A group that wishes to take a city or a nation through nonviolent means will target the regional or national markets, because market control results in de facto control over the economy, and whoever controls the economy holds the greatest influence over the people. Look at how empires used to rule conquered or colonized nations through the control of trade. There may have been an initial exchange of gunpowder but, ultimately, it was the lopsided, ongoing exchange of wealth that enabled an empire to exercise control over its colonies.

Likewise, taking the marketplace is essential for taking the city. The heart of the city is not the Church, much less the church building. The Church is the light of the city, bur its heart is the marketplace. Cities are often known by a signature skyline made up of buildings that represent the leading corporations in town. This is where the action needs to be if we are to reach our cities.

The first European convert was a businesswoman who dealt in expensive apparel (see Acts 16:14,15). This was immediately followed by a power encounter in the marketplace involving a slave girl with a spirit of divination (see Acts 16:16-21). Luke recounts 22 power encounters in the book of Acts—all of them but one happened in nonreligious settings, most of them in the marketplace. These events had a profound effect on the cities and, in some cases, the outlying regions.

For a city to be transformed, the marketplace must be transformed. The heart of the city is the marketplace. This is where the action needs to be if we are to reach our cities.