5.人类被称为创造…
在创世记第二章，我们看到创造的第二个记述，地球还没有生长，果实尚未结出。原因是双重的，经文告诉我们，神还没有提供必不可少的成分：雨。而且还缺少另一个同样重要的成分：没有人“耕地”。
如果我们想要生意兴隆，就必须在工作和休息之间建立适当的平衡。你的工作和休息平衡吗？
我们富裕的看法决定着我们处理工作和看顾护理的方式。被呼召经商的人要建立起符合神心意的富裕观。只有这样，我们才能在工作与看顾护理之间保持适当的平衡。
快乐不是拥有你想要的，而是珍惜你所拥有的。需 要道德界限,符合圣经原则的富裕区间,知 足,富 裕,贫 穷
就用比喻对他们说：有一个财主田产丰盛；自己心里思想说：“我的出产没有地方收藏，怎么办呢？”又说：“我要这么办：要把我的仓房拆了，另盖更大的，在那里好收藏我一切的粮食和财物。”神却对他说：“无知的人哪，今夜必要你的灵魂；你所预备的要归谁呢？”凡为自己积财，在神面前却不富足的，也是这样。
富裕就像个满得溢出水的水杯，随着更多上帝的供应进入我们的生命，我们面临一个选择：让它溢出惠及他人，或拿个更大
4.Christi…
Open the session with a short time of prayer.
At the core of BizMin is the idea that business can be transformed into a Christian ministry. This session will explore the nature of Christian ministry and how your business can systematically become a fruitful ministry. We believe that if it is your business, it is also your ministry.
Reflection
Imagine serving God faithfully every day, becoming a person who walks by faith, practicing what you preach and trusting God for your daily provision. You are confident in God’s calling, free from worry, and clear in purpose. You know you are engaged in a good work to which you have been called, and others support and endorse you in this. At the end of your days, when it is all done, you will look back with satisfaction and look forward with anticipation of treasure stored in heaven and the words “Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master’s happiness!” You will have lived a truly prosperous and satisfying life; one lived to the full. Wow, it sounds amazing! It sounds like what all Christians long for. It sounds like a life spent in fruitful ministry.
Does this describe your life?
Always.
Sometimes.
Maybe someday.
The Encyclopaedia of Christianity Online defines ministry as ‘carrying forth Christ’s mission in the world’ and states that this is ‘fundamentally the task of the church, the whole people of God, and is conferred on each Christian in baptism.’
Discuss whether you agree with this definition of ministry. Write your own definition.
Discussion.
Do you think business can become a Christian ministry?
The term that we translate as ‘ministry’ is from the Greek word ‘Diakonia, meaning, ‘to serve.’ Discuss how an attitude of service, rather than self-interest, might transform the prevailing culture of business.
1.What are the primary activities and purposes of a business?
Activity.
Purpose.
2.Take a moment to consider some of the more fruitful church ministries that you are aware of. What are the primary activities and purposes of these traditional Christian ministries?
Activity.
Purpose.
Discuss the similarities and differences, identifying potential areas of overlap and conflict, between the activities of a business and those of a church ministry.
Consider how church and business have complementary roles and can work in partnership to achieve God’s purposes for the wellbeing of society.
Discussion.
Consider how business might remove or reduce the demand for many church ministries, enabling the Church to focus its resources on its primary ministries of preaching the gospel and equipping the saints for works of service.
We believe that church and business are two complementary elements in God’s plan for society.
Consider what the passages below tell us about the relationship between business and ministry.
Activity.
Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters…to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own
business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1 Thess.4:10b-12 , Colossians3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
A business can become a fruitful Christian ministry. The business could be an essential partner to the Church in
carrying forth Christ’s mission in the world.
Business as a ministry is about the outworking of our faith and Business as a ministry is about the outworking of our faith and Christ’s mission in the context of our business. The Bible encourages God’s people to express the work of Christ in a balanced manner. Different streams and traditions within the Christian community can be prone to place the emphasis of this outworking quite differently. The diagram below illustrates the three broad areas of emphasis by which God’s people ‘carry forth Christ’s mission in the world’. These are Spirit, Word, and Deeds.
Throughout history Christians have struggled to maintain a well-balanced approach to all three, tending towards a spirituality that favors one or two, but rarely all three. Our goal is for your business to be a complete ministry. This requires actively balancing all three.
The following pages contain stories of Kingdom Entrepreneurs who have demonstrated how each has been outworked in their business.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James2:26
Teaching.
SIR TITUS SALT (1803-1876)
Titus Salt was more than a gifted businessman. What made him unique to many other industrialists of the Industrial Revolution was his compassion for his employees and the practical manner by which he demonstrated his faith. Moved by the squalid conditions, his workers were living in, he decided to do something about it. With over two hundred factory chimneys continually churning out black, sulfurous smoke, the northern England town of Bradford had gained a reputation for being the most polluted town in England. Salt was one of the few employers in the town who showed any concern for the problem. After much experimentation, he discovered a burner that produced very little pollution and in 1842 he arranged for these burners to be used in all his factories. When he realised other factory owners and the council were unwilling to take action over the pollution, he decided to move his operations out of Bradford.
Salt consolidated his factories into one large factory and called the new complex Saltaire. Built in 1853, ‘Saltaire was so bold in its conception, so extensive in its design, so complete in its execution, that it placed the owner on a pinnacle of fame, without a rival’. Suffice to say, it was a special and well-respected new community. The factory complex was located on the banks of the River Aire and included a village for Salt’s employees. He not only pioneered cleaner production; he also provided his workers with good quality homes in a healthy environment.
His village included shops, a church, and schools for both adults and children. The community of Saltaire was seen as an example of a village ‘which embraced architectural comfort and at the same time moral order in a paternalistic community.’ Salt proved that it was possible to be highly successful in the textiles industry without exploiting his workers. He took practical steps which demonstrated that a successful business could care for its employees. His Christian compassion was demonstrated by his deeds.
Salt was a generous man and a great philanthropist of the Victorian age. He helped his workers achieve unprecedented living standards for the time. He had a reputation for generously rewarding his employees and in 1857 he hired three trains to transport around 2,500 workers to the Exhibition of the Art Treasures of the United Kingdom.
When he died in 1876, although he had been an extremely rich man, his family was horrified that his fortune was gone. It has been estimated that during his life he had given away over £500,000 to good causes, a huge sum in the mid 19th century.
Salt believed that by helping his employees to live healthier life he was doing God’s work. He was a devout Christian and his coat of arms read, ‘what not by the help of God?’ He was committed to applying his faith through practical action that showed God’s love and compassion holistically for those in his care.
Titus Salt showed his faith by his deeds.
How did Salt’s approach to business demonstrate faith through deeds?
Is your approach to business revealing your faith through your
deeds?
Discussion.
Reflection.
Teaching.
1 Corinth1:23a
but we preach Christ crucified…
SIR JOHN LAING （1879-1978）
John Laing was a successful construction entrepreneur, creating one of the largest construction companies in the UK. The Laing family belonged to a thriving Brethren church in Carlisle, where John Laing learned to rely heavily on the wisdom of the Bible. He was committed to his evangelical beliefs and sought to apply God’s Word to his business.
Laing became a Christian at the age of seven and was passionate about sharing the gospel. On one occasion, when he was waiting to receive an honor from the Queen, he asked the person standing next to him whether he was ready to be received in the court of heaven. He sought to never miss an opportunity to preach Christ, whatever the context.
Laing had high standards and could be tough on staff, but he was also generous and took a very personal interest in his employees. On one occasion he found a man looking tired on-site and asked what the matter was. The man told him he was having to do the housework and look after his children before starting work at 7am, because his wife was ill. Laing disappeared, only to return and give the man two weeks off with full pay. On getting home, the man discovered that Laing had been and checked out his story, leaving £5 on the kitchen table; a generous
gift at the time.
Laing was also a pioneer of professional cost estimating. In his day clients would often only discover that their budget was going to be exceeded as the project neared completion, with resulting losses and disputes. He revolutionized his industry by taking Jesus at His word. In Luke 14.28 Jesus says; “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” Laing made sure that his company did just that. This is a good example of how he explicitly applied the Word to his work. Today, the whole industry is doing this particular aspect of business God’s way!
Laing’s commitment to God’s Word led him to begin practices like sick pay, pension schemes, and pay during poor weather lay-offs, long before these practices were required by law. Laing also used his business to quite literally build God’s Kingdom. On completing the building of Coventry Cathedral, he returned the profit to the church.
He also built many churches at a cost price and when the company built houses, they would build extra houses for missionaries at the same time. As his business prospered, he also went on to become a significant funder of various Bible colleges and student outreach organizations. Whenever he called by, his question was the same; ‘How many students have become Christians this week?’
Laing sought to practice what he preached. He was a man committed to applying the Word of God and his evangelical fervor to and through his business activities and the other ministries it helped enable.
How did God’s word influence Laing’s business practice?
Reflection.
Are you able to ‘practice what you preach’? Are you allowing
God’s word to influence the policies and practices of your
company?
Discussion.
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s
power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
1 Corinth.2:4-5
LOWELL ‘BUD’ PAXSON (1935-2015)
Bud Paxson founded the Home Shopping Network in the US and later became an evangelical Christian who pioneered PAX TV, the largest family-friendly television network. This is his story. In 1986, four years after he founded the Home Shopping Network, it was experiencing meteoric growth. Paxson was traveling all over the world and was away from home 260 days a year. His financial position exploded, but so too did his marriage. On Christmas Day 1986, Paxson’s wife broke the news that she was leaving him. He considered this the lowest point of his life. “I was absolutely and completely bankrupt. I was a millionaire, yet all of my success was worthless because I had lost my wife and wasn’t close to my kids” recalls Paxson. His Christmas gift to the family for 1986 had already been arranged; a trip to Las Vegas. His adult children urged him to go, despite the news from his wife, so Paxson headed to Vegas. On New Year’s Eve, after all the festivities had ended, he remained unable to sleep. At 4 am, he felt an urge to read the Bible, something he
Teaching.
hadn’t done since he was a child at Sunday school. Locating one in a drawer next to the bed, he read Romans 5:8; ‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ and gave his heart to Christ. It was the turning point in his life. Paxson had an insatiable appetite for learning the Bible and with the help of a local pastor, he began to truly understand how to live a life committed to Jesus Christ.
His business practices began to change too and the Home Shopping Network flourished. When he sold the company, his take was $118M. At this point, Paxson could have retired and/or given the money to charity. Instead, he used the money to buy local television stations at a time when many were selling.
Although the plan to purchase these apparently failing television stations seemed illogical, the Lord had given Paxson peace about the plan. It paid off when, soon after, a Supreme Court decision imposed a ‘must-carry rule mandating that cable operators include all broadcast stations in a given market on their channel offerings.
