I want to start this post by asking a question: “How do the concepts of Christianity mesh with the ideals of capitalism?” In other words, “Can a faith-filled and serving believer in Christ also effectively own and operate a successful business in an age of rampant greed and corporate corruption?”

Let’s face the facts. A very large number of “home-based” business opportunities are scams designed to make a privileged few a lot of money and the real backbone of the company (the field-force) very little. The intent of most “brick and mortar” businesses is to make the most money for the owners while paying  the employees the least amount possible to keep them at their jobs. Add this to the stress of a bad national economy and what is a Christian to do?

First, let me say without doubt that I believe that a person who is a life-altering servant of the living God can and really should be actively involved in the marketplace. What I think we need to consider though, is not should we run successful businesses, but how should those businesses look and what should those businesses promote and do?

The answer to these questions will not only define our business models but will also testify of the practicality of our faith. Ghandi once said that he would be a Christian except it be for Christians. He said that he had read the Bible and agreed with much of what Jesus taught. However, what had kept him from accepting Jesus’ teachings was the lack of a testimony of the power of those teachings in lives of professed believers.

If we then, as believers, want to build successful businesses while advancing the cause of Christ, what should we do?

1. We should remember that we are Christ-followers before we are business owners. If we would simply treat those in our businesses with the love and wisdom of Christ, we would be well on our way to a successful business model.
2. We should establish biblical principles in every phase of our operations. From the training of our sales-force to the way we pay our debtors, we should use biblical principles as our sole guide for success.
3. As our business grows and gains profitability we ought to look for ways to reach out to our communities and their needs. Christian business owners ought to be out front in looking for real solutions in our troubled neighborhoods. We ought to be the ones who will look at every possibility to provide opportunity for hard working and willing people to get ahead and make their own way in this world. So much talent is lost in the cracks of society when people are left to themselves. We, as Christians who also own businesses, ought to work with those in the cracks (and churches that are willing to get out into the communities) to teach a new generation the benefits and blessings of a Godly worldview.

Just a week or so ago we were all saddened (and hopefully righteously indignant) over the video of the honor student who was beaten to death on that street in Chicago. If Christian business owners would band together and re-take these streets, tragedies like this one might well be avoided. We must not just see folks as clients, potential sales, and the like, but as souls bound for eternity. Christ came to give life and when we abandon the streets to Satan, we fail to serve our God. Like Ghandi those who struggle in this life might well say, “I would be a Christian, except it be for Christians.”

Will we choose to establish our businesses with a greater vision in mind? One that includes not only profits for us, but also considering how our companies reflect the testimony of Christ as well.

Sorry for having been gone so long. I have spent the last two months working on and launching a new business. I have finally decided that I don’t work well with bosses! So, now I am my own boss (actually I am now, finally, totally surrendered to God in my business ventures)!

I kept coming across this crazy passage in Romans 12 that taught, right in the middle of a passage on living the Christian life, that we should be “not slothful in business.” As I considered this passage I was guilty and had to confess it and get things right with the Lord. In that time, he reminded me of my calling, both in ministry and business, and set my path clearly before me.

So, here I am again. At the beginning of what is proving to be an incredible journey. I want to chronicle this journey for you and share with you what I learn from it all. I have just begun and so there isn’t much to say today, however as God opens my eyes to new things I will get them out to you right away.

Keep watching (and praying, as I will do for you) and letting God control all the venues of your life. The greatest passage of scripture to come from this experience is Proverbs 3:5-10 which says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil, It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honor the Lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Business, like all of the believer’s life, is all up to God and when it finally hits us that this is so, we will do greater things than we could otherwise have ever done. To God be the glory!

The Jesus Model – Part 4

In this post we are going to look at the fourth principle that we see in the life and ministry of Jesus. This fourth principle is that: Jesus lived in an environment of prayer.

In Matthew 14:22-25 Jesus had spent a day laboring in a dessert place. He had taught and then fed a large crowd of people and when he sent them away, he headed into the mountain alone for a time of prayer with his Father. It was after this time alone with God the Father that he taught the disciples the lesson of faith by walking to them on the water.

