Topic: The Entrepreneur Is A Minister
Text: Deuteronomy 8 verse 18
God gives us the power to get wealth, to do business and to be productive (Isaiah 48:17; John 15: 1-2). When you read the parables of the talents, pounds and minas, you realise that God is a venture capitalist. He likes to get profit from His investments. God gives us His wisdom and the raw power to accomplish His purposes. We have been taught that the gifts of the Spirit are to be used only in church but when we read our Bible correctly, we see that the power of God is needed much more in the places where people work and live than inside the church. Joseph leveraged on the gifts of the Spirit and rescued Egypt from destruction. Daniel operated in these gifts such that he was indispensable to four different administrations. Even Jesus used the power of God outside the temple much more than within the temple. The world needs the power of God! We are kings and priests (Revelations 1: 5-6). Kings function where the people are, they control the different spheres of the nation; while priests work in the temple. Even among the twelve tribes of Israel, only one tribe was dedicated to priesthood. Over the years, we have focused mainly on our priestly roles which confine us inside the church and so, ministry has been defined as what we do inside the church building.
Ministry, simply defined, is service – meeting needs. We need to take God’s power out where people are. We short-change ourselves when we do not depend on the Holy Spirit to help us resolve business issues. Abraham and Isaac enjoyed the anointing upon their businesses. Jacob received divine instructions and conducted business with spiritual power such that when Laban wanted to cheat him, God’s power worked against the laws of genetics and favoured Jacob. God’s anointing upon us enables us to function as kings, to function in the marketplace and in the government. It has been established worldwide that in order to change the economy, political power determines the flow of economic resources in any country (Romans 13: 1-4). Anyone who sides up with Jesus to bring healing and restoration to the society, anyone who is willing to serve the community, to make it a better place to live in, is a minister of Jesus (John 10:10). Therefore, as an anointed entrepreneur who is doing business to fulfil God’s purposes, you are God’s minister.
Many Christians are afraid of handling power in different forms and levels because others have messed up. Do not run from wealth and political power, rather, develop the maturity and the right value system to handle to handle these awesome kingdom resources (Galatians 4: 1-2). Maturity comes with knowledge (1Corinthians 13:11). A spiritually mature person does not build his self-esteem on material acquisitions or performance. Jesus did not use His power to produce bread for Himself, but He multiplied fish and bread for the multitude when it was necessary. A mature person is generous, not self-centred. God’s power is not for achieving fame, it is for adding value to people’s lives. Learn contentment. Allow the Holy Spirit to birth self-control and generosity in you (1Timothy 6:6-12, 17-19). Your obedience in small matters will be tested and as you obey, God will trust you with His power.
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