Six Kingdom Callings of Marketplace Christians

by Bob Fraser

There has been an enormous quantity of teaching on the five-fold
ministry of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers
(Eph. 4:11). So much emphasis on the restoration of these ministries has
left marketplace people scratching their heads and trying to fit
themselves into one of these molds. For many, they simply do not fit,
leaving us wondering if God knew what He was doing when He made us.

The five-fold ministries are only five of the millions of valid callings
in the heart of God. I want to introduce you to six kingdom callings
modeled in scripture into which many marketplace Christians fall.


The Cornelius'

Cornelius was the first Gentile to hear the Gospel. He bridged the
Gospel to a foreign culture (the Gentiles), one that was very different
from the Jews. The Scripture paints a picture of a man who was devout,
God-fearing, and who touched the heart of God. One of the most amazing
statements ever spoken over a human being was spoken over Cornelius:
"Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God."

'Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what
was called the Italian cohort, a devout man and one who feared God with
all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to
God continually. About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a
vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him,
"Cornelius!" And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said,
"What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have
ascended as a memorial before God (Acts 10:1-4)'".

Modern-day Cornelius' are "prayer and alms" people. They are called to
work "as unto the Lord," give liberally, and pray earnestly. They will
also bridge the Gospel to a foreign culture - the marketplace.
Cornelius' are called to tug at the heart of God.

There is a man I know who moved his family to Kansas City to be a part
of the International House of Prayer, the 24/7 prayer and worship
ministry. He conscientiously works a full-time job, usually 40-50 hours
per week. He gives generously to the Lord. Most days, before and after
work, he comes to the House of Prayer and prays, heartfelt and
earnestly. Though he is a simple man, there is an aroma of devotion
about him - I believe he moves the heart of God.


The Craftsmen

Most students of the Scriptures cannot name the first instance of
someone being "filled with the Spirit of God." Most are surprised to
find it in the building of the tabernacle of Moses:

"Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "See, I have called by name
Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah."I have
filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in
knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs
for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones
for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds
of craftsmanship. 'And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab,
the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who
are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have
commanded you. (Ex. 31:1-6)'"

The first mention in Scripture of anyone being filled with the Spirit of
God speaks of God's infilling "in all kinds of craftsmanship." Not
prophecy, not miracles, but craftsmanship! God gave Bezalel supernatural
revelation and ability in the working of gold, silver, precious stones,
etc. Examples of modern craftsmen include engineers, artisans, analysts,
accountants, lawyers, etc.

I was trained as a computer engineer. I considered myself a "craftsman
of code." I used to love writing code to the glory of God. I wrote code
that people said was impossible to do. I would sit for hours quietly
before my computer and craft the very finest code. I fellowshipped with
God; we wrote together sometimes. Several times when I was stumped, I
asked God to help me, and I had a dream that showed me where the problem
was! I worked hard to improve my craft and become the best engineer
possible. Wherever I went I quickly became the top engineer in the
company.

I am a student of history, especially ancient history. In reading a
volume on the history of Byzantium, I came across a photograph of an
ancient reliquary. The reliquary was of solid gold, intricately carved
with figures, scriptures, etc. Monks, mostly with hand-tools, had made
it nearly 1500 years ago. It was stunning! It was clearly a labor of
love for many monks over, perhaps, decades. Then I read the caption:
"The reliquary was to never leave the inner sanctuary of the church, and
was never to be seen by the eyes of man." These monks had labored years
to produce something of stunning value and beauty, only for their
Creator!

In London there is a shoemaker named only "Lobb" who has been in
business for hundreds of years. They have no sign on their door and they
have never advertised. They have made shoes for nearly every king of
England in the last few hundred years, and thousands of celebrities.
Their shoes cost $5,000 per pair and take 9 months or more to make. But
the customers say once you wear a pair you can never go back. They make
wooden carvings of your feet, and then they build the shoe around the
carving.

Of Lobb the scripture is true:

"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He
will not stand before obscure men (Prov. 22:29)."

God is the greatest craftsman ever! He loves creating; He loves beauty;
He loves sharing His creative gift and love of beauty with earthly
craftsmen. These earthly craftsmen will be driven by this motive: to
craft for Him, to give Him the very best. They will have a revelation of
the Creator God.