Jesus prayed before he named the twelve, he prayed to the Father for blessings on his disciples and those who would get saved throughout the ages to come, and he prayed for God’s will to be done in the garden before he went to the cross.

How about us? Do we bath our businesses in prayer? Do we seek God’s guidance in who we bring on to our teams? Do we pray about the needs and direction of our businesses? Is prayer a principle element of our business growth?

I know for me it has not always been so. I got into network marketing without much prayer and worked to grow my business through the counsel of my upline leaders. (Again without much time with the Lord.) When I was the most successful I was praying much more and when I struggled I was “doing everything I was told to do” by my upline.

This principle ought to cause us all to think a bit, and maybe even to reevaluate our current business practices. Without clear guidence from the Lord we are just really throwing darts in the dark.

Following the principles of  The Jesus Model will always place us in the best place possible to give God the greatest glory in our bodies and our spirits, which are his!

Just my thoughts ….

This is the third post in a five part series entitled The Jesus Model. In this post we are going to look at the third principle in The Jesus Model:

Jesus Penetrated the Culture of His Day

In Matthew 9:10-13 Jesus is questioned about the time he was spending eating with the Publicans and Sinners. Jesus declares to his detractors that those who are whole don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do! While I understand and agree that Jesus is speaking primarily about the salvation of those he dined with, I also think that a principle is evident here as well.

I recently heard a preacher on the radio say that the most amazing thing was not that Jesus ate with sinners, but that sinners wanted to eat with Jesus. Throughout his life Jesus made himself available to everyone who wanted to spend time with him. He never condoned the sinners sin, but he always treated them with respect. His very presence caused sinners to look up and to pay attention. While not all of those he ate with accepted him as their Saviour, it is apparent that his life and words effected them all!

As Christian networkers the question is can we penentrate the “ultra-hype rich” network marketing industry and have a positive effect on it without being tainted by it? Can we be “in it but not of it?” I for one believe we can!

If we are going to follow this principle lived out in the life and ministry of Jesus we are going to have to do three things:

1. We are going to have to be sure why we are in this industry. If you go back to the beginnings of the network marketing industry, it was designed to allow compassionate people the opportunity to reach out and help others build successful businesses from the comfort of their own homes. The key ingredient to this kind of compassion should be our love for God and the desire to express that love to those he puts us in contact with. Jesus did not find the sin that permeated the life of those he dined with pleasant, but he loved them just the same. His love for the sinners allowed him to fulfill God’s will among them.

2. We are going to have to avoid the temptation to isolate ourselves. By eating with these sinner Jesus taught us that while he did not agree with the life-style of the sinner, he still understood that they needed what he had to offer. He maintained his personal testimony and integrity while making sure the sinners understood his love for them. Jesus insulated himself from the sin around him while not isolating himself from the sinner.

3. We are going to have to endure the rebuke that may come our way. Jesus was rebuked by the religious crowd of his day. He quickly and without a doubt let them know that he was here for anyone who recognized their need and sought him. Many Christians in this industry want to work only with other believers (I like working with like-minded believers as well). However, Jesus was willing to go where the doors were opened to him and deal with those he found with both love and respect. In doing so, lost people were saved and those who rejected were made to be “without excuse.”

I would love for my organization to be filled with Christian people who were so committed in their service t the Lord Jesus that they would work with everyone God brought their way. That they would show the same commitment to thoe who don’t know Christ as they do to those who do. With this kind of organization we would see lost people come to Christ and God glorified in all that we do.

Just a thought ….

In this post we are going to be looking at the second principle in The Jesus Model.

The second principle is:
Jesus presented himself in service to God the Father.

What this means to our business practices is that we need to build our businesses as a part of our service to God the Father.

When Jesus prayed to God the Father in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-45) he said, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

In that statement Jesus presented himself in the ultimate way in service to God the Father. Remember that God was going to pour out his wrath on Christ while he hung on the cross. He was also going to forsake God the Son while he became sin for us who knew no sin.

Knowing all of what lay before him, Jesus still presented himself for service.

God had not asked the same level of service from anyone before nor has he since. That being so, he still wants us to be living sacrifices for him in this world (Romans 12:1-2).

This level of service is not just about us being “spiritual.” It is about our overall testimony in life. This includes our business model and philosophy.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Again to the Corinthians Paul says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

Our business is a part of our relationship with the Lord. Since it is, we need to yield it to him and follow after him as he leads. Just like Jesus was willing to follow God’s lead even if it meant he would suffer greatly for his service, we should be willing to “look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12)

When the great God of the universe is in full charge of all our lives (our business included) and we serve him with his glory in mind, he will provide us with the wisdom and understanding necessary to be successful.

Does your business function as a method of your service to the Lord?

Just a thought ….

Dave

Jesus Model – Part One
Building a Business with Purpose
Hebrews 12:1-2

While considering the coming of the new year, I was struck by the need to evaluate again the business that I believe that God has burdened me to start. I began this evaluation by looking at the different business models that I could find both on and offline.

However, it seemed that the more I looked at what was out there and what other people were doing, I was drawn to the conclusion that I was not right for any of the models I had discovered. So, I began to prayerfully consider what God wanted me to do. After all, if he had really called me to build a successful business then he would surely have a model in mind for my doing it.

I was looking through some sermon outlines that I had prepared over the years and came across one entitled, “The Jesus Model.” When I read through the outline, it was as God himself was shouting from the portal of heaven, “This is how you should build your business!”

As I read through the outline again and studied the key texts, He was right (like that’s any big suprise!) This meant that I would have to start over (remember my “Hard Rest” post) and that I would have to build a whole new team. However, I now have a plan in mind and a direction to travel. What a wonderful feeling.

In these articles I would like to share the basics of that plan with you. Not so that you would necessarily join me (I am leaving the “who” of my team up to God!) Rather, I hope that, as you plan your 2009, the basics of this plan spark as much hope, excitement, and confidence in you as it has in me. May God bless us all as we work to honor him in this very important aspect of our lives and service to Him.

The first aspect of the Jesus Model is seen in the fact that Jesus lived every day of his life in a purposeful way. What I mean by this is that Jesus saw each day of his life as an expression of his relationship with God the Father.

In John 4:31 – 38 Jesus teaches his disciples a great lesson:

“In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. “

Notice the phrase: “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” First of all we need to understand the old english word meat. It literally means that which sustains life.

Jesus was telling his disciples (who were trying to get him to eat) that his life was not sustained by what he had to eat but rather by two more important things: 1. To do the will of he who had sent him, and 2. To finish his God’s (the one who sent him) work.

The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about, because their minds were almost always on temporal things. They nearly always saw things through the eyes of their flesh rather than from an eternal view.

Christian network marketers can be the same way. We listen to the conference calls and the annual convention speaches and get all fired up about what a successful business can do for us. We often times forget to consider why God has us in the business in the first place. What does God want to accomplish by our being in network marketing to begin with?

When we don’t approach our business as an expression of our relationship with God the Father, we are opening ourselves up (like the disciples did here) to only seeing things from a temporal view.

God would have us understand three things if our businesses are really going to have an eternal perspective and are going to be built with purpose:

1. Everything we do in life should be about God the Father. This relationship with the Father is what sustained Jesus’ life and ministry.

2. Every attempt we make to build and grow our business should also have an eternal purpose. This is why it is important who we sponsor and why we sponsor them.

3. Every moment we spend in our business will testify of our relationship with God the Father. People who work with us will either see a wonderful relationship between us and the Father or they will see that what we may speak and what we do indicate a disconnect between us and God the Father.

So … how are you going to build this year? Who are you going to build with? How are you going to conduct yourself in the world of your business? With purpose? As a witness of your relationship with God the Father (through Jesus Christ)? Will Eternity matter as you build this year?

Just a thought …. we’ll talk again soon!

Dave

As we look forward to the coming of a new year, what are you planning for your business?

I have been watching (and commenting) on a forum discussion. The discussion is about who should be recruited and how many at one time.

Unfortunately the majority of the responses are about Network Marketing being a numbers game and that we should recruit as many as possible (as long as they have a pulse) and then let the leaders just rise to the top.

