Your Work Matters To GodSample

STEPHEN: A MARKETPLACE MINISTER

In the beginning of the early church, the disciples were seeing God move in mighty ways. The disciples found themselves preaching the word of God all over the region. However, there became practical needs that arose among the people, but due to their preaching these needs were not being met adequately. One of these needs involved food distribution to widows. This brought pressure upon the disciples who felt their primary focus must be to preach the gospel. They realized they could not do both adequately which led them to appoint seven men whose lives qualified for service as leaders to meet these needs.

This is a remarkable turning point in the early church. When this action took place, we see a number of things happen. The first man named to fill this responsibility was Stephen, described as a man full of faith and the Holy Ghost; with a strong faith in Christ. He was full of courage, gifts and graces. He was an extraordinary man, and excelled in everything that was good; his name signified a crown.

We also see in this passage an empowering of the rest of the marketplace believers into service. But it is important to see that Stephen was more than just a person who could lend a hand to the service needs of the local church. The Bible describes Stephen this way: Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Acts 6:8-9

This was a time when the church began mobilizing other marketplace believers for ministry in the community. Stephen was the first chosen and interestingly, became the first martyred believer. One of the most interesting things one can notice when the disciples took this action is described in these passages.  So the  word of God spread. “The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). It is as though the Lord took the cap off and everything started happening. Even a large number of priests came into the faith.

Today, we live in a time of paradigm shifting in the body of Christ. God is beginning a movement among those in the workplace. You and I are part of this movement. As more and more men and women take their rightful place as workplace ministers with signs and wonders that accompany their life, we will begin to see pastors and church leaders understand this movement and begin to embrace it. It will be the fruit of the lives of these marketplace ministers and the power of God that changes the old paradigms. However, be sure of this, whenever there is a move of God, there is also opposition by Satan that comes from the religious leadership, just as it did in the early church movement.

The church often trains us to do their ministry instead of our ministry.

–Dr. Myles Munroe