ANOINTED FOR BUSINESS STUDY GUIDE WEEK 8 REPORT

Answers to THE KINGDOM, THE CHURCH AND THE MARKETPLACE

A. Study Guide

1. The kingdom of God is intended to transform, not just individuals, but also the environment, and the
conditions around them.

2. The kingdom of God existed yesterday, is coming
in the future, but is also for today.

3. The kingdom of God is something tangible, that has a deep effect on interpsonal relationsips.

4. The focus of the Church has been on bringing people into the church building instead of taking the kingdom of God to where the people are.

5. The Church is to be dynamic and expansive rather than confined and centripetal.

6. The Church exists to bring the kingdom of God to Earth and is empowered and commissioned by the Lord to storm the gates of hell.

7. Who is “the Church”? (read para. The Church in the Whole World)
men and women, masters and slaves, parents and children who have been set free from the kingdom of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of light. These people carry that Kingdom with them wherever they go.

8. In the early Church, the marketplace became central to the Church’s activities, especially evangelist endeavours.

9. Of the 40 major supernatural actions recorded in the book of Acts, 39 took place in the marketplace.

B. Reflection and Discussion

1. How has Satan’s deception affected our understanding of the kingdom of God, the nature of the Church, and the Church’s role in the marketplace? (read para. The Heart of the Deception)

1. The Kingdom of God only manifest exclusively in the future and the past and it is intangible.
2. The church is confined to a building and create spiritual ghetto mentality.
3. The church’s role in the marketplace is to isolate, avoid at all costs the marketplace as it is a domain and bunker of the devil and its’ forces.

2. Why is the misbelief that the Church was born between four walls detrimental to our identity ad our role in the Kingdom?

Because it cause to believe that the church is equivalent to a church building and institution – another sub-culture! It focuses its resources to acquire and maintain the venue and just doing church on Sundays and neglecting to take the Kingdom of God to where we are – in the family, neighbourhood, community, marketplace and the city.

3. Why have Christians believed that the marketplace is less spiritual than a church?

Because they believe that Marketplace is the breeding ground of their enemies and should be subdued, destroyed and avoided. The church is holy and should be set part from the world or as described in his A4B book as “having Spiritual Ghetto mentality”

4. In the story of Joe the Philippine taxi owner Joe (A Bar Becomes a Church), Joe saw the church as a means to take the kingdom of God to people in the marketplace. Sinners came into the kingdom of God when they discovered that it had come near to them, and Joe taught them how to have church in the marketplace. What wuld it mean for you to have church in the marketplace? What obstacles might you face in the endeavour?

To have the church in the marketplace mean that we take the Kingdom of God to our circle of influence, in our home, in our workplace, in our business premises, and the industry sectors that we represent. It means praying when we are facing a decision or encountering a problem no matter how small and big they may be. It means speaking peace and blessing, going the extra mile, going the opposite spirit when you are harassed or mistreated basically. Doing practical works of ministry among those we interact everyday before preaching and teaching the Gospel and God’s Word.

There are of course obstacles, but our God will give us the grace and strength to overcome them. Some obstacles that we may face are the misbeliefs or wrong mindset of the church, marketplace and the Kingdom of God, lack of trained and equipped marketplace ministers, balancing between business/work and ministry, discouragement/fear of failure and the misbelief that marketplace ministers are not good enough or qualified to have a church in the marketplace.

(Answers for these studies compiled by Daniel Tan)