Business as Mission Concepts
- from a South African Perspective
G. Marx, June 2006

Paradigms: Business as Mission
A number of people asked me to compile a document to logically explain the concepts:
“Business as Mission”, “Kingdom Business” and “Kingdom Entrepreneur”. I found it
difficult to do this without addressing certain paradigms that exist within the broad Christian community. This document draws from various sources and also seeks to bring a South African perspective.

Faith that empowers:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”. (Colossians 3:22-23).

From the first pages of the Bible we clearly see that God instituted work as a blessing. All work is informed by faith and all our work becomes the concrete evidence that this faith is true. For too long followers of Christ in South Africa believed that faith has nothing to do with our work. At a recent gathering I asked the churchgoers to show by hand how many of them spent the bulk of their time in a business environment, and more than 90% indicated that they do.

Spirituality at our place of work is something we need to cultivate. Because work
consumes so much of our time, unless we discover how to be spiritual at work, we risk
never being spiritual at all. There are an increasing number of South Africans who would like to integrate their faith and work and it is our responsibility to equip them to do so. Our work is more than just a tool for a salvation ministry. Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings: thereafter they shape us.” The same could be said of our work. For too long our Christian faith has been a comfortable addition to our work. If we do choose it, our faith ought to completely dominate the way we work. Our “business plan” and “kingdom plan” for our businesses should be totally integrated. As I once heard it from a missionary: “You are the Bible that your colleagues read.”

The mandate:
We as a church have a very clear mandate, and that is to:
- Reach every person; and
- Disciple and teach all nations in terms of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-21. Living in Africa we all heard the saying: “Christianity in Africa is like a river that is a mile wide but only an inch deep.” For too long we have focused primarily on the quantitative aspect of the Great Commission and have neglected the qualitative task, discipleship. I am from the generation called: "X’ers" (or Generation X). For years I have been seeking the mentorship of a mature Christian, without any success. I realised that, to address the growing need, I should start to develop it. I came to the conclusion that Christians tend to neglect discipleship due to the cost involved: time. We all struggle to have enough time at hand. Coaching is the modern word for “disciple making”. If we
remember our Lord’s promise in Acts 1:8 we are not surprised by the results (or fruit). Therefore we should never attempt a coaching session in our own power. If we do
it in the power of the Holy Spirit, it will ALWAYS be successful and ALWAYS bear
fruit to the glory of God. At first glance it seems that one will never make an impact, but finding the right balance between evangelism and discipleship is essential for Kingdom success. The fullness of the work of the Kingdom of God in all of life is expressed in both dimensions of the task being completed. Being saved and to be discipled is not the same. We are only vessels to help in the process, as people are ‘born-again’ by the Holy Spirit.

Discipleship involves personal transformation, the laws of the Kingdom of God need to be written in our hearts. Transformation needs to manifest in every sphere of our lives. Discipleship takes time, is difficult and complex. We need to finish the task that God has commissioned us for, as Jesus once said: “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4)

To disciple a nation
A few years ago I asked a Jewish businessman in Pretoria to tell me the secret of his success in business. His answer was most astonishing: “Friend, you Christians do not read the Old Testament.” In 1999 a part of puzzle fell in place while I listened to a teaching from Landa Cope on the Old Testament Template to disciple a nation. By now a number of us are well informed on this. Our goal should be nothing short of transformation and I am only beginning to grasp what it implies to bring God’s wisdom and wholeness to bear fruit in all of your life. To disciple a nation means implementing kingdom principles and a biblical worldview as the foundation of a nation. “…the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord…” Isaiah 11:9.

Misconceptions
To fully understand the strategy of Business as Mission we need to acknowledge the fact
that certain misconceptions exist within our frame of reference. In doing this study I
have found the following:

1. Sacred versus Secular
We need to consider our view of secular and sacred. In working in the marketplace I find a number of Christians that refer to the marketplace as the secular world. We struggle with the division of the spiritual and secular work. Some believe that it is only people
working in a ministry environment that are called and that everybody else is working in a ‘secular’ job to generate funds for those who are in ‘full-time’ ministry. Business people believe that they are not spiritual enough because they enjoy business and struggle with
the idea of being a missionary in a far off country. This is clearly not Biblical; we (born again Christians) are all spiritual people and nowhere in the Bible do we find a division between the secular and the sacred. We are all called to a spiritual ministry - it is only
the geography that differs.

2. The Calling and Vocation of believers
As followers of Christ we are called to be ‘salt and light’ in this world. However if we look at the lives of some of His followers in the marketplace one can but wonder if we have lost the sense of calling in practicing our vocations. The Webster Dictionary defines “Vocation” as: “Destined or appropriate employment; calling; occupation; trade; business; profession.” In practicing our vocation we have to align ourselves not only with our Godly purpose, but also with our calling in the particular sphere of society we are operating in. God created this world in a Godly order. He planned it so that all of creation is to reflect His glory and his character. Therefore laid down in the foundations of society and the different spheres are attributes of His character.

