Summer Series: Daniel – Characters of a Marketplace Leader

Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
- Daniel 6:3

In preparation for this series I have come to love the passage, Daniel 6:3. It sets the tone for all of us who step out into the marketplace to find our ministry. Let’s take a quick recap of the major points on our lesson on Daniel, before we indulge into this passage.

The leadership role of Daniel can be defined through a process.
One: A leader stands up for what he believes in.
Two: God’s favor falls on a leader.
Three: A leader will receive opportunities to use their gift.
Four: A leader is ready at all times to use his/her gift!

Daniel’s marketplace ministry opened doors for God to show himself to a lost and pagan nation, thus asking ourselves the following questions,

One: Do those around you know who you serve?
Two: Is God the center of every part of your business/job?

A marketplace ministry is not a part time job. Just as our faith is not part time, why then should the way we conduct business as marketplace ministers be part time? We must come to the conclusion that our business/profession is very much a part of our ministry and call! They are not two entities like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character, where we act one way from the other. Our faith/worldview should mesh with the very call (business/profession) God has placed in our life so others will see Him through us!

“Part time anointing or anointing for part time ministry, is not found in the Bible.”
- Ed Silvoso (Anointed for Business, pg 33)

I believe that the next move of God will come from the marketplace! I know that is a bold statement and may go against the norm of the heads of the church. Yet, I believe that just as God started the church with power and used ordinary people to spread the hope of Christ to a lost and polytheistic world, He will do the same in these days! I believe those in the marketplace will be the voice and force that usher in a movement of God in these days. The body of believers in the early church saw their ministry as their responsibility, not the churches! They saw the place where they worked and did business, as an opportunity to share their faith and distinguish them to be different. They understood the responsibility placed on them to be a light to a dark world. That is why I believe that the training and equipping of my students to be effective in the marketplace and those in business is important for our generation!

Let’s look at Daniel 6:3.

Two things pop out to me as I read this passage…..distinguished and exceptional qualities.

The word distinguish means: to mark off as different; to recognize as distinct or different; to make prominent. Daniel had set himself apart from all others in such a way that King Darius chose him to be one of three “bosses” over the satraps of the kingdom. Now remember, Daniel was a captive! He was not of Persian lineage. He had been taken from his land and put into the service of the king. For the king to put a “foreigner” in such a lofty position shows the influence Daniel had with those around him.

The second part that sticks out is the words, exceptional qualities. Which leads me to ask, “What qualities made him so exceptional?” “What made Daniel stand out?” The answer is found in the following verse, Daniel 6:4

“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”

What does it say? What observations can you glean from this passage?

How did Daniel distinguish himself from others in the marketplace?

Daniel was found to be…

Trustworthy - deserving of trust or confidence; dependable; reliableNO corruption - moral perversion; perversion of integrityNOT negligent - lazily careless; habitually neglecting duties, responsibilities, etc; lacking attention, care, or concern

How does this apply to your business or profession? Imagine if we as a body of believers took our business and applied these qualities to our personal mission statement! I believe that if applied, your business would change! Maybe even grow! Why? Because others would see something different in you and want to do business with you. No need to manipulate one to purchase your product. No need to steal sales to lift your numbers. No false pretenses of what could be “if you sign with me.” No need for that! Why? Because when one lives as Daniel did in his marketplace ministry, blessings will come! At the end of the chapter it reads…

“So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

The root word “prospered” in Hebrew is tsel•akh', meaning to show prosperity and to have success (http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6744&t=NIV). Daniel was blessed both by the wealth that came with his position, and the success that followed him because he lived a life that was favorable to God! Which brings me to another question. If Daniel had this power and favor with the kings, why not ask to go back to his homeland? I am sure that there are many reasons, yet I wonder, could it be that Daniel saw his place and calling right there in the midst of Kings and rulers? Did he come to the conclusion that God placed him in such a position to impact a nation? His ministry impacted people’s lives, which were more important than the wealth. I cannot help but to think that Daniel cried out to God during his prayer times and said, “Lord, you are a faithful God. I am here for a greater reason than myself. I have seen your hand at work all these years. Lord, here am I. Use me!”

There is no greater time than now to be a light to a world that searches for hope in a chaotic world. Your business/profession is the platform that God has given to you. A world seeks for something to believe in and it starts with you! Marketplace minister…ARISE AND LET THE POWER OF THE LORD USE YOU IN WAYS YOU MAY HAVE NEVER KNOWN, SO THAT YOU MAY BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS!

His call. His gift to you. Your purpose. Irrevocable!