This greatly increased the value of the supposedly worthless stations he had just purchased. He then parlayed these acquisitions into the creation of the television network PAX TV which he used to combat what he called ‘the moral manure’ found on television. He pledged that Pax (the Roman word for peace) would not air gratuitous sex, violence, or bad language. “I want it to be parables and storytelling, which is what Jesus did”.
J. GUNNAR OLSON
Gunnar Olson is a Swedish entrepreneur and founder of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce. He is the owner and Chairman of Alfapac, a high-tech plastic film manufacturing company. He often teaches about ‘a release under the Lordship of Christ and actively believes that a business, reconciled to Christ, has a place in the Kingdom of God, making the Kingdom manifest ‘through spirit, by faith.’
He tells of a wonderful example. His company was coming to the end of a significant production run and had produced several million pounds of silage bags that were ready for shipment. Just a few days before they were due to be shipped, the production manager came to Gunnar looking troubled.
‘I think we’ve come to the end of the road at Alfapac,’ he said. It turned out that all of the bags were faulty. The fault had not been identified during production and over one thousand pallets of stock, ready to be shipped, could not be used. The business was facing bankruptcy.
This is how Gunnar responded; ‘I assembled the family and shared the news. Then we decided how we would deal with the problem in prayer. We would simply present the situation to the Lord and then listen to the Holy Spirit because we had given the company to Him.
While they were praying a man rang and said, ”I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a word for you. You must speak to the invisible.” That word of encouragement was enough. Our faith was sealed.’ It is worth quoting what they did next in full, from his excellent book, Business Unlimited.
‘He had told me the bad news on Friday, and the first opportunity we had to visit the factory and see all the pallets were on Sunday evening. Driving out, we agreed that we would not allow even the tiniest piece of sealed plastic to remain after we had prayed. As we stood holding hands in the yard,
I was glad I hadn’t seen all the pallets before. They were everywhere! To the natural eye, it was overwhelming. For a while, we stood and praised the Lord for his faithfulness and mercy. Then I yelled at the top of my voice, “Listen heaven and earth! Who is the Lord over Alfapac? His name is Jesus! In the name of Jesus, I commanded all those plastic molecules to come back into line!”
Praying in tongues, we laid hands on each pallet and after three hours we had finished. We went home. The job was done. On Monday morning, my brother ordered the whole factory staff to open all the boxes and check their content. To the glory of God, no bag was sealed! What a mighty God we serve!
This is the glory element that becomes visible as we submit every aspect of our lives to Him. There is a joy that carries us through as we work with him, and He is excellent in everything He does. That is the difference between a secular business and one that is given over to the Lord. His glory and His life are manifest in the workplace.’
The examples of Paxson and Gunnar illustrate how it is possible to lead a modern business in both the peace and the power of the Holy Spirit.
How were their businesses led by the Spirit?
Reflection.
Do you prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to guide your business decisions? Do you act in the power of the Holy Spirit at work?
These business leaders made their business their ministry. We hope their testimony inspires you to do likewise.
Discussion.
Reflection.
Take a moment to reflect on your approach to business. Which area, if any, do you emphasize?
What practical steps might you take to achieve a spiritual balance in your business? If time permits, consider the
significance of 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 and Ephesians 4:11-13.
We must strive to ensure that our business is a complete ministry.
Close the session with a short time of prayer. Ask God to help you live out a complete ministry in and through your business.
4.商业经营为主内…
简短祷告后开始会议。
课程的核心思想是商业经营可以变成一个主内事工。 本课将探讨主内事工的性质，以及如何系统性地将你的商业经营转变成一个富有成果的事工。我们相信，如果这是你的商业经营，那么它就是你的事工。
反 思的定义
想象一下每天都忠诚地事奉上帝，成为一个靠信仰而行的人，怎么教导别人自己就怎么做，并相信上帝将供给你每日所需。你对上帝的呼召充满信心，没有忧虑，也目标清晰。你知道自己所做的正是上帝呼召你去做的善工，而其他人也对此表示支持和认可。在你生命的终点，一切行将结束之时，你将心满意足地回顾过去，并期待天上的财宝和“做得好，你这又良善又忠心的人！进来享受你主人的快乐吧！”这句话。你会过真正兴旺和令人满意的生活，一个丰盛的人生。哇，这听起来真棒！正像所有基督徒都渴望的生活，就是在富有成果的事工中度过一生。
这描述的是你的生活吗？
总是 A
有时是
可能将来某一天是 C
基督教在线百科全书将事工定义为“在世上宣扬基督的使命”，并指出这“从根本上讲，是教会，所有上帝子民的整体，的任务，而这一任务被授予每位受洗的基督徒。”
讨论你是否同意这个关于事工的定义。写下你自己的定义。
讨 论
你认为经商可以成为主内的事工吗？
我们翻译为“事工”的术语来自希腊语“diakoneo”，意思是“服务”。讨论以“服务”的心态，而非追求自身利益的心态会
如何改变盛行的商业文化。
商业经营的主要活动和目的是什么？
活动
目的
花点时间思考你所知道的一些有成效的教会事工。这些传统主内事工的主要活动和目的是什么？
活动
目的
讨论经商和教会事工之间的异同，识别两者潜在重叠和冲突的部分。
思考教会和经商如何发挥互补作用，相互合作实现上帝为社会谋福利的旨意。
讨 论
