by Richard Blackaby

The need for revival today is clearly apparent. Thousands of congregations around the world are declining. Hundreds of discouraged churches disband every year. Countless Christians display apathy and spiritual powerlessness. The global rise of secularism, atheism and world religions is aggressively challenging the claims of Christianity. Clearly God’s people need a fresh moving of God’s Spirit but the crucial question is: how might God bring the next world-wide revival?

Two thousand years ago, God’s people desperately needed to be renewed. The pagan culture of Jesus’ day had corrupted people’s morals. Materialism and hedonism consumed many of God’s people. Religion had deteriorated into stale, legalistic rituals. It is fascinating to consider how Jesus launched the Christian movement that swept across the Roman Empire and impacted every corner of the globe. He went to the marketplace.

Jerusalem was a magnificent city which boasted the most impressive temple in the ancient world. Learned scholars spent their lives studying the Scriptures. The Who’s Who of that day resided in that city. Yet Jesus headed to the backwater region of Galilee. He approached four fishermen, Peter, James, John and Andrew as they were mending their nets (Mark 1:16-20). Jesus also noted Matthew collecting taxes and invited him to leave that profession and to follow Him (Mark 2:13-17). The region of Galilee was inhabited by common people: farmers, shepherds and fishermen. It was a place to live if you wanted to avoid the big city and escape the scrutiny of the government authorities. It was here that Jesus called ordinary businesspeople to be His disciples. With that small cohort, He would turn the world upside down.

Why did Jesus choose business people as His disciples? For one thing, they were ordinary. They spoke the language of average people and they understood the common issues of their day. Business people are interconnected. Broken relationships are bad for business! These people were not intimidated by the culture in which they lived. They understood their society and thrived in it. Significantly, Jesus did not call them out of the world but sent them into the world that they knew well (John 17:5).

I have the privilege of working with Christian business people. What I see God doing in their lives suggests that if God is to bring another world-wide revival He may well choose to do it through the marketplace. Here are some observations to that end:

1. Christian business people have international networks. Often, men and women in the ministry find their lives largely confined to their own congregation or denomination. Business people, on the other hand, maintain extensive networks across denominational, racial and social lines. A world-wide revival will sweep from church to church, city to city and nation to nation. While many church leaders are unprepared for this to happen, the business community is already connected globally.
2. Christian business people are entrepreneurial and pragmatic leaders. Unfortunately, many pastors are not the best leaders. They have a shepherd’s heart; they love God’s word as well as preaching and teaching, but they are not strong leaders. Congregations are often held back by people in ministerial positions who struggle to lead. Conversely, God has gifted many Christian business people with enormous creativity and problem solving ability. When these people are encouraged and mobilized to pursue God’s kingdom, they exert exponential spiritual impact on their world.
3. Business people often have access to political leaders, celebrities and business leaders whereas most church leaders do not. While not every country is open to receiving missionaries, most countries are open to business. Christian business leaders are using this God-given leverage to provide a Christian witness and to exert spiritual influence in places where missionaries would be banned or arrested.
4. Christian business people are comfortable with technology. To succeed in business today, they must know how to communicate globally. Never in human history has the world been as interconnected as it is today. Modern technology allows a decision in New York City to immediately impact people in Tokyo. Likewise, just as God used the Roman Peace and its network of roads as well as the universal Greek language to spread Christianity throughout the First Century world, so modern communication tools and global connections hold the potential to impact the world today. Should revival begin in the marketplace, the channels of communication used daily to conduct business could rapidly fan the flames of revival to every nation on earth.

For too long, church leaders have asked businesspeople to join them in their efforts to make church programs successful. This is convoluted thinking. In reality, Scripture exhorts church leaders to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12). A vast amount of the wealth, energy, creativity, leadership skills and problem solving ability possessed by Christians today is being used each week in the marketplace. Should these skills and resources be focused on the renewal and expansion of God’s kingdom, a world-wide revival would ensue. Be alert to what God is doing in the marketplace. It could well be the source of the next great movement of God.