This is the fourth in a series of five posts on why we should run our businesses according to our Christian faith.  In each post, we have looked at what light Scripture may shed on this question.
One of my favorite verses, which also happens to be one of the core verses in the Impact Discipleship series, is the following:

Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.  –
1 John 2:6

Let’s consider what Jesus did while He was here on earth.  During his roughly three years of ministry leading up to the crucifixion, Jesus poured into a small group of twelve of His closest followers.  He taught them all they would need to know to be His witnesses after He had ascended.

Early Church Strategy

These disciples, in turn, did the same thing with their preaching and teaching in the early church.  In his letter to Timothy, one of his own students, Paul wrote the following:

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.  -2 Timothy 2:2

Paul urges Timothy to teach and disciple other men that would in turn be able to teach others.  In this way, Timothy would be leaving a legacy of disciples.  I, for one, am glad the early disciples did this!  If not for them and their commitment to spreading the Gospel, where would we be today?

We know this was Jesus’ strategy.  We also know Paul used the same strategy with Timothy. And we know Paul encouraged Timothy to use the same strategy with others…who would then do the same thing!

Our Strategy?

So what does that mean for us as Christians?  What does that mean for those of us leading businesses?  Are we exempt from this?

Some of you may be saying that you do some of this outside of work.  No problem!  Keep it up!  You should be doing that.

However, while we can certainly disciple others outside of our businesses, why would we ignore the 40-60+ hours per week we spend inside our business?  Why would we not find some way to make that time count as well?  Whether through a chaplain program, lunch-and-learn Bible studies, or just simple messages in a company newsletter, there are many ways to maximize our available disciple-making time.

Once we can get past the mental block that we have to keep faith and work separate, all sorts of opportunities to live out our faith in business can present themselves.  Our first step is simply to make the decision to give God our businesses and let Him direct our paths.  He is faithful to take care of the rest!

Do you agree or disagree with this logic?

What is your biggest obstacle to move in this direction?

How are you seeking God’s perspective on living out your Christian faith?

During this time, I attended three Promise Keepers conferences, listened intently to various testimonies from missionaries who were visiting our church, started teaching a Sunday School class, and engaged in countless other activities. I was on a search for purpose and I was coming up empty to this point (as far as finding my purpose was concerned). I was praying that God would just make it easy and show me what it was he wanted me to do. I kept telling Him that I was willing to do anything He wanted, but I needed to know what that was!

Just as before, I did not realize what He was doing during this process. I kept looking for a billboard or some significant sign that would tell me what I was supposed to do next. I knew I was supposed to be studying His Word. I knew I was supposed to be teaching others as I was able. I was doing all of that. What I wanted to know was what he wanted me to do for a living while I worked for Him! I was asking and He did not seem to be answering! The truth is that He was preparing me for what was next because I was not yet ready to be shown what it was.

As it turned out, it was roughly eighteen months after I started Impact Discipleship (and three years after my “awakening”) that God showed me what I was to do. I will get to that in my next post. In the meantime, I need to point out that God is not anything like the carnival fortuneteller Zoltar from Tom Hanks’ movie “Big”. You cannot just put money (or time studying His Word, or serving at church, or anything else for that matter) into Him and have Him spit our your fortune (or purpose). There just is no predictable formula when it comes to dealing with God.

Instead, He expects us to keep doing what He has already told us to do through His Word while we are waiting on whatever it is that comes next. In my case it was nearly three years before I really got my direction. For Moses it was forty years as a fugitive. We have to be faithful with what He has already given us before He can give us more. Even when it seems we are not getting anywhere, we must trust that God’s timing is perfect.

What about you? What are you seeking from Him right now?

Are you being faithful in applying the knowledge and wisdom He has already given you?

What do you need to change to get back on the right path to your purpose?

photo by Brian Moran

All of my life as a Christian I had shrugged off any sermons, lessons, etc. that attempted to teach me that I was supposed to actively share my faith.  Whenever questioned about it directly, I always answered that I did not have the “gift of evangelism.”

I would go on to say that I would live my life by silent example – that would be my witness to those around me.  I felt that got me off the hook from having to go door to door or street corner to street corner, preaching Jesus.

This crucial step was my participation in a small group discipleship study called Impact Discipleship.  The material was written by Ken Adams, pastor of Crossroads Church in Newnan, GA.  This is the study brought to our dealership by our controller shortly after he started working here in the spring of 2002.

As soon as he mentioned it during our first interview, I told him I was interested.  I had been consistently having a quiet time studying my Bible every morning for the past six months and I was learning a lot, but I was also extremely eager to learn more.  I saw this as my chance to do just that.