我在1981年時第一次接觸到CBMC。當時我正在找新工作，在一本貿易雜誌上看到廣告就應徵了。當時，這個機構被稱為Christian Business Men’s Committee，而現在則是全球各地都知曉的Connecting Business and the Marketplace to Christ（國際基督徒工商人員協會）。

工作內容看起來很完美：我的職務是CBMC雜誌和其他出版物的編輯，以及和總幹事——當時是泰德．德莫斯（Ted DeMoss）——一起寫關於他的生活和經歷的書。哇！我擔任報社編輯10年來的兩個職涯目標一次達成：寫雜誌和著書。這些目標不再只是期望，而是要完成的工作任務！

當時我沒有意識到，這不僅僅是職涯發展而已，更是一個靈命成長的絕佳機會。我擔任CBMC雜誌的編輯已有17年的時間，而我被分配撰寫的書《福音和公事包》（The Gospel and The Briefcase）只是我有幸被授權撰寫、與人合著、編輯的20多本書中的第一本。我經常想起以弗所書3章20節所說的：「神能照著運行在我們心裏的大力充充足足地成就一切，超過我們所求所想的。」另一種翻譯說，上帝能夠成就「比豐盛更豐盛的一切」。祂確實如此為我成就——不僅在我的職業生涯中，更在我的生活中。

多年來，我遇到了無數被耶穌基督拯救的人，他們是「滿意的顧客」，接受使徒行傳17章28節的真理「我們生活、動作、存留，都在乎他。」他們透過數百次工作坊、會議、退休會和培訓課程，成為我的榜樣和非正式的導師。我學到了「像是給主做的，不是給人做的」（歌羅西書3章23節）這句話真正的涵意。

鏡頭拉到現在：我寫的新書剛出版，書名是《職場大使》（Marketplace Ambassadors）。內容講述CBMC自1930年成立以來的歷史和傳統，以及創始人和領導者的故事，也闡述這個機構在過去幾十年中如何變化和發展。從某種意義上說，這本書使我的職涯更加圓滿，因為這本書讓我有機會回顧那些獻上生命服事耶穌基督和他人的人，令人難以置信、鼓舞人心的故事，以及他們所運用的各種策略。

這本書的書名取自哥林多後書5章20節：「所以，我們作基督的使者（ambassadors），就好像　神藉我們勸你們一般。我們替基督求你們與　神和好。」這表示，每個跟隨耶穌的人都蒙受呼召，要在他們的影響範圍內擔任祂的大使-沒有任何地方比職場更需要好消息：上帝的愛、恩典和憐憫。

CBMC成立於1930年，目標是帶給因為經濟大蕭條而絕望的人希望，以及精神上的解答。時至今日，CBMC依然在宣揚只有在耶穌基督裡才能尋見的盼望。我們聚焦於商業和專業領域，不止在美國，更是在全球96個國家擔任耶穌的大使！

我們常會認為大使是一個國家或政府的代表。 CBMC中的會員也有類似的責任，只是他們代表的是更偉大的上帝以及祂永恆的國度。正如泰德．德莫斯（Ted DeMoss）所說的那樣，福音大使的角色其實很簡單：「一個乞丐告訴另一個乞丐，哪裡能找到食物。」

© 2019. Robert J. Tamasy 是企業巔峰: 給今日職場從箴言而來永恆的智慧 一書的作者。也與導師之心的作者David A. Stoddard 合著Tufting Legacies。編輯多本著作包括Mike Landry. Bob的書: 透過苦難成長。Mike Landry. Bob的網站為www.bobtamasy-readywriterink.com, 他的雙週部落格為: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com

反省與問題討論

1. 上帝在你的生活中做過什麼事，可以形容為「比豐盛更豐盛」或「超過我們所求所想的」？
2. 你是否換過一個工作，讓你的職涯發展到最後不僅僅只是更換職業跑道而已？如果有，那是甚麼樣的經歷？結果如何影響你的生活？
3. 當你聽到「職場的大使」一詞時，你會想到什麼圖像？你能想像自己是耶穌基督的職場福音使者嗎？為什麼？
4. 努力在商業和專業領域中成為基督強而有力的代言人有多重要？你認為職場福音的需求有多大？

備註：如果你有聖經，想要閱讀更多關於這個主題，請參考：

傳道書9章10節
9:10 凡你手所當做的事要盡力去做；因為在你所必去的陰間沒有工作，沒有謀算，沒有知識，也沒有智慧。

馬太福音6章19-21節
6:19 「不要為自己積攢財寶在地上；地上有蟲子咬，能銹壞，也有賊挖窟窿來偷。
6:20 只要積攢財寶在天上；天上沒有蟲子咬，不能銹壞，也沒有賊挖窟窿來偷。
6:21 因為你的財寶在哪裏，你的心也在那裏。」

