Assignment:
Believers in Christ have been given the ministry and the word of reconciliation to become ambassadors of Christ and to make known the gospel of salvation through the savior Jesus Christ. Bringing back people to the living God require Christ ambassadors to live by example and serve the community just like Christ served. Provision of Christian based leadership to communities is a reflection of same type of love that Jesus Christ presented to his followers and disciples. Just like Christ loves the Church, Christians should show love to the community in the same way. Christians, therefore, have a responsibility in steering economic development, contribute to leadership and preach the Gospel.
Christian's contributions to economic developments are more of a reflection to the doctrines of creation. God created man in his image and commanded him to be ‘fruitful and multiply' (Genesis 1:28). The fact that God commanded man to be fruitful and multiply is not bound to procreation. Instead, a general interpretation of the command includes encouragement to produce labour and therefore creation of wealth. Unless the economy is developed to sustain growth in population, survival becomes a challenge. Christians must, therefore, take a lead in promoting labour in accordance with lines of responsibilities captured in the Bible. Biblical instructions are clear on proper roles of Christians as individuals, family, and church.
Christian values demand cultivation within the body of Christ. The values transcend economic markets are considered important pillars towards decision-making processes on careers, investments, savings, purchases, and handling of workers (Klay & Steen, 2013). Christians have the mandate of helping the less fortunate as a way of showing solidarity with them. With reference to the Parable of the Talents, Christians learn that good stewards are good investors and therefore the need to encourage creativity through God-given resources to create wealth for economic development.
Christian leaders have the responsibility to aspire to make a difference in communities that we live in a well as act as examples for others to emulate. Christian values contained in the Scripture has the capabilities to effect change in a community and transform lives of persons in need. Christian leadership in communities entails serving or influencing other persons out of Christ's interests (Hanna, 2006). Christian leadership must, however, be accomplished with Biblical values of love, modesty, motivation, correction, integrity, and correction. According to 1 John 4:8, God is defined as love implying that Christian leadership must express the power and influence of love. Love is central to Christianity and therefore a key value for Christian leadership.
Modesty in leadership is key to the demonstration of Christ's interests. Proverbs 16:5 states that proud hearts are an abomination to God. Christian leaders motivate rather than misleading or exploiting persons that they lead. In the Scripture, good leadership of Nehemiah motivated people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:17). Christian leaders practice and teach integrity and correction. A community whose leadership is based on the different Christian values supports dreams, challenges flaws and respects community concerns. Christian leadership in communities have that capability to nurture a thriving and responsible community that uses available resources to help the less fortunate.
The mandate of the Gospel is considered a foundation for which every Christian should strive to adore. Christians have the ministry and therefore expected to go forth preaching the Gospel. Irrespective of where a Christian work, each Christian can be a witness when empowered by the Holy Spirit and therefore expected to share testimonies. Focus is placed on building others into the body of Christ and transforming them into followers of Christ. Besides the mandate of preaching the Gospel, some Christians hold on to the cultural mandate in which God directed men to work, create and reproduce; a form of activity captured in creation (Genesis 1-3).
The Bible readings for the discussion speak to heart and soul on ways in which Christians assuming positions of responsibilities as well as leadership are expected to carry out their duties with regards to economic development. Christians are expected to take care of widows and orphans as well as the less fortunate (James 1:26-27). According to Proverbs 29:7, the righteous are expected to care about justice for the less fortunate. It is, therefore, a Christian Responsibility to seek justice for everyone and that whatever is God's should be used for His glory (Malachi 3:6-12). Christians, therefore, have a role in economic development, leadership and continuity of Gospel.