The Governors

The "Governors" are those with gifts of government (or
"administrations", as mentioned in 1 Cor. 12:28). These are often
anointed with extraordinary supernatural governance giftings such as the
Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, and Counsel. Biblical examples of those
with gifts of government include Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Daniel,
and Nehemiah. The Governors are called to rule the affairs of
businesses, churches and ministries, and civil governments. They will
have an extraordinary revelation of the Ruler God.

The Governors are anointed such that whatever they get involved with
begins working better. Joseph was such an example: even though he was
only a slave, he was soon promoted over all the affairs of Potiphar's
house and Potiphar was greatly prospered. When Joseph worked for
Pharoah, again he was quickly promoted and Pharaoh was greatly
prospered.

Mike Frank is an example of a modern-day Governor. Whatever he touches
begins to work better and come into order, and prosper. He has been in
the executive ranks of General Mills, Pepsico, Disney, and Level (3). At
every company, he was rapidly promoted and the company began to prosper.
Often when he left, the company began struggling.

Those with this extraordinary governmental gifting are sometimes opposed
by insecure, ego-driven people who are threatened by them.
Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. Potiphar and Pharaoh would have
been foolish to be threatened by Joseph - he was the "goose that laid
the golden eggs" for them. Likewise, church and ministry leaders are
foolish to be threatened by these anointed governors - if given
authority, they will bring success.

Many of the best leaders today are operating in a governmental gifting
given by God, even though they may not be serving God. "For the gifts
and the calling of God are irrevocable (Rom. 11:29)." It is critical
that the church recognizes and values this gifting, and encourages those
with this gifting to fully embrace the calling. If the church is to have
a leadership role in this millennium, we must have those who have both
the anointing to rule and a heart for God in place in all the arenas of
life: church, business, government, military, and education.


The Treasure Bringers

The Treasure Bringers are those who are anointed by God to make money.
Much has been made of the great "transfer of wealth" from sinners to the
righteous spoken of in Scripture. Isaiah 60 foretells of great darkness
in the earth, the emergence of the mature glorified church (the Bride of
Christ), and the wealth of the nations coming to her. There are seven
references to wealth in this chapter. The Treasure Bringers are those
with an anointing from God to facilitate this massive wealth-transfer.

One man who is called as a Treasure Bringer had a dream about Isaiah
60:11:

"Your gates will be open continually; they will not be closed day or
night, so that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with
their kings led in procession (Isa. 60:11)."

In the dream, there was a castle on a mountain. In the castle, seated on
the throne was Jesus. Kings were lined up in front of Him, down the
great hall, out the door, and all the way down the mountain. Each king
had arms full of treasure. They were filled with joy as they lay their
treasure at Jesus' feet, then they ran back as fast as they could to go
get more.

The Treasure Bringers are motivated by a revelation of the benevolent
God. These are the ones who will bring in the billions, and will do the
greatest deeds of compassion and mercy deeds to the nations. They are
spiritual "Robin Hoods." Their greatest joy is plundering the wealth of
the world for their Lord. They will be completely free from the spirit
of mammon, but will have a righteous "love" of money, because of what
they can use it for. Of necessity they will be the humblest of men and
women, free from the control spirit and free from glory seeking.

Gary Ginter is a Treasure Bringer. As he was on the verge of becoming a
missionary, God spoke to Gary to go into the marketplace. Gary founded
the Chicago Research & Trading Group, which became a moneymaking
sensation the Wall Street Journal dubbed "the envy of the industry."
Gary and his wife are worth multiple millions, yet live in a modest
3-bedroom house and drive old cars. They have given millions to
missions. Gary stated, "God has called me to make all the money I can,
but live on as little as possible and give the rest away."

Through the Treasure Bringers, God will establish a new ethos: that of
"financial eunuchs." A eunuch was one who was trusted because of lack of
personal desire. Financial eunuchs will be those who have little
personal desire for wealth, and are therefore trusted by God. Many will
"live within a circle," only taking what they need, in order to give
more to the Lord.

