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.

1 Corinthians 9.19-23 records, even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!

The purpose of the Christian life, the work we are to do, is to win people to Christ in order for God to accomplish His purpose of not seeing anyone perish but for all to come to eternal life.

While our purpose is to know God our mission is to make God known. How do we accomplish this work? Assuming we engage it! What will God do with us if we don’t engage His mission?

To effectively win an audience for our message we must become like Paul, we must become servants of people, winning influence in their life by meeting needs in their life. People are influenced most by those they are in closest relationship with and those we love best are those who serve us most. Paul sought to serve so he could share about God Who came to earth to serve rather than be served.

Paul could do miracles, but he served because God served men as Man by giving His life in exchange for ours. How did Paul serve people? Not by doing what they did but by going where they were. In being with people of all kinds Paul kept consistent by being like Christ.

What he did for people varied but how he did for people stayed consistent. Paul was patient, humble, joyful and loving even when maligned, ignored and persecuted.

The mission of the Christian is the Great Commission accomplished best when we deny ourselves and serve others for their benefit until they ask us to explain the hope that is within us.

His Opportunities

1. Your next opportunity for identifying with Jesus in order to share His message with others at a CBMC Luncheon will be October 18. For more information and to register go HERE
   
2. Tuesday, September 18th at the City Rescue Mission from noon until 1pm is your next CBMC Rescue Luncheon. This is your opportunity to serve lunch to the men and women who depend upon the Mission for their meal. Can’t attend but wish to cover the cost for the lunch? If interested in either, commit Here
   
3.  Summer giving has been a bit dry. If you could help ‘water’ this ministry this month that would be great.  COMMIT now. 

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

September 10, 2018 

Nothing to Fear – But Fear Itself?

by Robert J. Tamasy 

It was U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt who said in his first inaugural address, in 1933, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” If I had been alive then, I might have been tempted to respond, “Oh, yeah? That’s easy for you to say!” Roosevelt had a point, however, because fear can be a powerful, paralyzing emotion, preventing us from doing – or even attempting – promising opportunities. 

A friend, David Sanford, wrote about five fears he has observed that plague professionals. These include:

• Fear of silence (taking time away from work to reflect, re-envision, think creatively and plan).
• Fear of sharing (presenting initial ideas or very rough drafts for others to consider and critique).
• Fear of selling (promoting polished concepts, products, plans, proposals and recommendations).
• Fear of rejection and failure (worrying about what others might say about us).
• Fear of success (worrying that others might expect more of us if we succeed). 

Virtually all of us can identify with at least one of these fears, possibly all of them. Several seem familiar for me. Stepping away from work to think, imagine and plan sometimes goes against my grain. “I should be doing something, not thinking!” But if we do not take pauses from frenetic activity, how do we know we are doing the right things – or doing them the right way? 

Selling has never been one of my strong points, as I learned early on when I was still in college. The prospect of trying to persuade people to buy a product from me often felt like trying to twist their arms behind their backs. And I think we all have had times when we hesitated from moving forward, struggling with the thought, “What if I try and do my best, and still fail?” 

Even at this advanced stage of my career, I find myself wrestling with these fears at times. Then I try to remind myself of truths such as, “If I do not try, failure is guaranteed.” Or, to restate the Golden Rule, “Sell unto others as you would have them sell unto you.” 

But I have found that the real solution for overcoming fear is not clever slogans, but trusting in God, His wisdom and guidance. Here are some passages I have found helpful in that regard: 

Faith in God’s presence. When we confront daunting situations and fears, knowing God is with us in the midst of them can bring us confidence and hope. “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). 

Belief in God’s love. We as God’s children believe He is sovereign – that He knows our circumstances and is in control. Therefore we can trust He will use them for our ultimate good. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”(Romans 8:15). 

Trust that God can deal with our obstacles. When problems appear too big for us to handle, we have the assurance God is bigger than our problems. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”(Romans 8:31). 

© 2018. Robert J. Tamasy has written Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Tufting Legacies;coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring, and edited numerous other books, including Advancing Through Adversityby Mike Landry. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.

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

September 10, 2018

 Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Which of the five fears listed can you identify with the most? Explain your answer. 

1. Do you regularly wrestle with other fears not included on this list? If so, what are they, and when do you typically encounter them? 

1. How do you usually attempt to deal with these fears? 

1. What difference does faith in God make for you when these fears arise, if any? Do you even think He is concerned about your fears and anxieties as you deal with them during the course of a normal day, including your work? Why or why not?

 NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about principles it presents, consider the following passages: Psalm 118:6; Jeremiah 29:11,13; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7; 1 John 4:4

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