Great Commission Companies

Posted by on June 8, 2010

I would highly recommend this book for any Christian that is serious about fulfilling their calling by leveraging their career to impact the world for eternity.  The authors are Steve Rundle and Tom Steffen who pack a lot of great information about the biblical justification for their approach and several actual examples that fit their definition of success.

The core conviction they have is that every Christian is already in full time ministry and the spreading of the gospel should not be delegated exclusively to a small team of ordained missionaries.  They also believe that there should be no dichotomy between the sacred and the secular when it comes to using our career as a platform to accomplish ministry.

This is not some clandestine strategy to use business platforms as a way of getting into closed countries but rather a convictional approach to start legitimate businesses that make a profit and then help their local communities.  It is also a very holistic approach to missions that avoids both extremes of a social gospel on one end of the spectrum and counting decisions on the other.

This approach avoids all the negative aspects of redemption and lift that eventually removes new believers from their immediate community where they can be the most effective in reaching new people.  There is an acknowledgement that some companies may make profits to provide the necessary funding for other front line ministries.

They believe that “by establishing authentic businesses that employ local workers among the least-reached peoples of the world, they contribute to the economic health of the immediate community and also provide avenues for both physical and spiritual ministry.”  This really is about making a profit so that you can really make a difference.

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Inside/Out

Posted by on April 7, 2010

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Termination

Posted by on April 7, 2010

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The Danger Of Debt

Posted by on April 5, 2010

There is wide agreement among most evangelicals that acquiring debt as a principle is not sinful but the accumulation of it can be devastating.  The borrower is indeed servant to the lender and when we use debt instead of living within our means then we have crossed a line that can lead to broken homes and failed businesses. 

As someone who has counseled many couples with marriage problems a clear majority of the time financial problems are near top of the list.  When couples do not take the time to develop budgets that reflect their mutual priorities in life then they eventually grow emotionally distant because they are trying to find happiness in things rather than relationships.

In a very real sense when we consistently have a lifestyle that is supported by debt rather than income we are living a lie.  Whether it’s the clothes we wear, the car we drive or the home we live in, the bottom line is we are trying to meet a real need in the wrong way.

The only way we can maintain our integrity as a believer is to make sure when we have to acquire debt that we clearly have the means to pay it back within a reasonable time period.  When we fail to pay our bills on time and in full we damage our testimony as a Christian and lost people see absolutely no difference in our values than the rest of the world.

God tells us clearly in His word that if we cannot be trusted with material things then we surely cannot be trusted with the deeper and more important spiritual truths in life.  He promised to meet our basic needs but we must all come to the place of answering the question: How much is enough?

The ability to gain wealth according to scripture comes from God.  He expects us to use that ability wisely and yes meet our needs but more than that have plenty left over to share with those who do not have enough food or water to make it another day.

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Sorry For Wrong Reason

Posted by on March 15, 2010

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have been sorry in my life.  As I look back on all the mistakes I have made and the consequences I have suffered a clear pattern has developed.

Most of the time when I have been sorry it has been for the wrong reason.  I was sorry that I had been caught saying or doing the wrong thing and I knew that there was a price to be paid.

My sorrow was that I was not going to get to do what I wanted and it was nothing more than a form of self pity disguised as real quilt.  I was sorry because of the personal embarrassment factor and how people would think negatively of me as a person.

I also say I am sorry many times just to end an unpleasant conversation so that I do not have to deal with my own personal responsibility.  It can be a quick fix but never a permanent solution.

Sometimes I went a step further and really felt sorry for the damage I had done to other people.  Because of my actions they had to suffer and no one should ever feel good about that.

I will never forget the first time I really understood II Corinthians 7: 9, “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance.  For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.”

God is not very impressed with our prayers that merely tell him what He already knows about our mistakes.  What He is looking for is a genuine spiritual grief at what we have done because we have believed a lie by not trusting Him.

Sorrow is never real until we change what we believed in our minds to what God has already said in His word.  There really is a change of mind that always produces a change of direction.  Sorry, anything less is a disgrace to grace.

 

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When To Light The Fuse For Change

Posted by on March 8, 2010

Most leaders understand there are powerful forces in place to maintain the status quo both on a personal level and with an organizational culture as well.  Therefore choosing the timing of when to start a change process that you want to be successful is critical.  

If you don’t have any of the following priorities in place then do not light the fuse because it will blow up in your face:

1.      Problem to be solved—at the very basic level of motivation for any change is the reality  that something  is clearly wrong and you know it needs to be fixed.  I am overweight and if I do not start an exercise program and change my diet I am going to be in serious trouble.

2.      Opportunity to be taken—sometimes doors seem to open that we were not expecting and the benefits gained far outweigh the risks involved.  A good friend offers to pay my membership in the health club for a year if I will commit to go.

3.      Crisis to be avoided—in this situation you recognize the perfect storm is brewing and if you don’t act immediately the consequences of my inaction could be catastrophic.  I have now had a heart attack and my doctor says without major change I will have another one and it will probably be fatal.

4.      Need to be met—this moves the motivation point high up on the scale because there are hurting people involved and the change process will directly benefit them.  If I am not willing to act based on what I need surely because of the people I love the most I will do whatever is necessary to be there for them.

5.      Calling to be followed—as a Christian I am called to represent Christ to the world in all that I do with my life.  If I do not take care of the body He has given me to be used in His service then I can lose my testimony and damage my effectiveness in helping other people.

These priorities also apply in our professional lives as we seek to lead the change process in the context of a company culture that tends to react after it is too late rather than respond to what should be obvious.  Leaders must be willing to cast a clear vision that the benefits of leaving the current reality behind far outweigh any pain involved in moving to a new and better place for all involved.

 

 

 

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