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.     

Romans 2.6-10 describes, God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  

Judgement awaits every man. All people who believe in God, any god, believe a day of accountability awaits us when we pass from this life to the next. The atheist tries to ignore this inherent knowledge so as to justify their evil behavior and to keep their conscience from condemning their actions.  

The Bible is clear, God will judge men, all men, based upon His standards, His rules, His ways as revealed in His Word, the Scriptures. It only makes sense that if God is good, and He is, that He would reveal to us the standard by which He will judge us. This is in part the purpose for the Bible.  

Those who know God are not driven by fear of the impending judgement but rather serve God out of love for God rejoicing in the work of God already accomplished on their behalf through Jesus the Savior. The person in right standing with God through Jesus the Son works to glorify God in the world not to accumulate good works for judgement, but to demonstrate their love for God and His good will toward the world through them. The Christian has been pardoned from judgement because of their faith in Jesus as the punishment for their deeds deserving judgement.  

The Christian then looks forward to meeting God the judge Who will reward all those who serve Him because He is good, and He rejoices in lavishing praise upon His children. Doing God’s will results in receiving God’s eternal reward proving the sufficiency of God’s eternal work through Jesus the Savior. But those who refuse to do God’s will, who create their own standards of good and evil, who ignore God’s instructions, who ignore worship and service to God for the glory of God, will find their good works unacceptable to God and will instead receive His wrath and condemnation for being so arrogant as to think they could earn God’s approval apart from God Himself in Jesus.  

Those who reject Jesus will be condemned by Jesus but those who love Jesus will be rewarded by Jesus for Jesus is both the means to God’s approval and the Judge of what God approves.

Our Opportunities

1. Don’t let the Coronavirus keep you from giving. Help us win and disciple business men through your donations at: https://give.idonate.com/cbmc-inc/lansing 

1. Step one to becoming an effective ambassador for Christ in the marketplace is to pray for unsaved men by name. The easiest place to gather for prayer is at your place of business. CBMC helps Christian men form prayer teams. Check out our program here then email Mike for helping getting one started at your company. 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

August 17, 2020 

Is Your Goal Authority – Or Leadership?

by Robert J. Tamasy 

One time I heard someone wisely observe, “The problem with some people being named president of their company is that suddenly they think they need to start acting presidential.” Have you noticed that? Individuals suddenly feeling that they have to live up to their title by flexing their executive muscle. 

Consultant Tim Kight says, “Your organization can put you in a position of authority, but only you can put yourself in a position of leadership.” Being given a title and the authority that comes with it does not make someone a genuine leader any more than going into a garage makes someone a car. True leadership is earned, not bestowed. 

It has been said that the only way to determine if you are a leader is to turn around to see if anyone is following you. So, what are some of the traits of a real leader, someone deserving of being followed? Here are some principles, firmly grounded in the Scriptures, that help to shape effective leadership: 

Casting vision. Regardless whether they are in a for-profit company, a non-profit organization, a church or an athletic team, people like to know where they are going, what their goals are. An effective leader casts vision, shows the way. “Where there is no vision, the people perish [are unrestrained]” (Proverbs 29:18). 

After three years of leading His disciples, Jesus Christ – the greatest leader of all time – cast a clear, ambitious vision for them before ascending to heaven. He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). 

Serving others. I have worked for bosses who expected me to serve them, and I have worked for bosses who were eager to serve me and everyone else for whom they were responsible. Who do you think were the easiest to serve in return, to give unquestioned loyalty? Again, Jesus demonstrated such leadership, serving others in a variety of ways, including washing their dirty, sandaled feet after a long day of traveling. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). If necessary, would you be willing to give your own life for those who follow you? This is exactly what Jesus did. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). 

Developing people. There is a truism that the greatest test of a leader – his or her enduring legacy – is what happens to the company, organization or mission after they are gone. Not one of us will live forever, so the wise leader strives to train and develop others so they can continue the work once they have left due to retirement, taking another position, or even death. The apostle Paul understood this well, exhorting his disciple/protégé Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). 

Sharing the credit. In his classic book on management, Good to Great, Jim Collins writes of a leader that, “flat-out refused to take credit for his company’s success, attributing his good fortune to having great colleagues, successors, and predecessors.” Most workers will not hesitate to give their best when they know they will share in the credit for the work. “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2). 

© 2020. Robert J. Tamasy has written numerous books, including Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Tufting Legacies; The Heart of Mentoring, coauthored with David A. Stoddard; and has edited other books. 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

August 17, 2020 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. How would you define “authority”? How would you define “leadership”? Do you agree that there is a difference between the two? Why or why not? 

1. What would you include if compiling a list of the necessary traits for being or becoming an effective leader? 

1. Which of the qualities described in this “Monday Manna” stands out for you personally, seems most important? Explain your answer. 

1. Have you known a leader who was truly inspirational, whose personal and professional qualities were such that the people he or she led would be willing to run through a proverbial wall for them, if asked? If so, what made that person outstanding? How did they exert their authority? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages: Proverbs 10:7, 11:30, 11:2, 22:4, 28:2,16; Mark 12:28-31; Philippians 4:9 

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