馬太福音6章33節
6:33 你們要先求他的國和他的義，這些東西都要加給你們了。

以弗所書2章10節
2:10 我們原是他的工作，在基督耶穌裏造成的，為要叫我們行善，就是　神所預備叫我們行的。

歌羅西書3章17節
3:17 無論做甚麼，或說話或行事，都要奉主耶穌的名，藉著他感謝父　神。

歌羅西書3章23-24節
3:23 無論做甚麼，都要從心裏做，像是給主做的，不是給人做的，
3:24 因你們知道從主那裏必得著基業為賞賜；你們所事奉的乃是主基督。

提摩太後書2章2節
2:2 你在許多見證人面前聽見我所教訓的，也要交託那忠心能教導別人的人。

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MISSION: ‘MARKETPLACE AMBASSADORS’

By Robert J. Tamasy

Way back in 1981, I heard about something called “CBMC” for the first time. I was seeking an employment change, and responded to an ad in a trade journal. The job was with an organization that at the time was called Christian Business Men’s Committee, although it is now known globally as Connecting Business and the Marketplace to Christ.

The job description seemed perfect: I would become editor of the CBMC magazine and other publications, and also would be working with the ministry’s president – Ted DeMoss at the time – in writing a book about his life and experiences. Wow! Since I had been a newspaper editor for 10 years, two of my professional goals had been to one day write a magazine article and to write a book. These goals would no longer be mere aspirations – they were work assignments!

What I did not realize at the time was this was more than a career move. It was an extremely unusual opportunity to grow spiritually. I served as editor for the CBMC magazine for 17 years, and the book I was assigned to write – The Gospel and the Briefcase – turned out to be just the first of more than 20 books I have been privileged to author, co-author and edit. But I am often reminded of Ephesians 3:20, which says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine….” Another translation says God is able to do “exceeding abundantly,” and He certainly did that for me – not just in my career but even more important, in my life.

Over the years, I have met countless individuals who were sold out to Jesus Christ, “satisfied customers” who embraced the truth of Acts 17:28, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” They became role models and informal mentors for me, and through hundreds of workshops, conferences, retreats and training sessions, I learned much about what it means “work as for the Lord, rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23).

Fast-forward to the present: The latest book I have written has just been published. Titled Marketplace Ambassadors, it recounts the history and heritage of CBMC since its founding in 1930, giving stories about its pioneer founders and leaders, and telling how the ministry has changed and grown over the decades. In a sense, this book brings my career full-circle as it has allowed me to recapture incredible, inspiring stories of people who have devoted their lives to serving Jesus Christ and others in His name and strategies they have used.

The title for the book is taken from 2 Corinthians 5:20, which declares, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” This says that every follower of Jesus is called to serve as His ambassador within their sphere of influence – and there is no sphere where the Good News of God’s love, grace and mercy is more greatly needed than the marketplace.

CBMC was started in 1930 with the goal of offering hope and spiritual answers for people in great despair because of the Great Depression. Today, CBMC still brings the message of hope that is found only in Jesus Christ. However, the focus is exclusively on the business and professional world, serving as His ambassadors not only in the United States but in 96 countries around the world!

We typically think of ambassadors as representing a nation or government entity. People in CBMC have a similar responsibility, except they represent something far greater – the eternal kingdom of God. In many ways, as Ted DeMoss used to say, the role is simple: “One beggar showing another beggar where to find bread.”

© 2019. Robert J. Tamasy has written numerous books, including Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Tufting Legacies;The Heart of Mentoring, coauthored with David A. Stoddard; and edited other books, including Advancing Through Adversity by Mike Landry. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.

Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. What has God done in your life that could be described as “exceeding abundantly” or “Immeasurably more than all we think or imagine”?
2. Has there been a time when you made a job change that proved to be much more than simply a career move?  If so, what has that experience been like and how has it affected your life as a result?
3. When you hear the term “marketplace ambassadors,” what images come to your mind? Can you envision yourself as a marketplace ambassador for Jesus Christ? Why or why not?
4. How important is it to strive to effectively represent Christ in the business and professional world? How great is the need, in your view?

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages:

Ecclesiastes 9:10; Matthew 6:19-21,33; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 3:17,23-24; 2 Timothy 2:2

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