(Read Daniel 6:15-16)
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. In our last message we saw how King Darius spent all day racking his brain, trying to come up with a way to get Daniel out of the bind he was in. The king knew the Law was unchangeable, but he thought about it anyway. Darius spent hours wargaming and brainstorming, but it seemed like there was no way around it. Daniel was destined for the lion’s den.
Let’s pick up the story from where we left off. The Bible says, “Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, “Remember, King, that the law of the Medes and Persians says that no law or command signed by the king can ever be canceled or changed.” So King Darius gave the order. They brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May the God you serve save you!”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. You are called to ministry in the marketplace.
a) Most people are not going to find God in church, because they won’t go to church. They are looking to see your God IN you!
b) Many non-believers will never consider attending your church until they see a good representation of your God, IN YOU, at work.
c) You are God’s representative (His ambassador) everywhere you go. When you claim to be a Christian, the world is watching you and whatever you do becomes a representation of the God you represent.
d) God did not save you from a burning hell just so you can sing songs on Sundays. He wants you to represent Him where you have been planted – at work!
e) Daniel did not just represent God at home, or in the temple. Daniel represented God well everywhere he went and because of Daniel God was able to reach several secular kings.
2. God used Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to reach secular leaders.
a) When God used Daniel to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream the king said, “I know for sure your God is the God over all gods and the Lord over all kings” (Daniel 2:47). This did not happen in church and Daniel was not a prophet, priest or preacher.
b) After God saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego IN the fiery furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar said, “So I now make this law: Anyone from any nation or language group who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces, and their house will be destroyed until it is a pile of dirt and ashes. No other god can save his people like this.” (Daniel 3:29). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not preachers and the ministry they performed was not in church.
c) By the time King Darius had to reluctantly send Daniel into the lion’s den, the king was so convinced that Daniel’s God was the true God that this secular leader said, “May the God you serve save you!” (Daniel 6:16). Darius was already convinced that Daniel’s God was the true God.
d) Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were supposed to be slaves in Babylon, but they became evangels for God. So much so, that secular kings came to know God through them. Can the same be said of you?
3. Marketplace ministry is no less of a divine assignment than ministry from the pulpit.
a) Many church-folk make the mistake of placing the assignment of their Pastors on a pedestal and seeing their assignment as less Godly or less important, just because it does not involve preaching from the pulpit. This is a major mistake. If God did not call you to preach from the pulpit, then you will not be held accountable for that assignment. But you do have an assignment and God will hold you accountable for it. Whatever God has called you to do, that assignment becomes your divine assignment and God will give you grace, anointing, favor and power to do it, just like He does for your Pastor.
b) Don’t minimize the importance of being a brick mason, mechanic, doctor, lawyer, school teacher, executive assistant, police officer, servicemember or any other profession. Paul said, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not mere men.” (Col 3:23).
c) The fact that you are not called to preach from the pulpit does not make you any less important to God or His Kingdom. You may even have a greater sphere of influence at work than your Pastor does at church. Allow God to use you and He will impact your sphere of influence — no matter how big or small it is — for His glory.
d) The word minister simply means servant. We are all ministers of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Allow God to use you to reach the world today!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. You saved me by grace and I accessed Your grace for salvation when I placed my faith in my Lord Jesus the Christ. No matter what else You do for me, I will never stop giving You praise for Jesus and for saving me from a burning hell. I now live in Him, with Him, and for Him! You have planted me at work and I declare that I shall bloom where I have been planted. I don’t get paid to preach, so I will do what I am paid to to. But while I am not there to preach, I am there to REACH the lost for You. My life is a burning evangel. My conduct is the greatest sermon. My confidence in You is evident to superiors, peers and subordinates. When people see me, listen to me, and interact with me, Your glory is manifested and they can sense Your presence. I declare that I am a minister of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ and I serve You everyday in every way, in every place. I go to work and You perform ministry through me, in the marketplace, for Your glory. I appreciate my church, but church is not where I go to serve. Church is where I go to worship. I actually leave the church to serve and I serve You everywhere I go! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