思考经商如何能省去或减少教会事工的许多需求，使教会能将其资源集中在传讲福音和训练圣徒服事的主要事工上。
我们认为教会和经商是上帝对社会的计划中两个互补的要素。
关于经商与事工之间关系，思考下面经文告诉我们什么。
活 动
但我劝弟兄们要更加勉励。又要立志作安静人，办自己的事，亲手做工，正如我们从前所吩咐你们的，叫你们可以向外人行事端正，自己也就没有什么缺乏了。
帖前4:10b-12 , 歌罗西书3:23-24
无论做什么，都要从心里做，像是给主做的，不是给人做的，因你们知道从主那里必得着基业为赏赐；你们所事奉的乃是主基督。
经商可以成为一个富有成果的主内事工。商业经营可以是教会在世上宣扬基督使命的重要伙伴。
营商事工就是在我们经营的过程中把我们的信仰和基督的使命传扬出去。圣经鼓励上帝的子民以均衡方式来表达基督的工作。基督徒群体内部不同流派和传统之间传扬基督信仰的侧重点可能很不同。下图说明了上帝子民“在世上传扬基督使命”的三个主要侧重点。它们是圣灵、圣经话语和行为。
行为, 圣灵, 事工, 神的话,
纵观历史，基督徒一直难于保持三者之间的均衡，往往倾向于偏重其中一或两个方面，很少三者并重。我们的目标是使你的商业经营成为一个完整的事工。这需要积极平衡全部三个方面。
下面是一些国度企业家的故事，讲述了每个侧重点怎样在他们的商业经营中发挥作用。
身体没有灵魂是死的，信心没有行为也是死的。
雅各书2:26
教 导、行为
泰特斯∙索特爵士 (1803-1876)
泰特斯·索特（Titus Salt）不仅仅是个有天赋的商人。使他在工业革命时期众多的实业家中独树一帜的是他对员工的同情，以及他用实际行动展现他信仰的方式。有感于他的员工肮脏的生活环境，他决定为此做点事。随着 200 多个工厂烟囱不断发出黑色的含硫烟雾，英格兰北部城镇布拉德福德（Bradford）成为英格兰污染最严重的城镇。索特是镇上少数几个对这个问题表示担忧的雇主之一。经过大量的实验，他发现了一种产生污染极小的燃烧器，并于 1842 年将这些燃烧器用于所有他自己的工厂。当意识到其他工厂老板和议会不愿对污染采取行动时，他决定将他的工厂搬出布拉德福德。
索特将他的工厂合并为一个大工厂，并称新的综合性厂区为索尔泰尔（Saltaire）。建于 1853 年的索尔泰尔，“其构思如此大胆，设计如此深入，执行如此完善，以至于使它的拥有者名声大震，毫无对手”。不夸张地说，这是一个特别且非常受人尊敬的新社区。综合厂区位于艾尔（Aire）河沿岸，其中还包括一个供索特的员工居住的村落。他不仅开创了清洁生产的先河，还为他的员工在健康的环境中提供了优质的家。
他的村落有商店，教堂，和供成人和孩子们学习的学校。索尔泰尔社区被视为‘既拥有舒适的建筑，又拥有家长式社区之道德秩序’的村落典范。索特证明了在纺织行业，即取得高度成功同时又不剥削工人是可能的。他用实际行动证明成功的企业也可以关心照顾其员工。他的行为证明了他基督徒的同情心。
索特是一位慷慨的人，是维多利亚时代的伟大慈善家。他帮助他的员工达到了那个时代从未有过的生活水平。他享有慷慨奖励员工的声誉，1857 年，他租用了三列火车运送大约 2500 名工人参加英国艺术珍品展。当他于 1876 年去世时，尽管他曾是个非常富有的人，他的家人震惊地发现他的财富全没了。据估计，他一生中捐出了超过 500,000 英镑用于公益事业，这在 19 世纪中叶是一个巨大的数目。
索特认为，通过帮助他的员工过上更健康的生活，他正在做上帝的工。他是一位虔诚的基督徒，他的纹章上写着：“有什么不是由于上帝的帮助呢？”他致力于通过实际行动来实践自己的信仰，就是对他所照管的那些人全面地表达上帝的爱与怜悯。
泰特斯·索特用自己的行为表明了自己的信仰。
索特的经营方式是如何通过行为表明信仰的？
你的经营方式是否通过你的行为表明了你的信仰？
讨 论
反 思
教 导
神的话
哥林多前1:23a
我们却是传钉十字架的基督
约翰·莱因爵士（1879-1978）
约翰·莱因（John Laing）是一位成功的建筑企业家，创建了英国最大的建筑公司之一。莱因家族属于卡莱尔（Carlisle）一个蓬勃发展的弟兄会教会，在那里约翰·莱因学会了全心依赖圣经的智慧。他投身于他的福音信仰，并努力将上帝的话
运用到他的商业经营中。
莱因在七岁那年成为一名基督徒，并热衷于分享福音。有一次，当他在等待女王授予他一项荣誉时，他问站在他旁边的人是否准备好了被天堂接收。无论环境如何，他都力求从不错过传扬基督的机会。
莱因有高的标准，对员工严格，但他也很慷慨，亲自关心他的员工。有一次，他在现场发现一个人看着很疲倦，便问他怎么回事。这人告诉他，他的妻子病了，所以他得在早上 7 点上班前做家务并照顾孩子。莱因离开了一会儿又回来，给了这人两周的全薪假。这人到家后才知道莱因到过他家查看情况，并在厨房的桌子上留下了5 英镑，这在当时是一份慷慨的礼物。
莱因还是专业成本估算的先驱。在那个时代，客户通常只会在项目快完成时才发现他们的预算将被超出，从而造成损失和纠纷。他信靠耶稣用祂的话革命性地改变了他所在的行业。路加福音 14 章 28 节耶稣说：“你们哪一个要盖一座楼，不先坐下算计花费，能盖成不能呢？”莱因要他的公司设法这样做。这是一个很好的例子，说明他如何在工作中明确地运用神的话。如今，整个行业在这个方面都在按照上帝的方式做！
莱因对上帝话语的忠诚使他开始采取诸如病假工资，退休金计划，和恶劣天气下岗工资之类的做法，远远早于法律开始要求这么做。莱恩还用自己的企业来真正地建造上帝的国度。在完成考文垂大教堂的建造后，他将收益返还给教堂。他还以成本价建造了许多教堂。当他的公司建造房屋时，还同时为传教士建造额外的房屋。随着业务的蓬勃发展，他更进一步成为各种圣经学校和学生外展组织的重要资助者。每当他顺便拜访这些组织时，他的问题都是一样的：“这周有多少学生成为基督
徒？”
莱因努力践行他所传扬的。他是一个致力于将神的话和自己的福音热情贯彻到自己的商业活动以及其企业所资助的其他事工上的人。
神的话如何影响莱因的商业实践？
思 考:
你是否能够“践行你所传扬的”? 你是否让神的话来影响你公
司的政策和实践？
讨 论:
我说的话、讲的道，不是用智慧委婉的言语，乃是用圣灵和大能的明证，叫你们的信不在乎人的智慧，只在乎神的大能。
哥林多前2:4-5
洛威尔·巴德·帕克森(1935-2015)
教 导
圣灵
巴德·帕克森（Bud Paxson）在美国创建了家庭购物网，他后来成为一名福音派基督徒，是他率先开发了最大的适合家庭的 PAX TV 电视网。下面是他的故事。1986年，在帕克森创建家庭购物网四年后，它正经历着飞速的发展。帕克森在全世界旅行，一年内 260 天都不在家。他的经济状况爆炸性发展，但同时他的婚姻也破裂了。
1986 年圣诞节那天，帕克森的妻子发布消息说她要离开他。他认为这是他一生中的最低谷。“我绝对彻底地破产了。我曾经是百万富翁，但我所有的成功都一文不值，因为我失去了妻子，和孩子们也不亲近。”帕克森回忆说。他给家人 1986 年的圣诞节礼物已经安排好了：去拉斯维加斯旅行。尽管有他妻子已发布的消息，他已成年的子女还是劝他去，所以帕克森去了拉斯维加斯。除夕之夜，在所有庆祝活动结束后，他无法入睡。凌晨 4 点，他感到非常想读圣经，这是他从小时候主日学之后就从未做过的事情。他在床边的抽屉里找到一本圣经，读到了罗马书 5：8“惟有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死，神的爱就在此向我们显明了。”这是他一生的转折点。自此帕克森如饥似渴地学习圣经，在当地牧师的帮助下，他开始真正地明白了如何过一个委身耶稣基督的生活。
他的经商方式也开始发生变化，而家庭购物网也蓬勃发展。后来他以 1.18 亿美元卖掉了公司。此时，帕克森本可以退休或将钱捐给慈善机构。但趁着当时许多无线电视台在出售，他用这笔钱购买了当地的无线电视台。
尽管购买这些已然衰败的无线电视台似乎不合逻辑，但上帝给了帕克森执行这个计划的平安。不久之后，最高法院的裁决通过了一项“强制令”，要求新兴的有线电视运营商在其所提供的频道中必须包括给定市场中所有的无线电视台，帕克森的投资获得了回报。强制令大大增加了他刚刚买来的本该一文不值的无线电台的价值。之后，他成功地用这些收购来的电视台创建了 PAX TV 电视网，并以此来对抗电视上被他称为“道德大粪”的不良节目。他保证 Pax（罗马语的“和平”）不会播放无端的性行为，暴力或污秽语言。“我希望它用比喻和讲故事，正如耶稣所做的” 。
詹纳·奥尔森
詹纳·奥尔森（Gunnar Olson）是个瑞典企业家，也是国际基督教商会的创始人。他是高科技塑料薄膜制造公司 Alfapac 的所有人和董事长。他经常教导“在基督王权下的释放”，并坚信一个与基督和好的生意在神国占有一席之地，可以“通过圣灵凭着信心”彰显神的国。
他讲述了一个很好的例子。他的公司即将完成一个重要的生产流程，已生产出几百万磅的青贮袋准备装运。就在即将装运的前几天，生产经理忧心忡忡地来见詹纳。他说：“我想 Alfapac 要完蛋了。”原来所有的青贮袋都有问题。这些问题在生产过程中未被及时发现，导致已经准备装运的上千货盘青贮袋都不能用。企业面临破产。詹纳是这样回应的：“我召集了家人，告诉他们这个消息。然后我们讨论如何用祷告来处理这个问题。我们决定只是将情况告诉主，然后听圣灵的带领，因为我们已经将公司交托给祂了。就在我们祷告的时候，一个人按门铃进来说：‘我不知道发生了什么，但我有话对你们说：你们必须对看不见的那位诉说。’有了这鼓励的话语就足够了，我们的信仰已被封印。”在这里完整引述詹纳优秀的著作《无限的商业》中讲述他们接下来所做的一切是值得的。
“他是在星期五告诉我这个坏消息的，直到周日晚上我们才有机会去工厂察看那些货盘。开车去的时候，我们决定祷告祈求神连最微小的不能用的密封的塑料都不允许留下。当我们站在院子里牵着手时，我庆幸以前没有看到过所有这些货盘。它们到处都是！从人眼看来，它们实在太多了。我们站着用了一些时间赞美主的信实和怜悯。然后我用尽全力大声喊到：‘ 天啊地啊，请听！谁是 Alfapac 的主？祂的名字是耶稣！我奉耶稣的名，命令所有这些塑料分子恢复原来的样子！’
我们用方言祷告，按手在每个货盘上，三个小时后我们全部完成。我们回家了，大功告成。星期一早上，我兄弟命令全厂员工打开所有的包装盒检查。荣耀归于上帝，被密封而不能用的袋子一个也没有了！我们服事的上帝是多么伟大！当我们将生命的方方面面都交托给祂，我们就能看见祂的荣耀。当我们与祂同工，就有一种喜乐带我们前行，而祂所做的一切都那么完美。这就是世俗的生意与交托给主的生意之间的区别。祂的荣耀和祂的生命在职场被彰显。”
帕克森和詹纳的故事说明了如何能在圣灵的平安与大能中领导一个现代企业。
他们的企业是怎样被圣灵带领的？
反 思
你以祷告祈求圣灵来带领你的商业决策吗？在工作中你以圣灵
的力量来行事吗
这些商业领袖把他们的商业经营当成他们的事工。我们希望他
们的见证能激励你也这样做。
讨 论
反 思
花点时间思考一下你的经营方式。你比较强调这三个方面的哪个方面？
你可以采取哪些实际的做法在你的商业经营中达到属灵的平衡？如果时间允许，思考哥林多前书 12:12-14 和以弗所书 4:11-13的意义。
我们必须努力确保我们的商业经营是个完整的事工
圣灵、神的话 行为、事工
短暂祷告后结束会议。祈求上帝帮助你通过你的商业经营活出一个完整的事工。
3.用时间来思考未…
你是否曾感到很难决定你的一生该干什么？花点时间来思考你是怎么走到今天的岗位的。你如何描述上帝在其中的作为？写下重点内容。如果可能，与小组分享其中的关键时刻。
你是否曾觉得很想以某种形式全职做教会事工？
反 思 祷 告 你知道你的呼召吗？
在简短的祷告后开始开始会议。
如果是，这是否会影响你全身心投入目前的岗位？
也许你已经发现自己在考虑把目前用在工作上的时间用在教会的事工上是否会更好。你甚至可能为自己对工作的热情以及能够用在“教会工作”上的时间有限而感到内疚。不是只有你一人有这样的感受.
教 导:
因在废除奴隶贩卖运动中所扮演的角色而闻名的伟大的政治改革家威廉·威尔伯福斯（William Wilberforce），年轻时曾有个对他一生影响重大的时刻。像许多信徒一样，他曾郑重思考自己的呼召以及他应该走的路。他问自己是否应该藉着他对上帝的重新认识离开他正在显现的政治生涯，转而进入教会事工。
他的好朋友，即将成为总理的威廉·皮特（William Pitt）安排废奴主义者们到他家去鼓励他认清，实事上他的呼召甚至他的事工只有在他的政治生涯中并通过他的政治生涯才能取得最大的成就。这一会面记录在电影《奇异恩典》中，电影以有力而改变人生的评论结束：“我们知道你目前难于抉择是做上帝的工作还是做政治活动家的工作，我们诚恳地指出你两者可以同时做到。”
你相信威尔伯福斯的政治生涯是他的事工吗？
认为经商生涯和富有成果的基督事工并非互相排斥。实事上，你可以两者兼顾！本课程旨在揭示如何做到这一点。
我们相信; 如果这是你的商业经营，那它就是你的事工。
讨 论
教 导
上帝赋予威尔伯福斯废除奴隶贩卖的热情在他全情投入的政治生涯中得到最好的实现。上帝给予他的岗位和责任正是在那里。大约经过痛苦的十五年之后，他在下议院不懈的努力最终使整个大英帝国废除了奴隶贩卖。
这可能是十九世纪伟大事工之一的这个事工最光辉的时刻。如果你同样面临做上帝的工作还是做商业领袖工作这一选择难题，我们也同样诚恳地指出你应该两样都做。伟大的事情也许会因此展开。
讨 论
威尔伯福斯难以明白政治生涯如何能成为上帝的工作。你是否也难以明白一个人的经商生涯如何能成为上帝的工作？
讨 论
纵观历史，人们一直难以明白工作和事工如何能够结合，甚至耶稣也得和这种偏见做斗争，他同时代的人不明白一个职场人士怎么可能属灵。
耶稣说完了这些比喻，就离开那里，来到自己的家乡，在会堂里教训人，甚至他们都希奇说，这人从哪里有这等智慧，和异能呢？这不是木匠的儿子吗？……这人从哪里有这一切的事呢？他们就厌弃他。
马太福音13:53-57a
使徒保罗以织帐篷和做使徒而闻名，显然他把工作和见证耶稣完美衔接。有意思的是，不知道早期教会更多地将他看成个会讲道的织帐篷的人，还是个会织帐篷的传道人。我们不知道保罗是不是在意两者之间的区别。他的工作与他的事工完全融合在一起，他从未为自己的工作感到羞耻。
你认为保罗在这两项活动中都同样在为主作工吗？
保罗本人明确表示，我们每个人都必须工作，而且无论做什么，你都应“从心里做，像是给主做的，不是给人做的”（歌罗西书 3:23）。
反 思
你认为自己目前在“为主做“还是在“为人做”？
讨 论
你是否完全是“从心里做”的？如果没有，什么使你不能那样做？
1666 年的“伦敦大火”之后，世界著名的建筑师克里斯托弗·雷恩（Christopher Wren）受委托重建圣保罗大教堂。
1671 年的一天，雷恩在脚手架上观察三个瓦工。他问他们每个人“你在做什么？”第一个瓦工，三个瓦工中效率最低的，回答说“我在铺砖”。第二个瓦工回答说“我在筑墙。” 第三位瓦工，三个瓦工中效率最高的，回答说：“我正在为全能者建造一座大教堂。”
教 导
你是否认识到你的工作是为了全能者？
第三位瓦工非常清楚地认识到他在为上帝工作。这种认识将怎样影响我们的工作态度？
讨 论
铺砖 筑墙为全能者建造
你是否看到上帝亲手造你的方式和你的工作之间的联系？
我们原是祂的工作,在基督耶稣里造成的,为要叫我们行善,就是神所预备叫我们行的｡
以弗所书2:10
Works. 圣经清楚地表明我们被造都是为了行善。
上 帝预 备我们做善工 上帝完美的创造 上帝预备你你做善工
你认为你当前的工作是“善工”吗？
你是否意识到你的工作是事先准备好让你做的？
路加福音19：1-10
耶稣进了耶利哥，正经过的时候，有一个人名叫撒该，作税吏长，是个财主。他要看看耶稣是怎样的人；只因人多，他的身量又矮，所以不得看见。
就跑到前头，爬上桑树，要看耶稣，因为耶稣必从那里经过。耶稣到了那里，抬头一看，对他说：“撒该，快下来！今天我必住在你家里。”他就急忙下来，欢欢喜喜的接待耶稣。众人看见，都私下议论说：“祂竟到罪人家里去住宿。
”撒该站着对主说：“主啊，我把所有的一半给穷人；我若讹诈了谁，就还他四倍。”耶稣说：“今天救恩到了这家，因为他也是亚伯拉罕的子孙。人子来，为要寻找、拯救失丧的人。”
讨论这段经文中耶稣对这个职场男人的态度以及“众人”对他的态度之间的区别。
耶稣的态度对撒该以及撒该对待工作的方式会有什么影响？
讨 论
耶稣愿意与商人在一起，遇见耶稣改变了撒该的经商态度，一夜之间，他从以自我为中心的人变为仆人，从守财奴变为传道人。你认为耶稣为什么没有像他对十二个门徒所做的那样，要求撒该离开他的工作而“跟随我”？
你认为收税是一项“善工”吗？这有可能是上帝对撒该的呼召，一个上帝提前为他预备好的工作吗？思考下面的问题也许会有帮助，如果没人收税，或者不是由敬虔的基督徒来收取，这会给社会带来什么后果？
教 导
耶稣对什么是“善工”有广泛的看法。下面就是一个很好的例子。
埃里克·利德尔（Eric Liddell）是英国最优秀的短跑运动员之一，也是个坦然无惧的属神的人。他也很清楚地知道积极参加教会事工并同时活跃在体育界两者之间的张力。他因为在1924 年巴黎奥运会上为英国那次赛跑而出名。
并不是每个人都能接受埃里克的奔跑能力是上帝的恩赐，更不用说是上帝对他的呼召了。以他的故事为蓝本的电影《烈火战车》中一个精彩的情节表现了这一点，埃里克在与他是基督徒的妹妹交谈，他妹妹对他在跑步上不断增加的投入深感担忧，并试图说服他去中国传教，一个他后来去了并很年轻就死在那里的地方。
有一个场景是他们在爱丁堡的山上行走。埃里克对她恳求的反应非常有趣。他对他妹妹说；“珍妮，我相信上帝造我是有目的的，但祂也使我跑得快。”他停顿下来，好像迷失在跑道上那些瞬间的记忆中，“当我奔跑时，我感受到祂的喜悦。” 埃里克发现跑步是个恩赐，并且像所有的恩赐一样，揭示了上帝对他生命的呼召。他知道跑步是一项“善工”，并且当他做这善工时，他感受到上帝的肯定。
在 1924 年奥运会上，埃里克被选中参加 100 米比赛。令埃里克失望的是，100 米决赛将在周日举行。埃里克不愿意在安息日跑步，他甚至准备抵制王室对他参加决赛的请求。尽管王室试图说服他，然而他还是没有参赛，他对安息日的立场引起了媒体的轰动。不过他的故事和见证并没有到此为止，400 米决赛给了他一个参赛的机会，而这场比赛巩固了他的历史见证。奔跑着，手持一位基督徒竞争对手给他的经文“尊重我的，我必重看他”，他最终广为人知地成功赢得了金牌。
他顺服神不在安息日参加比赛的决定让世界瞩目，并为人们所纪念，2012 年伦敦奥运会还特别委托制作了电影《烈火战车》的舞台剧。同年，印度一家报纸甚至还发表了一篇文章，文章的重点不是他的获胜，而是他对安息日的立场。在为着基督的立场上，这个有上帝赐予的擅长奔跑的恩赐为支持的立场上，埃里克为上帝的国度取得了持久的成果。如果你为此被造，那么即使是体育运动也是一项“善工”！
你是上帝为特定的目的亲手而造；这就是你的“善工”。
你清楚你的呼召在哪儿吗？如果你是基督徒，那么上帝对你的一生有个目的，并有个“善工”恩赐给你，最终，你被呼召为实现祂在我们这代人身上的目的做出贡献。
如果你是一名从事商业活动的基督徒，尤其是拥有或领导一个企业的基督徒，那么以下三种选择之一对你来说会是真的：
经商颇有成果是上帝对我生命的呼召
我被呼召在经商之外的事情上有成果
我没有被呼召有成果
这三个陈述中哪一个最符合你？
你被呼 召经商 吗？
反 思:
如果你是基督徒，选项 C 不能为真。C
“你们多结果子，我父就因此得荣耀，你们也就是我的门徒了。”
功用也有分别，神却是一位，在众人里面运行一切的事。
约翰福音15：8 .林 前12：6
如果你不能确定 A 或是 B 符合你，那么以下四个问题会有所帮助。
你有经商的天赋吗？你参与其中的企业繁荣发展吗？
创世记39：3,5a
他主人见耶和华与他同在，又见耶和华使他手里所办的尽都顺利 ,耶和华就因约瑟的缘故赐福与那埃及人的家。
经商会让你激动不已吗？你有经营理念和管理一个企业的热情吗？
霍华德瑟曼
不要问世界需要什么。问什么使你活着，然后去做。因为世界需要的是活着的人。恩赐 热情
反 思
你是一个慷慨和乐于给与的人吗？
问题不是我把多少我的钱捐给了上帝，问题是我把多少上帝的钱留给了自己。
你是否具有成功的基本要素：谦卑？
华理克
谦卑不是小看自己，而是少想自己。
分成 3 或 4 个小组，思考下面的分类。每人在组内分享你自己所属的类别。 慷慨 谦卑
活 动
你对所有四个问题 你对问题 1 和 2 回答了 你对问题 1 和/或 2都回答了“是” “是”，但对问题 3 都回答了“否”和/或 4 回答了“否”
每小组花些时间为每个类别的人祷告：
清楚自己被呼召
肯定并鼓励那些清楚自己被呼召的人。祈祷他们继续努力抓住他们的呼召。
被呼召但有挑战
清楚自己被呼召 被呼召但有挑战 可能未被呼召经商
对于这个类别的每个人，找出他们认为有挑战的具体因素（慷慨或谦卑）。他们需要两者兼具才能使自己的商业经营成为富有成果的事工。用祷告支持他们，寻求神的帮助以解决问题。
被呼召做商业领袖
你的小组中可能有些人没有被呼召经商。对于一些人来说，这不会是个问题（例如教会领袖或只是对本课程感兴趣的人）。而对其他一些人，这也许是个出乎意外的结论。祈祷他们得到所需的勇气去发现和追求自己真正的呼召。
无论你属于哪个类别，你都需要支持来继续前进。可以考虑与属灵的朋友分享你的发现。当你接受你的呼召，踏上你面前的冒险之旅时，你会需要他们的祷告和鼓励。
教 导
我们希望你感受到你的呼召同时得到了上帝和你的教会的认可。我们希望你感受到你是被呼召去经商的。
这不是说我已经得着了，已经完全了；我乃是竭力追求，或者可以得着基督耶稣所要我得的。
腓立比书3：12
使徒保罗意识到他尚未达到他的目标。如果我们要使经商成为一个富有成果的事工，我们必须像他一样竭力追求这一呼召。
我们希望你被激励把经商作为你的事工。本课程的其余部分将帮助你完成这一任务。我们希望你在你的呼召上被建造并且强壮有力。现在是时候竭力追求上帝预备你要做的“善工”了。商业界和神的国度都需要像你这样的人来接受这一呼召。
我们希望你清楚你的呼召，竭力追求你的事工。我们希望把经商做为事工是一个呼召。
简短的祷告后结束会议。祈求上帝确认对你的呼召并给你勇气去“得着基督耶稣所要你得的”
3.what to…
Have you ever found the decision about what to do with your life a difficult one? Take a moment to reflect on how you ended up in your current role. How would you describe God’s hand in this? Write down the highlights and, if you can, share a key moment with the group
Have you ever felt pressure to go into some form of full-time
church ministry?
Open the session with a short time of prayer.
If ‘yes, is this having an effect on your commitment to your current role?
You may have found yourself wondering if the time you are spending at work could be better spent in a church ministry. You may even have felt guilty about your passion for your work and the limited time you seem to be able to give to the ‘work of the church’. You are not alone.
There is a powerful moment in the early years of William Wilberforce, one of the great political reformers who is famous for his role in the abolition of the slave trade. He, like many believers, was deliberating over his calling and what path he should follow. He questioned whether his renewed awareness of God should lead him away from an emerging career in politics and into a church ministry.
His great friend and soon-to-be Prime Minister, William Pitt, arranged for abolitionists to come to his home and encourage him to recognise that his calling, even his ministry, was in fact best achieved in and through a career in politics. The meeting is recorded in the film ‘Amazing Grace’ and closes with the powerful and life-changing remark; “We understand you are having problems choosing
Teaching.
whether to do the work of God or the work of a political activist. We humbly suggest that you can do both.”
