Many people believe that God has no business in business. The only thing he wants for our lives is to evangelize, be missionaries, and become a pastor. That business is all about making money and has no place in spreading the kingdom of God.
I still wonder if building a business is the best tool for spreading the gospel. The Bible doesn’t have much content about building businesses. There are certain principles, but the whole new testament is focused on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ who died on the Cross for our sins to save humanity and the story of the saints who gave their lives to Jesus to spread the Gospel.
The purpose of a saint’s life is to seek his kingdom, make disciples, and spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. What do businesses have to do with spreading the gospel? Let us put this idea to the test.
We need missionaries in Business
When we hear the word missionary, we usually think about people traveling to another place on Earth to help the poor, provide shelter and food, and spread the gospel that way. Just as Jesus healed the sick and provided food for the hungry. He never ignored people’s physical needs, but that’s not where he stopped. He taught them God’s wisdom, and used parables to help people understand the kingdom of heaven. In his great love, he related with the non-believers and met them where they were, and slowly but surely, as their relationship with Jesus grew, people began to understand that Jesus had much more to offer than just mere physical needs. They began to understand salvation.
The same applies to business. The new generation of people has been born into first-world countries where they’ve been educated to seek a position in modern society. Whether that is entrepreneurship, getting a job at a company, or anything else. They’ve probably heard about Christianity, and the gospel, but probably didn’t think twice about it. God’s love won’t disqualify these people from heaven because they are pursuing secular motives. The Bible says we are to go to the ends of the Earth to make himself known, and that includes modern society as well, and that’s the mission field for faith-driven entrepreneurs.
As missionaries, we are to follow Jesus’s footsteps wherever we go. Just as Jesus glorified God wherever he went with good works, we are to do the same. Just as he had compassion for the masses and provided food, we are to glorify God by doing good works. This could be providing education for the unlearnt, providing job opportunities, and providing a place where people can use their talents to serve…
“I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me"
"Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."John 10
We are to do Good works for our God, just as Jesus did. Receiving compensation for our labor is fair according to the bible. There are many mentions of being compensated, although this may not be the running theme of the Bible, we know that laborers deserve their wages, whether that’s spiritual or physical. Paying people for their labor in organizations is what sustains peoples’ lives and therefore sustains countries, and Bible talks a lot about governments with Godly leaders, and how their righteousness saved the nation, and how corruption was their fall.
During Jesus’s ministry, he did good works to glorify God in heaven. Whatever that might be, if we do it in love with Jesus he will have his way through us. People will see the good works and when they hear the gospel, their hearts will be open to receiving that message. Just as he healed the sick, we ought to heal this broken work culture that idolizes power and skillful people instead of Jesus. This can only be done by sharing the gospel. We ought to share the gospel.
Spread the Gospel. Glorify God by working with God in our creative endeavors. Teach and inspire people. Make disciples.