The Cornelius'

Cornelius was the first Gentile to hear the Gospel. He bridged the Gospel to a foreign culture (the Gentiles), one that was very different from the Jews. The Scripture paints a picture of a man who was devout, God-fearing, and who touched the heart of God. One of the most amazing statements ever spoken over a human being was spoken over Cornelius: "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God."

'Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!" And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God (Acts 10:1-4)'".

Modern-day Cornelius' are "prayer and alms" people. They are called to work "as unto the Lord," give liberally, and pray earnestly. They will also bridge the Gospel to a foreign culture - the marketplace. Cornelius' are called to tug at the heart of God.

There is a man I know who moved his family to Kansas City to be a part of the International House of Prayer, the 24/7 prayer and worship ministry. He conscientiously works a full-time job, usually 40-50 hours per week. He gives generously to the Lord. Most days, before and after work, he comes to the House of Prayer and prays, heartfelt and earnestly. Though he is a simple man, there is an aroma of devotion about him - I believe he moves the heart of God.

The Craftsmen

Most students of the Scriptures cannot name the first instance of someone being "filled with the Spirit of God." Most are surprised to find it in the building of the tabernacle of Moses:

^"Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah."I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 'And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you. (Ex. 31:1-6)'"

The first mention in Scripture of anyone being filled with the Spirit of God speaks of God's infilling "in all kinds of craftsmanship." Not prophecy, not miracles, but craftsmanship! God gave Bezalel supernatural revelation and ability in the working of gold, silver, precious stones, etc. Examples of modern craftsmen include engineers, artisans, analysts, accountants, lawyers, etc.

I was trained as a computer engineer. I considered myself a "craftsman of code." I used to love writing code to the glory of God. I wrote code that people said was impossible to do. I would sit for hours quietly before my computer and craft the very finest code. I fellowshipped with God; we wrote together sometimes. Several times when I was stumped, I asked God to help me, and I had a dream that showed me where the problem was! I worked hard to improve my craft and become the best engineer possible. Wherever I went I quickly became the top engineer in the company.

I am a student of history, especially ancient history. In reading a volume on the history of Byzantium, I came across a photograph of an ancient reliquary. The reliquary was of solid gold, intricately carved with figures, scriptures, etc. Monks, mostly with hand-tools, had made it nearly 1500 years ago. It was stunning! It was clearly a labor of love for many monks over, perhaps, decades. Then I read the caption: "The reliquary was to never leave the inner sanctuary of the church, and was never to be seen by the eyes of man." These monks had labored years to produce something of stunning value and beauty, only for their Creator!

In London there is a shoemaker named only "Lobb" who has been in business for hundreds of years. They have no sign on their door and they have never advertised. They have made shoes for nearly every king of England in the last few hundred years, and thousands of celebrities. Their shoes cost $5,000 per pair and take 9 months or more to make. But the customers say once you wear a pair you can never go back. They make wooden carvings of your feet, and then they build the shoe around the carving.

Of Lobb the scripture is true:

"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men (Prov. 22:29)."

God is the greatest craftsman ever! He loves creating; He loves beauty; He loves sharing His creative gift and love of beauty with earthly craftsmen. These earthly craftsmen will be driven by this motive: to craft for Him, to give Him the very best. They will have a revelation of the Creator God.

The Governors

The "Governors" are those with gifts of government (or "administrations", as mentioned in 1 Cor. 12:28). These are often anointed with extraordinary supernatural governance giftings such as the Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, and Counsel. Biblical examples of those with gifts of government include Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Daniel, and Nehemiah. The Governors are called to rule the affairs of businesses, churches and ministries, and civil governments. They will have an extraordinary revelation of the Ruler God.

The Governors are anointed such that whatever they get involved with begins working better. Joseph was such an example: even though he was only a slave, he was soon promoted over all the affairs of Potiphar's house and Potiphar was greatly prospered. When Joseph worked for Pharoah, again he was quickly promoted and Pharaoh was greatly prospered.

Mike Frank is an example of a modern-day Governor. Whatever he touches begins to work better and come into order, and prosper. He has been in the executive ranks of General Mills, Pepsico, Disney, and Level (3). At every company, he was rapidly promoted and the company began to prosper. Often when he left, the company began struggling.

Those with this extraordinary governmental gifting are sometimes opposed by insecure, ego-driven people who are threatened by them. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. Potiphar and Pharaoh would have been foolish to be threatened by Joseph - he was the "goose that laid the golden eggs" for them. Likewise, church and ministry leaders are foolish to be threatened by these anointed governors - if given authority, they will bring success.

Many of the best leaders today are operating in a governmental gifting given by God, even though they may not be serving God. "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Rom. 11:29)." It is critical that the church recognizes and values this gifting, and encourages those with this gifting to fully embrace the calling. If the church is to have a leadership role in this millennium, we must have those who have both the anointing to rule and a heart for God in place in all the arenas of life: church, business, government, military, and education.

The Treasure Bringers

Bringers are those who are anointed by God to make money. Much has been made of the great "transfer of wealth" from sinners to the righteous spoken of in Scripture. Isaiah 60 foretells of great darkness in the earth, the emergence of the mature glorified church (the Bride of Christ), and the wealth of the nations coming to her. There are seven references to wealth in this chapter. The Treasure Bringers are those with an anointing from God to facilitate this massive wealth-transfer.

One man who is called as a Treasure Bringer had a dream about Isaiah 60:11:

"Your gates will be open continually; they will not be closed day or night, so that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession (Isa. 60:11)."