Do you believe that a career in politics was Wilberforce’s ministry?
BizMin believes that a career in business and a fruitful Christian ministry are not mutually exclusive. You can in fact do both! This course is designed to reveal how.
We believe：if it’s your business, it’s your ministry.
Discussion.
Teaching:
life-changing Wilberforce’s God-given passion for the abolition of the slave trade was best served through a dedicated career in politics. That was where his God-given role and responsibility lay.
Some fifteen painful years later, his tireless campaign in the House of Commons resulted in the abolition of the slave trade across the British Empire; possibly the greatest moment in one of the great ministries of the nineteenth century.
If you are having similar problems choosing whether to do the work of God or the work of a business leader, we would also humbly suggest that you should do both. Great things may yet depend on it.
Discussion:
Wilberforce found it hard to see how a career in politics could be the work of God. Do you struggle to see how a career in business can be the work of God?
Teaching :
Throughout history people have struggled to see how work and ministry can combine. Even Jesus had to struggle against this prejudice. His peers could not see how someone from the marketplace could possibly be spiritual.
When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Where then did this man get all these things?’ And they took offence at him.
Matthew13:53-57a
The Apostle Paul was famously a tentmaker and an apostle. He clearly moved quite seamlessly between work and witness. It would be interesting to know if the early church saw him more as a tentmaker who preached or a preacher who made tents. We are not sure that he would care much for the distinction. His work was fully integrated with his ministry and he was never ashamed of his work.
Do you think that Paul was working equally for the Lord in both activities?
What Paul himself made clear is that we all have to work and, whatever you do, you should ‘work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters’ (Colossians 3:23).
Reflection :
Would you consider yourself to be currently working ‘for the Lord’ or ‘for human masters’?
Discussion :
Are you doing it with ‘all your heart’? If not, what is holding you back?
After the 1666 ‘Great Fire of London’, the world-famous architect Christopher Wren was commissioned to rebuild St Paul’s Cathedral. One day in 1671, Wren observed three bricklayers on a scaffold. He asked each of them “what are you doing?”
The first bricklayer, the least productive of the three, replied “I am laying bricks.” The second bricklayer replied, “I am building a wall.” The third bricklayer, the most productive of the three, replied, “I am building a great cathedral for The Almighty.”
Teaching:
Are you aware that your work is ‘for The Almighty’?
The third bricklayer had a greater awareness that he was working for the Lord. How might this awareness affect our
attitude to work?
Discussion:
Do you see a connection between how you have been created,as God’s handiwork, and your work?
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians2:10
Works.
Do you see your current work as ‘good work’?
Do you recognize that your work was prepared in advance for you to do?
Luke19：1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord!
Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’
Discuss the difference in this passage between Jesus’ attitude to a man from the marketplace and that of ‘all the people’.
What was the impact of Jesus’ attitude on Zacchaeus and on his approach to his work?
Discussion:
Jesus was comfortable being in the company of business people. Encountering Jesus transformed Zacchaeus’ attitude to the way he did business. He went from self-centered to servant, and miser to minister, overnight. Why do you think Jesus didn’t ask him to leave his work and ‘follow me as he had done with the twelve disciples?
Do you think collecting taxes is ‘good work’? Could this have been Zaccheus’ God-given calling; a work prepared in advance for him? It may help to consider what the consequences for society would be if taxes were not collected and by a Godfearing Christian.
Teaching:
Jesus had a broad view of what constitutes ‘good work’. Here is a good example.
Eric Liddell was one of Britain’s greatest sprinters and an unashamedly fearless man of God. He also knew well the
tension between wanting to be active in both a church ministry and the world of sport. He famously ran for Britain in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. It was not easy for everyone to accept that Eric’s ability to run was a gift from God, let alone his calling.
There is a wonderful line in the film made about his story called ‘Chariots of Fire’ that illustrates this. Eric is talking with his Christian sister. She is deeply concerned with his growing commitment to running and seeks to convince him to go into the mission field in China; a place to which he later went and died young.
On one occasion they are walking on the hills above Edinburgh. Eric’s response to her pleas is delightful. He says to his sister; “Jenny, I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast,” and he pauses as if lost in the memories of those moments on the race track, ”and when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Eric had discovered that running was a gift and one, like all gifts, that revealed God’s call on his life. He knew that running was a ‘good work’ and felt God’s affirmation when he did it.
At the 1924 Olympics, Eric got into the squad and was to run in the 100m race. Much to Eric’s disappointment, the final of the 100m race was to be held on a Sunday. Eric was not willing to run on the Sabbath and was even prepared to resist the pleas from the Royal Family for him to run.
Despite their attempts to persuade him otherwise, he did not run and his stance on the Sabbath became a media sensation. His story and witness did not end there though. A place was found for him to run in the 400m final. It was a race that was to cement his witness in
history. Running, clutching the scripture ‘He that honors me,I will honor,’ which had been given to him by a fellow Christian competitor, he famously went on to win the gold medal in style.
His decision not to race on the Sabbath, in obedience to God, gained international exposure and was still being remembered when the Olympics were held in London in 2012 through a specially commissioned theatre production of the film ‘Chariots of Fire’.
There was even an article in an Indian newspaper that same year, focused, not on his winning, but on his stance on the Sabbath. In that one stand for Christ, a stand facilitated by his God-given gift for running, Eric achieved lasting fruit for the Kingdom of God. Even athletics is ‘good work’ if that is what you were created for!
You are uniquely made as God’s handiwork for a specific purpose; this is your ‘good work’.
Are you clear on what you are called to? If you are a Christian, God has a purpose for your life, a ‘good work’ for your gifts, and ultimately, a contribution you are called to make towards achieving His purposes in our generation.
If you are a Christian and in business, especially a Christian who owns or leads a business, it follows that one of these three options is true for you:
A fruitful role in business is God’s calling on my life.
I am called to be fruitful in something other than business.
I am not called to be fruitful.
Which of these three statements best describes you?
Reflection :
If you are a Christian, option C cannot be true.
‘This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.’
There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
John15：8 .1Corint 12：6
If you are not sure whether A or B is true for you then here are four questions that may help.
1. Are you gifted at business? Do ventures prosper when you’re involved?
Genesis39：3,5a
When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did the Lord
blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.
2. Does business excite you? Do you have a business idea and a passion to run a business?
Howard Thurman
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Reflection :
3. Are you a generous and joyful giver?
R.G.LeTourneau
The question is not how much of my money I give to God, but rather how much of God’s money I keep for myself.
4. Do you have the essential ingredient for success; humility?
RickWarren
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.
Break into small groups of 3 or 4. Consider the categories below. Within your group, each share which category
you think you fall into.
Activity:
You answered ‘yes’ You answered ‘yes’ to You answered ‘no’ to to all 4 questions question 1 and 2, but question 1 and/or 2 ‘no’ to question 3 and/or 4
As a group, take time to pray for the people in each category:
Called & clear :
Affirm and encourage those who are clear in their calling. Pray that they continue to press on to take hold of their calling.
Called but challenged :
For each person in this group, identify the particular area they find challenging (generosity or humility). They will need both in order to make their business fruitful.
ministry. Support them in prayer, seeking God’s help in resolving issues.
Not called to business leadership:
There may be people in your group who are not called to be in business. For some, this will not be an issue (e.g.church leaders or anyone with a general interest in the course). For others, this may be an unexpected outcome.
Pray that they would receive the courage they will need to discover and pursue their true calling.
Regardless of which category you fall into, you will need support going forward. Consider sharing your findings with a spiritual friend.
As you take up your calling, you are going to need their prayers and encouragement in the adventure that lies ahead. We hope that you feel endorsed by both God and your church in your calling. We hope that you feel called to business.
Teaching:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for
which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Philippians3：12
The Apostle Paul recognized that he had not yet arrived at his goal. We must, like him, proactively press on to
take hold of this calling if we are to make the business a fruitful ministry.
We hope you feel inspired to make your business your ministry. The rest of this course will help in that task. We want you to be established and robust in your calling.
It is time to press on and take hold of the good works that God has prepared you for. Both the world of business and the Kingdom of God need people like you to take up this calling into business.
We hope you feel clear in your calling, ready to press on and take hold of your ministry. We hope that it is a calling to do business as a ministry.
Close the session with a short time of prayer. Ask God to affirm you in your calling and give you the courage to take hold of that ‘for which Christ Jesus took hold of you.
2.God-giv…
Genesis(39:20-23)
Would you agree that Joseph had a God-given gift for business administration that blossomed, whatever the context?
.At this point, is there anything obviously spiritual about any of the activities that Joseph is undertaking?
Reflection.
Joseph was clearly gifted at business, whatever the circumstances. Everywhere he went, his God-given abilities bore fruit.
Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness ness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warder.
So the warder put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warder paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
The Lord was with Joseph. Whatever the context, his gift of business administration bore fruit.
Do you know what your abilities are? List them here.
1 . Are your abilities bearing fruit in business?
Do you recognize your abilities in business as God-given gifts?
Can you recall when these gifts were given?
During the early years in Egypt, Joseph was being prepared for the role that lay ahead. We have seen that long before his gift of interpreting dreams would begin its work, the gift of administration was blossoming, developing, and being refined. This was a gift that could not be repressed by circumstances.
As long as there were opportunities, and people to recognize his gift, it prospered. We too need to recognize that, whatever our circumstances, God’s gifts long to bear fruit in our lives. Whenever we see consistent fruitfulness, we can be sure that God is at work.
However, our gifts will never achieve a great work of God, bearing spiritual fruit, unless we complement our gifting with an equal measure of humility. If we are to be truly successful, we must learn to acknowledge God as the source of our gifts. Humbly relying on God is the essential ingredient of spiritual success. Joseph learned this the hard way. We will now see how.
Teaching.
2.2 The essential ingredient for success.
During his time in prison, Joseph’s more widely recognized gift emerged…the gift of interpreting dreams.
Teaching.
An essential attribute, if we are to see God working through us, is to genuinely desire to serve God and others with our gifts. On first impressions, it would seem that Joseph had this desire. He showed clear compassion towards his fellow prisoners and offered to interpret their dreams as an act of kindness. On this occasion, both the cupbearer and the baker
Genesis& 14
After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men- the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison- had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.
So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, ‘Why do you look so sad today?’ ‘We both had dreams,’ they answered, ‘but there is no one to interpret them.’
Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams…But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.’
of the king of Egypt were troubled by dreams and desired an interpretation. We don’t know how, but Joseph clearly believed that he could interpret their dreams and offered to do so for both men. It must have felt like quite a risk. This suggests that Joseph already had a strong sense of confidence in his second
gifting.
