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 1.1-3 records, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His slaves the things which must soon happen; and He indicated this by sending it through His angel to His slave John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it, for the time is near. (LSB)

Does it offend us to be called slaves by God? Most Bibles use a different word to appease our sensibilities, but the original writing called the people of God slaves for indeed that is what we are. Fortunately for us our Master is good, benevolent, and kind. He also calls us priests and children so that we need not fear Him always nor sulk around wondering if we must perform further for His approval.

Yet we need to embrace this role as slave for then we might obey more of His word and do more of His work. The church is on this earth for the purpose of building His kingdom upon the earth as it is in heaven. The Great Commission is the mission of every Christian until all the world becomes children of God and joins His labor pool as slaves.

The chaos, fear, hopelessness, lawlessness we see in our society is the direct result of the slaves of God ignoring their work, idle at their assigned duties, absent from their post. The harvest is plentiful, and the workers are few but this should not be. We have but a simple task which is to live as Jesus did while seeking and saving the lost teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded even as we ourselves do the same.

Our vocation is to pay for this occupation and not for the accumulating of the world’s ways or status for self-indulgence. Those who work hard will bear fruit and be eternally rewarded. Those who fail to work will bear no fruit and become like the man who hid his talent and was rebuked by His Master. Woe to those who say Lord, Lord but do not do what He says.

Blessing, honor, and eternal glory to those who are found faithful when the Master returns to claim His own.

Our Opportunities

1. You can partner with us here: https://give.idonate.com/cbmc-inc/lansing
   
2. Opportunities abound within CBMC for meeting with other men. Prayer Groups, CEO groups and young professional groups only need YOU to make them happen and to help you fulfill your ministry in the marketplace. Contact Mike today to join or start a team. 

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

June 4, 2022 

Difficulties – Opportunities or Obstacles

By Fritz Klump 

“Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” “Where am I going?” These are the three most important questions anyone could ask themselves at any time. Fifty years ago, I came to the realization that for these questions, I had no answers. Over time, this troubled me more and more. 

Through my process of reasoning, I had always believed there was a God – but I did not know Him personally. You can only know God as He chooses to reveal Himself, and He has chosen to reveal Himself through His written Word, the Bible. Fifty years ago, I was given transforming exposure to the Bible by someone who believed it to be God’s inspired Word. As my friend presented it, verse by verse and page by page, I listened. 

I finally decided that if what this man was teaching me was true, and that I could in fact know God personally, I wanted to know Him, even being willing to meet Him on his terms, rather than my own. Basically, as someone has described it, “I came out of the cave with my hands up.” Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). 

In response to this invitation, by a simple prayer, I asked Christ to come into my life – to take control of my life and make me the person He wanted me to be. I then began to read and study the Bible for myself and eventually found answers to the three important questions above and many other questions as well. 

I often hear people say that if you will just allow God to take control of your life, everything will be wonderful. That, however, has not been my experience; I have known the hardest times in my life since coming to faith. To me, the challenges I have faced since becoming a follower of Jesus were a lot harder than flying combat over North Vietnam.

My first major faith crisis involved one Scripture verse that seemed very troubling to me. It said, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I prayed during difficult and painful circumstances, and even gave thanks, but then I would have to tell God: “You know I don’t really mean it God, because how can I be thankful for this situation.” 

Then I began to consider a verse in the book of Hebrews: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews11:6). I realized that I could live much of my life without needing to exercise a great deal of faith. It did not take much faith to move on in life when things are going my way. It was quite different, however, when it felt like my world was coming apart. 

At those times I could continue only by trusting God and leaving the outcome in His hands. That requires a lot of faith. When we understand faith is the only thing that pleases God, those hard times we each encounter can be seen as opportunities to please Him, rather than obstacles. I discovered that I could then give thanks in difficulties and every other circumstance I might face and truly mean it – because God must really love me to give me so many opportunities to please Him and to grow/mature in my faith. 

What about you? When you face difficult challenges, when times of adversity confront you that cannot be easily overcome, do you see these difficulties as obstacles – or as opportunities? 

William “Fritz” Klumpp served as a pilot with the U.S. Navy, including numerous combat missions during the Vietnam War, is a former commercial airline pilot, real estate executive, and former Executive Director of CBMC. 

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

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

June 4, 2022

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. When challenges or times of adversity arise in your life, typically what is your first response? Can you think of a recent example and describe how you handled it? 

2. Have you ever heard someone say that once you determine to commit your life to God, then everything will go well for you, that things will be wonderful, always filled with joy? If you have a personal relationship with God, what has been your own experience in that regard? 

3. How would you define “faith”? What role does faith play in being able to do what the Bible passage says, to give thanks in all circumstances, no matter how difficult they are? 

4. What is your reaction to the suggestion that we can – or should – view difficult times in our lives as opportunities, rather than obstacles? Explain your answer. 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 29:11-13, 33:3; Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 4:6-7; James 1:2-7 

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