Urban missionary of a different variety

They say it's after you complete a bible course that the real learning kicks in and I think they are right. The truth is I now have a lot more light, that means a lot more responsibility for my actions than I was before. So although at the moment I work in the corporate world even though we provide a public service I believe myself to be an urban missionary. Since starting there almost 6 months ago I have learnt so much. I don't think I was totally aware how the world thought. In lots of ways I've been in Christian surrounding for quite sometime with Ywam and doing the bible school last year. So in some ways it has been a refreshing change being in the real world so to speak. I'm continually reminded that most people's thoughts are on money, it's what most people talk about that together with getting as many material objects as possible. Buying items is talked about as a necessity rather than a luxury. Now I have been buying a few more things because I have a salary now and God has been teaching me for a while my royal lineage and that I deserve nice things. I've also learnt over many years that if you can invest in paying more for something that is the most sensible thing to do. Because buying cheap items is false economy. However I could very easily slip into thinking that identity and joy comes from some plastic and material which I know it doesn't but we can all be deceived and for much of the world it definitely does.

This may feature in another blog because I believe it is a very big subject. The issue of we are not what we do. Our jobs and roles do not define us. 

Being surrounded by high flyers has tested how much I trust God for having me in the right place but also whether I put my security and identity in Jesus or not. Unfortunately the answer has been no at times. I found myself feeling rubbish especially when I was dealing with the actual rubbish. God would say to me again and again and continues to do so that my identity does not come from what I do in no way in fact. He needs to carry on renewing my mind in this area.

Although a couple of nights ago I was at a church meeting and we were having a time of corporate worship. The song words that came into my head 

were "We fall down we lay out crowns at the feet of Jesus." I thought to myself how do we already have crowns. Then I realised that King Jesus is the one who gives us his crown, we get to wear Jesus 's crown. In fact he gives us one of our own we really are royalty that is how much his death and resurrection is worth . I am already royalty you cannot get a higher place than that not even celebs can post the same lineage. Now all this is in the physical realm but in the spiritual one I don't actually have a physical crown but I and you if you are a child of God new to remember who you are. 

It is then from this place then that we can reach out into our workplaces it does not matter if they have a higher position in the company or seem to have it all together. Because they probably don't and even if they think they do if they don't have Jesus as their Lord and saviour then they definitely don't have lots missing in fact the most important part.
So you dont need to go all the way to be a missionary God can use you right where you are. He can use you when you go to work on Monday morning.
I used to be a missionary in the sense of working for a missionary organisation. However since I started my current job I have had more opportunities to preach the gospel than at any other time. Our offices are field white for the harvest as Jesus puts it. We are living in exciting times and God has called specifically you to your work place for this period of time even if you are the cleaner you can make an impact. In my last role I did my fair share of cleaning, but it was in those moments of emptying the bins and filling the dishwasher that I met key people who I would now call friends and some of which I am investing time into.
You see you are different there will be things about you that people will already notice, lets face it if we start to explain how we live and our lifestyle it is totally alien to most of our colleagues. What do you mean you don't get drunk, lie, go home early, just to name a few things where you are probably already very different.
 Let me tell you, that they are craving for the kind of community and security and purpose that we enjoy.
So be that prophetic voice in your workplace how can you be different from how you have been up to now, a friend of mine challenged me to shine the other day and so that is going to be my goal from now on not promotion but shining bright so I have to give people a reason for why I seem to have a bright shining light around me, I am not there yet but it it is my aim. So some ways you can do this is by always being the one to brew up, being the one to stop back biting, offering another point of view, being the prophetic voice of affirmation and praise. These are just a few tips and I too need to put them into practice more often.