“There are millions of Christians and seekers in the marketplace who are hesitant to step out and express their faith. All many of them need is for someone to go first.
I just closed a Zoom meeting with one of my clients. He told me this short story. He recently took a promotion to the corporate office. Word had gotten around the new environment that he started his meetings with a prayer. Out of the blue, a co-worker asked if he could be a part of that prayer time as well.
I remarked that the marketplace is full of Christians and faithful people who are just waiting for someone to go first. I told the story of the aftermath of 911. At the time, my office was on the second floor of a seven-story office building in downtown Grand Rapids. The Monday after 911, I decided that I needed to do something, so I printed up a little flyer, and slid it under the doors of all the other offices in the building. The flyer announced that at noon the next day, I would be in the common space in the basement, leading a prayer. At least 75 people showed up to pray together. Beyond nodding good morning on the elevator, I knew none of them.
Both of these stories are examples of the power of leading. It doesn’t need to be anything huge. Just go first in something that is on your heart. No need to test the water, no need to solicit opinions and seek advice or other options. Ask the Lord to provide you with the idea. Then, just do it. Go first. Announce that “At this time, in this place, I will…….” and invite others to join you.
Here’s another example. When C*vid hit, as you know, everything shut down. Churches stopped meeting, and schools closed. I felt there was a need for my grandchildren to be exposed to Bible truths. I have one set of grandkids who are 18 – 26 years old, and another set in the 6 – 12 year old range. So I decided to get on Zoom once every other week, and tell a Bible story. No big deal. Just a 15 – 20 minute Zoom session in which I told the younger set of grandkids a Bible story. I’ve been doing it ever since. I even captured some of those sessions and put them on YouTube in a new series called Bible Stories with Gramps.
The 'fields are white unto the harvest.' Don’t be sidelined by thinking that you have to be an evangelist. Just live your faith in the marketplace and do what seems right to do. Go first. You may be astonished at how many people have been waiting for someone just like you to go first.”
About Dave Kahle
Dave Kahle has been a Bible teacher, elder, house church leader, short-term missionary and Christian executive roundtable leader. For 30 years, he has been an authority on sales and sales systems, having spoken in 47 states and eleven countries. He has authored 13 books, including The Good Book on Business. His books have been translated into eight-plus languages and are available in over 20 countries. He and Coleen split their time between Grand Rapids, Michigan and Sarasota, Florida. He is a father, foster father, adoptive father and grandfather to 14 children. Visit www.davekahle.com.
