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. 

2 Corinthians 12.20-21 warns for I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances. I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality which they have practiced.”  LSB 

Who is a Christian? For most in the church, we accept a Christian as the person who claims to believe in Jesus. Yet the devil believes in Jesus. Is he, too, a Christian? What is it that a person believes that makes them a Christian? It is that God has come to live among us in the flesh to perfectly live before God as a man so that as a man, He could be sacrificed for the sins of all men on the cross. 

It is that this Man also rose from the dead, proving His sacrifice for the sins of all humanity was accepted by God the Father, Who has now appointed God the Son Judge and Lord over everyone because of His perfect life and sacrifice. This belief that Jesus is Judge and Lord leads us to repentance, the first words of what God requires recorded from the mouth of God when He lived among us as one of us. 

The kingdom of God is at hand and is entered by humbling ourselves before God, turning from doing all those things God condemns and for which God was crucified, and turning towards all those things God commands summarized in loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Paul expected to see the church in Corinth as different from the people of Corinth. 

In the church, those who believe, proven by their repentance and obedience to God, would look different from everyone else, for they would no longer live like those who do not believe and therefore have not repented. Those who genuinely believe live God’s ways as revealed in God’s word. Those who believe but have not repented of their sins are like the enemy of God. They continue to do those things that God despises and for which He died, proving that they are not truly His.

Our Opportunities

New Monthly Meetings every second Tuesday, the next one will be October 11th. Coffee Connections is your chance to meet other Christian businessmen in Lansing to be encouraged in living out our faith in the marketplace. We meet from 7.30-8.30am at Alaiedon Collective. Register here so we have enough coffee, the event is FREE. 

You can partner with us here: https://give.idonate.com/cbmc-inc/lansing 

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

September 26, 2022

Enjoy The Blessing Of Giving While You Can

by Austin Pryor 

Giving. This topic stirs a variety of emotions. For some, it creates great joy – even happiness – knowing the benefits it can provide for others. For others, it causes frustration; having limited financial resources, some people feel they can barely meet their own needs, let alone give to help others. But for those of us who desire to follow and be obedient to God, giving is not an option. 

Commanded to do good. We are commanded in 1 Timothy 6 to “do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” Giving tests the sincerity of our love for the Lord and others: “I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others” (2 Corinthians 8:8). 

Giving also tests our willingness to trust in God’s faithfulness: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, you can increasingly become the kind of cheerful and grateful giver who delights The Lord’s heart. He’s always been faithful to you; by your generosity, you can be increasingly faithful to Him. 

Give with a sense of urgency. We should what we can now, rather than saving up to give more later. Later may be too late. In his book, Becoming Real, Steven James talks about the uncertainty of life and encourages making the most of every day, every week. James’ intent is not to depress or discourage his readers; he is trying to wake them up: Because everyone dies in the midst of something. 

People die in the midst of going to the dentist’s office or driving home from vacation; taking a shower or watching TV; mowing the lawn or barbecuing or enjoying a good night’s sleep. People die in the midst of arguments, grudges, dreams, plans, careers, headaches, heartaches, and courtships. 

We don’t die when we expect to die – after our aspirations have all come true or we have achieved everything we intended. Most of us die in the midst of pretending we will never die, living as if tomorrow were guaranteed and this life will last forever. 

Being intentional in living and giving. Life is a gift. Death is a certainty. This should prompt us to be intentional in our living – and intentional in our giving. I have often heard people say things like, “You have your whole life in front of you!” We do not have our whole lives ahead of us – we have our whole lives, up to that point, behind us. What we have ahead is a mystery, knowing it could be over at any moment. 

It may be sobering to reflect on the brevity and frailty of our lives, but it can also be beneficial for followers of Jesus Christ who want the Lord to receive the greatest glory possible from their lives. We do not want to waste opportunities to make the most of the life and gifts God has entrusted to us. As a wise man once said, “just one life, will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” 

Do not let the time slip by, forfeiting the blessing of living and giving boldly for God and the advancement of His kingdom. As Galatians 6:10 says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers.” 

Austin Pryor has more than 40 years of experience advising investors and is the founder of the Sound Mind Investing newsletter and website. He’s the author of The Sound Mind Investing Handbook, which enjoys the endorsements of respected Christian teachers with more than 100,000 copies sold. Austin lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with Susie, his wife of 54 years. 

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

September 26, 2022 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. What is your typical response when the subject of giving comes up, whether in a church setting or when you receive a fund appeal letter, phone call or personal visit from someone asking you to give to their cause? 

1. When you read that we are commanded to give by God, does that make you feel more inclined to give – or do you remain reluctant, or even resistant at times? Explain your answer. 

1. The urgency to give now, rather than waiting for a later opportunity: What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking this approach to charitable giving? 

1. To what degree does confidence in God’s provision factor into your giving decisions? Do you ever hesitate to give to a worthy cause, feeling uncertain that you can afford to do so? Why or why not? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 3:27-28, 11:24-25, 18:16, 25:14; Acts 20:35; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; 9:6-15 

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