5 Christian owned Companies Uncomfortable With BAM

Christian entrepreneurs who own some kinds of businesses will become uncomfortable the deeper they get into Business as Mission. BAM Questions the world view that make them successful,and when they ask the hard questions, they must either embrace BAM  or turn away from it. People who own these five kinds of businesses will be challenged by real  BAM concepts:

1. Business by The World's Book :Acknowledge Responsibility only to the law and shareholders. Shareholders are majority Christian but exert not influence or do not believe they are accountable for the actions of the company.
2. Old School Sacred/Secular Separatists: Businesses who's Christian owners believe that business is inherently "old nature", and they separate secular and sacred activities and standards. Their job is to operate in the"dirt business world" according to its rules, and reclaim "mammon" to give to the church. Only an organization who's home is in a church building can do God's work. Often in co-dependent complicit relationship with a sacred only church.
3. My Kingdom Business. An un-surrendered business by me, for me and mine from which I donate occasionally to God's work.
4. A Jesus-free Business. Humanitarian based  Social Enterprise. May be Christian in name only, and thereby inoculated against any real Kingdom of God Contribution. a "good place" to work as long as you keep your god generic. Perhaps worships a large religious institution like "The Church" or has a large christian denomination in its name.
5.  Ministry wearing business clothes. A business designed to create interactions with people whether it grows revenue or not. Run by gifted Church planters, pastors or Missionaries, who have no entrepreneurial business gifts. Requires regular cash infusions from other sources to survive, and has no business plan that leads to long term profitability and growth.


More to be published later

-Lee Royal

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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

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My Fruit in the Space and Time God Gives Me

 It's a profound mystery that God uses broken people to advance his kingdom. There is an amazing continuity of believers before you and me, and believers coming after us that God uses to advance His Kingdom. Therefore, as followers of the way , we have been given a God-ordained space in the lineage of his Kingdom. 

The question is, what am I doing with my work of gratitude, in my space in time?

Whether I am called to the ministry of enterprise, in the for profit or the non-profit world, I have things to do to advance his kingdom. Small things, large things, long and short things. What am I doing with the moments He has created for me? like Joel Gregory once said, "We're obsessed by trivial things, and miss the monumental things."

It is likely, like best men and women of the bible, that I will have both successes and failures. Either way I will be both rewarded and held accountable for my actions in my space and time.


Case Study - Asa

After David and his son Solomon, Israel was divided. Jeroboam, appointed King of Israel by 10 of the 12 tribes, led his tribes away from God, and forged golden goat and calf idols. He kicked out the priests of God, and appointed his own priests to his new idols.

Abija, king of the other two tribes, fought to maintain the Independence of the two remaining tribes, Judah and Benjamin. His son, Asa kept the two tribes in peace for ten years; Then:
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The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him,

“Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.  For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them."  

(In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress)

^"But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

- II Chronicles  15:1-7 , NIV @ Biblegateway

Asa's reign ended up uneven. He drew the two tribes back to God in many ways, but when he was threatened by a larger country, and later with his physical sickness, he did not go to God, but went to a king in Damascus, an ungodly country.  God withdrew his favor from them, and Asa was at war the rest of his reign.

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What Am I doing in My Space and Time that advances God's Kingdom?

What Am I doing in My Space and Time that works against God's Kingdom?

What Am I doing in My Space and Time that dissipates my spiritual energy and initiative, that entertains myself alone, that makes me unavailable to serve God's Kingdom?




-Editor

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Charles Spurgeon on Prosperity

“Moab settled on his lees, he hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel.”

Give a man wealth; let his ships bring home continually rich freights; let the winds and waves appear to be his servants to bear his vessels across the bosom of the mighty deep; let his lands yield abundantly: let the weather be propitious to his crops; let uninterrupted success attend him; let him stand among men as a successful merchant; let him enjoy continued health; allow him with braced nerve and brilliant eye to march through the world, and live happily; give him the buoyant spirit; let him have the song perpetually on his lips; let his eye be ever sparkling with joy—and the natural consequence of such an easy state to any man, let him be the best Christian who ever breathed, will be presumption; even David said, “I shall never be moved;” and we are not better than David, nor half so good.

Brother, beware of the smooth places of the way; if you are treading them, or if the way be rough, thank God for it. If God should always rock us in the cradle of prosperity; if we were always dandled on the knees of fortune; if we had not some stain on the alabaster pillar; if there were not a few clouds in the sky; if we had not some bitter drops in the wine of this life, we should become intoxicated with pleasure, we should dream “we stand;” and stand we should, but it would be upon a pinnacle; like the man asleep upon the mast, each moment we should be in jeopardy.

We bless God, then, for our afflictions; we thank him for our changes; we extol his name for losses of property; for we feel that had he not chastened us thus, we might have become too secure. Continued worldly prosperity is a fiery trial.

“Afflictions, though they seem severe,

In mercy oft are sent.”

Morning and Evening: Daily Readings by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

@ Scriply Bible

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Being the Praise of God's Glory in Business

In the  2010 Sugar Bowl, Tim Tebow, Quarterback for the Florida Gators had this verse outlined under his eyes, since He knew that hundreds of thousands would be watching Him. The Twittersphere at the time logged a mixture of reactions, anger, confusion, people asking what it meant, but I have no doubt that many believers have had a chance to share this gospel message with their seeking friends as result of his action. In his Marekteplace, the football field, he was being the Praise of God's Glory. Father I bring praise to You today because of Tim Tebow's actions.




Two verses, one Chapter Earlier talked about this.

"He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. "

Ephesisans 1:9-14 (NASB), Biblegateway

Administration here is the Greek word oikonomia, specifically a religious distribution done over a household by its steward. In other words,

God distributed to us the religious knowledge of His will as a part of His work, at just the right time, so that we could see that all things in the heavens and the earth are summed up in Jesus.

In God's unfolding Story of God revealing himslef to us, The event of Jesus in history, the events of His life, His words, His Actions, in these are the Will of God. It was God's will to give us an inheritance before we were born, the purose of this inheritance is to used being the Praise of His Glory.
Being the Praise of His Glory......What does this mean for us called to the Marketplace?

It means

• Publically aknowleding complete dependance on God in all Marketplace Activities
• Ambassadorial behavior representing Christ well.
• Being available, useabel and useful to God for His purposes there.
• It means that your actions will bring good things to your part of the marketeplace
• It means crediting God in all things, so that He is prasied.

Father, teach me to walk in the inheritance you gave us in your Holy Spirit as we carry out our calling in the Marketplace. Teach me that I cannot carry my assignment out there without completely depending on you. Teach me the ambassadorial skills that I need. Help me be available to you at work, not just "holding my breath" until I can breath again among the body of Christ. Make my performance at every level worth of bringing honor toy our name. Father, allow me to bring success to wherever you have me,  that I may bring credability to all you uhave to say through me.  May I never try to steal your glory, but serve You and other before myself @ work, and may I be the priase of Your glory in business.

In Jesus name, I ask these things for your Glory and Honor.

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