3. The Gospel of Salvation or Kingdom
If His plan was only about Salvation, we would all go to heaven after receiving salvation. About half of the African population has been reached with the Gospel, but societies do not bear the fruit of the Kingdom. I keep asking Christians what they did today to bring
the Kingdom closer to the people they work with. Jesus modeled an approach that dealt with the whole person, not just salvation. People do have obstacles that need to be addressed before they are ready to accept Christ.

Jesus saw that people not only needed salvation, but they also needed to experience God in every aspect of their lives. We allow the babies to be born but we do not see to it that they reach spiritual maturity. Discipleship brings the Kingdom of God closer to new
believers.

4. God’s heart for Nations
From Genesis to Revelation one can clearly gather that God has a heart for nations, Psalm 2:8 says: “Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.” If God has a heart for nations, so ought we. Today every believer should be a missionary to the nations. The World is becoming a smaller place due to globalization. Business people have access to markets never tapped before. People
seek jobs internationally and intercontinentally. They flock to wealthy nations. Nations welcome poverty alleviation and job creation. What an opportunity for business people who understand their calling and live it.

Definitions
Business as Missions is to bring the Good News of the Kingdom of God to society through the realm of Business.
Kingdom Business as defined by Tony Black (former CEO of Chrysler): ‘Reaching real
people, with real products or services in a way that really impacts their lives.’
Kingdom Entrepreneurs are apostles called by God to disciple indigenous people and economies through cross-cultural businesses, meeting real human needs and using their business acumen as a means of ministry.
Kingdom Companies are founded by a Kingdom vision, accountable, well-managed,
profitable and sustainable entities, conducting operations within Biblical ethics to facilitate church planting and geared towards multiplication.

The heart of Christ
The challenge today is to reflect the heart of Christ, as it is written in Luke 4:18 -19:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to
the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Enter the new frontier of global mission with the words of Christ ringing in our ears; “I
must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other places too, for that
is why I was sent.” (Verse 43)

How to Survive a Depression
Advice from our Grandparent's generation

from http://newdeal.feri.org/sevier/essays/advice.htm

Tom Abbott
I think young people maybe haven't realized the full value of getting along and making do and fixing and repairing and getting along with what you have and being satisfied. You never get enough of something you don't need because it never gives you happiness. You do better enjoying the things that you have that you need. If you don't need it, then it don't bring you the joy that it would if you really needed it and appreciated it; and maybe that's what I'm trying to say. I think that we need to get along better. If we had another depression, we'd have to do more trading and getting along better and making do with what we have, and raise gardens, and raise food. You know you can raise a lot of food just in your flower garden if you had to. You could plant your flower garden to vegetables. You could do a lot of things to make do.
Crystal Bell
The Depression taught me to appreciate the things that we have. I think anyone benefits from having to go without things. Then when you get something, why you really appreciate it and you really learn how to spend your money. Just a little advice to younger generations; I would say they better start saving as soon as they get married so they'll have something to fall back on if there ever comes a depression. Savings is one of the best things you can do, save a little bit out of your pay check each month, so you always have a nest egg.
Verla Breinholt
Living through the Great Depression has caused me to be tight. I don't ever want to throw anything away. My old coats, dresses and pant suits hang in the closet; well, we might need to use them again. I guess I'm not so bad that way now, but I used to be.
My advice for the future: don't splurge; be economical with everything.
Ruth Hansen
I think the only way it affected our children is that we have had to work hard, and we taught them all to work hard, and to be thrifty. And maybe we taught them too much of the work ethic, to live in this day and age, because they all feel they have to accomplish so much. But we lived a good life and had a good family; they all went through school and graduated, and they all have good jobs, and I think we are quite successful. Or they were successful with us, one of the two. We've been a real close family. And I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned by the obstacles that we have to overcome and that's what a depression amounts to.
The thing that living through the Depression has done for me is to feel bad for the young people now that they don't know how to appreciate what they have, and to get along. I think they're not disciplined enough so that they don't have their own way so much that it's sad. And people just say I'm gonna have it or else, and you can't tell me no because I won't take no, you know; it's just a different . . . attitude. And in that day and age you were just supposed to help your neighbor. If he was having problems, you were supposed to be over there helping, take their horses and machinery and go and help them put in their crops, or whatever needed to be done they did. You were neighbors; and if you went to town, you yelled at your neighbor or stopped and asked them if there was anything they needed and you would get it while you were over there or whatever you could do to help them, much more than we are now. We are too self-centered now days.
Lorna Jensen
If we had another Depression, I would say if you could, learn a craft that you could use even if you weren't able to go to school. Anything that would be interesting to you, like sewing or cooking. I think it's good for young people to learn how to take care of the home, how to do those things that they kind of like to get out of now-a-days.
Novella Mulford
At my age I can see that a lot of the old remedies and things that we did, for instance, like making our soap, and the young kids today would have no idea how to handle things. So I think it would be a good thing if the young kids would learn a few of these old time recipes or whatever you want to call it. Learn to do a few of these things like use herbs and what-not; people didn't have chance to go to the doctor and so I think young people can learn from a lot of these things. I think this is a great idea, to have these young kids interview us older people because they can sort of get an insight of what our life was like. I am grateful to have been able to live in that era, and today. What a difference, and I'm sure the next fifty years will bring us as many changes as the past fifty have.
Cherril Ogden
If I were to give advice to today's teenagers about another depression, let's see, what would I say? Be careful how you spend your money that you have, so if there's a shortage of money you'll know what's important to buy, not buy silly things, just 'cause they're mod and in. And then, stay close to your family, stay close to your church, and hold on to religion.
Morris Ogden
I think the one thing you should do is to look ahead. Don't wait until your last penny is gone before you say oh no we're out of coal or wood. Save your money for a rainy day, don't spent it foolishly, buy what you need, save the rest. That's what got me by without too much trouble during the Great Depression.
Marie Ogden
I don't know the advice I would give to young people facing a Depression. Just make the best of it. Just watch, you can't have everything you've had. I was young enough that I didn't realize that I was missing anything. It'd be hard for kids, now because they've got the lights, they've got the indoor plumbing, they don't have to worry about any of that. They didn't have to go out and chop wood, take care of the cows and chickens and pigs. So I would say learn how to take care of a garden, learn how to take care of what you've got, and not expect new all the time.
Leo and Hazel Peterson
If we have another depression, I have said this two or three times, maybe that's what we need to bring us back to the ground. It would be hard on the children; it would be hard on the young people. It would be hard on our family, a lot of them. You need storage in both food and clothing. Even in my day when we got married, my mother said to me I want you to buy one sheet every year. If you buy one sheet every year, you will never run out of sheets. Always buy a hundred pounds of sugar in February; of course, that is when sugar was on sale. She said never buy anything that you can't pay for. I think that would be the best advice you could give anyone. If you can't pay for it, go without. As mother would say if you get that hungry, you come home and have something to eat (laughs). Don't charge in the store for something to eat. There are big things that you have to go in debt for, but you don't need to go in debt for food
Luzon Peterson
I would tell the kids today to finish school, to get their education, to either go to universities or to trade schools, whatever they feel comfortable with. But I think education is the best thing that a person can do because that means a lot in looking for a profession or jobs. The more education you have, the more degrees you have, the more money you get. And I would also advise children, after they do get their education or find a job, to start thinking about the future. A lot of people didn't and that's what causes welfare, a lot of people that didn't start saving or thinking of the future. But then again, if we have another big depression, we'd all be in the same boat again. Even though we've saved, and planned for the future, this could happen. It would all go down the tube.
Jean Rowley
I appreciate life more because of the depression. Life can be wonderful. You make it what it is. Don't expect somebody else to do it for you. You have to do it yourself. I love life, I'm grateful for my family. I think you have to have hardships to appreciate the good. I think if we hadn't had that, we wouldn't appreciate what we have; you don't, unless you have something to work for. We had to work for it all our lives, I had to work for it all my married life. Things didn't come easy. I think it was good for us.
It frightens me now when I see the conditions we're in 'cause I think we're ready for another crash. I don't know whether we'll be able to handle it or not. If we faced a depression today my advice would be to stay close to the Lord. I don't know what we'd have done if we didn't have the church. To know what it is to kneel and pray, that's what gets you through. Just stay close to the Lord.

