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.         

Jeremiah 1.9-10 records, God reached out, touched my mouth, and said, “Look! I’ve just put My words in your mouth—hand-delivered! See what I’ve done? I’ve given you a job to do among nations and governments—a red-letter day! Your job is to pull up and tear down, take apart and demolish, And then start over, building and planting. MSG

We have been called by God to serve God. All of us who claim to be Christians have been chosen by God to be a kingdom of priests. The priesthood of all believers is core to being a Protestant Christian. The priest has been given God’s Word. Indeed, all of humanity has through the record and availability of the Scriptures.

The Holy Scriptures are the record of God’s commands and character, His acts and His will, so that all men everywhere can know the One True God and what He requires of us. This is the work of the priest. To know His Word and to proclaim His Word to men so that all men will respond to God in obedience to His Word. Every Christian is a priest responsible to do this work.

Regardless of vocation, our Christian occupation is to make God and His will as recorded in His Word known to the world. This will mean tearing down lies and beliefs that conflict with God’s Word and building into men truth and righteousness that comes from God’s Word. We are sanctified, made holy, by truth, God’s Word is truth. Jesus is the living Word of God.

When we proclaim Jesus, when we live like Jesus, when we call men into obedience to Jesus, we are living our purpose, we are fulfilling our mission as God’s holy people, we are living as priests in a world sorely in need of knowing and obeying the One True God Who has lived among us as one of us in Jesus the Savior of the world.

Our Opportunities

1. CBMC welcomes The Global Leadership Summit. Your team needs encouragement and instruction from some of the world’s finest leaders. You have access to this rich resource through the global leadership summit. Learn more here then contact Mike for a special discount code for you and your team!
   
   
2. Mark your calendars for July 21. The first CBMC live luncheon event, since the Covid shutdown, is scheduled for that day! Pray now for the unchurched men you want God to bring into His kingdom, then register here for this luncheon so they can hear God’s call to be reconciled to Him through Jesus the Savior.

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

July 12, 2021 

Becoming A Player In The Eternal Game

by Rick Boxx 

Author Simon Sinek, in his book, Infinite Game, says he believes the business world for too long has been stuck chasing what he calls a “finite game.” When business leaders simply pursue profits from quarter to quarter, or fiscal year to fiscal year, they are chasing a finite solution, rather than a lasting purpose, he writes. 

Sinek contends that what business leaders should be pursuing is what he labels a “just cause.” If we realize what is the greater cause or purpose for our businesses, rather than profits, it will change how we make business decisions. He is saying that even in the highly competitive, ever-changing marketplace, there must be a sense of mission greater than rewarding stakeholders with increasing financial returns. 

This is not to say that profits are unimportant. They are vital for sustaining our businesses. There is no question about that. However, for those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, the ‘infinite game” – our eternal game – should be played primarily with one purpose in mind: to glorify God. If we pursue profits exclusively, we may miss out on the rewards of eternity. 

The Bible has much to say about this. Here is a sampling of the principles it teaches that we can easily apply to the 21st century workplace: 

It makes sense to follow God’s design. Psalm 139:14 declares that we each are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and by implication, the businesses we build and develop are an extension of that. For this reason, we would do well to seek to discover what are God’s intentions for us – and for our work. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). 

It makes sense to consult the guidebook. When we buy a product, we often receive a user guide. When we are hired for a job, we often receive an employee handbook. In sports, athletes receive a playbook. And in the Bible, we find God’s guidebook for how to live – and how to work. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3;16-17). 

It makes sense to seek the highest returns. Profits come and profits go; some years generate more financial returns than others. But if you knew where to find the greatest rewards, would it not make sense to pursue those? “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). 

It makes sense to keep the right perspective. Many people have invested most of their time, energy and resources in the quest for profits and rewards that are fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow. Then they find themselves asking, “Is that all there is?” Why not focus on what we can least afford to lose? “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:25). 

What the Scriptures teach us is that by pursuing godly, eternal rewards, profits likely will follow. Therefore, it makes sense to pursue eternity, not profits. 

Copyright 2021, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission from “UBN Integrity Moments”, a commentary on faith at work issues. Visit www.unconventionalbusiness.org to sign up for UBN Integrity Moments emails. UBN is a faith at work ministry serving the international small business community. 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

July 12, 2021 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. What do you think of the idea that most people in the business world are caught up in an endless pursuit of a “finite game”? Do you agree that the bottom line for any business – or for any business or professional person – should amount to more than profits? Why or why not? 

1. How about the concept of pursuing instead an “infinite game,” goals and objectives that will make a difference for eternity: What do you think that means? And what difference would it make to begin each day with that perspective? 

1. This “Monday Manna” cites a Bible passage that says we are “God’s workmanship.’ What do you think this means – and what are its implications for how we approach our work and how we operate our businesses? 

1. Do you have a sense that God has a very personal interest in you and your work, or do you regard your personal life – including your spiritual beliefs – as separate from how you function each day in the marketplace? Explain your answer. 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 12:11, 18:9, 22:29, 27:18; Matthew 6:19-21,25-33; 1 Corinthians 3:9 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com