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.

Revelation 12.17 describes, so the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony about Jesus.

Spiritual warfare is a topic usually resigned to a fringe element of the Christian spectrum. While orthodox Christianity would acknowledge it’s reality most avoid the topic, fewer describe what it is or looks like and even less actually enter into such a world as least as far as men can enter into spiritual warfare.

Most of us common folk, when we say we are in a spiritual battle, if we do at all, mean we are suffering some malady for which we have no understanding as to its cause. We are having a hard time and we don’t equate such difficulty with our sin, and we know God is good, therefore we are left to conclude that we are in some sort of spiritual battle. We see ourselves as victims in a cosmic war between evil and good. Our justification for such thinking? Job.

Our verse today describes the true human army of God and therefore the focus of God’s enemy Satan. The human army of God, the target of Satan’s arrows are those children of God whose two-fold habit makes them soldiers, and thus dangerous enemies of Satan. What are those habits?

First, to be a target of Satan we must be consistent in obedience to God. Obedience is way more than not failing to do evil, obedience is actively doing good. Obedience is active, it is doing something; the thing we are commanded to do. To be obedient we must pursue God through His written Word for knowledge of His will, then pursue God through our Advocate the Son for the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can do all the things He has commanded us by the strength He provides us. If we are not actively obedient we are not active duty soldiers.

Second, we become targets of Satan when we are actively sharing Jesus with others. The testimony of Jesus is the proclamation of God Incarnate, of God the Savior, of God the Resurrected, of God the Judge, and of God the King. This is where the human battle is ‘fought,’ when men are challenged to move from darkness to light.

When prison doors of blindness and death are opened to light and life then we are true soldiers and true enemies of him who hates God and seeks to kill and destroy all human life. The ashamed, the silent, the ignorant of the gospel are not enemies because they are no threat to Satan who keeps men dead, blind and imprisoned until the gospel is presented, understood and accepted which comes by faith and faith comes from hearing the word of God.

Hard times beset all humanity for a host of reasons. Those in a spiritual battle are only those who are actively obeying God and sharing Jesus with people who don’t know Him.

His Opportunities

1. Remember CBMC this Christmas. Please  DONATE now.
   
   
2. CBMC is trying something new in 2018 beginning TODAY: Monday Manna live. 10.30am Mike will explain today’s scripture in person. Catch it here

 CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

December 25, 2017

Christmas and the ‘Undercover Boss’

by Luis Cervino

Have you seen the TV reality show called “Undercover Boss”? In it, owners or CEOs of large companies go undercover as rank and file workers for a week or two, working alongside employees to discover firsthand how they perform their jobs and meet their personal needs. These bosses learn about the inner workings of their enterprises – such as pizza businesses, large hotel groups, maintenance companies, and convenience stores.

At the end of each program, the bosses shed their disguises, revealing themselves to their workers, and enact positive change in the workplace. They often reward employees with extra benefits such as scholarships for their children, paid leaves of absence if needed, or donations of medical care. In some instances, negligent workers have been identified and dismissed. The key concept is the top executives take the time to personally review what is transpiring in their companies, interact with staff, and institute necessary adjustments.

Interestingly, this concept is not new; it happened 2,000 years ago when God decided to come “undercover” to live with His creation. He began His stay not at a palace or with great ceremony. Instead, as Jesus Christ, He chose to come simply, living among working people with a humble, non-assuming family. His birth received little notice except for a few witnesses – a handful of country people and His earthly parents. For Jesus’ arrival, He chose an unusual site for an important person: a stable – an animal shelter.

About two years later, some learned individuals – commonly known as “wise men” – came to give Jesus proper homage, along with some gifts. Then they returned to their distant homes. Jesus spent the succeeding years growing into adulthood, learning the carpentry trade from Joseph, His earthly father, living with and meeting people and experiencing the challenges and problems of everyday life.

In four books of the Bible, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we find accounts of His adventures and how He used examples from everyday life to teach eternal truths those who followed Him, sometimes very specifically and directly, other times in story form (parables), addressing people individually and in groups. Living among the people, like an “undercover boss,” Jesus learned firsthand the pressures of work, family and society. He understood the underlying needs and struggles of a wide range of people – adulterers and prostitutes, tax collectors, humble fishermen, the sick and the poor, arrogant religious and civic authorities.

He experienced the human feelings of being betrayed, having His kindnesses refused because of unbelief, and being falsely accused without any evidence of an alleged crime. And, similar to the undercover bosses on TV, Jesus offered unearned gifts and benefits. In this case, it was His unconditional love, acceptance, forgiveness, reconciliation, transformation, and ultimately, eternal life with His heavenly Father.

His name is Jesus Christ, and this month we remember His appearance on earth with an event called Christmas. In many instances, the central meaning of this day has been distorted. Some refuse to say, “Merry Christmas,” replacing it with a more politically correct, “Happy Holidays,” not to offend those who do not believe in Jesus.

For followers of Jesus, however, we are not afraid to say, “Merry Christmas.” Because we know, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

 Luis Cervino is a maxillofacial surgeon in Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico, where he resides with his wife, Rocio, and their two sons. He has been a CBMC/CPEC member in Mexico since 1997, and has been translating Monday Manna from English into Spanish since 1999. His translations reach readers in Mexico and many other parts of the world.

CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com

 MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

December 25, 2017

Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. If you have seen the TV reality show, “Undercover Boss,” what has been your impression of it – or at least its general concept?

1. What do you think would be your conclusions if you were to serve as an “undercover boss” at your workplace? Would there be value in such a “covert” activity?

1. Jesus Christ, coming to earth as an “undercover boss.” What do you think of that perspective of God taking on human form, and living among His creation, as John 1:14 states: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us”?

1. Why do you think this “undercover approach” was necessary for God? Could He have accomplished what He did in some other way? Explain your answer.

 NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages: Luke 2:4-20; John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-3

CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com