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Two hands for reaching people
1/23/2011 6:25:15 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

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It is not without challenges that need careful attention. As with all ministries that seek to reach and serve, there exists a serious trap that attention will not be balanced between the two components:

  • The mission to take the gospel to all peoples
  • The missions of mercy and service
My favorite way to look at this is to consider to work of two hands together. Our right hand works to deliver the message of Christ. Our left hand labors to serve people (this can be on many social platforms of service). The critical point we must always see is that the power is in how the two hands work dynamically together. Sometimes the left hand must lead. That is fine. But we must never forget that the right hand is essential. Truth be known, the right hand, the work of sharing the gospel, is the reason for our labors. On the eternal timeline, our missions to serve people's needs and pain are useless unless we also serve their spiritual needs for Christ in their lives.
You may think this is common sense. However, I think it was the American author, Mark Twain, that once said, "The only problem with common sense – it's not that common." He was correct. Major Christian relief and service organizations are realizing that they have lost ground in their "Christian witness" as they have fought and labored valiantly to serve sources of people's physical pain. Fortunately some are recognizing this now, and beginning to make corrections.
The two hands working together for the glory of God is the goal. And real business that help to transform lives and communities can be a powerful "left hand," enabling the saving work of the Holy Spirit through the work of the "right hand" – the redemptive power of Christ.

Blessings,

Larry

 

 

Great Christian Work
1/17/2011 9:12:38 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

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Great Christian work happens under many umbrellas. Business and the economy are yet additional ways for us to help people learn to meet their needs, and to discover God and his Son Jesus in the process.

Economic improvement and transformation in communities has a unique attractiveness. When it is done well and in a way that multiplies good, it can impact a community's and people's capacity to improve in the other areas of life – improved health, education, etc. ...
It is another way to apply ourselves to good works, as we learn through Scripture that we must.
Jas 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
The point is, business done for the glory of God is a legitimate and powerful way to serve people and communities. For some cultures, it may be one of the rare possibilities to penetrate and participate in a way that can build trust that leads to sharing the gospel message.
Simply put, business has a high potential to have an impact in parts of the world that are suffering. This is certainly true in the most impoverished areas of our globe, but we must not limit our scope of possibly application to countries beyond our own borders. There are places close to home with hurting people. Some of these can be well served by BAM that is applied in a way that brings economic transformation to those that are suffering.

More next time...
Blessings,

Larry

 

 

The Attraction of BAM
1/10/2011 10:36:35 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

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Although conceptually attractive to those who want to reach out to the world for Christ, many people are still seeking understanding of exactly how BAM might fit into God's plan. Many are still searching for how it might best connect with local churches in the mission field. This is critical.

Additionally, we should recognize that this is not a strategy that serves all that is needed in the name of the Lord. It is one more process by which we can connect with and serve people, so that we might then demonstrate to them the light that is found only in Christ.
Other strategies and mercy and service remain important for this purpose, too.
  • Health issues
  • Hunger
  • Water
  • Education
  • Much more
Can you see how breaks in the economy create and aggravate these grave problems of the world? They do. The greatest oppressions and pains in the world are fueled by brokenness in economic health.

That is a huge connection for Business as Mission.  Economic help can result in improved situations on any of these fronts.

More next time...
Blessings,

Larry

 

 

2011 and Our BAM Discussion Continues
1/2/2011 9:39:30 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

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I hope all of you have enjoyed the Christmas and holiday season as we closed out the year 2010. As we re-enter our discussion on Business as Mission for this new year, we will revisit some of the basic groundwork which we began with over a year ago.  It will not be simply a re-copy of those posts. Instead, it will be looking for new resources that address some of those fundamentals. Some new books and many articles have been written in 2010, so we will glean new insights from those as we again look at the foundation of this powerful ministry area – Business as Mission (BAM).

Of course, the economy continues to get great attention. As the world shrinks with technologies proliferating at light speed, "globalization" is a key work we constantly hear when "experts" are addressing the economy. Economy is a world issue. Our mission interests as Christians is also a world issue. 
Our God loves the entire world. He has commanded us to tell the entire world about his Son. How we care about the world and work to impact the world in an economic sense can be a powerful platform for the "globalization" of the Gospel – taking the message of Christ to all people.
By now, the term "business as mission" is quite well known among people involved in mission and mission work. It seems that most people intuitively see the power of "business" as a means to connect with people. There still is confusion about exactly what it is and how it can be initiated and supported, but we don't see the concepts lacking support. 
  • There is deep interest. 
  • There is an increasing experience base that we can learn from.
In the coming weeks we will continue our explorations of BAM as a powerful platform for reaching the world for Christ.
Blessings,

Larry

 

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