Scott's N-Cites

Reading Recommendations

A common theme God is speaking to me about is "market-place ministry" and each of the books I'm reading or have recently read speaks to that issue in some form. Of course, the Bible tops the list. Besides that there are four books and a daily devotional I highly recommend.

1. The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. This is a must-read for any entrepreneur/small business owner. It's very well written and clarifies why 80% of new businesses fail within the first 5 years.

2. Os Guinness' classic The Greatest Salesman in the World - an awesome book that clearly presents the truth that "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." It's creatively written, very practical, and insightful.

3. I'm just a few chapters into Anointed for Business by Ed Silvoso and it's very powerful. Let me give you one example:

The first picture we have of the disciples is in the marketplace where Jesus met them. Peter and Andrew, professional fishermen, were busy casting a net into the sea when Jesus told them to follow Him. Jesus next spotted James and John, partners with their father in a food enterprise - they were mending their nets during a lull in the fishing (see Matthew 4:21-22). Matthew received his calling "while in his tax office" (Matt. 9:9) Nathaniel, whom Jesus saw sitting under a tree, was probably a farmer (See John 1:48). All of the disciples were certainly marketplace people. None of the Twelve was a leader in the Temple or in the synagogue.

Silvoso also writes about Jesus as a businessman - running a succesful carpentry shop. It's fun to picture people eating at a table Jesus made, opening a door his hands crafted, etc.

4. Kim is reading Permission Granted To Do Church Differently in the 21st Century by Graham Cooke & Gary Goodell. The ideas in the Introduction alone are worth the price of the book. The authors reject the idea of an unbiblical distinction between clergy and laity and speak of the importance of widespread participation in worship gatherings so that all believers can contribute significantly to each other's spiritual formation.

Finally, I receive a daily devotional called "TGIF: Today God is First" by Os Hillman. He is really in tune with what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church today. Today's edition includes:

So often we are encouraged to bring people to church. Yet, we see no examples of where Jesus brought people into the synagogue to get them saved or healed. The miracles happened more often in the workplace because that was where Jesus could be found. Jesus had less response and found more resistance in the synagogue than in the workplace. He took the gospel to and modeled the gospel in the workplace. That is where the power of God was manifested. This is not to say we should not bring people to church, only that our priority should be to bring the Church into the workplace, not bring the workplace into the church.

posted by Scott @ 9:06 AM