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This is a brief exploration of the difference between a regular business and a kingdom business. Discover keys to supercharge your business through Kingdom principles. Visit: http://www.mountainsphere.com/
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What is a Kingdom Business? Three keys to Supercharge Your Business Growth
This is a brief exploration of the difference between a regular business and a kingdom business. Discover keys to supercharge your business through Kingdom principles. Visit: http://www.mountainsphere.com/
This is a brief exploration of the difference between a regular business and a kingdom business. Discover keys to supercharge your business through Kingdom principles. Visit: http://www.mountainsphere.com/
At some point youve probably wondered (or debated) precisely what it is that makes a regular business a kingdom business.
Theres no easy definition in scripture but there are loads of indicative examples.
This is because the gospels and Acts describe the impact of the Kingdom as it breaks into the lives of ordinary Jews and Gentiles. Most of these folk were carrying on their businesses and, in meeting Jesus, came to terms with a realization they needed to reorder their life.
A new way of ordering their life included a new way of ordering their businesses.
So when scripture finds these ordinary folk theyre in the midst of asking the same questions we are.
How do order my business to honor Jesus? How do I demonstrate the nature of God in my workplace? How do the values of the Kingdom change the way I conduct business?
1. Everyone Is on A Journey towards Kingdom Business Values
In scripture, we dont see an obvious dividing line between a kingdom business and a regular business. But we do see clear picture of people like us grappling with the values of the kingdom and growing towards them.
There are Kingdom values with evident business applicability, such as: - Solving a problem that provides a social benefit. - Creating a culture of connection and empowerment - Structuring your finances to honor the Lord
With this in mind, the best way to think about whether or not a business is a kingdom business is to think in terms of a sliding scale of values.
At one end, youre going to have highly pronounced kingdom values that radically demonstrate belief in the existence of a different King. On the other end youre going to have a business that demonstrates fear, financial anxiety and a confidence only in the basest instincts of others.
At one end youre going to have a business that looks like Pauls tent-making company and on the other a business that looks like (lets say) the mafia.
I can imagine Paul building tents of incredible quality, using his business to disciple guys like Titus and Timothy, tithing to the church, asking the Lord for fresh business ideas, building a relational network of suppliers, saving for missionary journeys, giving to the poor, innovating fresh tent designs and expanding his market.
On the other hand, weve all seen enough films to know that the mafias business ethics epitomize generating problems at the expense of creating a profit, stripping others of power, oppressing the poor and misusing their wealth.
So while you cant identify a clear threshold for a kingdom business you can certainly have a business that is either more kingdom or less kingdom.
KEY ONE: The Key of Committing To the Journey.
Everyone is on a journey toward integrating Kingdom values into their lives. If youve committed to this journey, youre already halfway into victory.
SIDE NOTE
On monetising a solution that provides a social benefit.
Unbeknownst to many people its a Kingdom principle that the very act of getting involved in a business provides a blessing. Proverbs 11:26 states He who withholds grain, the people will curse him, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. Note it doesnt say a blessing will be on the head on him who gives it away. This means that if youre in a position to solve a problem and do so by drawing a profit, youre still positioned to receive a blessing.
2. Kingdom Business Demonstrates The Nature of God
Secondly, the plan of the Father is that through Christ and through the church, He can demonstrate His true nature to the world. Paul states that the Fathers purpose is to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Boom.
In a sense, a business is simply another vehicle, like family and like our community, for the values of the kingdom to be put on display to the world.
This means the Kingdom business mission is threefold: 1. The mission of reaching those who are in business 2. The mission of transforming the world through business 3. The mission of using business to disciple and father others.
For some people the nature of God is demonstrated by having Kingdom-minded co-workers demonstrate that God can answer the questions they are asking. An example of this is when the Queen of Sheba met Solomon, she witnessed in Solomons kingdom the nature of a God that knew how to order a kingdom better than she did.
For others the nature of God is seen through a business venture that empowers them to transform their lives. For many of the early missionaries, they demonstrated the nature of God through introducing solutions to developing communities.
For others a business mentor who fathers them into their craft puts the nature of God as a father on display. Again I think of Paul fathering the next generation of leaders in the midst of practicing his tent-making craft.
KEY TWO: The Key of Recognising Your Vocation
Your lifes central vocation is to witness to the nature of God in every sphere of your life. Kingdom business supercharges our central calling to put the nature of God on display through our lives.
3. Kingdom Principles
Lastly, in Christ, we are witnesses of a new reality and a new King. As a consequence of recognizing Christs kingship over our lives, being a Christian means discovering a whole new way of ordering our lives.
And in re-ordering our lives we discover that it the Fathers plan for us to radically increase, for our businesses to grow, our profits to rise and our influence to expand.
But heres the thing, Kingdom increase is contingent on aligning ourselves with Kingdom principles.
Its a pattern frequently repeated throughout the Old Covenant. God makes a promise then says, If you keep my commands then I will prosper you
The blessing is contingent on alignment.
When we order our lives according to Kingdom values, we position ourselves for blessing.
- Our integrity is rewarded with favor, - Our tithe is rewarded with prosperity, - Our gifts to the poor and work for justice is rewarded with dignity, - Our empowerment of others is rewarded with honor, - Our discomfort at the suffering of others is rewarded with creative solutions, - Our generosity is rewarded with a legacy, and - Our patience with the process is rewarded with the character to hold the promotion.
The advantage of choosing guiding values for your business that witness to the Lordship of Christ is that we demonstrate to the world the existence of a different King.
When we witness to a different King, that King honors our witness with blessing. Why? Because God favors those who walk in the values of his kingdom because theyre the ones He intends to walk in greater influence.
KEY THREE: If you want Heaven to get behind your business, then order your business in alignment with heaven.