On-Mission Faith – Maturing in Our Ability to Serve Others in the Marketplace

This post was written by Chris Symons of CW Symons – Change Management Executive. To connect with Chris, visit https://www.cwsymons.com.

Ability allows us to turn knowledge into action. It means to tangibly demonstrate the application of intellectual understanding in real-world environments. In the life of a Christian, ability means placing ourselves in the hands of God and allowing him to impute into us for our work. Ability for the Christian is the pursuit of God’s will for our lives. Christians must understand two things in order to mature in their ability to serve others: One, apart from God, we can do nothing (John 15:5), and two, God has a plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11). With these understandings in place, and God’s help, we are better able to serve others in the marketplace with intentional faith.

Maturing to Serve: Just A Matter of Practice?

The apostle Paul, in his final exhortations to the church at Philippi, made it clear that whatever the Philippians had learned, received, heard, or seen from him, they were expected to put it into practice in order for the God of peace to be with them (Philippians 4:9). Throughout the Pauline epistles, we are given ample instruction from which to develop our intellect in the matter of appropriate godly behavior. Paul was a man of example and likewise encouraged us to actively follow his example. In his attempt to present everyone mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28), Paul admonished us to put knowledge — all that was observed in him — into action.

As we continue to put the biblical principles we learn into practice, our service to our brothers and sisters becomes second nature. But there is still a need to step out in intentional faith. We must remember that God will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). While we grow to serve, we begin to realize that every divine appointment and faith encounter is different. Therefore, it stands to reason that maturing in service to others in the marketplace is not simply a matter of practice but intentional faith. As our faith increases, and we spend time in prayer and the Word of God, so too do we mature spiritually to recognize how many opportunities we are given to serve others.

Prayer is Essential to Spiritual Maturity

Prayer is essential in seeking to serve in the marketplace. Remember the words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (ESV). Spending time with God in prayer reflects spiritual maturity. It focuses us to align with heaven in discerning the needs of our brethren and gives us strategies for how to best meet those needs. As we discussed in the previous section, prayer is not a simple matter of practice, but a muscle that must be deliberately used with regularity. When it is relied on more, we mature to better hear God through the Holy Spirit as well as mature in knowledge to obey God.

Humility Also Matures Us

Reading the Word and praying develop a dependence upon the Lord that we must honor. Understanding this dependence is humbling but powerful. In our humility, we simply submit to him and continue to seek his presence, growing in knowledge, faith, and ability as we go. We are more effective when we acknowledge that our ability comes only through God; it is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). Humility also gives us the right heart by which to use our ability to serve. We cannot rely on our strength but the strength of Jesus that is supplied to us through the Holy Spirit in prayer.

The Call To Action

We have examined the spiritual concepts of awareness, desire, knowledge, and now ability. Our final blog will reinforce these ideas. These notions are perfectly put to use during a Follower of One Marketplace Mission Trip. If you’ve already been on a trip, you understand the impact of Isaiah 6:8 — to be sent to do the work of the Lord. During a Follower of One Mission Trip, we operate with intentionality to identify opportunities to use our ability to serve others in the marketplace. Consider joining us in making a positive difference today.

Featured photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash; in-text photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash