Display An Alternative Way Until They Ask You About It
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This article was originally presented at the Christian Economic Forum. CEF is a platform that provides a relational learning environment where leaders and experts from around the world gather to discuss and address some of the world’s greatest challenges and most pressing needs. Learn more about them here.
If business was the ultimate game, it would not be too hard to amass a winning score. But given that only Kingdom scores will count when the final whistle blows, our actions in the business arena should influence others to understand the scoring system.
Business is the perfect earthly alibi for promoting the Kingdom. That is my opinion anyway, but only if you use it wisely. There are a few principles I have found helpful in this regard.
It Is a Nicodemus Ministry
The chances of a board member, CEO, or senior executive asking you a question relating to a topic of eternal value in a public forum is remote.
Nicodemus was a “board member,” observing the life of Jesus. We don’t have the benefit of the detail related to his thought processes during this period, but we do know it culminated in a one-on-one meeting with Jesus late at night, where Nicodemus made the statement, “We know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:2).
Our responsibility is to faithfully display the practical application of “God in us” in the business world, and to rejoice when a Nicodemus asks for a private meeting. Pursuing business executives with the gospel is second prize. First prize is to pursue the Kingdom in the business world to the point where key individuals will find it intolerable not to have insight into the “magic.”
Protect the Alibi In Your Conversations and Actions
“Christianese” or religious language is bound to scare off business people—not only non-believers, but also believers who are longing for more of Christ in their lives.
I have found the use of generic non-threatening phrases/words to be very effective. As an example, I often use the statement that the Truth is my friend when serving on a board or other governing body. A few years ago I was approached to serve on the board of a publicly listed company. At the first board meeting I attended (after the normal welcoming by the chairman and the typical response of being honored to serve . . . ), I waited for the right opportunity to share this:
“I would like all of you to know that my best friend is called the Truth. Therefore if any one of you picks a fight with my friend, just know that I will be on his side,” I said with a smile.
At this very same board we faced an issue of public disclosure a year or two after I joined. We discovered something that was wrong/misrepresented in the financial figures and although it was not financially material it was definitely something that investors needed to be informed about. But since the nature of the disclosure would reflect poorly on the board/their oversight, the majority of the board felt we should not report it. We ended up debating the issue well into the night. I will never forget the moment when the decision to not disclose it was all but final and one of the board members (who up to that point supported the decision) said: “Johan’s friend is not going to like this.” It changed the discussion. We went from arguing about financial disclosure requirements, materiality thresholds, etc. to “what is the truth?” The decision became obvious. We disclosed it.
Door Openers and Party Tricks
Innovative change management techniques, commercial acumen, and exceptional people skills will only take you so far in putting points on the eternal scoreboard. The door openers and party tricks (I say this respectfully) are when God works through us in a defining moment.
We serve the King of the universe who is omnipotent, all-knowing, and ever-present. There are few things as exhilarating as Him giving us insight into something that would otherwise be impossible to know, such as a word of wisdom in an impossible situation or a word of knowledge about a relevant but undisclosed fact. Recall the words of Nicodemus: “for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” Nicodemus had no doubt rubbed shoulders with some of the most gifted men of his time—people of great intellect and ability. But he was acutely aware of the fact there was no explanation, outside of God, for the things Jesus did. Imagine the same was true for each of us in the boardroom.
Be Ready to Spill the Beans
Just as our approach must often be subtle in the board room, our approach should be brutally honest when a Nicodemus does show up for a private meeting. If the John 3 account is something to imitate, Jesus seemed to skip small talk or an incremental approach and jumped straight to the topic of being born again. There is something very profound in this, and we know it is true. When it comes to the eternal scoreboard (i.e., bearing fruit), it is ultimately either Him working through us (and therefore “I can do all things,” Philippians 4:13) or us working alone (“without Me you can do nothing,” John 15:5). We have no business keeping this secret to ourselves or tiptoeing around it when the opportunity presents itself to share it boldly.
Lifelong Learning
The business world has fully embraced the concept of lifelong learning—acknowledging we need to continually renew and improve our knowledge base to maintain a competitive advantage. To this end we have available to us executive training programs, mentors, on-line courses, and numerous web-based forums with excellent content.
Equipping our soul (intellect, emotions, and will) is of paramount importance but it is ultimately just the “ticket to the game.” The question is whether we put the same effort into continuous learning for our spirit which, when filled with God’s spirit, provides the competitive advantage as discussed in “Door Openers and Party Tricks.”
In Summary
A calling to represent the Kingdom in the business world carries with it some of the best fringe benefits (when compared to other callings), but it also brings significant responsibility.
The safest place to be is abiding in Him—trusting Him to work through us to the extent that our lives will be such an attractive but humanly inexplicable example that key business leaders will feel compelled to privately ask us about Him.