At the inaugural CTN Plymouth gathering, hosted by Ian Pilkington of Cornerstone Vision, and Dave Simpson of Cross Rythms Plymouth, Frank Bennett shared his vision for CTN along with Chris Cole who spoke on
Frank also reminded us of the importance of understanding God’s unique plan and purpose for our lives — not just in church but in the everyday places we work and live. “We’re called not just to survive in the marketplace but to transform it by partnering with the Holy Spirit and building real connections that help others find their true place in God.” His powerful message was also an encouragement to break down the sacred-secular divide and see our work as part of our Kingdom calling.
What has God put you on this earth to achieve?
Understanding God’s plan and purpose for our lives is foundational. It’s so important for us as Christians and there are so many things God is doing in the country right now that I want to touch on.
It’s crucial to know what’s going on, where we fit in and what our place is. A few years ago, probably when I’d been a Christian for about 18 years, I was coming up to 50 years of age and I attended a course run by a local businessman for Christians considering starting their own businesses.
At that point, I had about three years left of police service and I thought, “I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do,” but I was very much into training having been the Training Support Manager for Devon & Cornwall Police for many years.
During the course, a speaker asked a question that I’d like you to consider today: “What has God put the unique you on this earth, now, to achieve?” I sat there and thought, “I’m not sure I can answer that question.” In fact, I knew I couldn’t. Looking around the room, a lot of other people seemed to be scratching their heads too. I thought, “I ought to be able to answer this — I’ve been a Christian for 18 years, knowing the general call for Christians, but I didn’t know the specifics for my life.”
Psalm 139 tells us that we are uniquely and wonderfully made, that every day of our lives was written before one of them came to be. We know how much God loves us and what Jesus has done for us through His sacrifice. But I wanted to get to the bottom of that question, so I demanded an answer from myself.
Five months later, I had it. I’d identified several ‘Whats’ — key things that I believe God had put on my heart and created me for. Over those five months, I connected with them until I could truly see what they were. I ended up with about half a dozen ‘Whats’. As I’d been encouraged to do, I looked for a connection between them and at first, I couldn’t see one. But one day, I saw it clearly.
So I wrote it down. Then I went through and weeded out every word that was padding, duplication or irrelevant. I was left with 23 words. The course leader said that if you can get it down to that point, you’ve probably found your life mission.
I looked at those 23 words. They said: “To help people find their true place in God and go on to release their full potential for Him.” In those 23 words, I believe I defined my life mission and they have guided me ever since. They have pushed me to spend time with God to find out what He created me for, not just someday in the future, but now.
Left: Ian Pilkington introduces Frank Bennett at CTN Plymouth. Right: Cornerstone Chair and well-known broadcaster, Chris Cole with Frank.
Out of that came Crosslink — a network Barry Townsend and I started to connect Christians together. It was based on three pillars Connect, Encourage and Support. (CES ) We found many Christians in business and the marketplace who didn’t know each other. We developed a supportive network — people doing the same thing and working through similar challenges.
We looked at how we could help each other. How could we encourage each other? How could we keep in contact with others? It always goes back to connecting, encouraging and supporting. That’s how Crosslink started.
But then Barry and I realised something was missing. It was hard to put our finger on it, but there was this sense that there had to be more — not just people meeting together as Christians, but actually transforming the environment around them. Then I heard David Shadbolt, a Christian author, say something powerful: “When Christians are in business, the marketplace starts to get healed. But for that to happen, Christians have to actually have an impact.”
Still, I wasn’t clear on what that really looked like — until Barry and I came across the work of Ed Silvoso. Ed is Argentinian by background, now based in America, and he heads up Transform Our World Ministries. He’s been focusing on Christian influence in the marketplace for much longer than Barry or I have.
In his books, Ed laid out four levels of engagement for Christians in the marketplace:
1️⃣ Level One: Christians simply survive at work. They keep their heads down, keep to themselves and that’s it. Ed calls this what it is: failure. Why? Because they make no impact at all and never partner with God to see what He wants to do where they are.
2️⃣ Level Two: Christians apply Biblical principles at work. They work ethically, with integrity but that’s it. They don’t actually influence the culture around them. Ed says this is like settling for a draw with the enemy. “You don’t disturb me, I won’t disturb you.” He reckons 95% of Christians live at this level.
3️⃣ Level Three: Christians operate in the power of the Holy Spirit in their workplace. They partner with God, believing He put them there to influence their environment and expand His kingdom.
4️⃣ Level Four: Christians operating at Level Three so intentionally that the culture of their organisation begins to change to align with God’s purposes.
When Barry and I read that, we said, “Wow — Level Three is what’s missing!” We’d stepped back for a few months because we were frustrated, but couldn’t figure out why. Others took over CTN for a bit, but then we were asked to return. We agreed, but only if there was a clear desire to be transformational in the workplace.
That’s when Crosslink became Crosslink Transformation Network.
I’ll finish with this: I remember someone with a big business in Exeter who came to our network for a while. At one point, he said he wasn’t coming back. I asked why. He said, “Two reasons. One, I’m not getting the business I wanted. Two and sharing Jesus in the workplace doesn’t mesh with my churchmanship.”
I thought, “Wow. If that’s churchmanship, we need to rethink it fast!” Didn’t Jesus die for us? Isn’t it our loving response to share Him with others, especially where we spend most of our lives?
His comment highlighted what the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity calls the “sacred-secular divide” — the idea that you can do business all week and only “be a Christian” on Sundays. Reinhard Bonnke once said that many Christians are like submarines: on Sunday, they surface; on Monday, they dive down and stay hidden until the next Sunday.
We need to break that pattern. We’re called to be Christians in the workplace, not by bashing people with a Bible, but by building genuine relationships. Ed Silvoso teaches we should start by blessing people. Speak blessings over your customers, employees, friends, family and colleagues — every sphere of influence. As you do, the spiritual atmosphere changes and people become more receptive.
Finally, look up the Bible Society’s Quiet Revival report — if you haven’t seen it, I really recommend it. It shows that faith is growing in this country, especially among 18–34-year-olds. Bible sales in the UK are up by about 57% — most of it driven by this younger generation. And when asked, 30–40% of non-Christians said they’d come to church if invited by a friend. That’s the power of simple, authentic connection.
This is what we’re trying to do — see the marketplace as part of the Seven-Mountain Mandate. It’s a place where God has put us to reclaim ground for Christ according to our sphere of influence.
One of my ‘Whats’ is to connect people with others so they can share the Gospel and see His kingdom extended. This means moving beyond the walls of a church building and taking the kingdom to those who need it most. As Alan Scott, author of Scattered Servants: “This helps ordinary believers go beyond Sunday services to bring life to broken cities.”
If we want to see our nation transformed, we must see our cities transformed. And for that to happen, our workplaces — where we spend so much time and build so many relationships must be transformed too.
If you’re interested in discovering more of God’s specific plan and purpose for your life I invite you to get a copy of my book, Gateway To Destiny.
