God has planted us as a “signpost” in different arenas of the marketplace in order to point people to a better Kingdom and a better King. 

We are there to witness to pre-believers that they need not remain in the kingdom of darkness, but they can come into the Kingdom of Light. They need not stay under the reign of Satan, but they can come under the reign of King Jesus. 

What can we do to become a clear signpost? Here are four simple actions: 

1. Pray faithfully 

Ultimately, salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit. Since it is a work of God, we must begin with prayer unto God. 

We must pray consistently for our colleagues and friends. We ask for divine appointments where we can step in to meet a felt-need, to speak a word of encouragement, or to do an act of kindness. 

Paul wrote in Colossians 4:3-4: “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” 

Let us resolve to pray for our friends before God before we speak to them about God. 

Every time I pray, I move the hands of God 
My prayer does the things my hands cannot do 
Every time I pray, the mountains are removed 
And paths are made straight and nations turn to You!

2. Connect relationally

We intentionally build bridges with our pre-believing friends and colleagues by being genuinely interested in their lives. 

We can start with simple, authentic conversations with them about life issues, sports, current affairs, family, work and so forth, and then we move deeper to spiritual conversations about values and faith. 

We earn the right to get deeper with others by cultivating and building trust over time. And trust is built simply through the gracious words we speak, the loving actions we perform and the wise way we handle issues in our work and our office. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. 

3. Love practically

D L Moody once said: “Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible, the 99 others will read the Christian.” 

Jesus said in John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” 

The Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Are read by more than a few 
But the one that is most read and commented on 
Is the gospel according to you 
You are writing a gospel, a chapter a day 
By the things you do and the words that you say 
Men read what you write, whether faithless or true 
But what is the gospel according to you? 
Do men read His truth and His love in your life 
Or has yours been too full of malice and strife? 
Does your life speak of evil, or does it ring true? 
Just what is the gospel according to you?

What is the Gospel according to you? 

4. Share boldly

A common quote often attributed to St Francis of Assisi goes like this: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” 

This statement is true in that people need to see Jesus in our actions but at the same time, they can never know who He is until we tell them. The truth is, Jesus cannot get the glory unless we give Him the glory! 

Romans 10:14-15: “How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ ” 

I believe that God wants us as marketplace ministers to be the gospel wherever God has planted us. 

He wants us to be the clear signposts that point people to a better Kingdom and let people know that they can belong to the best King – our King Jesus!