Theme: Living Out Our Faith.
Topic: Manifesting God in the Marketplace
Main Text: Daniel 2: 24-49
Key Verse: Daniel 2: 47: “The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret”.” (NKJV)
Introduction:
Daniel was a captive in the service of a despotic king, in the midst of idolators and sorcerers, under threat of execution. Not the ideal environment for a “believer”. In one sense, that was Daniel’s “marketplace” – public administration. Most of Jesus’ ministry, and that of the first Christians was conducted outside of synagogues and other religious buildings. The Bible encourages us to meet as often as possible for fellowship, breaking of bread, and corporate prayer and praise (Acts 2:42-47,Hebrews 10:25). However, most Christian ministry (service) occurs in the world of work away from the sanctuary. Most of the influential men and women in the Bible were “ordinary” people. Very few were trained prophets, priests, or theological masters, or “professional” ministers. They related to the real, everyday world, had credibility, and were available to serve God at the same time, driven by His sense of Divine purpose. It is interesting to note that 122 of Jesus 132 public appearances were in workplace settings, and that 45 of his parables were about work environments. Nearly all of the supernatural encounters recorded in the Book of Acts took place in the marketplace, in homes, prisons, ships, and on the street. What is your marketplace? It is where you are? Where has God placed you to shine for Him?
Q1. (1a) Read Genesis 46:31-32; Exodus 3:1 1 Samuel 16:11. What do you notice about the three great leaders of faith (Jacob, Moses and David) in these passages? (1b) Read Ezra 7:6; Nehemiah 2:11; Daniel 1:5 Compare the occupations of these three leaders with those of question (a) Do you think God favours any jobs more than others? What does that mean for us as Christians today?
Paragraph 2:
One of the underlying themes of the life of Daniel and his friends is remaining true to God in the face of pressures to conform coming from the most powerful ruler of his day and his senior bureaucrats. They were all men of integrity. Integrity as a Christian means acknowledging God’s rule and refusing to take away the honour that is His alone (Acts 3, & 4). It means holding to our relationship with God, even when things go wrong, as in the case of Job, who served God but seemed dogged by misfortune (Job 13:15). If you lose your integrity, you lose everything. As Christians, we are given the strength to live like Jesus. We do not have to copy the behavioural standards of those around us. We are called to stand out not blend in. Daniel demonstrated this. Before he told the king his dream (and saved his own life), he gave credit to God, explaining that he knew the dream only because God revealed it. How easily we take credit for what God does through us! This robs God of the honour that He alone deserves. It’s what most “ordinary” people would do. We are called to be different and, like Daniel, point people, even powerful bosses, to God so that we give Him the glory.
Q2. (2a) Read Genesis 41:16; Daniel 2:27-28, 30 What similarities do you see between Joseph and Daniel from these passages? (2b) Read Acts 3:12-13,16 How does Peter’s approach contrast with today’s attitude to “powerful ministries” (2c) Read Acts 12:21-24 What important lesson can we draw from this passage?
Paragraph 3:
We are called to proclaim Christ. Paul said that he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, because it was the power of God to save people (Romans 1:16). It is our privilege to (wisely) share Christ with people in our marketplace so that His truth can set them free. His presence is with us, and in us, when we enter our marketplaces every day. If we live in our victory, we can be passionate about our work, reflect our relationship with God, and deliver excellence in our work because Christ, the greater one, is in us. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream revealed Daniel’s God (who is our God) as the power behind earthly kingdoms. He is also God over the marketplace.
Q3. Discuss how we can be as bold in living for God in our workplace as we are in church. What holds us back? How can we overcome one hindrance this coming week?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that You alone are God. You are in control of heaven and earth, directing the forces of nature, the destiny of nations, and the care of your people. Because of Jesus, I can be bold in the marketplace, being salt and light where you have placed me to shine. Help me to live up to my calling. Amen.