The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household. (2 Sam 6:11)
As marketplace ministers, how do we align our vision to transform nations through our work with the individual needs and goals of our commercial customers? This is a great question inspired by conversations I’ve been having with my team.
To be more specific, if a client’s goal is simply to sell more products and make better profits, is it possible for us as marketplace ministers to align that with our goal to help the client make a positive difference in their community?
One of the paradigms we have for marketplace ministry is that of Prayer Evangelism, which follows Jesus’ instructions to his disciples in Luke 10 as they went ahead of him. He told them to speak peace over a household and, if a man of peace was there, to stay there; eat what was set before them; heal the sick; and tell the good news of the kingdom of God.
Jesus knew that while the ultimate need of the household was to receive the kingdom of God, it was no use telling them this good news until they had first been blessed by experiencing it!
This is how it is when serving clients. We must start with the need they are able to express – which might simply be to sell more products. When we carry the presence of the Lord into their household, we can expect them to be blessed in many ways through the ministry of our work, just as the presence of the Lord through the ark of the covenant blessed the house of Obed-edom described in 2 Samuel 6:11. And we trust that the kingdom of God will then touch them and their business and eventually their community and nation. But first we must start with the need that they are able to express to us.