At a recent IBEC board meeting, it was reported that IBEC is working in 26 countries. That means we are providing coaching and consulting expertise to many more businesses than this with the purpose of building Kingdom Businesses.
Ultimately, these businesses are not owned by IBEC, our partners or our clients, but by our King Jesus; so, we call them Kingdom Businesses, or the businesses of the King.
Patrice Tsague of the Nehemiah Project affirms that “Simply put, a Kingdom business is God’s business, managed God’s way, by God’s steward, for God’s purposes in the world …. the business operations must be managed by the guidelines of the King which are found in the Bible. Moreover, the products and services must be approved by the King; thus, there should be no sin products. The business must be … where we demonstrate our salt and light to a dark and dying world. And of course, it must be profitable since the King is concerned about the proper stewardship of His resources. However, the profit is not for us; the operators of a Kingdom business, but for the King; the owner of the business, so we must use the profits as He directs.”1
Matthew 5 and 6 speak of the Kingdom of God, and what Kingdom people should be like. The beatitudes2 speak of foundational living principles for citizens of the Kingdom of God. It does not matter who won an election or who is in power – we are citizens of another Kingdom.
I have lived as an alien for most of my life – twenty years in Brazil and about 30 years in the USA. I have watched as Americans anxiously awaited the super-close election of 2000 and the 2020 race which demonstrated a deeply divided country. I was living in Brazil when the country moved away from a military dictatorship, and survived years of hyper-inflation and mega currency devaluation.
But, what about countries like Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Ghana, and Serbia, all of which faced major elections recently? What about endemic poverty in Ghana, or the alienated Rohingya in Bangladesh, or the agrarian catastrophe in India, or Indonesia’s water and sanitation crisis, or corruption in Romania? Wherever one lives, there are political, social, economic, or religious threats. But…
… it doesn’t matter so much for Kingdom people. Jesus says his Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36) and Matthew 5 details what Kingdom people live like and thus, build their businesses accordingly. Jesus says Kingdom people are blessed when they are poor in spirit and meek – meaning they are humble followers of their King. Citizens of the King respond to issues with grace, wisdom, joy, and patience without blaming others. Kingdom people are blessed for their generosity, righteousness, mercy, purity, gentleness, and peacefulness.
We are citizens of a Kingdom with a predictable, honest, consistent, and Holy administration. Are we operating such a Kingdom business? Are we coaching and evaluating such a Kingdom business? Are we investing in such Kingdom businesses? Are we praying for Kingdom businesses? All of us need to continually evaluate our business and make sure it is operated under the ownership of the King following his policy manual and striving for the purposes of King Jesus.
- Regent University: What Is Kingdom Business?
- The word beatitude comes from a Latin word meaning “happiness” or “bliss,” translating the Greek word μακάριος.
Larry Sharp, Director of Training, IBEC Ventures
larry.sharp@ibecventures.com