Joseph began by acknowledging that only God can interpret dreams. The passage says; ‘Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.’‘ (Note the emphasis is on ‘me’).
There is a subtle but significant hint of arrogance in his statement which, as we will see, revealed that he was not yet fully reconciled to the principle that all good gifts come from God and it is God that should receive the glory for their use. It reveals that he was not yet fully submitted to God.
Discussion.
Do you think these men might have thought it was Joseph rather than God who was able to interpret the dream?
Once Joseph knew the dream’s interpretation, he sought to use it for his own benefit. Do you think this self-interest was a significant mistake?.
Teaching.
In interpreting the cupbearer and bakers’ dreams, Joseph fails to draw a clear distinction between God and himself. This may sound harsh but, as we will see, two years later, this is a distinction he made very clear when he eventually stands before Pharaoh. It is an essential distinction.
Genesis(41:15-16)
Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’ ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh,‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’
When Pharaoh demands that Joseph interprets his dream, his reputation has preceded him and Pharaoh attributes the gift of interpreting dreams, not to God, but to Joseph.
This suggests that the cupbearer had missed God’s hand in Joseph’s gifting. However, Joseph’s response to Pharaoh is fundamentally different from two years earlier in the
dungeon. This time he does what every servant of God must do in each new relationship if it is to bear fruit for the King dom of God, and the earlier the better.
He makes it clear that God is the one who interprets dreams and that he is merely His agent; ‘‘I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’’ Joseph recognizes God’s hand in his ability and makes it clear that his ability to interpret dreams is a gift of God.
This is one of those seminal moments in any believer’s life, particularly if we want our work to be our ministry. This is the moment we come out for God, acknowledging His power and, in humility, our dependency on Him. This is the moment God is fully let in and the moment our ministry truly begins. From this moment, the glory will go to God.
Discussion.
How had Joseph’s attitude to the source of his gift changed by the time he saw Pharaoh? What is the key distinction?
1.Real humility leads a person to be curious about and concerned for others, not fixated on how others can lead to one’s own enrichment.
2. Humility is about true service, not self-congratulation.
3.In admitting an error or acknowledging that one is wrong, the humble person not only apologizes but also changes course.
4. Real humility builds up; false humility tears down.
5. The more responsibility or power one has, the more humility one need.
Reflect on Joseph’s story up to this point. Do you think he had learned real humility?
Why is it so essential for those who are gifted to have real humility?
Reflection.
Joseph’s life seemed to go through a series of ups and downs. His early life was like a discipleship course; each time his gifts resulted in promotion, he received a lesson in humility.
However, regardless of his circumstances, his gifts bore fruit. They could not be held down. He learned to be both gifted and humble; the essential ingredients of success.
HUMILITY GATEWAY
Reflect on how the events of Joseph’s early life nurtured his gifts and shaped his character. How has God used the events of your life to nurture and shape you? Describe a little of your journey into business.
Joseph’s God-given gifts could not be fully fruitful until, in complete humility, he gave all the glory to God. Then Joseph was not only released from prison but also into his ministry.
Having passed through the gateway of humility, it was all onwards and upwards with his life’s work. He was ready to fulfill God’s purposes in his generation.
Reflection.
Are you humble with your God-given gifts?
Are you able to publicly acknowledge God as the source of
your gifts?
Never 、 Always。
Acknowledging God as the source of our gifts is essential if God is to be glorified through a significant leadership role.
‘Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.’
Matthew(10:32-33)
If we hope to succeed in business, we need to allow God to nurture humility within us. It is the essential
a complement to our God-given gifts.
Discussion.
How might you take a practical step this week to acknowledge God before others?
2.3 Achieving God’s purposes through business
Prepared VISION
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean.
I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
‘In my dream I saw seven ears of corn, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other ears sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven good ears. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.’
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of corn are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless ears of corn scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
Genesis(41:17-31)
‘It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.’
Teaching.
Pharaoh’s dream was prophetic and revealed both a challenge and an opportunity. Joseph used his gift of interpretation and described what was about to happen. Together, Joseph and Pharaoh declared God’s word to their generation.
Joseph could have stopped after interpreting the dream, but then his other gift came into action. Joseph’s gift of business to the administration could not be contained and he immediately Prepared.
responded to the prophetic dream and set out a business plan that would leverage the situation and realize the opportunity.
Pharaoh and his officials would have been full of fear at the prospect of approaching famine. Joseph’s response was clear and succinct. It was the plan of a God-gifted business person. It was God’s plan. It was also a business plan which would itself enable the fulfillment of the prophecy and God’s purposes.
Genesis(41:33-36)
‘And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.’
Activity.
Joseph’s gifts were central, not only to the interpretation but also to the fulfillment of Pharaoh’s dream. Once appointed to deliver his plan, Joseph proactively set out to ensure the dream was fulfilled.
Genesis describes Joseph’s key action plan for fulfilling the dream. Look at the following scriptures and come up with relevant modern business terms that might describe what Joseph is doing.
Prepared
Genesis(41:48-49a)
Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city, he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea.
Genesis(41:46b)
Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled
throughout Egypt
Genesis(41:56-57a)
When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph…
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people.
Genesi
‘But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children. So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt – still in force today – that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh.
47:24,26a Joseph’s 5-point action plan , Fruit that will last Perpetuate a sustainable 5 SYSTEMS system God-inspired RESEARCH TO ENSURE A LEGACY Business plan God-given vision 2 PREPARATION
4 OVERSIGHT & GOVERNANCE 3 TRADE 1
Discussion.
By the end of his life, Joseph finally came to understand God’s purposes in all that had happened. What did Joseph believe was the primary purpose of his life’s work?
How did Joseph’s 5-point action plan combine to achieve the purposes of God in his generation?
2.4 Prepared
Genesis50:19-20
But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’
Which of Joseph’s spiritual gifts contributed most to achieving God’s purpose, and why?
Reflect on the relationship between Joseph’s practical actions and their spiritual outcomes. What does this suggest about the God-given role of business in society?
Reflection.
At the end of his life, Joseph was aware that he had achieved what God intended, and it was good. his work had saved many lives. In the prophetic, his father, Jacob, also foresaw that far greater fruit was to come through the line of Judah, whose life had been saved from the famine by Joseph’s actions.
The record below the purpose of your company.
Are these God’s purposes for your company?
Joseph only struggled to interpret his own childhood dreams. As a young man, his prophetic dreams led only to the arrogance that ironically led to the beginning of their fulfillment.
Things did not work out the way he or his brothers could ever have imagined when Joseph’s brothers jealously led them to sell Joseph as a slave. It was more than Joseph could ‘ask or imagine’. Are you able to rest,
Genesis49:10
‘The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.’
Matthew2:6
‘But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah…out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’
secure in the knowledge that God can achieve more than you ask or imagine?
Teaching.
At the heart of this story is a key moment. It is essential in every Christian’s life. Because Joseph gave the glory to God, acknowledging God as the source of his gifts, God is recognized by others as the source of his abilities and wisdom.
Genesis41:37-40
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’
At the heart of this passage is one of the greatest compliments that a Christian can ever receive; ‘‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’’ Pharaoh recognized the inspiration behind Joseph’s interpretation and subsequent business plan. He saw that the hand of God was at work in Joseph.
This is so important. If the gifts and achievements of Christians in business are never recognized as the work of God’s spirit then there is little, if any, discernible difference between us and our non-Christian peers. As Christian entrepreneurs, we need to be known as those ‘in who is the Spirit of God.’ This is the essential hallmark of a Kingdom Entrepreneur.
Discussion.
Do you recognize that you are ‘one in whom is the Spirit of God?
Do other people?
Teaching.
Joseph was spiritually gifted for business. Once he learned the essential ingredient of success and walked through the gateway of humility, his spiritual gifts were able to bear much fruit and achieve the real purpose for which they were intended; the saving of many lives.
Joseph can be considered a great Kingdom Entrepreneur. His career in business
demonstrates how God can build His Kingdom through gifted business leaders. For Joseph, business was a ministry.
At the end of his life, Joseph came to recognize that he has achieved God’s purposes through his God-given gifts. The same can be true for us.
Prayer.
Close the session with a short time of prayer. Thank God for your spiritual gifts and ask Him for the opportunity to humbly use them to pursue His purposes in this generation.
2.上帝赐予商业管…
【创39:20-23】你是否同意，无论在什么情况下，约瑟都拥有上帝赐予的卓有成效的商业管理天赋?
此时，约瑟所从事的某些活动是否明显与上帝有关?
反 思: 约瑟的主人把约瑟下在监里，就是王的囚犯被囚的地方。于是约瑟在那里坐监。但耶和华与约瑟同在，向他施恩，使他在司狱的眼前蒙恩。司狱就把监里所有的囚犯都交在约瑟手下。他们在那里所办的事都是经他的手。凡在约瑟手下的事、司狱一概不察、因为耶和华与约瑟同在；耶和华使他所作的尽都顺利。
耶和华与约瑟同在。无论在什么情形下，他的 商业管理天赋都取得了成果。无论在何种情形下，约瑟显然有经商的天赋。他所到之处，上帝赋予他的才能都取得了成果。
你知道你的才能是什么吗？把他们列在下面。
你的才能在经商中有成果吗？
你是否认识到你在商业中的才能是上帝的恩赐
你能回忆起是什么时候你被赋予这些恩赐？
在埃及的早期岁月里，上帝就一直在为将来的角色预备约瑟。我们已经看到，早在他解梦的天赋开始发挥作用之前，他的管理天赋就已经开花结果、发展并完善。这是一种无法被环境所抑制的天赋。只要有机会，只要有人意识到他的天赋，它就蓬勃发展。我们也要认识到，无论我们的环境如何，上帝的恩赐渴望在我们的生活中结出果实。每当我们看到持续的成效，我们就可以确信神正在做工。
然而，我们的恩赐永远不会成就神的伟大工作结出属灵的果子，除非我们以同样程度的谦卑来伴随我们的恩赐。如果我们想要真正的成功，我们必须学习承认上帝是我们天赋的来源。谦卑地倚靠上帝是属灵成功的基本要素。约瑟好不容易学到这个功课。现在我们来看如何做到这一
点。
教 导: 成 功 的 基 本 要 素.
