It’s fairly common and appropriate to believe that a business should produce a profit. So, we’re prone to think the purpose of a business is to harvest money, grow stock prices, and return big dividends. The problem is that if we put money ahead of our unique Kingdom purpose, we activate a spiritual principle that causes that money to fly away like a bird. Believing that God will reward hard work on the wrong foundation is precisely the Dead Works that prove to be a disappointment for many believers.
Prov 23:4-5 – Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. NIV
Father wants us to experience the abundance of harvest. It shows up in multiple ways in a Kingdom business culture. Here are a few you can experience.
Passion – Kingdom always begins when I connect with the purpose Father wrote in my heart. Obligating myself to religious rules is a killer. Connecting with our hearts breathes life into our enthusiasm, creativity, and contribution. We’re sons and daughters with a dream, not just robotic servants fulfilling our obedience to a distant god. Father loves to share His heart and His exploits. We come alive when our business is doing what Father is doing; when we realize Father wrote the dreams and desires, we carry in our hearts.
Partners – Connecting our hearts with Father’s purpose is contagious. Businesses are callings that always require a team to help carry the load. When that team shares our passion, it ignites momentum and multiplication. Other people adding value from their hearts is a harvest that will produce results.
Prosperity – A kingdom culture evident in business naturally leads to prosperity in several areas. The first is people. We are all in the people business by making room for their gifts, wisdom, and contributions. Other people are the ones who produce the products and make the cash flow work. A Kingdom business culture conveys a sense that God is providentially working behind the scenes to bless our efforts. We feel like our purpose and passion are carrying us to contribute to a much higher strategy that is still unveiling.
Righteousness (by definition) is being equitable in character or act with God. In modern vernacular, it means we’re on the same page with Father, doing what He is doing (Jn 5:19). He’s our supplier. He multiplies our harvest of righteousness. He makes us rich in every way so we can be generous on every occasion.
2 Cor 9:10-11 – Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion NIV
A Kingdom business culture is a resource to bless people with opportunities and ministry. In the end, we’re not just blessing our staff or community, we’re invited to bless nations. A door is open for the business mountain to play a huge role in the Reformation of Nations. Kingdom culture in a business is Intentional Reformation.
Party – Business is work, but it’s a labor of love that we’re called to. We feel the wind of God’s favor in our sails when passion, partners, and prosperity come together. That sense of doing something great with Father is the party that sons and daughters savor. We have a sense that our business is the worship that delights our Father’s heart. We hear him saying well done. There is rest, joy, and thanksgiving for volunteering to be a laborer in Father’s harvest when laborers are few.
There is also joy that wells up unexpectedly and makes our hearts leap. It’s not fully explainable, but the experience is nevertheless real. Our hearts are jumping!
Gen 26:12-14 – Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. NIV
Matt 13:8-9 – Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears, let him hear. NIV
Metrics for Harvest – When we or the staff in our business experience harvest, they always have stories. Momentum happens when we make room for them to tell those stories. Putting the story of a great victory in the context of their life purpose has a dream-come-true ring that resonates with all our hearts. We connect the identity of the story’s hero, his dream, and the breakthrough. Kingdom culture constantly celebrates what Father is doing through His people. Share those stories in every format (live testimonies, videos, blogs, etc.) Business leaders are stewards of their Kingdom Culture. Celebration is the metric we use to measure the harvest(s).
Resources – The purpose of Heaven for each of us is already written in your heart and can be seen and heard in the Council. Your business can shift from a Christian business full of obedient servants to a Kingdom business full of creative and industrious sons who make a difference. We help people and businesses get their prophetic purpose in writing and then make it happen on earth. Taste and see! Tools to get started are here:
- Intentional Reformation Intro (A free diagnostic you will enjoy along with our purpose & Values)
- Nail your Purpose Field Guide (A place to start clarifying your heart’s desires)
- OnlineHeartPlan.com (Our web site and online Courses)
- USA Book (proof we can get our arms around the books of people, businesses, and nations
Other books by John S Garfield are available on Amazon:
- Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace (2004)
- Desire to Destiny – Seven Keys to Your Marketplace Ministry (2007)
- Seers and Doers: Sons Bringing Heaven to Earth (2018)
- Intentional Reformation – A Roadmap to Change Yourself and the World (2020)
- Intentional Reformation Primer – 5-Step Roadmap to Make Your Dream Come True (2020)
- Healing for Warriors: Connecting Your Purpose and Your Health (2020)
- Lead Your Tribe Field Guide (2021)
- Let’s Build a Kingdom Business (2022)
- Find our free blog at ReleasingKings.com; Courses at www.OnlineHeartPlan.com
