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. 

““Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it…… A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire…….. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock……..When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, because he taught them like one who had authority, not like they’re experts in the law.” Matthew 7:13-14, 18-19, 21, 24, 28-29 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/mat.7.13-29.NET 

If someone asked most Christians how a person can get to heaven, they would ask them to pray to God, ask His forgiveness for sins, and ask Jesus to enter their lives. Believing God will hear their prayers, He will then save their souls. This is a modicum of truth but not all the truth. Jesus never equates His ministry with calling people to a simple prayer for salvation. 

Jesus, God incarnate, calls people to Himself, to obedience to His ways by following Him in the ministry of self-denial, taking up your cross, and selfless service to the will of God. To go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything in My Name. Jesus, God Himself, warns that few are truly on the road to heaven. It is a difficult road because it is the road of self-denial, choosing to do the will and work of God over our selfish ambitions. 

Even some who say they are Jesus’ followers will miss the Kingdom of God, for their fruit and obedience are lacking. The narrow way is described as bearing fruit, leading people to faith and greater faith in Jesus, and obedience to His word. Jesus’ word is God’s word. It would be blasphemy and heresy were we to believe otherwise. We are commanded to teach obedience to His word even as we are told to obey His word to prove our love for God to the world. 

A prayer begins a relationship with God that must continue to grow in surrender and service to the person and will of Jesus, Who is Savior and Lord over all in heaven and on earth and under the earth. 

Our Opportunities 

1. Join us on April 11 for our monthly coffee connections meeting. This month Mr. Mark McDowell, president of First National Bank of America, will discuss the recent banking failures and what you should be thinking about these things. This event is free and an excellent opportunity to meet other Christian businessmen in Central, MI. Register here
   
2. Business Owners, don't miss your opportunity to learn more about how CBMC helps you through our Trusted Advisor Forums. These closed, monthly meetings help Christian business leaders craft strategies to handle tough issues with employees, customers, vendors, and competitors that incorporate best-in-business principles integrated with a Christian worldview. An informational meeting will be held on April 26 from 8-9 am at Taste Coffee in Okemos. Email me if you are interested in attending this event.
   
   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

April 10, 2023 

Never Forget Your ‘Job Description

by Robert J. Tamasy 

One of the most valuable, yet underappreciated, documents for both hiring and managing people is the job description. Designed for both employer and employee, it describes the duties, responsibilities, and expectations for a particular job so both clearly understand what is expected. 

Years ago, when I was hired by CBMC to serve as editor and publications director, my job description included serving as editor for the ministry magazine and co-authoring a book with the president of the organization. I had never written a magazine article, but my 10 years of writing feature articles for newspapers provided a good foundation. And writing a book was one of my personal goals, so this seemed like a job description from heaven. 

Job descriptions are not fail-safe, however. When boss and subordinate are not aligned on what a job entails, problems can arise – even serious ones. I remember a CEO who told about a time when he got sideways with an employee simply because he and she were not in accord on what was expected. 

After some time, disappointed with the employee’s work, he called her into his office, prepared to inform her that her services would no longer be required. Easing into the difficult situation, he asked, “How do you like your job?” “Oh, I love it!” she replied with enthusiasm. Stunned, he inquired, “Well, tell me how you think you’re doing.” The employee responded by stating how well she felt she was doing and describing in detail the tasks she was performing. 

Quickly the CEO realized this employee was doing a very good job – except not the work he had been expecting her to do. The problem wasn’t the job description, but his failure at the onset to ensure they were both in agreement about what was expected. Rather than firing her, he ended up giving her a pay increase – and a thorough review of her job description to clarify her responsibilities. 

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have a second “job description” – what God expects of you in your role as an “ambassador for Christ,” as 2 Corinthians 5:20 describes it. We could cite many responsibilities as they are set forth in the Scriptures, but here are a few: 

To love God and others. Asked to identify the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:337-39). 

To be a wholehearted worker. We should strive be witnesses for Jesus with our words, but we show the depth and genuineness of our faith through our diligence and commitment to excellence in all that we do. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). 

To work with integrity. Putting a priority on honesty and integrity helps us to stand out in the business and professional world where compromise and dishonesty are rampant. “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity” (Proverbs 11:3). “Honest scales and balances are from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making” (Proverbs 16:11). 

© 2023. Robert J. Tamasy has written Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart, coauthored with Ken Johnson; and The Heart of Mentoring, coauthored with David A. Stoddard. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. 

.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

April 10, 2023 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Do you have a formally written job description? If so, have you reviewed it recently? How well do you think you are fulfilling it? 

1. Have you ever experienced a situation as was described, when employer and employee did not have the same understanding of the job’s expectations? What kinds of problems could result from that? 

1. How to you react to the idea that if you believe in God and are a follower of Jesus Christ, the Bible offers a different perspective on your job description in the marketplace? What could be the consequences if we do not understand this? 

1. What other teachings in the Bible do you think apply here, describing how Christ followers should conduct themselves in the business and professional world? What does it say about communicating our faith? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 14:5, 18:9, 22:4; Colossians 3:17, 4:5-6; James 2:14-17; 1 Peter 3:15-16 

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