Jesus’ Team and Business 
Some of Christ’s disciples worked in family business. Several of these men were fishermen, including Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew. James and John, sons of Zebedee, were also in their family fishing business.
Mk 1:16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Another of his team members had a different angle on business. This man was a government employee, responsible for collecting taxes. To be sure he would have known a great deal about local businesses.
Lk 5:27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.
These were ordinary men (business guys like you and me) who Jesus used for extraordinary purposes. That is exciting. It is very special for us, people of business, to see that we have backgrounds that God has always found extremely valuable for his work and mission.
This continued after Christ had ascended into heaven, also. Paul at times attended to his profession of tent making along with other believers, fitting into the society he was trying to reach with the Gospel. This special group includes women, too. Lydia was a special business woman who lived out her faith by sharing the good news.
Ac 16:13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
This is truly exciting, to see the Lord’s use of business people and to be able to begin to visualize how God has prepared us as business people to be valuable parts of his great commission.
Blessings and thank you for your continuing interest in this topic,
Larry
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