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13 Ways to Check
From
“Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace”
by John Garfield & Harold Eberle
Have you ever wished you
could be more creative and personable? The kind of person that
can invent new things are spark new ideas when they connect with
other people. What does it mean to have that entrepreneurial
spirit? You’ll find out in the next few paragraphs. And, best
of all, you can cultivate those same 13 characteristics. The
marketplace is an exciting new frontier for those called to
ministry and evangelism…and business.
1.
Do you believe it’s OK with God?
The first
entrepreneurial test is simply, “have you given yourself
permission to go there?” We often place such a premium on
service and humility that we prevent ourselves from being
entrepreneurial or “Kingly” (the one of the Bible terms for
entrepreneur).
Kings rule. Kings
conquer. Kings establish order. The kingly mindset is greatly
different from the stereotype we often carry of “spiritual
people.” Instead of quiet, humble, prayerful monks, Kings are
typically colorful, bold, creative, and decisive. Kings are
competitive about making progress and wealth. They naturally
assert themselves to press for God’s initiatives. Where Prophets
proclaim God’s direction, Kings take the unction, marshal the
willing, and have great works accomplished before you can blink.
The whole process can seem quite unholy to Priests.
Modern-day Kings come
in several varieties. Although Kings today often focus on
business and finance, there are also Kings in the arts,
politics, communication, entertainment, and education who carry
great influence. But in this chapter (and throughout most of
this book), our focus is primarily on business-oriented Kings
because they are the most visible in our communities.
When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and
have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say,
“Let us set a King over us like all the nations around us,”
be sure to appoint over you the King the LORD your God
chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not
place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother
Israelite. The King, moreover, must not acquire great
numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to
Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You
are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many
wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not
accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes
the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a
scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Priests,
who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it
all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the
LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law
and these decrees and not consider himself better than his
brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left.
Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his
kingdom in Israel. (Deut. 17:14-20)
A few observations
concerning Kings (Christians that have given themselves
permission to be entrepreneurial):
1. Notice that the
Lord chose the Kings (vs. 15). The kingly anointing and
ordination was just as sacred as the ordination of Priests
in the Old Testament. It is the same today.
2. Kings are
cautioned against materialism and other indulgences (vs.
16-17). Why? Kings have an anointing to accumulate resources
and get things done. Their weaknesses, however, can be pride
and independence.
3. Kings are
cautioned to stay close to Scripture; to write it, keep it
with them, and read it all the days of their lives (vs.
18-19).
Kings have a command of
leadership with people. They have influence and exercise
leadership and that’s OK with God.
2. Are You a Woman? – As long as we’re stepping
on stereotypes, we should step on this one. Woman can be
entreprenairial and have been for centuries.
-
Deborah was a
prophet that led Israel for 40 years (Judges 4-5).
-
Proverbs 31:10-31
describes a wife who prospered her family through her
business.
-
In Acts 16:1-4 Lydia
was a business woman (dealer in purple cloth).
3. Do you have A Business Mindset? – What image
comes to your mind when you think of King David as a young boy?
Growing up in a Methodist Church, I had a picture of David
cradling a lamb in his arms. Most of us think of young David as
a humble shepherd boy. That’s the priestly interpretation of who
he was.
Here’s the King’s
version: David ran a sheep-ranching operation for his father to
make a profit from wool and mutton. The sheep were bred to be
hearty and tasty. David ran it well and the business was
profitable. This was a training ground so God could promote
David to be a ruler.
4. Do you have a competitive spirit? – Kings are
aggressive. David killed lions and bears with a club! And he
killed a giant with a rock and sling. Entrepreneurs are
competitive by nature. Many were active in sports and other
competitions in high school and college. Others were competitive
in wanting to make good grades, earn the respect of their
parents and teachers and achieve their goals. Entrepreneurs
believe in the old adage, “the early bird gets the worm.” They
sleep and eat enough to maintain their energy levels but they
don’t usually linger over nonproductive tasks.
5. Can you take a risk? – Entrepreneurs trust
their hunches and act on them. Taking risks can be small first
steps, like placing your first ad in a mail order publication.
If you get an intuitive leading from the Holy Spirit, will you
act on it?
6. Are you motivated by profit? – When David
visited his brothers on the front line and heard Goliath’s
taunts, here was his first question:
David asked the men
standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills
this Philistine and removes this disgrace from
Israel?”
(I Sam. 17:26)
David asked about the
reward. He wanted to know what the profit motive was for this
risky venture. When he found out that the reward was the King’s
daughter, Goliath’s days were numbered.