Many of the Treasure Bringers will not actually own the wealth they
manage. Joseph, for instance, controlled all the land, grain, and riches
of Pharaoh, but owned none of it. This is one of the strategies God will
use to keep the hearts of His Treasure Bringers pure. Yet Joseph was
still able to provide for God's people, and build a city for them,
Goshen. And much of the wealth collected by Joseph for Pharaoh ended up
in the hands of the Israelites during the Exodus.

As the church grows into maturity, becoming like Jesus, we will see the
Treasure Bringers come forth in similarly increasing measure. God will
use their extraordinary generosity to finance anointed ministries,
supply the needy, perform miracles of compassion on a national scale,
and build "cities of habitation."


The Marketplace Redeemers

The Marketplace Redeemers are those who will build oases of ministry and
Kingdom life in the middle of the marketplace. They will not look
primarily to church meetings for their spheres of activity, but will
build the Kingdom of God where they are. They will establish the
Presence of God in the marketplace. They will usher in the great harvest
"outside the camp."

Often the Marketplace Redeemers have a marketplace calling, but are
loaded with ministry giftings as well. For years I was confused, because
I was good at engineering and business, but I also loved teaching and
pastoring people. Many of those anointed as Marketplace Redeemers are in
or have been in vocational ministry, because they have ministry giftings
and have not understood the importance of the marketplace.

Some Marketplace Redeemers will build anointed businesses. Others will
build spiritual oases in the midst of world systems in education,
business, the military, and civil government. Stay-at-home moms and dads
are also Marketplace Redeemers, establishing the oases of the Presence
of God where they are. Marketplace Redeemers use their sphere of
authority, whether big or small, to build a spiritual oasis wherever
they are. These oases are characterized by the Presence of God, joy,
love for others, and ministry to the saved and unsaved alike.


The City Builders

One of God's strategies for dealing with dark times is building "cities
of habitation." Cities of habitation are described in detail in Psalm
107. They are places of refuge from the storms of life and the rage of
the enemy. The City Builders are those who are called to build the
cities of habitation. They have a strong anointing to build, combined
with a strong patriarchal or matriarchal anointing. They are motivated
and empowered by a revelation of the Patriarchal God and the Protector
God.

Joseph was a City Builder. He build Goshen, which became a city of
habitation. While everyone else endured the great famine, in Goshen they
were fed from the table of the King. During the great plagues and
judgments that came under Moses, Goshen was protected. In Goshen the
Israelites grew from a family of 75 Bedouin nomads into a great nation.
They developed their own economy, local government, community,
education, culture, art, etc.

Nehemiah was also a City Builder. In his day the temple of Jerusalem had
been rebuilt, but there were no walls and no city. The area was
depopulated; impoverished local residents scratched out a meager
existence; they were continually troubled by the arbitrary cruelty of
local warlords. Nehemiah rebuilt the walls, reestablished the city and
built a strong government.

In many ways our days are like the days of Nehemiah. The temple (true
worship) has been restored, but there is no city (economy, government,
community, education, culture, art, etc.). Christians are in "great
distress and reproach (Neh. 1:3)." We are in need of Nehemiah's to help
rebuild the walls and reestablish the city of God and its government.

These six Kingdom callings have not had widespread understanding or
acknowledgement in the church. As they do, and those with these callings
are recognized and settle their hearts into the "validity" of the
ministry God has given them, we will see a great shift and expansion in
the understanding and expression of the life of the church. We will
begin to see a richness and fullness of community life that we have not
yet experienced. We will further reclaim our destiny, and more fully
move into the purposes of God in this end-time generation.

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Bob Fraser was founder and CEO of a 250-employee software company which
experienced sustained revival and was the Kansas City Metro area's
fastest growing company between 1997 and 1999. Today, Bob is the
director of the Joseph Company, a ministry dedicated to restoring a
vision for the marketplace. He also serves a Chief Financial Officer at
the International House of Prayer Missions Base. For audio tape
teachings and Bob's new book, Marketplace Christianity, visit FOTB's
bookstore at www.fotb.com. For more information on the Joseph Company
conferences, leadership retreats, and internships, visit
www.josephcompany.org.