在他服刑期间，约瑟另一个大家更熟悉的天赋出现了 – 解梦的天赋。
【创世纪 – 14】他们有些日子在监里。被囚在监之埃及王的酒政和膳长二人同夜各做一梦，各梦都有讲解。到了早晨，约瑟进到他们那里，见他们有愁闷的样子。他便问法老的二臣，就是与他同囚在他主人府里的，说：“你们今日为什么面带愁容呢？”他们对他说：“我们各人做了一梦，没有人能解。”
约瑟说：“解梦不是出于神吗？请你们将梦告诉我。” 但你得好处的时候，求你记念我，施恩于我，在法老面前提说我，救我出这监牢。
如果我们要看到上帝通过我们做工，一个基本的品质就是真诚地渴望用我们的天赋来服侍神和他人。猛地一看，约瑟像是有这个愿望。他对狱友们表现出明显的同情，并好心地表示愿意为他们解梦。
那时，埃及王的酒政和膳长因梦愁烦，求梦的讲解。我们不知道他是怎么做到的，但是约瑟确信他能解梦，并表示可以为这两人解梦。这令人感觉太冒险了，它说明当时约瑟对自己的第二个天赋有着强大的信心。
约瑟先是承认只有上帝才能解梦。经文写道：约瑟对他们说“解梦不是出于神吗? 告诉我你的梦。”(注意这里强调的是‘我’)。
在他的话里有一丝微妙但意味深长的傲慢，正像我们将会看到的，这表明他还没有完全顺应所有天赋都来自上帝，由这些天赋所带来的荣耀应归给上帝的原则，也就是说他还没有完全顺服神。
讨 论.
你认为这些人会不会以为是约瑟而不是上帝能解梦呢?
当约瑟知道了梦的解释后，他就用它为自己谋利。你认为他为自己谋利是个重大错误吗? .
教 导
在给酒政和膳长解梦时，约瑟没有明确区分上帝和他自己。这听起来可能很苛刻，但是，我们将会看到，两年后，当他最终站在法老面前时，他把上帝和自己做了很明确的区分。这样的区分是非常必要的。
【创41:15-16】法老对约瑟说：“我做了一梦，没有人能解。我听见人说，你听了梦就能解。”约瑟回答法老说：“这不在乎我，神必将平
安的话回答法老。”
法老要约瑟解梦时早知道他的名声，他没有把解梦的天赋归给上帝，而是归给了约瑟。这表明酒政没有认为约瑟的天赋来自神。
然而，约瑟对法老的回答与两年前在地牢里时的完全不同。这次他做了每个要为神国结出果实的神的仆人，在每个新关系中必须做的事，而且这事越早做越好。他清楚地表明上帝才是解梦的那位，他只是上帝的代理人：“这不在乎我，神必将平安的话回答法老。”约瑟认识到他的能力是借上帝之手，并清楚地表明他解梦的能力是上帝的恩赐。
这是信徒一生中决定性的时刻之一，尤其是当我们希望把我们的工作当成我们的事工时。这是我们为神站出来的时刻，谦卑地承认他的大能和我们对祂的依赖。这是我们让神完全进到我们里面的时刻，也是我们的事工真正开始的时刻。从这一刻起，荣耀将归于上帝。
讨 论.
当约瑟见到法老时，他对自己天赋来源的态度有了什么改变？关键的区别是什么?
真正的谦卑使人对他人感到好奇和关心，而不是只关注他人如何使自己得利。
谦卑是有关真正服务他人，而不是自我陶醉。
通过承认错误或承认自己不对，谦卑的人不只是道歉，而
且也着手改变。
真正的谦卑建造;虚伪的谦卑拆毁。
一个人的责任或权力越大，就越需要谦卑。
为什么对那些有天赋的人来说，真正的谦卑如此重要?
反 思
约瑟的一生似乎经历了一连串的起起落落。他早期的生活就像是门徒训练课程; 他的天赋为他带来的每一次提升，都给他上了谦卑的一课。然而，不管他的环境如何，他的天赋都结出果实，无法被压制。他学会了既有恩赐又谦卑这一成功的基本要素。
思考约瑟早年生活中发生的事是怎样培养他的天赋和塑造他的性格的。神是怎样用你生命中发生的事来培养和塑造你的? 描述一下你从商的经历.
约瑟的“门徒训练课程”父亲的家 波提乏的家 监狱 法老的王宫谦卑之门神给约瑟的恩赐不能全然地结果子，直到他完全谦卑地把所有的荣耀归给神。之后约瑟不但被放出了监狱，而且开始了他的事工。通过了谦卑之门后，他一生的工作都是向前和向上的。他已准备好在他的世代成就神的目的。
反 思.
拥有上帝赐予的天赋你仍谦卑吗?
你能公开承认上帝是你天赋的来源吗?
从来没有 、一直是、
如果要通过重要的领导角色来荣耀上帝，承认上帝是我们天赋的来源是至关重要的，
“凡在人面前认我的，我在我天上的父面前也必认他；凡在人面前不认我的，我在我天上的父面前也必不认他。”
【太10:32-33】如果我们希望在商业上取得成功，我们就要让上帝在我们里面 孕育谦卑。它是上帝赐予我们的天赋之必要补充。
讨 论.
这个星期你会如何采取实际行动在别人面前承认神呢?
有天赋/准备好了/愿意被使用愿景
通过商业实现神的目的.
法老对约瑟说，我梦见我站在河边，有七只母牛从河里上来，又肥壮又美好，在芦荻中吃草。随后又有七只母牛上来，又软弱又丑陋又干瘦。在埃及遍地，我从来没有见过这样丑陋的母牛。这又乾瘦又丑陋的母牛吃尽了那以先的七只肥母牛。可是，他们吃了以后，谁也看不出来是吃了什么。它们看起来和以前一样丑陋。然后我醒了。
我梦见一棵麦子长了七个穗子，又饱满，又佳美。随后又长了七个穗子，枯干细弱，被东风吹焦了。这细弱的穗子，吞了那七个好穗子。我将这事告诉了术士，他们却没有一个能给我讲解。
约瑟对法老说，法老的梦乃是一个。神已将所要作的事显明给法老了。七只好母牛是七年，七个好穗子也是七年。这是同一个梦想。那随后上来的七只又乾瘦又丑陋的母牛是七年，那七个被东风吹焦的穗子也是七年，都是七个荒年。
【创41:17-31】这就是我对法老所说，神已将所要作的事显明给法老了。埃及遍地要来七个大丰年，随后又要来七个荒年。这样，埃及地就全然忘记先前的丰收，全地必被饥荒所灭。因为后来的饥荒甚大，就不记念那地的丰裕了。
教 导.
法老的梦是先知性的，同时带来了挑战和机会。约瑟用他解梦的天赋描述了将要发生的事情。约瑟和法老一起向他们的
世代宣告了神的话。
有天赋/准备好了/愿意被使用 计划
约瑟本可以在解梦之后停下来，但他的另一个天赋却开始发挥作用。约瑟在商业管理方面的天赋无法被抑制，他立即对这个先知性的梦做出反应，制定了一个商业计划，利用当时的情况抓住机会。
法老和他的官员们一定对即将到来的饥荒充满了恐惧。约瑟的回答清楚而简洁。这是一个拥有上帝恩赐的商人的计划，这是上帝的计划。这个商业计划本身就是来实现预言和上帝的目的的。
【创41:33-36】法老当拣选一个有聪明有智慧的人，派他治理埃及地。法老当这样行，又派官员管理这地，当七个丰年的时候，征收埃及地的五分之一，叫他们把将来丰年一切的粮食聚敛起来，积蓄五谷，收存在各城里做食物，归于法老的手下。所积蓄的粮食可以防备埃及地将来的七个荒年，免得这地被饥荒所灭。”
行 动.
约瑟的天赋是关键，不仅是对法老梦的解释，也是对法老梦想的实现。一旦被任命实施他的计划，约瑟就积极行动，确保梦想得到实现。创世纪讲述了约瑟实现梦想的主要行动计划。看看下面几段经文，想出能描述与约瑟所做之事相关的现代商业用语。
【创41:48-49】约瑟聚敛埃及地七个丰年一切的粮食，把粮食积存在各城里，各城周围田地的粮食都积存在本城里。约瑟积蓄五谷甚多，如同海边的沙…
【创41:46】约瑟从法老面前出去，遍行埃及全地。有天赋/准备好了/愿意被使用 行动.
【创41:56-57】当时饥荒遍满天下，约瑟开了各处的仓，粜粮给埃及人。在埃及地饥荒甚大。各地的人都往埃及去，到约瑟那里籴粮瑟买粮.
那时治理埃及地的是约瑟，粜粮给那地众民的就是他。
【创世记 】后来打粮食的时候，你们要把五分之一纳给法老，四分可以归你们做地里的种子，也做你们和你们家口孩童的食物。是约瑟为埃及地定下常例，直到今日，法老必得五分之一。
持续性的成果保证传承的体系监督和管理 贸易准备调查研究来自上帝的愿景上帝赋予灵感的商业计划行动
讨 论.
在他生命的最后，约瑟终于明白了上帝在这一切事情上的目的。约瑟认为他一生工作的主要目的是什么?
约瑟的5点行动计划是如何结合起来实现神在他那个世代的目
的的?
实现上帝的目的.
上 帝 的 目 的.
【创50:19-20】有天赋/准备好了/愿意被使用愿景 计划.
约瑟对他们说：不要害怕，我岂能代替神呢？从前你们的意思是要害我，但神的意思原是好的，要保全许多人的性命，成就今日的光景。
约瑟的哪一项属灵恩赐对实现神的目的贡献最大，为什么?思考约瑟的实际行动与这些行动的属灵成果之间的关系。这表明上帝赋予商业在社会中的角色是什么?
反 思.
在他生命的尽头，约瑟知道他完成了神的计划，而这计划是好的.他的工作拯救了许多人的性命。在约瑟父亲雅各的先知性预言中，他也预见更大的果子将由犹大的后裔而来，而犹大的性命是借着约瑟的行动从饥荒中拯救出来的。
在下面写下你的公司存在的目的。 1 2 3.
这些是上帝对你的公司的目的吗?
【创49:10】圭必不离犹大，杖必不离他两脚之间，直等这杖所属的人来到，万民都必归顺。
【太2:6】犹大地的伯利恒阿，将来有一位君王，要从你那里出来，牧养我民以色列。
约瑟只是努力去解释他自己童年的梦。作为一个年轻人，他有预言性质的梦只导致了傲慢，说来好笑,这竟导致梦中预言真正实现的开始。
当约瑟兄弟们的嫉妒让他们把他卖为奴隶时，他们怎么也想象不到事情会这样发展。结果比约瑟能“要求或想象”的更好。你能放松下来，因知道神能成就比你所要或所想的更好而安心吗?
教 导.