7. Do you have a dream? – Entrepreneurs always
have a dream. Their goal isn’t to reach retirement and relax.
Their energy comes from their vision.
8. Are you persistent? – In
general, entrepreneurs are people who have high energy, feel
self-confident, set long-term goals, and view money and
financial security as a measure of accomplishment and piece of
mind. They persist in problem solving, take risks, learn from
failures (their own and from others), take the initiative,
accept personal responsibility and use all available resources
to achieve their success.
9. How do you view money? - Entrepreneurs are
careful about money. They always know how much money they have.
They know the value and cost of things so they can recognize a
real bargain. Most entrepreneurs earned money when they were
teenagers-babysitting, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers,
sacking groceries, etc. They consider money a means of doing
good… instead of filthy lucre. Lastly, they are generous. They
use money to bless people.
10. Are you creative? A craftsman? – Bezalel is a
classic example of a kingly ministry that had a work ethic and a
talent. The Lord filled him with His Spirit and the result was
skill and knowledge in all kinds of crafts. Bezalel and his
followers built all the articles in the Temple—with an
anointing. Normally, we would call this “secular” employment and
it wouldn’t count as inspired by God. But see what God called
it:
Then the LORD said
to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of
Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the
Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all
kinds of crafts—to make artistic designs for work in gold,
silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood,
and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.... Also I have
given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have
commanded you….
(Ex. 31:1-6)
In our home church,
Scott is a welder. He often has to travel and work twelve-hour
days. As a pastor, it’s frustrating to see him come and go—it’s
difficult for him to carry responsibility in the church because
of his travel. However, wherever he goes, his foreman sees his
talent and gives him the most difficult welding jobs. Even
though he works in a union, employers ask for him by name. Why?
He has an anointing for his craft and he’s very good at it.
Whenever he comes back,
he usually brings a testimony about how he ministered to or led
someone to the Lord on his last job. He doesn’t just weld; he
takes Jesus into the marketplace. They don’t have chaplains on
construction sites, and the workers are a crowd not normally in
church on Sunday.
11. Are you ready for wealth? – The Bible has many
promises for financial prosperity. God gives Kings the ability
to produce wealth. It’s a specific anointing that can express
itself in ministry. These promises need to be undertaken in
faith by Kings. We also should note that these promises are
directed more at Kings than at Priests and Prophets, because
Kings are the ones with the mandate to handle wealth.
You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my
hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the
LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to
produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore
to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deut.
8:16-18)
Church ministries can
be supported by tithing and an occasional special offering.
However, the mission of reaching cities and nations never will
be supported by tithes alone. It requires the resources that
only Kings can harness—for both theological and practical
reasons.
12. Are you ready for responsibility? – When the
church in Acts ran into administrative problems, they chose men
full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, with a good reputation in
the community. These men were not less spiritual than the
apostles, they just had a different gift mix—they were Kings.
They did more than just take care of practical matters, however.
Stephen and Philip went on to carry the mission of expanding the
Kingdom.
“...Therefore,
brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good
reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may
appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves
continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And
the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose
Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and
Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a
proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles;
and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. Then the
word of God spread, and the number of the disciples
multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the
Priests were obedient to the faith. (Acts
6:3-7 NKJV)
In this passage, the
apostles (Priests) turned business over to Kings and gave
themselves to their true calling—prayer and the ministry of the
Word, and the equipping the saints for ministry. The seven
appointed Kings were some of their best fruit. The result was:
1.
The Word of God spread
2. Disciples multiplied in Jerusalem
3. Many Jewish Priests got saved
Just as Nehemiah built
the wall in 52 days, when Kings got involved in this “business,”
we never hear of the problem again.
13. Do you know why God wants to give you increase? Reaching
Cities – The parable of the ten minas makes the point
that people who are faithful in small matters (such as money)
are given more respon-sibility (such as cities).
“The first one came
and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ ‘Well done,
my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been
trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten
cities.’ ” “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has
earned five more.’ His master answered, ‘You take charge of
five cities.’ ” (Luke 19:16-19)
Instead of seeing the
responsibility for cities being given in Heaven, we need to see
that city responsibility is part of our strategy for revival
now! Kings with an anointing to multiply finances are the ones
with the resources and mandate from God to impact our cities for
Christ. This undertaking will be far more complicated and costly
than any pastor or group of pastors could hope to undertake
alone. Revival in our cities never will be funded with tithes
that belong to our pastors (Priests). It will take the resources
of Kings.
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