Restoring Enterprise to its Place in the Body of Christ

Business as Mission, Kingdom Business, Great Commission Companies, Purpose-Driven Business, Enterprising Ministry, Kingdom Entrepreneurship - It goes by many names, but there is a new, and yet very old calling in the Global Body of Christ. Many believers are called to walk out their calling in the marketplace. A subset of those believers are called to plant and grow businesses that serve God and the rest of the church. It is their ministry, enterprising ministry, that we describe, support, and explore here.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Does BAM Pursue Business Success or Business Fruit?

- (David Skews )The best thing I ever saw on success in the 30 years I have worked as a business owner grappling with the challenges (both business and spiritual) of taking a small business (survival) to a medium one (health and growth) and now to transaction while balancing a heart for mission - was from Henri Nouwen, it went like this...

"There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame. Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another's wounds. Let's remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness".

I suspect God wants to see more businesses that are fruitful and for His glory - how else can we measure what we do? It seems to me that business can no longer be considered with a purpose to increase shareholder value (Friedman) but for us it has to be to bless the nations (all our stakeholders). God gave His business people the ability to create wealth - so that His covenant will be fulfilled, the one he spoke to our forefathers (Abraham) that was - to bless (apologies for messing with Deuteronomy 8:18ff)

Yes, I know its hard, but so was going to the moon and that's why they did it!

David Skews



Friday, June 17, 2011

The Actions of Living A Surrendered Work Life

How do I inhabit my new life as a fully empowered ambassador of Christ in the business world?

A little word study of
Colossians 3: 1-18

Deliberately choose to set your mind on things going on in the spiritual world, in God's kingdom, in the heavenlies, things above the things being acted out in the natural world.

Because you'r dead to the natural world, and are hidden away in Christ.

When Christ is revealed, you will be too.

So......

Make a well reasoned and thoughtful decision to categorize your earthly parts as dead, as unresponsive to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (If my body is conditioned to reflexively respond to to those things, it amounts to being a slave to, or worshiping those things)

Why is this important? Because, it's those things that bring the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.

You once walked on that path yourselves, you were once living inside those things.

But now, step out of those things, abandon that place, leave it deserted. Don't try to redecorate the house you used to live in that was  created by the four walls of anger, wrath, malice and slander. Don't even keep it or rent it, or even allows  someone else to live in that house you built. Walk away, leave it abandoned, deserted. Don't even try to destroy it yourself, that's God's Job. That's not how it works for us believers. We must abandon that stronghold of the enemy. Don't let your rage and greed "motivate" you to do good things. Thats like a broken water tank. It looks like it can satisfy your thirst, but when you try and drink from it you find no water.

Your actions are to abandon that house and  live in the world, not in a house but in fully protective new clothes provided by God.


So how do we do that?


First, we don't  lie to one another,since you have left that old house behind, and since you have put on the new self, like new clothes, new beautiful clothes that you sink into, clothes that completely cover and protect you, not clothes that try and dress up your old self.

Like clothes, we put them one one piece at a a time.

Five Principles



First, Dress. Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, letting them cover us completely, sinking deep into their covering.

Second, bear and forgive. with others when God's Children are doing or saying things that are offensive to you, and if they succeed in giving you offense, forgive them, right on the spot before it has a chance to fester and grow into something else.

Third, Peace is your Umpire act under the assumption that  the peace of Christ act as an umpire in your heart, an umpire that makes rulings as things come up in your life. What does The peace of God's Spirit tell you you should do, or you should not do?

Fourth, invest  frequent cosnsistent time time God's Wordtime so that the word of God completely fills you up, with a plethora of things, with all wisdom, teaching and lovingly correcting one another with pslams, hymns and spiritual songs. Singing them with thankfullnes in your hearts to God.

Fifth Do all  in your Master's Name, what ever you do in word or deed, in business, at home at church in all recreation, in all practcingof the arts, in entertainment, in your sleep, at night, in the day, do it all in the name of Jesus who is your highest authority, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.



So How Do I  apply these five Principles in my  work life?


First, Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, letting them cover us completely, sinking deep into their covering with every candidate, employee, prospect, customer, Potential vendor, vendor, delivery driver, receptionist, warehouse worker, banker, project manager, trainer, leader, cleaning person.

Second, when God's Children are doing or saying things that are offensive to you ( and they will). Bear it without striking back, and even responding in love and affirmation both publicly and privately. Tf they succeed in harming you or giving you offense, forgive them, right on the spot before it has a chance to fester and grow into something else.

Third, listen carefully to peace of Christ in your heart, for every response, for every action, decision interaction.Let it umpire that makes rulings as things come up in your life. What does The peace of God's Spirit tell you you should do, or you should not do?

Fourth, invest time so that the word of God completely fills you up, so that His word is present as tools, in your heart mind and spirit, in your mouth. It is the sword of God for your workplace, where ever your are. And join together with other believers in your workplace and fight the good fight together, whether they goto your home church or not.

Fifth, what ever you do in word or deed at work do it all in the name of Jesus who is your highest authority, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

****************

These are the ACTIONS we take while on our journey in the workplace. We are not asked to passively take what the world gives us until we can run back to church to get cleaned up. We are  to take action in our role there by sinking deeply into the new clothes Christ has given us to cover us; we are to bear and forgive, listen to the peace of Christ as he umpires our interactions, stay steeped in His Word, and live an integrated life, doing every action including business in the name of the Lord.




Thursday, June 16, 2011

A BAM Awakening

Have you ever felt as a business person or professional that you’re about the only person in church who hasn’t got something to offer mission? I certainly did.

I can remember watching teachers, builders, medics, plumbers, electricians, cooks, parents, social workers and all other manner of other people being exhorted to get involved in short-term mission trips. Along with the others who were seen as ‘business people’, ‘office workers’, ‘consultants’ or ‘professionals’, I was exhorted to get involved too, but only by contributing money. We were left with the sense of being second class, good for nothing but tithing and bringing work colleagues along to church events. Little did I know the journey of learning that God had in store for me.

The Rest @ YWAM BAM

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Three Moments in time

Over 2000 years God brought forth the pivot point in his plan to restore, Mankind, his most favored creation to himself. He did this in three moments, in the birth, the death and the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ.
We have since been engaged in a great presentation of these facts and their purpose to the world. He that originally enslaved us, separating us from God in the beginning, received his death blow in those three moments in time. Still, in his death throws, this enemy of God and man resists in every possible way the presentation of these facts, of this great news, in every possible corner of the earth. This struggle will not end until every nation has heard this good news and individuals have chosen to accept or reject the Gift.
And so we serve in this battle-field today. God does not require men to take over any institution or to kill in this great struggle, though  as the battle becomes more decisive believers are killed.. God requires service and sacrifice for people in things that matter as God himself, by means of his Holy Spirit, pursues every one of his un-reconciled ones.
Therefore, It is altogether fitting and proper that we live a life of purpose, commitment and resolve, avoiding distractions in order to honor the sacrifice God made to reach us. In a larger sense, we can never repay the debt He has paid for this reconciliation. We cannot honor the Cross anymore than Jesus Christ, God Himself has already done.
The sacrificing followers of Jesus, living and dead, who spread this great news of Jesus have consecrated a path for us to follow. The world will not long remember what is said in the protected confines of this text, but it can never forget the impact of the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is for us, the living, to be dedicated here to this unfinished mission until we join those who have gone to rest before us, or until He returns and the earth is discarded like a vale.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that we take increased devotion to spreading the Great news of  these three moments in time at every opportunity.Where ever we are in each moment by chance and where we are by great planning, sacrifice and purpose, we have no higher or more pressing work than to love his people and spread His message.

 I highly resolve that I shall not not live my life in vain malingering and dissipation—that I, as a faithful follower of Jesus, shall beg God for  a passionate re-awakening in me and in his local church around the world. That we shall not succumb to the false religions and philosophies that dilute and distract us from  the great news of Jesus. That we shall not sleep sleep while the enemy stalks like a lion.

We Beg You Father God, to make my life, our lives available, useable and useful, instruments of Your Great News to all men.

-A 21st Century Believer