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.         

Acts 24.24-26 records, “A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. “That’s enough for today. I’ll call you back when it’s convenient.” At the same time he was secretly hoping that Paul would offer him a substantial bribe. These conversations were repeated frequently.” MSG

In his sharing of the gospel, the Apostle Paul tells us a few key elements of what it means to believe in Jesus. First, is the insisting upon a right relationship with God and His people. A right relationship with God must come through Jesus the Savior. Reconciliation to God comes by faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Apart from faith in Him, there is no peace with God.

In Christ is the forgiveness of sins and the appropriation of righteousness to us, making us clean and holy in God’s sight forever. This vertical reconciliation is manifest in a horizontal relationship with our fellow believer. All of the ‘one another's’ in the Scripture are for teaching us to live before God with each other. This is how people know we are Jesus’ disciples, by our love for one another.

Second, we are to live like Jesus did by practicing moral discipline. Our flesh is our enemy, it’s wants are not God’s ways, having been corrupted by sin. Therefore, we must put our flesh to death and live by the Spirit. We no longer live according to our earthly nature but live according to God’s nature, learning this from His Word and living it empowered by His Spirit.

Finally, we do all this not only to honor God now but because we know we will one day stand before the Lord God Almighty before Whom all men must give account for the life they lived in this body. Mercy, pardon, forgiveness and eternal reward is for all those who have loved God and lived according to His commands, but condemnation, banishment and eternal torment will be the outcome for all those who ignored God’s ways and instead lived to please themselves.

Our Opportunities

1. Business Owners, are you looking for a private group of fellow business owners for encouragement, support, and advice? CBMC offers such a group. CBMC Business Forums connect Christian business leaders by providing a confidential environment of accountability and mutual support where prayer and godly counsel result in business and personal growth. Contact Mike for more information

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

August 9, 2021 

To Have An Impact, Tell Your Story

By Rick Boxx 

While attending a national conference some years ago, I enjoyed listening to a variety of excellent keynote speakers. Some of them, however, seemed particularly memorable. I wondered what had made them stand out in my mind. I knew it was not just their levels of expertise. Then I realized the business owners who shared their personal stories were the ones that had impressed me the most. 

These were not professional speakers, but rather, entrepreneurs who are making a difference. Some are having an impact on the world through their products or services; others are changing their communities and the world through their generosity. Their information was excellent, but their stories – accounts on what is happening through their enterprises – were what touched the hearts of people in the audience. 

As I scanned the meeting room, it occurred to me that many of the leaders in attendance were becoming highly motivated through the stories they heard. I suspected that the following year, there would likely be a fresh crop of stories to be told, including some from those who were being inspired. 

Why are stories so effective? One reason is that they provide a picture, what you might call a “verbal image,” of the principles and practices we are trying to convey. It is one thing to have strong enthusiasm for a product, service or even ideas. But it is better to show – through the power of stories – why they are important. Stories create images in our minds, giving flesh and bones to otherwise intangible concepts. 

This story-telling strategy is hardly new. Even the Bible, written thousands of years ago, uses stories extensively to communicate its timeless truths. In fact, one passage says, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story” (Psalm 107:1-2). 

When Jesus Christ was conducting His earthly ministry, He recognized the impact of stories. Why do you think that of all His teachings included in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, what many of us remember most are His stories, which He also called parables? For instance, even in today’s increasingly secularized world, we often hear references to “the good Samaritan,” recounted in the 10th chapter of Luke. 

The biblical account is about a Jewish man beaten up along a highway by robbers and left to die. Two religious leaders saw him, but rather than stopping to assist, they moved to the other side of the road and passed him by. It was a Samaritan, a race of people hated by Jews, who stopped to help, not only binding the injured man’s wounds but also paying for a place where he could rest and recuperate. 

To this day, we often hear news reports about some “good Samaritan” who selflessly – maybe even sacrificially – stops to provide aid for someone in desperate need. Jesus used this story to illustrate what He called the two greatest commandments, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27). 

At the end of the story, Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luke 10:36). He presented many other memorable parables, but we can see the enduring power of stories from this single example. What can we learn from this? It is simple: If you desire to inspire others to even greater heights, share your story. 

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

August 9, 2021 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Can you relate to this idea of communicating important concepts and idea through the power of stories? What is an example of someone telling a story that remained with you long after he or she had stopped speaking? 

1. Who is the best storyteller that you know? How effective are you at telling stories to convey your thoughts? What are some of the challenges to being or becoming an effective storyteller? 

1. Often the best stories are not ones we repeat that we have heard told by others, but ones we can draw from our own lives and experiences. Why do you think this is the case? 

1. What are some ways you could hone your skills in the use of stories, especially when you are trying to persuade people to consider something that is very important to you that you believe would also be of great value for them? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 4:1-13, 5:17-26, 8:1-15; John 20:10-18  

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