Our blog content often focuses on business–related themes such as ethics, poverty, innovation, business leadership, management etc. But mission is also a fundamentally important part of a Kingdom business. IBEC helps start and grow businesses which become profitable and sustainable, create jobs and share the “Good News” of Jesus.
Sometimes I get a little angry in church; like last Sunday. We sang songs with these words: “God you reign”, “Jesus Messiah, Lord of all”, “Thou art exalted – far above all gods”. I looked around and then I thought of the world so far away from my little town in Oregon.
Does God reign in the turmoil in Yemen today? Does he reign in the red light district of Sonagacchi, Calcutta? Is Jesus Lord of all amongst the 18,000 men, women and children trapped in the Yarmouk refugee camp in war-torn Syria without food, water and health care? Is He exalted above all the gods of India? Does God reign in the monasteries of Tibet? How about war-ravaged Bosnia with its super high unemployment? What about in ISIS controlled areas of the Middle East? Is He Lord of all?
I know people working in most all these places and I also know that the most effective way to share the mission of God is by bringing value to them. Like Jesus did – he brought food, healing, and water. For many today worldwide, what is needed is a good job, which will bring them dignity and provision for the family. Business does just that: it provides what they need, and as we do it in the name of Jesus, God is honored. He is exalted. Business and Mission go hand-in-hand. We address human need at the physical and the social and the spiritual level.
I just received an email from my friend, Brit. She is now married and currently living in Europe but she spent some years in South Asia helping start a Kingdom business, which is growing today. While there she helped Aanchal come to follow Jesus. Aanchal, lives in a city with few Jesus-followers but she studies God’s word and seeks to be a light in a spiritually dark place. What value did Brit bring to her Asian mega-city? She helped a business grow, created a job for Aanchal and brought an understanding of God to this young life. That is Business as Mission. That is what we are all about. IBEC helped that business. That gets me up in the morning! Want to get involved?
Larry W. Sharp, Director of Training, IBEC Ventures