Our Mission

To present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to business and professional men and to develop Christian business and professional men to carry out the Great Commission.

1 Thessalonians 2.4 observes, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts.

The demise of Christian influence in western culture can be attributed in large part to the failure of Christians to consistently and Biblically, present God’s point of view of man, history and Himself. This failure has been facilitated by a desire to not offend people but rather to build bridges with people until people are willing to listen to our message.

The Apostle Peter lends some credence to this strategy when he commands that we always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that we have within us. This preparation presumes initiative on the part of the listener rather than the Christian who desires to speak about his hope.

It might be argued however that Peter assumes people will be asking us about our hope because of the radically different life they see lived by those who have denied themselves, taken up their cross, and begun to follow Jesus. I’m not sure there is much asking going on these days because it is increasingly difficult to see by life choices the difference between those who follow Jesus and those who do not.

However, Christians are expected to tell God’s story beyond those with whom they interact daily. The approach to wait until asked isn’t working since no one is asking about our God or what He requires from us and what He plans to do with us once our lives expire on this earth or He returns to judge the earth. The presentation of the gospel as Paul discusses in today’s verse was made by those who took initiative to engage the culture.

These Christians saw flaws in the thinking and behaving among those they lived with and so courageously spoke of God’s ways as the remedy to the human condition. These same Christians spoke of God’s ways whether people felt a need for God or not. Eventually, the entire western world was saturated with the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus because these Christians unashamedly made Christ known. The result of their words accompanied by their deeds garnered them influence over their culture for hundreds of years.

The key motive in this work among the Christians was the desire to please God and not people. People will always be unhappy with Christians whose message warns them of judgement to come with eternal negative consequences. Just as a child often rebels against correction so the sinner struggles to want to become a saint. Nevertheless, God commands His people to tell everyone of His willingness to pardon everyone who comes to Him for reconciliation.

The initiative for sharing Jesus with others must begin with the Christian whose desire is to please God.

His Opportunities

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MONDAY MANNA
A service to the business community 

A Publication of CBMC International 
October 23, 2017

Fulfilling Your Purpose As An Investor

by Austin Pryor

A major hospital in Texas had built a $165 million state-of-the-art medical tower, but the staff was astounded to discover that despite the huge capital investment, patient satisfaction was a dismal one percent. The hospital’s CEO told the Washington Post a study was undertaken to determine the cause for the high level of dissatisfaction. The missing ingredient, the top executive said, was empathy.

Determined to remedy the situation, the hospital took decisive steps to correct the problem. They developed new training, providing all employees with important instruction in how to practice servant leadership, and gave staff more authority for meeting patient needs without having to receive supervisory approval.

Results from the training and reshaping the working environment within the hospital were remarkable. Over time, patient satisfaction rose from one percent to 90 percent. Because staff had learned to focus more on patient needs and concerns, rather than simply completing tasks they had to perform, the patients felt cared for and valued, rather than as faceless medical cases occupying specific rooms.

The psalmist addressed the importance of such sensitivity in Psalm 69:20 when he wrote, “Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.” This is just as true today as it was then. When someone is lying in a hospital bed, suffering from some malady or recovering from surgery, what they need as much as skilled medical treatment is the sense that someone cares for them and understands their pain – and fears.

However, empathy is not a quality that is expected only in medical facilities. In most businesses, customers are looking for someone who cares, whether they are buying a car, evaluating software programs, leasing office space, or choosing the right venue for an important event. The capacity for demonstrating sincere concern for customers almost certainly will richly reward you with their ongoing loyalty and patronage.

Here are some simple principles from the Bible that apply to how we approach trying to cultivate a spirit of empathy toward those we are called to serve as business and professional people:

Look at things from their perspective. Ask yourself: If you were the patient – or the customer – how would you want to be treated? The answer you give should be a good indication on how you should approach your own customers in meeting their needs and responding to their concerns. Jesus said as much in His so-called “golden rule”: “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you” (Matthew 7:12).

Put your interests aside and focus on others. We are all self-centered to a degree, and it takes hard work and intentionality to shift that focus onto other people. But that is what we must do to achieve high degrees of customer satisfaction. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Copyright 2017, Integrity Resource Center, Inc. Adapted with permission from “Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx,” a commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace from a Christian perspective. To learn more about Integrity Resource Center or to sign up for Rick’s daily Integrity Moments, visit www.integrityresource.org(http://www.integrityresource.org/) . His new book, Unconventional Business, provides “Five Keys to Growing a Business God’s Way.”

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