God in the Marketplace预览

Gospel of Salvation Versus Gospel of the Kingdom

I've heard it said “The bottom line of the church is souls.” Whilst this is an admirable statement and every believer I know wants to see their family, friends and strangers saved. I believe that this statement does not capture the fullness of the Kingdom's message.

Jesus wasn't just going about saying; “Repent, and you will go to heaven when you die”, He declared that the “Kingdom of Heaven” was actually being made available here and now on the earth.

Jesus' ministry was not just about offering people an eternal destination but inviting them to engage with a living reality which was the Father's love, reign and rule here on earth also. The kingdom message is that God not only came to rescue people, but also to restore all of His creation back to Himself.

Biblically, we understand that the fullness of that restoration awaits Christ's final return at the end of the age, but what we can have confidence in is that the finished work of the cross inaugurated the restoration work of redeeming people and creation back to God.

So what does that mean for you and I in our marketplace callings?

It means that not only are we to be salt and light to our unsaved or not yet saved co-workers or employees, but we are also graced with the power of God to save environments and cultures within our workplace so they begin to look like heaven.

This might look like championing integrity, generosity, kindness, goodness, diligence etc. All of these dimensions are expressions of what the Kingdom of God is like.

Jesus didn't just declare the kingdom, he modelled it by living out the culture of His Father in the midst of the very contrary culture of Rome. As we prayerfully step out by faith and model the culture of Heaven in our day to day interactions we are in many ways inviting the kingdom of God to come into the spaces that we occupy.

It doesn't matter whether you are the boss or the junior in your workplace, we can all make a difference for the Kingdom of God today.

Reflection

• What is one very practical way that you could model and represent the Kingdom of God in your workplace this week?