Jesus Worked The Family Business

It is not insignificant that Jesus was born to a family who had a small business. Carpentry. God could have put Jesus in any number of families but He chose one where the primary source of income to support the family was the small family business. You might find yourself asking why?  I often had until I started researching the Faith and Work movement 14 years ago. It was then that I realized that the major economic driving force in any countries economy is the small family run business. Sure there are huge corporations but 44% of US economic activity is driven by small businesses and small businesses create 2/3 of all net new jobs.  So what does this have to do with you?

God loves business. In fact He wanted His son to experience all the struggles of man including the challenges of being in and eventually running a small family business. Why?  When you run a small business, you are actually running a small niche focused ministry that delivers a product.  This small business experience enabled Jesus to put together the most powerful marketing plan ever and that plan has changed the world.  God loves business and He loves work. God planned it that way when the world was created. When He told Adam and Eve to cultivate the Earth, He meant to harvest its resources and use them to bring flourishing to others. That is all done in the hands of business owners. Jesus’ plan was to use the marketplace to spread the good news because commerce moves products and information.

The next time you wonder if God has called you into business or ministry, realize that He has called you into a Biznistry and its focus is a high priority to Him. You can bring flourishing to the earth by operating a small family business.  You have His blessing and it was His plan to bring the Gospel to this planet.

Jim

Curious about Marketing like Jesus?  This episode of iWork4Him podcast will give you some ideas.

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Is Your Business a “For-Profit Ministry”?

Recently, I heard a unique term for a business where the leader is a Christ follower and seeks to serve others with it, in Jesus’s name. The term is credited by Roy Goble, entrepreneur and author of “Salvaged” and “Junkyard Wisdom” to his father. Roy’s father called his business a “for-profit ministry”.

A what?  

That’s what Roy’s dad called their family business, a junkyard in Silicon Valley, of all places.  He had a holistic approach to business and people. Yes, he was a businessman, who was committed to turning a profit so it could provide for his family. AND, He saw it as an opportunity to help people by giving them a job, or using it as a tool, to help anyone who came his way, or onto their property. 

[Hear more about Roy’s story in this quick-hitting #PowerPod HERE]

One of his favorite things to do was to help his employees ensure a way for their children to go to college.  There was an intentionality of bringing Christ with him to the junkyard every day. And as Roy shared with us during an iWork4Him interview, his father’s example set the bar for how HIS work would always include Jesus Christ. Roy said he was not aware there WAS a way to work without his faith being a part of it.

As James 4:17 exhorts us:

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. 

What would it take, for you to transition or shift, your business to a “for-profit ministry” this year?

About the Guest Blogger, Caroline Mendez, National Brand Ambassador, iWork4Him

Caroline’s Mission: To raise the visibility of Christian Women in Leadership. She is passionate about empowering each woman she meets to be free from that which keeps them oppressed.