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“And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.” Exodus 31:3
I was quite surprised when I first read this verse of scripture and saw the connection between being filled with the Spirit of God and work. In most church settings, being filled with the Spirit has an array of theological explanations and purposes.
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For many years I have been telling Christian business leaders that their business is their ministry. So, what exactly does this mean? First of all, it does not mean that you must start a workplace Bible study or prayer meeting. Nothing wrong with that, but that may not be your calling. Your calling is to be an influence for Christ in the marketplace! And that influence does not come from enthusiastic proclamation of your Bible knowledge.
We know from Ex. 31 that the Lord cares about your work so much that He desires to fill you with His Spirit for your work. While that is an awesome thought and powerfully motivating idea, I want you to consider exactly what this might mean for you.
John Wesley famously said: “The world is my parish.” He was being criticized for taking the gospel outside of the local church, but he recognized the need to impact all sectors of society. From the time Jesus spoke the Great Commission until today, God has had a plan to reach the entire world with the gospel. And to do so, He raises up pastors and missionaries, and worship leaders and prayer warriors.
Not only does God want to use your business for Kingdom advancement, He really does want to bless you, and prosper you in your business venture. We can see that clearly in the life of Jesus. Whenever He came in contact with a business venture, He focused on blessing the business.
If you really want to be a powerful influence for Christ in your day to day life, it must begin before you even go to work. It starts with your daily trust in and reliance on the Lord. And that starts with your own prayer life and study of His word. Something as simple as listening to beautiful Christian music on the way to work can change your attitude for the entire day. While others cannot see how much you know, they can see how you live!
"Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.” Exodus 14:31.
What a tremendous statement: “the people believed the Lord and His servant Moses.” Leaders come in all shapes and sizes, and attain their position in any number of ways. Some are selected by popular choice; some gain their position through deceit and treachery. Some work hard at becoming a leader, while for others it is very easy and natural. Some gain leadership through wealth; others gain wealth through leadership.
When I first started studying the role of the Marketplace Christian, I believed the main role of this leader was to bring in provision for the endtime harvest. I still believe that is a major role; I just don’t think it is the major role. It is obvious that we need the Christian business leader to bring in provision; most churches and ministries lack the resources they need to fulfill their God given call. So, we need for you to succeed financially and to be faithful in your giving.
I was talking with the author of the book, "God is my CEO" and he was telling me about the problem he had in getting the book published. As I recall, 20 publishers turned him down before one would finally “take a chance” on such a project. The fact is, the book became a best seller.
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