First Quarter Newsletter for 2017

How can I keep God first and foremost in my business? That was the question on the table at a recent meeting as we considered what it means to truly be a Christian businessman.

The first answer we arrived at was that God wants us to love our neighbor as ourself in our business dealings. What would we want from a fellow businessman? Truth, honesty, integrity, dependability, reliability, with the list continuing of those virtues that help us honorably exchange our products and services in return for people’s income. I believe this is how Jesus ran His carpentry business until He went into full-time ministry. It was this kind of business ethic that helped make Jesus attractive to the men He invited to join Him in His ministry work. Who’s to say whether many of Jesus’ disciples were perhaps former customers who loved Jesus as a businessman and so were eager to follow Him as their spiritual mentor.

That being said, however, lots of non-Christians are honest and do a great job of providing their products and services to others. What else makes a Christian businessman unique? We answered this question by considering what business God is in and how we can use our businesses for the same purpose.

Simply stated, God is in the reclamation business. He bankrupted heaven of Jesus’ presence to buy back humanity from death so that all can have eternal life with Him. The Christian businessman seeks to use his business and his influence to reclaim people by winning them to Jesus. How does this play out in practical terms?

The first and easiest way for a Christian businessman to join God in His reclamation work is to give resources to those ministries that are overtly seeking to win people to Jesus. Christian businessmen can help fuel the Christian ministry that is occurring all over the world. It is the will of God that the people of God give to the work of God.

Second, Christian businessmen are to pray without ceasing, which includes praying for people in their sphere of influence. Employees, clients, vendors—anyone and everyone can be prayed for and with, that they might know Jesus and the power of His resurrection. Focusing on our community’s largest employers, CBMC currently is developing prayer teams all over the city, teams that gather Christian businessmen together on a weekly basis to pray.

One of the primary purposes of our prayers is the salvation of men. How will they hear the Good News and be saved unless someone speaks to them? Inviting men to CBMC luncheons is the easiest and most consistent means for Christian businessmen in the mid-Michigan area to expose their friends and colleagues to the salvation message of Jesus Christ. CBMC luncheons occur three times per year and give Christian businessmen their best opportunity for exposing unconvinced men to the reality of Jesus and His power to transform a man who follows Him.

Over 100 men attended CBMC’s February luncheon. Twelve of those in attendance prayed to receive Jesus as Savior. Some of these men are now in our discipleship program Operation Timothy. This is a Christianity 101 course that anyone can facilitate. Designed to be worked through together by a Christian businessman and a new Christian or someone just seeking more information about Jesus, this tool is indispensable for establishing and equipping a man in his faith so that he can be more fruitful in his walk with Jesus Christ. Discipling a man is the third way a Christian businessman can implement his faith. CBMC’s Operation Timothy makes this work simple and effective.

So, what is a Christian businessman? A Christian businessman is a Christian whose work demonstrates a love for neighbor, whose giving helps reach his neighbor, and whose prayers are for his neighbor. A Christian businessman invites his neighbor to hear about Jesus and invests in his neighbor’s spiritual development through personal discipleship. CBMC makes all of this easier through our evangelistic luncheons and the discipleship tools we provide.

I invite you today to give generously to this ministry. We are in need of new monthly supporters who can stem the tide of the ministry’s current feast-or-famine cash flow. Our website at http://lansing.cbmc.com makes giving convenient; once there, simply select the “Give” tab. Alternatively, you can complete the card enclosed with this letter and indicate your desire to join the CBMC team.

We are also looking for more men who are willing to facilitate weekly prayer meetings at their company. We provide tools and training for making this work easy and successful. Contact our office at 517-481-5996 if you would like to put a team together to pray for your company, your co-workers, and for one another.

Our next luncheon for exposing men to the gospel through the testimony of a saved man is on June 8 at Eagle Eye Golf Course. As always, we will meet from 11:45 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Our speaker will be Two Men and a Truck International’s Executive Chairman Brig Sorber. Through Brig your friends will hear how Jesus loves them and invites them into a personal relationship with Himself for all eternity.

When looking at where people are economically throughout the entire world, from that perspective every man in America with a job can be considered “rich.” Jesus said that the hardest type of man to reach with the gospel message is the rich man. That is our market. That is your market. CBMC helps you to be effective at sharing the best news of all with the most difficult men to reach. Please join us today by giving, praying, inviting, and discipling.

Serving Christ with you,

Mike Winter