Business for the Mission

Sunday, October 06, 2013

Business has long been confused with the "dirty" work of the world, unbiblically juxtaposed to the "holy" work of vocational church ministry or missions.  But the beginning of the Bible makes it clear that God created a place for man to work, then created man, then told him to work.  Work and enterprise were blessings of creation given by God to Adam and Eve.  God's mandate to Adam, among many things, included the cultivation and care of the Garden of Eden, as well as naming the animals.  We often make the mistake of thinking that work is a curse which resulted from Adam and Eve getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden.  But in fact, hard work is the curse, and not work itself.  Work and enterprise are themselves gifts of God which are simply creative expressions of how we steward the assets He has given us for the use of His kingdom...not ours.

 Business has become the common term for the marketplace, the spheres where we live in the cycle of creation, production, administration, and investment.  God not only created the concept of business, but He owns every sphere in the marketplace, and His mandate from the beginning was for His people to become His representatives there.  Sin has corrupted it.  But God's grace, working in and through His people, subvert that corruption, operating in the Spirit of redemption and renewal.  

 The posts that follow are simply lessons I've learned in my journey along God's mission.  I am a businessman at heart, and years of study, meditation, experience, and practice have taught me valuable lessons about work, enterprise, business, entrepreneurship, labor, ethics, etc. all of which are and should be driven by the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In short, I believe that business is a part of the kingdom.  It is the marketplace for God's mission.  When what we do for a living converges with the kingdom of God and His purposes for our lives and businesses, amazing things can and will happen.  I trust these articles are as helpful to you as the advice and wisdom has been to other people so far in my journey.

About the Author: Rob is a follower of Jesus at Jubilee Church, where he works as an entrepreneur and operations contractor in Woodstock, GA. From there he envisions and pursues missional-shaped business for the kingdom. He and his wife Sherri have been married for 19 years and together have three sons and a daughter. Rob believes the mission of the gospel is summed up in four simple phrases: know God, obey Jesus, make disciples, and plant churches. This is the pursuit of his life, as well as the point of his blog.

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Rob tries to follow Jesus, no matter where that path may lead, which may sometimes get him in trouble, but always ends up leading him into a place where the Father's affection lies, and where the righteousness, joy, and peace of the Holy Spirit brings the kingdom from heaven to earth. Well, at least most of the time it seems to, anyway.

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