Reformation Ministries International Corp

Business as Mission in the First Century

When the persecutions began in earnest in the first century prior to the fall of Jerusalem, the believers went out from there into all of the surrounding areas of the Roman Empire. We could say that these were the first missionaries and we could also say that they were the first examples of BAM. No one called it that, but the results were exactly the same. Most of those living in Jerusalem who left during the persecution were those who had come there to worship and had been drawn by the Spirit unto faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. These and many of the original inhabitants of Jerusalem, who also departed into other areas of the Roman Empire as a result of the persecution, were for the most part tradesman and business people. These went everywhere preaching the word and sharing their testimony. More importantly, they were able to exemplify and give life to their testimony in honest business and trade practices. Which history has shown was spiritually and culturally transformational. This is much more than mere secular business people trying to make a profit. Consider Lydia who took the initiative to conduct studies and prayer groups while exercising her profession as a seller of cloth. Can anyone doubt that Lydia, Paul and other first century players in this grass roots Christian entrepreneurial exercise, set examples of fair trade, excellent workmanship, work ethic, and economic integrity?

Bottle Neck

Continued training of pastors to go out and start mission churches is not a bad thing. However, as the only method of representation of the Kingdom and the message of the whole church with the whole gospel to the whole world, it is much too narrow and in fact is a sad example of sacerdotalism gone array.

Whereas, the "clergy:" as we have come to identify those who preach the word from a pulpit, is a small fraction of the total church family. Contrary to this narrow perspective of God's soldiers for the cross, the bible tells us that we as the family of God are all a Royal Priesthood in Christ. It is precisely this clarity of understanding that propelled the early believers and those who fled the persecution in Jerusalem, to testify and live boldly their faith in a time and place where such action could be taken as against the Empire.

BAM is not a replacement of congregational ministry methods of preaching the gospel, it is simply one of the most under emphasized and little understood by today's believers. The greater majority of first century citizens of the Roman Empire were either, small agrarian farmers, tradesmen and or business people who were in effect small business entrepreneurs all. By contrast we in the 21st century are 95% hourly wage earners and only 5% entrepreneurs. As a result we have lost almost all understanding of how important business was and is to the spiritual and cultural transformation of individuals and countries.

Through the teaching and equipping of thousands of young entrepreneurs, men and women of faith and grace, the church can uncork the bottle neck and send a great wave of spiritual and cultural transformation across many lands and many people, even as the first century Christian did and which was also done in the wake of the Reformation.