Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the Theology of Business podcast. I'm your host, Darren Scheer, and this is the show for Marketplace Christians seeking to explore and apply God's will for business. On this episode, we're going to dig into principle number one of the Christ-centered company assessment, which is our company's managers work for God and recognize God is on the receiving end of every action we take in business. And this is the first and most foundational principle of the Christ-centered company assessment. And you can take the full assessment at theologyofbusiness.com forward slash assessments. All right, let's dig into it. Who do you work for in business? Who do the people in your company work for? I ask my company's managers to never think or say, I work for hybrid books and media. And heaven forbid they ever think or say, I work for Darren Sheer. Instead, I encourage them to cultivate this perspective. I work with hybrid books and media and I work for Jesus. This is the foundational principle for cultivating a Christ-centered company. Whatever you do, do it for the Lord and not for men. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. That's Colossians 3, 23 and 24. A company can only be considered Christ-centered to the extent that the people working within the company decide to work for Jesus and not for anyone or anything else. In all of its operations, a Christ-centered company culture promotes the perspective and attitude that Jesus is on the receiving end of everything done in and through the business, which ought to compel us to seek and apply God's will for the company. Jesus is the CEO and the owner, but so much more. Like me, perhaps you're familiar with the temptation to act one way around the company's higher-ups while acting differently around the company's other stakeholders. I think this is why I found it somewhat easier to view Jesus as the head of the company I manage, like the CEO or Jesus as the owner of the company, Jesus is the chairman of the board, than to view him in all other roles related to the company. This sort of deistic view of God, the idea that God is so high and lifted up that he's uninvolved in the most seemingly trivial aspects of a company, explains how we can assume we're interacting with people one way while simultaneously interacting with God another. Unlike a human boss, Jesus is omnipresent through the Holy Spirit, interacting with us through every relationship and operation in the company. He's on the receiving end of everything done in and through the company. For from him and through him and to him are all things. That's Romans 11, 36. What would happen if, in addition to viewing Jesus in the most senior roles of the companies we manage, we also operated as though Jesus fills every other position in relation to our companies? Like entry-level employee. View Jesus as the customer, the client, your coworker, an IRS agent who's giving you a hard time, a vendor, a supplier, minority shareholder, consultant, board member, supervisor, rival company CEO, accountant, your prospective customer client, your co-worker's family member, the intern working in your company, a city official, maybe you're dealing with zoning issues or something like that, and anyone else you interact with in business? The ways in which we and the companies we manage relate to each of these types of people is exactly how we and our teams are treating Jesus in the marketplace. What would happen to our business practices if we truly viewed God as being on the receiving end of everything we do in business and not just the big picture stuff? What would happen to your accounting practices if you viewed that IRS agent who reviews your company's tax returns as Jesus? What would happen to our advertising practices if we viewed that impressionable viewer or listener as Jesus? How would our employee compensation and employee care programs change if we viewed each employee and their families as Jesus? How much stronger would our custom our quality control be if we viewed each customer as Jesus? What would happen to our customer service if we viewed that upset customer as Jesus? Jesus assures us, truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me. To the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me either. It's Matthew 25, verses 40 and 45. In different ways, everyone we interact with in business is one of the least of these. This isn't to minimize the plight of the material and the materially poor among us. Poverty takes many forms, as Jesus also tells us that those who think they're rich are many times actually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, as he um referred to the church of Laodicea and Revelation's Revelation 3, 17. The point is how we treat business, people in business, is exactly how we're treating Jesus. He's on the receiving end of every thought, word, and deed that flows through the companies we manage. This perspective and attitude is the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. That's Proverbs 9, verse 10. It's impossible to truly walk in wisdom in the marketplace without realizing that everything we think, say, and do is ultimately thought, said, and done toward Jesus. Not only should this put the fear of the Lord in us, but it should also encourage us to realize that we have far more opportunities to honor Jesus in business than perhaps we originally thought. As we remain aware that Jesus is on the receiving end, we'll seek him more fervently for guidance on how to worship and honor him through our business relationships and practices. We'll grow in our awareness that he is working through each person with whom we work to form us and our companies into his image. You work for Jesus, you work with people. Your company is simply the context for you and your associates in the marketplace to become more like Jesus, causing awareness of his glory to be revealed throughout the earth as the waters cover the sea, as it says in Habakkuk 2, verse 14. And on this foundational principle, we can build Christ-centered companies. Because Jesus is on the receiving end of everything we do in business. If you and your organization want to go deeper into discovering how your company can grow in all 50 areas assessed in the Christ-centered company assessment, you can reach out to me at theology of business.com forward slash contact. And if you haven't taken the assessment, go to theology of business.com forward slash assessments and you can access it there. Thanks for listening and keep exploring and applying God's will for your business.
SPEAKER_00We hope you've enjoyed this episode. You can share your feedback and get more information to help you partner with God in business and disciple your company, your industry, and your community at theologyofusiness.com. The Theology of Business Podcast is sponsored by Hybridge Books and Media, a media agency specializing in publishing and promoting the world-changing ideas of inspiring thought leaders through book publishing, website development, publicity, email marketing, social media management, podcast management, and video based course publishing. Take the next step to share your message with the world by contacting us at hybridemedia.com. Thanks for listening and keep partnering with God in your business.