Work! Don't be afraid of work. Don't expect somebody else to do it for you. Get out and do it yourself. It will make you. If you know how to work, you'll be all right. Stay close to your parents, they're wise.

They were hard times, people were hungry. They took care of themselves. They didn't depend on the government. Now the government takes care of us a lot. In those days we took care of ourselves. We are very fortunate to have a government that takes care of us. We have to remember what the government gives us we're giving to the government, in the long run, and not to expect the government to do everything for us. We need to depend on ourselves more.
VaNiel Taylor
The advice that I would give young people today is they should listen to what their mom and dad say, save their money, be conservative, and cut down on their spending. I am glad that I had the chance to live during the depression because it taught me to not waste anything and to be careful about how I spend my money.
Angie Wight
There is something I would like to tell the youth of today. Take each day as it comes, and live it to the best of your ability. Appreciate everything you have, because you never know when it is going to be swept away. So appreciate the little things, and don't expect a whole lot. Just appreciate what you've got, and love each other. Love is so important. Just remember that there is nothing more important than the love and respect of your fellow man.
William Elwood Wight
I think that if the youth of today would put aside their selfishness and work together, I think we could survive any kind of depression. Because there is enough here for us if we work together;
Rhoda Winkel
The best advice I have for young people today is graduate from high school and college

... to spread a passion for the supremacy of GOD in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.
... to highlight the people groups of the world that have the least Christian presence in their midst and to encourage pioneer church-planting among every ethnic people group.

Statistics ...

This doesn't have anything to do with Business as Mission, but I just can't get enough of this stuff. I highly recommend it.

Endless Numbered Days


03.23.2004SP 0630


Mediums: CDLP


Track Listing:


1. On Your Wings


2. Naked As We Came


3. Cinder and Smoke


4. Sunset Soon Forgotten


5. Teeth in the Grass


6. Love and Some Verses


7. Radio War


8. Each Coming Night


9. Free Until They Cut Me Down


10. Fever Dream


11. Sodom, South Georgia


12. Passing Afternoon