Lessons from Marketplace SV

I was part of an unforgettable vocational immersion program this past summer called Marketplace Silicon Valley. Founded by and made up of InterVarsity leaders and students, I had the unique opportunity to learn alongside college students and new grads with a passion for learning how to advance God's kingdom in the workplace.

I jotted some insights I gleaned over the course of the program, and wanted to share them here :)

How can we measure success?

What metric do we use?

Jesus said to the man who did great things in His name, "Get away from me! I don't know you." Therefore, there is success in 'knowing' who Jesus is. Our relationship with God comes first.

How can we satisfy this metric?

Like any relationship a greater understanding of the other party comes with time and vulnerability - being able to share and be open with one another.

God's will and Kingdom

How do we find the Will of God? What is it and how do we know when we're following the Will of God?

Seek the Kingdom First. Because when we trust in him he will make our paths straight. If we seek first God's kingdom and righteousness, which is the will of God for our lives, then whatever choices we make concerning the future become the will of God for our lives. There are many pathways we can follow and as long as we are seeking God, all of them can become God's will for our lives.

How does it feel to hear God's will?

It seems daunting to read of figures in the Bible or even hear people in our own communities, sharing of how they "felt called", "heard God say" when in fact its few and far between to hear God so distinct and clearly. When we're called to follow God's will, we seek and listen to him through prayer. It's this cycle of asking, assurance, and confirmation that leads us towards the will that God meant for us.

What if God doesn't seem to answer?

There may be times when we're asking God about a serious and difficult matter that we're struggling with. Frustrated if we don't get a response, how can we interpret God's silence in this matter. Dave Evans gave us the following perspective:

"God wants to give us the freedom to choose in some hard choices that he can't possibly take that away from us by putting any sort of bias one way or another"

There is no more [holier] profession than another.

What makes a pastor more worthy of entering the Kingdom of God than a businessman? For how can we say that one is more deserving of the Kingdom than another? This is perhaps a crucial tenet in what it means to live out one's faith in the Marketplace. For, it is through our work and the communities we live in that we can work towards God's Kingdom.

For when we seek God's kingdom first in the marketplace, everything and anything we do becomes advances for God's Kingdom and glory.

In fact, what if we flipped the conventional model of the marketplace <-> church model on its head. If it were the businesses that instead of giving financial support to the churches, but the churches supporting the businesses through ministry, teaching, and training.

Economic Discipleship

How to live out a life of economic discipleship? What does it mean to give? How can we give to further the Kingdom of God?

A talk by Josh Groves on what Economic Discipleship means, and how to live it out in the context of God's kingdom and under the pressure of "success" in our world. He told us the stories of a successful entrepreneur who determines how much money his family needs to sustain itself, but then gives the rest away.

How can we effectively give to support the Kingdom?

I learned what sort of initiatives we can support that would affect the widest range of people. Clean water and "tapeworm pills" are two such ways that hold such great impact in terms of "#affected/dollar"