35).
  • Nehemiah was a cup bearer for a king. He used the influence of his position and the king’s resources to rebuild his ancestors’ city.
  • Queen Esther used her position to rescue her kinsman from a destructive decree signed by the king.
  • Daniel, because of the “spirit of excellence” he demonstrated, became a high-ranking cabinet member, advisor, and consultant for four kings (Daniel 5:12, 6:3).
  • Peter, a fisherman, allowed Jesus to use his boat to preach to a crowd. Afterwards, Jesus used Peter’s boat to perform a major miracle (Luke 5:1-11).
  • At least half of Jesus’ disciples came from the marketplace with jobs such as a fisherman (Peter, James, John, and Andrew), tax collector (Matthew), and social activist (Judas). They were not “learned” religious scholars.
  • Lydia was a fashion entrepreneur who helped facilitate prayer meetings among the people of her city (Acts 16:13-15).

Define Your Marketplace

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

One way of looking at your specific marketplace is the circle of people (market) God has placed you in or given you favor with to influence, help, inspire, motivate, or mobilize by using your time, talents, and treasures. Everyone’s marketplace will be different, so how you minister in your marketplace will be different than how someone else does it. You are unique and so is your calling. Stop wasting your time comparing yourself to others, and instead just align your ministry with God’s expectations for you.

Do not wait any longer to just use your gifts in church. God has given you a target audience outside of the four walls of the church to share His message of grace and hope. Many are hungry for Truth and do not realize it. It’s your job to present it to them in the most effective ways in which the Holy Spirit leads you.

The church must be more intentional about discipling, equipping, and commissioning pew-sitters to be marketplace missionaries, so they can maximize their callings in the workplace. I am committed to working with entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and pastors – through teaching, training, and coaching – to fully manifest the blessings and benefits of a marketplace that is ready for a bountiful harvest of souls.

So as you go back into your marketplace with a renewed perspective and passion for the people God called you to reach, practice the words of St. Francis, “Preach always, use words only when necessary.”

 

Paul Wilson, Jr., Vice President of Programs & Community Impact at the Urban League of Greater Atlanta is an innovative and effective entrepreneurial leader with nearly 20 years of experience creating and delivering high caliber consulting and training solutions to small businesses, corporations, non-profits, and professionals at all levels. He has extensive industry experience that spans leadership roles in small business development, supply chain management, procurement, and supplier diversity. His expertise includes strategic planning, operational planning, leadership development, digital media, government and corporate contracting, and curriculum design and development.

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