8th June 2006

In the marketplace
By John Fischer

I recently heard from a member of a large church in Canton, Ohio, whose pastor had preached on “What would Jesus say to Howard Stern?”

Apparently someone took a picture of the sermon title on the marquee and sent it to Mr. Stern. The short of it is that her pastor, Greg Nettle, ended up on Howard Stern's show with the message of God's love. Even Howard Stern couldn't argue with the power of love that came through Greg's kind words and even demeanor and ended the show remarking that the pastor had given him something to think about.

When you enter the marketplace, you share the platform with all kinds of messages, religions, and points of view. At that point, trust has to be placed in the power of the truth, not in proper or familiar associations. Being on a Starbucks cup does not make Rick Warren a supporter of gay liberation, since a quote from that point of view appeared in the same place a few months ago, or because Starbucks helped support a gay parade somewhere. It doesn't even make him a supporter of Starbucks any more than it makes Starbucks a supporter of the Gospel. What it means is the truth about God from a trusted source got a chance to be considered in the marketplace of ideas.

Paul, missionary and builder of the early church, once entered the marketplace of ideas in the ancient city of Athens, and in the course of his address to Stoic and Epicurean philosophers, he quoted a popular poet, made reference to an idol to an “unknown God,” and gave a message that showed his knowledge of the prevailing worldview of his audience (Acts 17:16-34). He did all this from a place called the Areopagus – a sort of open forum where the latest ideas were discussed. We know from history that many of those ideas would have been in direct opposition to the truth of his message. That didn't seem to stop him.

Throughout the course of his 60-year reign as the leading evangelical in the world, Billy Graham has always stuck to a simple premise: that he would mount any stage and speak from any platform that would give him an opportunity to share his message. He never once concerned himself with who owned that stage, who was on it last, or who would follow him. He merely saw every opportunity to speak as an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

It all comes down to trust – trust in the power of truth, the power of God, and the presence of the Holy Spirit to interpret that truth into the hearts and minds of those who encounter it.

Do you have a “marketplace” platform within the influence of your circle of friends and associates? Don't hesitate to use it to share what you know about God. Good things always happen when you do because God's always in charge of his truth.