The Marketplace Ministry
On Sunday, we learned that Jesus' ministry began in the marketplace, stayed in the marketplace, and has never left the marketplace.
Jesus unashamedly brushed shoulders with the tax collector, the leper, the prostitute, the religious elite, the pagan, the military officer, and on and on.
His life and ministry were painfully public.
And His presence and personal care changed lives.
Click here to watch "A Bustling Square" from our series, The Shape Of Our Story
Jesus faced ridicule, judgment, and contempt for "eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners."
And yet His heart always remained: "It is the sick who need a doctor." (See Mark 2:13-17)
We really see the depth of this value system when Jesus chooses some of His closest followers and friends from…
Fishermen - includes Peter, Andrew, John, and James - who make a living by selling seafood in the marketplace
Tax Collectors - includes Matthew/Levi - who traded Jewish fidelity for financial compromise and Roman power
Working Women Disciples - includes Joanna who worked in Herod’s court and Susanna who provided for Jesus out of their own means. (See Luke 8:3)
Upon His resurrection, Jesus propelled His church into the public square, teaching, persuading, testifying, healing, and interacting with people from every walk of life.
Without the early church in the public’s square, we wouldn’t have a church at all.
It was the fire of Jesus’ mission, that had so inhabited them by the Holy Spirit, that timid, insecure, and double-minded men became confident and unwavering in their witness of Jesus. (See Acts 4:23-31)
Yet, in our mundane days, how many of us see the marketplace today, our public square, as an integral space where Jesus is still active and moving?
I don't just mean at Apple and Google, or at the Big Four, or other “name brand” companies, but in our own lives. In our interfacing with the public. In our shopping. Our banking. Our medical appointments. All of it.
And, do you see yourself as one of those called by Jesus to minister with Him in those places?
Not just qualified into heaven, but called into His mission on earth.
Do you know that Jesus has never left the marketplace?
He still aches for real people.
He comforts the hurting.
He reaches for the offended.
He groans at injustice.
He reaches for the prostitutes and lepers.
He isn't finished.
And He plans on using you.
Do you know that He’s gone before you?
What does it look like for you to partner with His marketplace ministry?
Ask Him to show you what He’s doing in your public places.
He still loves to move outside our boxes.
Well, this Sunday, we'll study how His divine identity and His mission culminate in powerful acts that propel Him into the spotlight- in a sermon titled, "Shining like Stars."
See you Sunday,
Pastor Dave