“And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” – Jesus (Luke 2:49).
Jesus was all about His Father’s business or work! He ate, slept, and breathed His father’s work. He was constantly in prayer about it (Matthew 6:10). He came “to seek and to save” the lost and to “give his life a ransom for many” (Luke 19:10; Matthew 20:28). He said that those who followed him would be made into “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), and that we should pray for the Father to “send forth laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38; Luke 10:2).
What if the church was “about our Father’s business?”
We should be.
What would it look like? Probably something like the life of Jesus. People in the church would be zealous about good works – about going around to make a difference in the lives of others and give the glory to our Father in heaven. People would pray and study together and talk about God a lot; not only amongst themselves, but with those on the outside in the community around. A church member who is willing to give all for Jesus, occupies their time with seeking and saving souls, training others to do so, and praying for an increased workforce, while being a strong part of that workforce.
Another question…a reality check. What if the church was a business [or, like a business]? Not talking about bad motives here or greed, but about organization, purpose, concern, and dedication to the task, or perhaps, conversely, a lack thereof. How would we be doing?
What if everyone showed up for board meeting and wanted to be there, finding it to be a privilege? What if we took it seriously? What if our object was “the Father’s business” of evangelism instead of just keeping the lights on and the building running (which of course have their place too, but are not the mission. They are the chores. Not the mission)? What if we showed up all prayed up and having meditated seriously on the work to be done? Coming with fresh ideas to reach our community – to accomplish the Father’s business?
What if we were planning during our board meeting how to get the Father’s business done? Why we exist as a church? What kind of evangelism goals we have? And, are we actually reaching those goals, or not? And, what can each person in the Father’s “corporation” be doing to contribute substantially to the mission of God’s business? Are any of the employees functioning just as dead weight, or are they acting as effort-contributing members who want to accomplish the mission? And, if they are not contributing, what are we doing about it to see that it gets corrected?
If the Father’s business was our passion and dedication then we might see the following:
- Fresh leaders coming in instead of feeling tired and wondering who can lead besides us or help us to do so.
- Fresh hands to do the work instead of only us and the few key long-time tired and aging leaders.
- New sources of income instead of wondering how we’ll get enough funds to support our programs.
- New faces and youthful families instead of wondering how much longer the sea of graying heads in our church membership can keep the ship running.
- Thinking about expanding our services and opening up new locations, instead of thinking about how we can trim down our facilities to save our limited funds.
What are the signs of a ship about to sink, a business going downhill, a church going under?
- People have lost focus on the mission. They expect the work to be done only by their local manager or overseer. They might help with a few chores, but they don’t put a finger to do the actual business or mission their organization is established for. The staff or employees sit around unproductively towards the mission and do personal things during the work time or they do unimportant busy work that does not actually accomplish the mission itself.
- Leaders are too hard to find and the few in place are stretched thin. We no longer have the human resource to keep functioning smoothly.
- Most employees are getting near retirement and there are not many prospects to fill their places.
- The facilities are becoming too costly to be covered by available cash flow.
- The facilities are being scaled down piece by piece because we “no longer need them” for our group size.
What should we do to turn things around if we find ourselves headed in the wrong direction?
- Heart searching – Praying and asking God what we can be doing for Him and how much more we can be contributing to His mission and His business of winning souls.
- Commitment to success – Give yourself to the success of God’s business wholeheartedly as Jesus did. Make it the number one priority in your life.
- Gaining and employing the proper wisdom and knowledge – Get proper training for doing the work effectively. Seek wise counsel and guidance for all on the team.
- Setting to work – Get on with the task of employing [putting to work] what you’ve learned – in doing the actual work for accomplishing the mission and for helping others in the organization to do so as well.
- Slow and steady – the “20-mile march” – We’re in this for the long haul. We need to plan for sustainability in this work and not for a mad dash frenzy that we all burn out from in one to four quarters. Work smart and work steady. Twenty miles in the sunshine, twenty miles in the rain. Set a goal (goals) and keep the pace. We’ll be sure to advance in the Father’s business!
- Keep it up and reproduce – Keep up the heart-searching dependence upon and prayer to God. Keep renewing your commitment to Him and His work. Keep seeking wisdom and knowledge to always do this work more effectively. Keep doing the work. Continue moving forward. Expand enterprises for God and teach others how to do the same.
God’s appeal:
So, yes, God, our Father has a business and that is to expand His kingdom and to save souls from death through the power of His Son Jesus and the message of His truth. His plan is to use the laboring hands of each member of His kingdom to do so (far preferably to “the stones crying out”-Luke 19:40). If we are members of His Kingdom then we are to be an integral part of His business. Are we doing the work as we should? Are things advancing as best they can or regressing and heading for death? And, if they are not advancing as should be, then what are you going to do about it? (I’ll leave that one for you and God to wrestle about it prayer)