There have been many though that have responded by saying that care should be taken in recruiting the right people at the right time. (My opinion by the way.)

I think that God’s word makes our treatment of others more important than our ability to make money. We are commanded to love those that God loves. When recruiting people we ought to love our prospective team members with the love of God.

Contrary to the popular notion that “anyone can build this business,”  the truth is that only 10-12% will make it 10 years and only 25% will be around in 5 years. What that means is that many will be recruited with virtually no chance to be successful.

Another misrepresentation that is often perpetrated on the potential recruit is that there are no real skills or talents that you need to be successful in this industry. So, we bring people in who think that just because they got in that they are supposed to be making money. The truth is that, like any business owner knows, you have to either have or develop a set of unique skills that are necessary for business success.

I think that there are five basics that you have to know in order to be successful in Network Marketing:

1. You need to understand the basics of money.

2. You need to understand the principles of leadership.

3. You need to understand the basics of marketing.

4. You need to understand what it means to be an entrepreneur.

5. You need to continue to improve in the area of personal growth.

If you do not sense that a prospective team member can learn and grow in these areas, you should not recruit them.

In an upcoming video I am going to deal with the difference between building a team and recruiting a group. In this video I will be talking about the fact that a team mentality results in success for all whereas a group mentality results in success for the leaders.

I believe that as we look to the new year and the success we are praying for, that we remember that we and our teams will be best served if we make money by building people rather than by “playing the numbers game!”

Just my thought ….

One of the most difficult things that can plague a Network Marketer is when people you know and love don’t believe in your vision of business success. As a matter of fact, I personally believe that this lack of belief is the number one killer of success in our industry.

When you run into this in your own business, what do you do?

First of all, remember that they people in Jesus’ own hometown didn’t believe in him either. In Matthew 13, Jesus found himself being questioned by those in his own country.

And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  (Matthew 13:54-58)

If Jesus could be doubted with all that he had to offer, then I should expect that there will be people who know me and love me who will do the same thing!

Next, we need to understand that Jesus didn’t stay and try to prove his point to those who did not believe. Instead he continued to present his message to those who would hear. By the way, he didn’t speak badly (or think badly) about the unbelievers, he just left them to their own choices.

Finally you need to remember who you are here to please. When God created you, he created you to be a testimony of his love, his grace, and his power. Since you have been burdened (by the Holy Spirit I hope) to show God’s love, grace, and power through your business, you need to make that your priority.

If in doing what God has called you to, people don’t believe, your obligation to God’s will should take precedence. God’s word says that if you will humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God that he would exalt you IN DUE TIME!

Then when you have been given your platform by God, you need to look for ways to bless those who didn’t believe. If you can find ways to genuinely bless your current non-believers, they will come back to you. You can then be a testimony to them as well.

Don’t let those who don’t believe steal God’s will from your life!

Just my thoughts ….

]]> http://christianbusinessbuilder.wordpress.com/2008/12/20/when-people-dont-believe/feed/ 1 Dave http://christianbusinessbuilder.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/should-christians-market-wealth/ http://christianbusinessbuilder.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/should-christians-market-wealth/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:45:08 +0000 Dave http://christianbusinessbuilder.wordpress.com/?p=57 ]]>

What should Christians do about the “wealth” marketing that so often surrounds the Network Marketing industry? Unfortuantely, from where I am sitting, we not only buy into this philosophy, but we sell it to others.

Our ads talk about people making “more money in a moth than we used to make in a year.” Our lead capture sites have pictures of houses bigger than all but the most successful networkers own and cars that cost more than most of our houses.

We talk about “living on the beaches” when most of us plan our vacations at relatives houses because that’s all we can afford.

The real truth of the matter is that the average “successful” network marketer makes 4 figures a month not 5 figures. (And what’s wrong with a strong 4 figure income anyway?!)

We tell people that they can get rich “with no specialized skills” when we know that there is a large learning curve for most people.

Now, we do this because it is what we have been taught to do. The industry has become this way because we have rationalized the truth. We have looked at what is possible and have sold the “possibilities” while overlooking the “what is.”

