Kingdom Business: Understanding God's View On Work, Entrepreneurship, and Purpose

“Often times as believers, we separate our lives. We have this version of “I’m a believer. That looks like I go to church. On Sundays, I worship. I pray every morning. Then, I have this whole other life. My business, my career is a whole different department. Not recognizing that… Business plays a role in The Kingdom. Your career plays a role in The Kingdom. The industry you are in and the talents you have play a role in The Kingdom.”

- Stephanie Ike, Executive Pastor at ONE

"I Must Be About My Father's Business"

- Jesus, The Carpenter

On Sunday morning millions of believers attend Sunday Service as a way to honor their creator. Pews fill up as congregants seek to understand God's desire for their existence. Their pressing is to fully experience God’s purpose as individuals, families, communities, and members of The Church at large.

Then Monday morning, these same believers arise to be present at their respective work places. The average American worker spends 40 - 50 hours a week at work to make a living. Maybe in that same time frame they are afforded two- five hours to consider God's purpose for their life.

"An April report by PYMNTS.com and LendingClub highlighted the pressure that rising prices have put on average consumers. The data showed that 60% of United States consumers lived paycheck to paycheck as of March 2023." - Fortune Magazine

Does this equate to the lifestyle of a faithful believer who trusts God for an abundant lifestyle? Could it be that our current norms for “making a living” are more kin to the scripture;

"the thief who comes to still, kill, and destroy?" John 10:10

Have we ever thoroughly considered whether or not our business of "making a living" actually pleases God’s? As The Church, do we actually have the right human development mechanisms in place to help believers live the very good life God promised to all those made in their image?

This summer at The Being Academy, we will be exploring God’s perspective on work and business in The Body of Christ.

To kick us off, we have curated some sermon studies all about Kingdom business.

Below you will find three great teachings on the relationship between Faith and Business as it relates to the believer.

As Jesus instructed, we "must be about our father’s business.”

God’s business is the well-being of all creation. In order to settle his accounts, we must make room for the sovereignty of God to influence our lives in the areas that dictate our well-being the most.

"Why," "how," and "where" we do business to sustain our well-being matters. Whether you are an entrepreneur, an employee, a manager, a volunteering retired senior, a superstar free agent, or an apprentice in an unpaid internship, who you are as a value contributing member of society matters. Our purpose and our peace are both tied to being in alignment with God’s vision for our life 24/7 365 not just at 11 AM Sunday morning or 7 PM Wednesday night.

We are called to be living witnesses and demonstrations of God’s goodness and glory.

It’s hard to be that when we are stressed out trying to make ends meet from work that is unfulfilling, underpaying, and lacking vision for our total wellness.

Now is the time for a major shift in the economics of Kingdom Citizens. Our prayer life has no limits and should profit our well-being just as much as it profits our soul for eternity.

God did not create people to be slaves to greed and fear-based economics.

"Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom" and that includes in our wallets and bank accounts.

Let us truly strive and proser as our soul’s prosper in every facet of our being.

Let us experience life as God imagines; good stewards of our most significant blessing, life on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Message Recommendation on Kingdom Business

Ministry, the work of serving God’s people, is not an exclusive need inside the four walls of church. A significant portion of Jesus’ ministry happened outside of the temples of his day. The Church must extend its reach into every industry that impacts Christian living.

If we are going to help people sustain their wellbeing as believers, Kingdom Businesses must thrive and scale.

These three teachings breakdown why it is important for ministers of the gospel to influence the marketplace.