The pizza had been ordered. A reminder email sent out to attendees. The benches were wiped clean and the glasses neatly set out in rows. As a team, we prayed and committed the evening to God and our volunteers made their way to the front door, prepared to greet people with a smile as they arrived. We were ready! But there is always an element to an event like IGNITE! that you just can’t prepare for, organise meticulously or control. And that is:
In what way is the LORD going to show up?
As a new team member of Worship.Works, this was my first IGNITE! Meetup. From flicking through archives of photographs and listening to people share their previous experiences, I had some idea of what to expect. But it’s now the day after our January Meetup in Maidstone and I’m still buzzing!
What I saw and experienced last night was nothing short of wonderful. I sensed the LORD:
- moving through conversations as people engaged with one another;
- re-envisioning people through the Word that was shared;
- inspiring people through shared testimonies, and
- bringing fresh hope through the prayers offered in huddles.
I saw God at work amongst His people – encouraging and strengthening His church – and for me, that is one of the most incredible privileges to bear witness to.
The theme for January’s IGNITE! was ‘You are the light of the world’ (Matt 5:14) and Daniel shared with us how this is especially true for every believer out there in their workplace. He pointed us to verse 16 which emphasises the end goal of us shining like lights in our work environments – so that our colleagues, our clients, our suppliers etc see our good works and acknowledge God as the true source of them.
“You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14,16
Being a Christian in the workplace can be a lonely and isolating experience because we may be trying to live our lives for Jesus in an environment that doesn’t recognise, nor desire, His reality. Some people shared last night about how their work environment has at times been hostile towards them because they have a faith in Jesus. When we talk about Christian professionals being ‘on the frontlines’, an image of being in the trenches of a battle scene does not seem far-stretched at times!
In our sometimes naive, sometimes indifferent, sometimes hostile work contexts, we were encouraged to consider ways in which we could not ‘just’ speak about our faith, but demonstrate it. (We know that proclaiming Christ verbally is an important aspect of our witness, but it’s not the focus of this particular discussion). So how can we show people the reality of the Kingdom of God right here on earth, where the dominion of darkness currently reigns?
That’s the beauty of an event like IGNITE! where Christians gather together who are in the same or similar situation in terms of work. I could hear some of the discussions taking place in small groups as people shared how they demonstrate their relationship with Jesus, and these were not hypothetical or wishful scenarios – they were very real and current stories – and they injected hope and inspiration into the hearts of listeners. In my group, we unanimously agreed that we were walking away from our time together with a renewed vision as light bearers who have the privilege of demonstrating our King Jesus to those we come into contact with.
Personally, I’m already looking forward to the next IGNITE! Meetup, and I promise I’m not just saying that because I’m part of the Worship.Works team! I say it because I saw the power of IGNITE! to live up to its namesake in sparking a light within believers – a catalyst for the church to go out into the world as confident and empowered representatives of Jesus Christ!
If you would like to find out more about our next IGNITE! Meetup – in Maidstone or in Sheffield – you’ll find that information here. We’d also encourage you to sign up for our monthly newsletter so you can keep up-to-date with what’s happening at Worship.Works