这个故事的核心是一个关键的时刻。这个时刻在每个基督徒的生活中都是必不可少的。因为约瑟将荣耀归给神，承认神是他天赋的来源，别人才能认识到神是他能力和智慧的来源。
【创41:37-40】法老和他一切臣仆都以这事为妙。法老对他们说，像这样的人，有神的灵在他里头，我们岂能找得着呢? 法老对约瑟说，神既将这事都指示你，可见没有人像你这样有聪明有智慧。你可以管理我的家。我的民也都听从你的话。只是在宝座上我比你大。
这段经文的中心是一个基督徒所能得到的最大的赞美之一：“像这样的人，有神的灵在他里头，我们岂能找得着呢？”。法老认出约瑟解梦和随后的商业计划背后的力量。他看出神的手在约瑟身上做工。这非常重要。如果基督徒在商业上的天赋和成就从来没有被认为是神的灵的工作，那么我们和非基督徒同行之间就没有什么明显的区别了。作为基督徒企业家，我们需要被人知道是“有神的灵在里头的人”。这是一个国度企业家的基本特征。
讨 论.
你是否认识到你是“有神的灵在里面”的人?
其他的人也这样认为吗?
教 导.
约瑟有神的恩赐善于经商。一旦他明白成功的基本要素并走过谦卑之门，他的属灵恩赐就能结出许多果实，并成就神赐给他这些天赋的真正目的，即拯救许多人的性命。约瑟可以说是一个伟大的国度企业家。他的商业生涯显示了神如何通过有恩赐的商业领袖来建立祂的国度。对约瑟来说，经商就是事工。
在他生命的最后，约瑟认识到他已经通过上帝赐予的天赋实现了上帝的目的。我们也可以这样。
恩赐 目的谦卑之门.
祷 告:
以简短的祷告来结束。为你的属灵恩赐感谢神，祈求神给你机会，谦卑地使用这些恩赐，来完成祂在这世代的计划。
企业家培训: 1.…
2019 年，爱德曼信任晴雨表（一项对来自 28 个国家的 33,000多人的调查）表明，只有 20％的受访者认为当前的经济体系在为他们服务。76％的受访者认为商业领袖应带头进行变革，而不是等待政府来推动。
教 导.
讨 论.
你是否认为“经济体系”需要改变？ 如果是，你认为需要改变什么？
你是否认为“修复”经济的责任在于商业领袖和企业主？
“商业领袖应带头进行变革”
讨 论.
在下面左栏中写出你认为能描述当今盛行商业文化的七个单词。
在下面右栏中写下这些单词的反义词。
商业文化 、 对立面
哪一栏最能反映上帝及其国度的品格？当今的商业文化有多敬虔？
活 动.
商业已经忘记了其通过正义手段实现共同富裕的初创者之角色。流行的商业文化需要改变。
如果在职场有“上帝伟大的行动”，它将如何改变商业文化？
葛培理.
你是否认为所有经商的基督徒都被呼召在“上帝伟大的行动”中发挥积极主动的作用？
你是否认为基督徒企业家，企业主和领导者应扮演特殊的角色？
以下四个选项中哪一个最能说明“基督徒企业”一词对你的意义？
A 由基督徒创立.
B 由基督徒领导.
C 基督教精神.
D 基督徒职工.
讨 论.
反 思.
无需 A 或 B 能实现 C 吗？
这些都是世界领先的公司。它们涵盖了经济的所有领域。你也许会感到惊讶，所有这些公司的创始人都是基督徒。
这些基督徒企业家经商的方式改变了职场文化。这些敬虔的企业家为社会做了很大的贡献。一个多世纪以来他们创建的公司使他们的工人富裕，他们改变了工人的权利，建立了备受喜爱的社区，并倡导以道德和可持续的方式经商。许多人还为教会的使命做出了很大贡献。在公司普遍设立社会责任部门很早以前，他们就已经在通过他们的经商方式来开展事工。也许最重要的是这些公司大胆又闪亮的基督徒见证。
教 导.
这些基督徒企业家没有站在一边进行论断。相反地，他们卷起袖子，成立公司，坚持以上帝的方式经商。毫无疑问这些基督徒企业家的宗教信仰和商业信条是一致的。他们的基本价值观所建造的公司内部文化，在公司创始人离开后很久都还保持着。
他们并不是完人，但毫无疑问，他们的所作所为是强有力的遗产和典范，应当激发我们这一代基督徒企业家。当今的圣徒可
以在这一传承上继续建造。
今天，这些公司中几乎没有由基督徒领导的了。他们的基督徒见证不幸地暗淡下来。我们需要新一代的基督徒企业家来捡起指挥棒再次引领商业文化。
这些基督徒领袖和他们的企业为共同财富做出贡献的做法与今天盛行的经商方式有何不同？
讨论.
下面是 2005 年《今日基督教》上一篇文章的片段；就在信贷危机前几年：
‘今年几个高级别基督徒商人的庭审发出了一个明确的信号：许多信徒完全不知道他们的信仰与其工作的关系。今年 7 月在WorldCom 首席执行官伯纳德·埃伯斯因他在美国历史上最大的公司欺诈案中所扮演的角色被宣判之后，舆论界把火力对准了他。
他们指出，这个“好基督徒”自称的信仰与他领导管理团队走上欺骗道路的行为之间存在脱节。被判有罪的埃伯斯和安然高管肯尼思·莱，以及被宣判无罪的 首席执行官理查德·斯克鲁西，都是已知的积极去教会的信徒。
这些“好基督徒”在一家重要的公司承担了领导职责，这值得赞赏。这不是一项容易的工作。但令人失望的是，似乎没有人来装备他们去通过自己重要的职位使神的国度兴盛，最终也带来他们自己的成功。
根据你的经验，经商的基督徒在他们“自称的信仰”和他们的经商方式之间，是否有明确的联系？
讨 论.
如果基督徒商业领袖成功地将商业实践与基督信仰相结合，你能想象的结果是什么？For them 对于他们.
对于他们的公司.
对于商业文化.
在 1 到 5 分之间，你觉得你的商业实践与你的信仰之间的联系有多紧密？
仅仅因为我们是信徒又碰巧是职场的领导者，甚至是成功的领导者，并不能保证我们可以自动有效地在上帝伟大的行动中发挥自己的作用。就像任何其他领域的基督徒门徒训练一样，职场的信徒也需要被装备以上帝的方式经商。
你是否同意这种说法？
反 思.
完全无关.
完全结合.
讨 论.
对你目前经商方式产生主要影响的是什么？
在经商中，你是否定期从圣经寻求智慧？
如果我们要在职场看到上帝的伟大行动，我们需要向上帝寻求.
1. world’…
In 2019, The Edelman Trust Barometer (a survey of over 33,000 people from 28 countries) indicated that only 20% of the interviewees felt that the current economic system was working for them. 76% believed that business leaders should take the lead on change rather than waiting for governments to impose it.
Teaching.
Discussion.
Do you believe the ‘economic system’ needs to change? If so, what do you believe needs to change?
Do you believe that the responsibility to ‘fix the economy lies with business leaders and owners?
Discussion.
Write seven words that you feel describe the prevailing culture of business today in the left-hand column below. Write down the opposite of these words in the right-hand column.
Business culture. Opposite.
Which column best reflects the character of God and His Kingdom? How godly is today’s business culture?
Activity.
The business has forgotten its true role as the creator of collective prosperity through just means. The prevailing culture of business needs to change.
If there was a ‘great move of God’ in the workplace, how might this change the culture of the business?
Abraham
Do you think all Christians in business are called to take a proactive role in this ‘great move of God’?
Do you think Christian entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders have a special role to play?
Which of the four options below best describes what the term ‘Christian company’ means to you?
A Founded by a Christian.
B Led by a Christian.
C Christian ethos.
D Christian workforce.
Can C be achieved without A or r B?
Discussion.
Reflection.
These are some of the world’s leading companies. They cover all sectors of the economy. It may surprise you to know that all of these companies had Christian founders.
The way these Christian entrepreneurs did business changed the culture of the workplace. These godly entrepreneurs achieved a great deal of good in society. They created companies that have prospered their workers for over a century, transformed workers’ rights, built many loved communities, and championed an ethical and sustainable approach to business. Many also contributed much to the mission of the Church.
Long before it was commonplace for companies to have a corporate social responsibility department, they were doing ministry in and through the way they did business. Perhaps most significantly, these companies had a Christian witness that was both bold and bright.
These Christian entrepreneurs did not stand on the sidelines and pass judgment. Instead, they rolled up their sleeves, set up companies, and got stuck into doing business God’s way. There is little doubt that the religious beliefs and business
Teaching
The creeds of these Christian entrepreneurs were aligned. Their founding values created cultures within their companies that lasted long after their founders stood down.
They were not perfect but there is no doubt that theirs is a powerful legacy and a model which should inspire our generation of Christian entrepreneurs. It is a heritage on which today’s saints can build.
Few, if any, of these companies are today led by Christians. Their Christian witness is sadly growing dim. We need a new generation of Christian entrepreneurs to pick up the baton and lead the culture of business again.
What is it about the way these Christian leaders and their companies contributed to the commonwealth that is different from the prevailing way in which business is being done today?
Discussion
Below is a clip from an article in Christianity Today from 2005; just a few years prior to the credit crunch:
‘The trials of high-profile Christian businessmen this year have sent a clear signal: Many believers have little idea how their faith relates to their work. After the July sentencing of World Com CEO Bernard Ebbers for his part in the largest corporate fraud case in American history, commentators had a field day.
They pointed to the disconnect between the professed faith of this ‘good Christian man’ and the way he led his management team in the paths of deception. The convictedEbbers and Kenneth Lay, the Enron executive, and the acquitted HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy are all known as active churchgoing believers.’
It is commendable that these ‘good Christian men’ took on the responsibilities of leadership in a significant company. This is not an easy undertaking. It is disappointing that no one appears to have equipped them to prosper the Kingdom, and ultimately themselves, in and through their significant roles.
In your experience, do Christians in business have a clear connection between their ‘professed faith’ and the way they do business?
Discussion
What do you imagine would be the outcome if Christian business leaders successfully combined business practice with the Christian faith?
For their company.
For the culture of the business.
On a score of 1 to 5, how connected do you feel your business practice is to your faith?
Not at all Fully integrated.
There is no guarantee, just because we are believers and happen to be leaders in the workplace, even successful ones, that we will automatically be effective in playing our part in a great move of God.
Like any other area of Christian discipleship, believers in the workplace need to be equipped to do businessGod’s way.
Do you agree with this statement?
Reflection
Discussion
What is the primary influence on the way you currently do
business?
Do you regularly look to the wisdom of the Bible on business?
If we are to see a great move of God in the workplace, we need to look to God for His vision for the business.
Most of us have read a host of secular books on business but we would have little to say in answer to the questions ‘If Jesus was leading my company, what would Jesus do?’ and ‘What would Jesus not do?’
11.当我们与人和…