In the dream, there was a castle on a mountain. In the castle, seated on the throne was Jesus. Kings were lined up in front of Him, down the great hall, out the door, and all the way down the mountain. Each king had arms full of treasure. They were filled with joy as they lay their treasure at Jesus' feet, then they ran back as fast as they could to go get more.

The Treasure Bringers are motivated by a revelation of the benevolent God. These are the ones who will bring in the billions, and will do the greatest deeds of compassion and mercy deeds to the nations. They are spiritual "Robin Hoods." Their greatest joy is plundering the wealth of the world for their Lord. They will be completely free from the spirit of mammon, but will have a righteous "love" of money, because of what they can use it for. Of necessity they will be the humblest of men and women, free from the control spirit and free from glory seeking.

Gary Ginter is a Treasure Bringer. As he was on the verge of becoming a missionary, God spoke to Gary to go into the marketplace. Gary founded the Chicago Research & Trading Group, which became a moneymaking sensation the Wall Street Journal dubbed "the envy of the industry." Gary and his wife are worth multiple millions, yet live in a modest 3-bedroom house and drive old cars. They have given millions to missions. Gary stated, "God has called me to make all the money I can, but live on as little as possible and give the rest away."

Through the Treasure Bringers, God will establish a new ethos: that of "financial eunuchs." A eunuch was one who was trusted because of lack of personal desire. Financial eunuchs will be those who have little personal desire for wealth, and are therefore trusted by God. Many will "live within a circle," only taking what they need, in order to give more to the Lord.

Many of the Treasure Bringers will not actually own the wealth they manage. Joseph, for instance, controlled all the land, grain, and riches of Pharaoh, but owned none of it. This is one of the strategies God will use to keep the hearts of His Treasure Bringers pure. Yet Joseph was still able to provide for God's people, and build a city for them, Goshen. And much of the wealth collected by Joseph for Pharaoh ended up in the hands of the Israelites during the Exodus.

As the church grows into maturity, becoming like Jesus, we will see the Treasure Bringers come forth in similarly increasing measure. God will use their extraordinary generosity to finance anointed ministries, supply the needy, perform miracles of compassion on a national scale, and build "cities of habitation."

The Marketplace Redeemers

The Marketplace Redeemers are those who will build oases of ministry and Kingdom life in the middle of the marketplace. They will not look primarily to church meetings for their spheres of activity, but will build the Kingdom of God where they are. They will establish the Presence of God in the marketplace. They will usher in the great harvest "outside the camp."

Often the Marketplace Redeemers have a marketplace calling, but are loaded with ministry giftings as well. For years I was confused, because I was good at engineering and business, but I also loved teaching and pastoring people. Many of those anointed as Marketplace Redeemers are in or have been in vocational ministry, because they have ministry giftings and have not understood the importance of the marketplace.

Some Marketplace Redeemers will build anointed businesses. Others will build spiritual oases in the midst of world systems in education, business, the military, and civil government. Stay-at-home moms and dads are also Marketplace Redeemers, establishing the oases of the Presence of God where they are. Marketplace Redeemers use their sphere of authority, whether big or small, to build a spiritual oasis wherever they are. These oases are characterized by the Presence of God, joy, love for others, and ministry to the saved and unsaved alike.

The City Builders

One of God's strategies for dealing with dark times is building "cities of habitation." Cities of habitation are described in detail in Psalm 107. They are places of refuge from the storms of life and the rage of the enemy. The City Builders are those who are called to build the cities of habitation. They have a strong anointing to build, combined with a strong patriarchal or matriarchal anointing. They are motivated and empowered by a revelation of the Patriarchal God and the Protector God.

Joseph was a City Builder. He build Goshen, which became a city of habitation. While everyone else endured the great famine, in Goshen they were fed from the table of the King. During the great plagues and judgments that came under Moses, Goshen was protected. In Goshen the Israelites grew from a family of 75 Bedouin nomads into a great nation. They developed their own economy, local government, community, education, culture, art, etc.

Nehemiah was also a City Builder. In his day the temple of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, but there were no walls and no city. The area was depopulated; impoverished local residents scratched out a meager existence; they were continually troubled by the arbitrary cruelty of local warlords. Nehemiah rebuilt the walls, reestablished the city and built a strong government.

In many ways our days are like the days of Nehemiah. The temple (true worship) has been restored, but there is no city (economy, government, community, education, culture, art, etc.). Christians are in "great distress and reproach (Neh. 1:3)." We are in need of Nehemiah's to help rebuild the walls and reestablish the city of God and its government.

These six Kingdom callings have not had widespread understanding or acknowledgement in the church. As they do, and those with these callings are recognized and settle their hearts into the "validity" of the ministry God has given them, we will see a great shift and expansion in the understanding and expression of the life of the church. We will begin to see a richness and fullness of community life that we have not yet experienced. We will further reclaim our destiny, and more fully move into the purposes of God in this end-time generation.

Bob Fraser was founder and CEO of a 250-employee software company which experienced sustained revival and was the Kansas City Metro area's fastest growing company between 1997 and 1999. Today, Bob is the director of the Joseph Company, a ministry dedicated to restoring a vision for the marketplace. He also serves a Chief Financial Officer at the International House of Prayer Missions Base. For audio tape teachings and Bob's new book, Marketplace Christianity, visit FOTB's bookstore at www.fotb.com. For more information on the Joseph Company conferences, leadership retreats, and internships, visit www.josephcompany.org.

Re-printed with permission: The Elijah List www.elijahlist.com