We are told that $1,000/month would change the lives of most people dramatically and then we sell $10,000/month because that kind of money is possible AND it sounds better in our sales pitch.

Within an industry that is corrupted by its own greed and covetousness, what’s a Christian to do?

If you ever saw the recent animated version of Aladdin, you need to follow the Genie’s advice to Aladdin as he wondered about how to win the Sultan’s daughter. The Genie (Robin Williams) says to Aladdin,

“TELL HER THE TRUTH!”

This is exactly the advice we need to take as we market our business opportunity. The truth will sponsor more people who will stay and build than the sizzle of beaches, houses, and cars.

More people will respond to a 4 figure monthly income based of building a small but consisted retail customer base and developing a commited team of business builders than will commit to sponsoring 5-10 per month and getting caught up in the conference calls and webinars and purchasing leads and ad co-ops and so on and so on!

Let me give you five truths that I believe every Christian networker should tells potential team members:

1. Building a business takes time, energy, and money. Nothing in life that is good and lasting just happens. It takes work to be successful.

2. Building a business requires learning new things. You have to acquire skills that are unique to building a network marketing business. Having a “dream” is not enough if you don’t know how to do what it takes to accomplish your dream.

3. Builidng a business requires consistent action. Even if you new team member only has a couple hours a week to dedicate to building their business, they are going to have to be consistent with those hours. I know from experience that hit and miss doesn’t work.

4. Building a business in network marketing requires a heart for your team. We need to teach people that being successful in this business model doesn’t happen if we don’t focus on the success of your team.

5. Builiding a business requires that we manage our expectations and those of our team. Selling the “sizzle” may get people to jump in, but when they don’t get the “sizzle” they will jump out just as quickly.

Now, let me conclude this thought by saying that many people in this industry do acheive high levels of wealth. And that is great! But, we need to start people with all the facts and then let their dreams determine the level of success they choose to acheive.

Remember …. TELL THEM THE TRUTH!

It is the only way we can demonstrate the realistic potential of this industry and to do it in a way that our testimony is not damaged.

Just my thought ……

Have you ever been busy doing the things in life that you believed to be the things that God has led you to do, but you just couldn’t “get it together?” Then, one day you wake up, believing in God and his place in your life, and yet you start the day tired, on edge, and you don’t want to do it anymore?

When I came back to the Network Marketing industry I did so because God led me to do so. The only problem is that I came back with the same mindset and business model that had caused me to leave the industry discouraged over two years ago.

After several months of trying to learn and understand the current market conditions and praying  a lot, I have come to the conclusion that I need a “hard reset.”

I have always loved the pure, raw, entrepreneurial nature of this industry. I love innovators and thinkers. I love honest and ethical opportunities that provide products/services that people need, want, and enjoy. There is no industry in the world that provides such opportunities.

However, with every opportunity for good people to do right things there are also opportunities for abuse. Dominant personalities taking advantage of people just looking for their own view of success. People convinced to spend “just a little more” money that they cannot spare for a return that very few ever see. (A 95% industry-wide failure rate speaks volumes!)

Industry leaders blame lazy downline and unsuccessful downline blame unresponsive leaders.

Hype outweighs any concept of reality and talking about managing expectations is most often laughed at and scorned.

Everyone seems to want something for nothing and are willing to have other people pay for them to get it. Selling the “sizzle” is more important than helping people realize their own potential by helping them develop their skills, talents, and abilities.

It is time for change! I believe with all my heart that is why God brought me back.

That being said, I need a “hard reset.” You know what I mean. That time when you have been so corrupted by all the “stuff” that the only answer is to wipe everything out and start over. It’s a pretty drastic move but there are times when it is the only way to completely remove the corruption. The scariest part of the “hard reset” is knowing  that when you push the button there is no turning back.

As of today, I have “hard reset” everything about my business model. My hope is that this reset will provide hope for the struggling, comfort to the weary, and an energy for right change that will carve out a niche for people like me in this wonderful industry.

I am looking for 12 leaders to step out of the shadows. 12 people who will join me in my business, my vision, and my life. Only hard working, visionary, servant-leaders need apply!

Wanna play? Click here to get more details!