Teaching

A statement in the previous post on this site particularly caught my attention. In his article “A kingdom business must be a viable business” Ap. Bakalov stated, “We have many Christians who have had successful careers in these industries, but no iconic trendsetters; no excessively wealthy believers have been able to capture the attention of both ordinary people and top-tier influencers in this world.”

This is so true – but is should not be! It reminded me of something I heard Bishop Bill Hamon say once a number of years ago that has stuck with me. I do not remember his exact terms, but the point was something like the following:

All too often many Christians live in the place of "barely enough" or "not quite enough" where they have to pray and believe to meet any unexpected expense or even to pay the regular monthly bills and buy groceries. They begin to learn the principles of tithing and giving and faith and get to the place of "always enough" and are grateful for that. Those who continue to grow in the principles of the kingdom then move on to the place of "more than enough." That means the bills are paid and there is money to do anything God asks them to do -- or that they really want to do (vacation, new TV, new car, whatever). Many then simply sit back and praise God for finally getting to this point.

Bishop Hamon's challenge to us was that the place of “more than enough” was not sufficient nor intended to be our final destination. We need to move into the place of ABUNDANCE, where we have good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over so that there is not even room to contain it. Very few of us get to the point that we have no more room to contain further blessing!

If we are going to be the iconic trendsetters with the financial resources to shift things in the natural, we need to learn that the place of ABUNDANCE is not only available to us but a place we should be seeking – for the sake of the Kingdom. (And, by the way, we can then be enjoying the fruit of it as well – and God's okay with us doing that.)

The main problem for most of us is that it takes WORK – and a LOT of it -- to be that iconic trendsetter. Think of men like Abraham, Jacob, Joseph & David. They all had to WORK to “get wealth.” Consider Joseph for a moment. He was barely middle-aged when he became the second in command in Egypt. True, he went through a lot to get there. So do most millionaires. Many of them go bankrupt, or at least lose everything, at least once along the way. The key is they don't stop. They get up and try again. They keep WORKING at it. Then it takes WORK to keep wealth – and keep it producing more wealth. When Joseph was appointed second in command, he had quite a project he had to oversee – to build all the storehouses to hold the grain that would be gathered to see Egypt (and other nations) through the famine. He had to WORK to keep his position. Likewise, Abraham had to oversee his herds and, at times, fight to protect them. Jacob worked hard to acquire his wealth, starting with nothing but his physical strength and abilities. He then found himself having to deal with a dishonest employer – his father-in-law! David had to literally fight, sometimes for his very life, to accrue his wealth as king. None of these men simply sat back and waited for God to bless them. They worked – and God blessed their labors.

The problem that I am seeing in the church today is that while people are talking about “the power to get wealth” and about "the wealth of the wicked" being transferred to the righteous, they somehow seem to expect that it is going to just drop in their lap one day. It is like they are waiting for their number to be called so they can collect on some heavenly lottery. If they did suddenly receive a large sum of money, I expect they would be much like those who win the huge lotteries. Often, within a couple of years the money is all gone – because they did not know how to handle it when they got it.

God's way is the way of the servants to which the master entrusted one, two and five talents. We know the servant entrusted with five talents doubled it, as did the one entrusted with two. They WORKED to take that which had been entrusted to them and turn it into more. The lazy servant with only one talent did not. We know the rest of the story. That servant was chastised severely (in fact, thrown into “outer darkness”). God expects us to invest what He has entrusted to us - abilities, talents, and money - and then it will multiply and become more. Then we have more to invest and start the cycle all over.

If you will study some of iconic trendsetters of today, I think you will find that pattern in their lives. They may not recognize it as a Biblical principle. They may not even serve God. But they know how to start with a little, invest it, WORK to see that investment pay off, then invest more and do the same thing all over again.

May God's people begin to operate as wisely and effectively. We should be better at what we do ... because we have the Holy Spirit to teach us and guide us and warn us along the way. We should be the Josephs and Daniels of our age, excelling beyond those around us. That will never be the case unless we quit separating "work" and "church" and realize that the church is who we are, not where we go, and that we carry the kingdom with us. We must seek guidance of the Holy Spirit and His counsel in ALL that we do, including in our jobs and businesses. Remember, both Joseph and Daniel “worked” for heathen kings. They did not have lives of ease. Both were slaves, serving kings in a foreign land. Yet, even under those less than optimal circumstances, they prospered because they carried their kingdom (the Kingdom of God) with them and operated by its principles. Being successful is not about having “all the right breaks.” It is about the One in you being greater than the one in the world and learning how to operate as though you really believe that is true.

Let us begin to WORK together to see God’s people become the trendsetters!

Authored by: Laurie Skipper
Laurie resides in Wichita, Kansas. She is a Certified Enterprise Architect and has been employed by a major aerospace manufacturing company for more than 20 years. She has been associated with HBNI for four and a half years and is a member of both the HBNI Core Team and the HBN Ministry Team.
Laurie Skipper