If ever there was a time for adherents of marketplace ministry to flex their strength, it is now. We need business leaders who have absorbed the wisdom of Proverbs, who have watched God's discernment purify their business practices and elevate their level of productivity. Change agents clothed with humility, they are not bound by money or politics.
All help can't come from the corridors of Washington, whether that help is a bipartisan bailout or not. We need leaders on the ground who know that they must look to God for answers. These leaders are the carriers of "godly apps" that can problem-solve and inspire the nation through the current financial turbulence. Just as a "killer app" refers to computer software that provides a core value, as Wikipedia explains, this country needs a multitude of godly apps that will steer our country into a more stable and productive direction.
What I am describing is a grass-roots effort, a neighborhood-by-neighborhood, city-by-city, board room-by-board room, sales call-by-sales call movement led by business leaders who don't think the way to lead the world to God is by pointing a finger and yelling, "JESUS LOVES YOU!" They understand evangelism, but they operate in heavenly subtlety. These leaders are gifted to rethink our energy resources, restructure our financial systems, create reasoned plans that can rebuild an aging infrastructure, and pump resources into our cities and schools. Without broadcasting it, they know that their practical contributions display eternal power.
I've written about this before in "Where is Joseph?" and "A recession? Maybe it's a holy opportunity," but it needs to be said again. God wants to innovate our world for his purposes and he wants to do it through his people. Please step up, man or woman of God who interpret the reports of the Wall Street Journal and CNBC through the ancient, yet still relevant wisdom of Scripture.
Please don't restrain your skills because you fear inadvertently underwriting sin or perpetuating a system that loves mammon. Ask God for understanding and he will guide you through love. Paul wrote this to the church at Philippi and it still applies today: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best..."
Judy Howard Ellis
Links courtesy of www.nytimes.com, www.wikipedia.com, www.blackaby.org, www.online.wsj.com, www.cnbc.com , www.studylight.org
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