Impacting The Marketplace

This week’s sermon kicks off the 6-sermon series entitled Building Deep.

What A Marketplace Is

The sermon title is Impacting the Marketplace. Elder Andrew started by reminding us what a marketplace is. The Greek word for marketplace is agorah, which means “a place of public assembly”, such as a town square. In olden days, people would gather at the agorah to buy, sell and trade goods.

Where is our agorah (marketplace) today? Elder Andrew described it as “where you are, when you are not in church”. For most of us, that would be our homes, workplaces, schools, military camps, etc.

We All Serve God Full-time

Elder Andrew then addressed what he called a “false divide”. There is a prevalent view within the Christian community that only a chosen few are called to serve God full-time, while the rest of us carry on with life “as per normal”. Elder Andrew cautioned us that this line of thinking is untrue – the divide between “full-time” and “not full-time” is false. We are all called to serve God full-time. This does not mean that all of us are called to employment in the church, but we are to serve God all the time – this includes the times when we are in our marketplace. Pointing to Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Elder Andrew reminded us that our purpose – even in the marketplace – is to serve and glorify God.

Life In A Toxic Place

With that, Elder Andrew posed a question: How do we know that we are in the right marketplace? One way is to be guided what he terms as “Bible logic”: A doctor is meant to be amongst sick people (Mark 2:17). A light is meant to shine amidst darkness (Matthew 5:14). Salt is meant to bring taste to a bland meal, heal wounds, or to preserve food (Matthew 5:13). Fragrance is a sweet aroma in a stale room (2 Corinthians 2:15).

In short: Christians are meant to bring Christ’s life to a toxic place – and that is the right marketplace for you! You are called to be light. You are called to be salt. You are called to be a sweet fragrance in your marketplace. Ask God to give you the wisdom to see your circumstances through His eyes.

How To Be Effective Christ Ambassadors

In order to be effective ambassadors of Christ, we need to be intentional in our words and actions. Elder Andrew shares four “Vs” to guide us:

1. Verdict: Knowledge of God

The fact that we are believers of God is testament that someone spoke to us about God, and we believed. Elder Andrew exhorted that if we believe, we must speak up. If we are effective ambassadors of Christ, we will speak of Him in our marketplace and be a testament of Him.

2. Vista: Time & Eternity

As mortals, we live within time. We have a limited amount of time in our marketplace. But as Christians, we live for eternity. If we are effective ambassadors of Christ, we will create an impact in our marketplace that lasts for eternity.

3. Vocabulary: Speak Life

If we are effective ambassadors of Christ, we will speak life and encouragement at our marketplaces. Christ’s ambassadors should not speak draining, discouraging, idle words.

4. Values: There Is No Right Way to Do A Wrong Thing

If we are effective ambassadors of Christ, we will stand firm on our values even in the face of resistance. Our values are guided by Christ, not Culture.

How Not To Be Effective Christ Ambassadors

In contrast to what being an effective ambassador is, Elder Andrew illustrated what being an ineffective ambassador looks like. He compared this to being:

1) A mole (spy) – a Christian who blends so well into his/her environment that nobody even knows that they are Christians. Such a Christian has no impact in his/her marketplace.

2) Nominal – Christians who have only minimal influence on each other.

Conclusion – How To Be Fruitful In Our Daily Work

Elder Andrew concluded his sermon with this empowering exhortation: If we truly desire to grow deep and be fruitful in our daily work, we must intentionally live as God’s ambassadors in the marketplace and make Jesus known.

Discussion Questions

1. Read Mark 2:17. This week’s sermon is about being Christ’s ambassador in the marketplace. Where is your marketplace? [15 min]

Leader’s Notes: This is a recap and ice-breaking question. Although most members would already be quite familiar with their fellow members’ “marketplace”, this question is really meant to help members create the mental connection between the sermon and their own lives. It is meant to prompt them to realise “hey, I do belong to a marketplace!” - the ‘Bible Logic’. Leaders can also ask members to share about the pre-believers in their marketplace. Have they heard the Gospel? Do they have a correct knowledge about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith? Leaders can encourage members to consider why God may have put them in their specific marketplace and ask them to pray about what God’s calling is.

2. Read 2 Corinthians 5:20. Elder Andrew shared four “Vs” to help us be effective ambassadors of Christ. Pick one of the “Vs” and share how you could live that out practically in your marketplace. [15 min]

Leader’s Notes: A reflect and relate question for members to think about how they can practically act out being an effective ambassador of Christ. In the interest of time, get members to share on only one of the “Vs”. Try to guide the discussions such that all four “Vs” are more or less equally talked about.

3. Take a look again at the quote that Elder Andrew concluded with: “If we truly desire to grow deep and be fruitful in our daily work, we must intentionally live as God’s ambassadors in the marketplace and make Jesus known.”

How do we grow deep and be fruitful in our daily work?

[15 min]

Leader’s Notes: This is a response question. The answer is obvious: “…we must intentionally live as God’s ambassadors in the marketplace and make Jesus known.” The point is to draw members’ focus to the word “intentionally”. It is not easy to be intentional, especially when it comes to being a light in a dark place. We recognize that it is challenging – nobody denies that. But this is where we seek the Holy Spirit’s counsel and empowerment. The truth is, we cannot be effective Christ ambassadors by our own strength. We need Christ to help us to be Christ’s ambassadors.

In Timothy Keller’s book “Every Good Endeavour – connecting your work to God’s plan for the world”, he challenges us to think about where we are and where we are going. When the new ideas become real enough to us, we will actually change how we think, feel, and act in our daily work.

The above is an extract from page 245.

Leaders can conclude by getting members to commit these in prayer for each other in smaller groups or in pairs.