Year: 2015

His Purpose

Dr. Mike Life in Christ
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 ESV

purpose 1

When I initially read this scripture, my emphasis was always placed on the first part. All things work for good. Now when I read this, I fully accept both sides. That all things work for good with those who are called to HIS purpose.

The emphasis is HIS purpose. Not your goals, dreams, or desires. Not my plans, projects, or preferences. But HIS.

How do you know something is HIS purpose and not just yours? A good question without a simple answer.

Most often before we even consider something new, don’t we seek confirmation from HIM? How HE and you communicate with each other though is a personal matter. But when you finally receive an answer, you can pursue confidently that HE has your back because you have aligned yourself with HIM.

If you are still unsure, than pray that HE either opens doors for you with favor or closes all the doors shut. Either way can be your confirmation. As you ask HIM and seek an answer, keep knocking on the doors that are presented to you. If they open with very little effort on your part, than you know something is happening outside your influence. Most the time it is HIM assuring you HE is with you.

When you know the dream you have is from HIM . When you know it is a part of HIS purpose. You will have the assurance and faith to pursue with HIM as your confident and mentor.

For most of us, HIS purpose is simply walking with HIM each day in humility and awesome respect, loving our mates, parenting our children, mutually submitting to each other, sharing our testimony, and living-out HIS word via HIS Spirit in exercising HIS gifts bestowed on us for the sake of others.

Over the years I have seen this mind-set and above scripture come alive in the lives of others and myself. The emphasis though is to know HIS purpose in your life. When you lose yourself in HIM, HE will lead you.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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What Makes Business a Ministry?

Dr. Mike Business & Faith , ,
” As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV

business ministry 1

What makes business a ministry?

You do!

When you remove your limited view of God, you begin to understand ministry is more than a church thing. Ministry is serving others on God’s behalf. We are all ministers of God (Eph. 4:12). A ministry may either be started by your church, you, a neighbor, an entrepreneur, a social advocate, a government agency, and yes God Himself. It is not just something that takes place through the four walls of your church.

Question: How does God provide for others? Does he regularly create something from fiat or does he work through physical means? How does God feed mankind? How does God cloth humanity? How does God provide shelter?

When one realizes God works through whatever means are available, and that includes the institutions and industries of today, why does one separate the secular from the holy? The real answer is that this divide is a human paradigm and not God’s.

God is holy. Everything he makes is holy. What perverts holiness is man’s separation from God. When humanity walks in rebellion of God the fruit is sin. Secularism is man’s attempt of life apart from God.

Business is a means for God to provides products or services for the benefit of others. It is a ministry that most of us have been called to. Profit is simply a cost for doing business. With profit a business is able to grow better services for the customer. Without a profit, it cannot sustain itself. Without profits, the employees, vendors, lenders, and partners all lose out.

Business in many ways is a community of customers built around a financial model that is self sustaining. When one stakeholder allows greed or fear to enter the community, the outcome causes sin to have its way. This is what causes social conflict between labor and management, employees and vendors, senior leadership and ownership. Instead of mutually submitting one to another for the glory of God, we seek to build our personal empire. The result is competition that destroys rather than builds-up.

When the business purpose is built on a foundation that serves others and glorifies God, one has a healthy model to grow. However, when greed, self-interest, and ungodliness rules, than expect sin to have its way.

When you realize that business was created to serve humanity, and God is its author, one’s worldview opens the eyes for ministry. In my opinion, there is no greater ministry than preaching God’s kingdom and Word through one’s actions, speech, and services within the marketplace.

Whatever your role or service is in the marketplace, you have the opportunity to exhibit God’s Kingdom to your associates. As you excel in your work, you build a platform to speak. Over time, your small niche of people will recognize the Spirit in you is one they would like to attain. Meanwhile, you are ministering to others through the work you do. You may think it is small compared to the heroes mentioned in the Bible. Yet to God ever task you perform for the love of others in his name will be rewarded (Matt. 10:40-42).

Enjoy your business ministry. It is God’s gift to you.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage your Friends…Share Today’s Message!

Spiritual Stupor

Dr. Mike Life in Christ ,
“…as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” Romans 11:8 ESV

 stupor3

Last week, an unwanted virus found itself into my body. I didn’t choose it. I had no desire to share in its response. It simply found its way into my metabolism and began to wreck havoc.

Fever, coughs, nose drippings, ear clogs, tight breathing, and a mental fog are a few of the symptoms that blinded me during the week. There were times I wondered if this is how it feels to be like the living dead.

Over the next 10 days, the fever disappeared and the other unwanted hosts slowly were replaced by their healthy opponents. For a person who rarely gets sick (me),good health is taken for granted. When one loses it, one is quickly challenged too restore functionality under normal conditions. Life during this period was like walking through a dense fog with dark eyeglasses and no sound.

Isn’t that the condition of some people we meet during the day? They look with their eyes but don’t see. They listen with their ears but don’t hear. They cough words without logical meaning. They have caught the virus of this world and have accepted their condition as normal.

They have not yet experience the with-God life. They have no knowledge-base to compare living in a spiritual stupor against the with-God life. If they did, they would move heaven and earth at whatever price to restore its functionality. Until one realizes they have a problem, they will never search for a solution.

Jesus came to save the sick(Mark 2:17). I for one am thankful, grateful, and worshipful. How about you?

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage your Friends…Share Today’s Message!