Becoming a Holy Spirit Detector in the Marketplace

There’s an amazing story in the book of Matthew about the Baptism of Jesus. I’ll quote it, and share with you a concept I’ve learned about doing successful marketplace ministry.

We all have the capacity of becoming “Holy Spirit” Hot Spots. And the marketplace needs as many of them in its midst as we can send them. Let me explain how it all works, and how you can begin to be among that number of world-changing marketplace ministers, one office, one breakroom, one business, or one company at a time.

First, let’s get a little Bible under our belts. We’ll begin with Matthew 3:1 :

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Sometimes I think we overlook what John says the good news was. He didn’t say a lot of the things we associate with the good news, a lot of the wonderful and traditional truths we associate with what we call the gospel. He said simply, in effect, translated into our culture speak, “Guys, start changing your thinking! We’re not alone! That parallel universe we call the “kingdom of heaven” isn’t all that far away. It’s drawn near!” As the story will show, in Jesus—and fellow humans—in you too!

Continuing the story, “Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John” (verse 13). John tries to talk him out of it (verses 14-15), but Jesus graciously says to John “Let it be so now.” Notice how gracious the Lord and Master of all creation was being at this baptism “business” site. He didn’t command John. He graciously injected “Let it be” long before the Beatles even thought of the title of the song of the same name. “It is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.” So he winsomely made this “baptism” ministry business owner a partner in fulfilling all righteousness. And John bought in.

Next notice what happens and what Jesus is shows was going to be a hallmark of Jesus’ ministry, and the ministry of all his followers of graciousness in the marketplace.
They become revealers of places the Holy Spirit already is! Notice this beautiful unveiling of the Trinitarian life of God, and of the Trinitarian Reality He’s created.

“ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. “ (verse 16).

I’ve just learned something amazing about this Scripture that I didn’t realize all those years I was “just” a pulpit pastor. I always thought it was Jesus that saw the Holy Spirit coming down like a dove, and maybe it was. But I also realized with some cross-reading in the book of John, it was John who saw the Spirit come down!

“I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ” (John 1:32)

In effect, God gave John a “Holy Spirit” sighting—and showed Him where the Holy Spirit already was working, in their very midst.

I’ve come to see that John was seeing something that was true about His wonderful creation from the beginning. When God created the heavens and the earth, it was all darkness and void. But the “Spirit of God” was always present, the NIV says “hovering” over the darkness. The literal Hebrew ways something infinitely cooler—the Spirit, it says, was “vibrating” over the surface of the waters.

And the Spirit just may be doing the same in “darkness” where God has planted you to be in the marketplace. What if we can become the people who really believe the Kingdom of Heaven is near, in and through ourselves, and maybe over and in some place, already “in” the places He’s planted us?

And instead of worrying about how we’re going to say the “right” things to bring Jesus to the marketplace, what if we can become Holy Spirit/Jesus revealers in the marketplace—to see where He’s already working, and build on that?

Free God WIFI is everywhere. The Holy Spirit has fallen on all flesh (Acts 1:17). And to be truthful, He’s more contagious than the latest versions of the COVID virus.

Our first step is to learn about how to become “Holy Spirit” detectors and begin our ministry to the marketplace at those points. Our second step is about learning how to become “Holy Spirit projectors” in the marketplace. And John the Baptist (and John Lennon) had that one right too—simply “Let it be.” We’ll talk about that more next time.

All Scripture quoted from New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.