Jesus left his faithful followers with an honorable yet hefty task: to teach what he taught and make disciples (Mark 28:19-20). This is referred to as the Great Commission. Usually when we hear this scripture, we think of men and women of God packing for sojourns halfway around the world, sharing the gospel with people in remote locations.
And that imagery is correct. Jesus commissioned his followers to spread the message of the meaning of his life and death far and wide. However, the traditional route of executing mission trips leaves an area widely untouched by the ministry of Jesus — the marketplace.
The concept of Marketplace Missions has gained momentum in recent years, and rightly so. There are brothers and sisters in our own backyard that need to know Jesus loves them. Our responsibility to spread that message has been passed to us by Jesus himself.
Every space a Christ follower occupies presents an opportunity for us to fulfill our biblical mandate to make disciples. The marketplace is no exception.
We can fulfill the calling of the Great Commission in the workplace in the following ways:
Pray
We should be Spirit-led in all of the works we place under our hands. God positions us where he does in our company for specific reasons. There’s a divine duty to be performed in your workplace that only you can complete. It’s important we seek God to determine how to finish our assignment — and who God has situated in the midst to assist.
Build Meaningful Relationships
Some relationships are for the purpose of ministry, and some are for the purpose of covenant. Ministry relationships serve and advance the kingdom of God. This person may or may not know Jesus yet. On the other hand, covenant relationships are between true believers and provide opportunities for fellowship, non-judgemental environments for sharing faults, and burden bearing.
It may not be wise to approach any kingdom-producing relationship with the sole intention of spreading the message of Jesus. The Bible says that we are living letters (2 Corinthians 3:2, ESV). That means our lives should reflect God’s goodness. We can begin evangelizing through meaningful relationship building. Perhaps it starts with a simple conversation to get to know a work friend or inviting them out for coffee or dinner. In those moments, before we try to minister to them from the Bible, we can allow Jesus’s love to be the letter they read through our lives.
Share the Gospel
Everyday, we encounter people at various stages in their relationship with God. We may come across new believers or even those who would like to renew their relationship with Jesus. As the Spirit leads, as we’ve established a relationship with our acquaintance or coworker, and the seeds have already been planted, we can then begin to truly share the Word of God and receive the intended effect: another soul in God’s kingdom.
Jesus truly gifted to us a beautiful assignment — to spread his love and life, both abroad and amongst those we encounter everyday.
Featured Image photo by Nicholas Safran on Unsplash; In-Text photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
Have You Heard About The Follower of One Community?
Join a community of like-minded believers who believe in being full-time ministers in the marketplace. You can also take part in a virtual Marketplace Mission Trip. Sound exciting? Head over to the Follower of One community!
Learn about Follower of One’s Marketplace Mission Trip here.
