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.

Matthew 28.16-17 observes, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw Him they worshiped Him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

Shame, and similarly, fear of what people might think, are two cancers impacting greatly the Church, inhibiting its obedience to the mission assigned by Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching people everywhere to obey His commands.

I have felt and succumbed to this fear of men rather than be wholly devoted to the fear of God. It is amazing this occurs when we consider all that God has done for us in creating us and then saving us, promising us eternal life with Him and all those who have ever loved Him. Yet we fear men.

We fear men so that we might be acceptable to them hoping we will still be acceptable to God on that day when we give account for our lives to Him. We ignore His warning that those who deny Him before men will be denied by Him before God. What can change this fear, apathy and disobedience?

A deeper relationship with Jesus whereby we are filled with the Holy Spirit Who comes to empower us to witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. All these fearful disciples, all those who held back among the twelve, later died for their testimony to men that Jesus is the only Name on earth given to humanity by which we might be reconciled to God. The fearful became bold as they worshiped, prayed and shared Jesus.

Worshiping Him more caused them to speak of Him more which strengthened them to even die serving Him. This must become our means as well. We must more passionately seek Jesus until worship and adoration flow from our mouths as we boldly and unashamedly share Him with others so that the world might come to know Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords.

His Opportunities

1.     Join me August 9-10 for the global leadership summit. The Global Leadership Summit 2018, is an annual premier training event. It is expected to draw some 400,000 church and business leaders from around the world to conference sites in more than 550+ locations around the U.S. and many more internationally, where talks from world-class leadership experts will be beamed live via simulcast. If enough men wish to attend we can get a group discount, or form your own corporate group. It is being held at Trinity Church in East Lansing. More details HERE, let me know if you plan to attend as part of a CBMC group.

2.      CBMC is looking for more ministry partners in 2018. Join the Team Today.  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

July 23, 2018

Working Hard For The Right Reasons

by Rick Boxx

Jeff was the new CEO of a chain of jewelry stores. One of his first challenges was to evaluate the performances for all of the national chain’s branches. As he was reviewing the results for each branch with his executive team, he became puzzled about one particular store.

This had been company’s best performing store, but suddenly it had become the worst! When Jeff asked his team why this was so, he received a surprising response: “Oh, that’s Tim’s store. He was our best operator until he found the Lord.” Jeff, himself a follower of Jesus Christ, became dismayed upon hearing this and determined to investigate the dramatic shift in performance immediately.

When he met with Tim, Jeff was blunt and uncompromising: “As a Christian, I expect you to work hard to be our best store, not our worst. I would expect for you to give no less than 100 percent, as working for the Lord, rather than just for our company.” He was referring to a Bible passage that states, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

There is a tendency – and a temptation – to regard ourselves as working solely for the enterprise that employs us, and because of that, some people are content to do as little as they can get away with. As ambassadors for Jesus Christ, part of our witness for Him is not the words we express, but the quality and commitment we give to the work set before us. Followers of Jesus should be known for working diligently in the workplace.

Writing to Christ followers in the ancient city of Thessalonica, the apostle Paul said, “We worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you” (1 Thessalonians 2:9). He had an important message to communicate – the Good News of Jesus Christ – but Paul never forgot the virtues of hard work and demonstrating a believer’s commitment to excellence. Here are some other biblical principles:

Work as hard as you can while you can. There will be a time when we cannot work, whether due to retirement, disability, or ultimately, our passing from this life. So we should regard the work we have to do as a privilege, not a burden. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom”(Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Do well at whatever work you are assigned, regardless of what it is. Taking another look at Colossians 3:23, it is helpful to realize Paul was not writing to top executives or high-performing salespeople. Recipients of his letter were mostly doing mundane, even disagreeable tasks, such as shoveling manure. So when he instructs them, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,”he is telling them, “It does not matter what you have to do; give it your best effort regardless.”

Our work is part of God’s divine purpose for us. Work may be difficult, and at times unpleasant, but from the start, God’s intent was for us to serve Him and others through our work. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”(Ephesians 2:10).

Copyright 2018, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission from “Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx,” a commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace from a Christian perspective. To learn more or to sign up for Rick’s Integrity Moments emails, visitwww.unconventionalbusiness.org.His latest book, Unconventional Business,provides “Five Keys to Growing a Business God’s Way.”

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

July 23, 2018

 Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. Do you agree that the quality of our work should rightly be perceived as a reflection of the faith we profess? Why or why not?

1. What are some difficulties you have observed or encountered in seeking to live out your faith in the workplace and to uphold the values and principles the Bible teaches?

1. How do you typically respond when faced with a task or project that seems unpleasant, or even “beneath” your capabilities? Do you try to get it done as quickly as possible, even cutting corners if necessary? Or do you pursue that assignment with the same level of commitment you would give to a more challenging job?

1. What are your thoughts about work being part of God’s divine purpose for our lives?

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages:  Proverbs 10:7, 11:3, 12:11, 14:23, 21:5, 22:29; 2 Corinthians 5:20; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

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

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.

Matthew 28.16-17 observes, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw Him they worshiped Him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

Shame, and similarly, fear of what people might think, are two cancers impacting greatly the Church, inhibiting its obedience to the mission assigned by Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching people everywhere to obey His commands.

I have felt and succumbed to this fear of men rather than be wholly devoted to the fear of God. It is amazing this occurs when we consider all that God has done for us in creating us and then saving us, promising us eternal life with Him and all those who have ever loved Him. Yet we fear men.

We fear men so that we might be acceptable to them hoping we will still be acceptable to God on that day when we give account for our lives to Him. We ignore His warning that those who deny Him before men will be denied by Him before God. What can change this fear, apathy and disobedience?

A deeper relationship with Jesus whereby we are filled with the Holy Spirit Who comes to empower us to witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. All these fearful disciples, all those who held back among the twelve, later died for their testimony to men that Jesus is the only Name on earth given to humanity by which we might be reconciled to God. The fearful became bold as they worshiped, prayed and shared Jesus.

Worshiping Him more caused them to speak of Him more which strengthened them to even die serving Him. This must become our means as well. We must more passionately seek Jesus until worship and adoration flow from our mouths as we boldly and unashamedly share Him with others so that the world might come to know Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords.

His Opportunities

1.     Join me August 9-10 for the global leadership summit. The Global Leadership Summit 2018, is an annual premier training event. It is expected to draw some 400,000 church and business leaders from around the world to conference sites in more than 550+ locations around the U.S. and many more internationally, where talks from world-class leadership experts will be beamed live via simulcast. If enough men wish to attend we can get a group discount, or form your own corporate group. It is being held at Trinity Church in East Lansing. More details HERE, let me know if you plan to attend as part of a CBMC group.

2.      CBMC is looking for more ministry partners in 2018. Join the Team Today.  COMMIT now.

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