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In Kingdom Business, we’re trying to sync our work on Earth with Father’s purpose and our own. There is a lot of warfare and fog over choosing or changing your vocation to try to do that. It’s common to feel like my dead-end job has no Kingdom value; there is no sense of ministry in my work! We are motivated to make a change and do something we enjoy, that has value… and pays the bills.
My Story – When I got out of high school, my strengths were in math and science. I was baited into chemical engineering with a small scholarship, and the department head lectured every Friday on how much more ChE’s make compared to other degrees. I wasn’t necessarily attracted to the profession, but I thought if I was getting a degree, I may as well get a good salary as well. As my career developed, I got good raises, opportunities, and promotions, but I always had a nagging sense that engineering was not the epicenter of God’s will.
This secular logic track is:
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- Align with something you’re good at (Motivation).
- Get all the qualifications (Education).
- Get a good job in your field (Vocation).
- Find a fun place to raise a family (Location).
The religious logic track is:
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- God has called me to ministry (It must be His will).
- I’ll get qualified to work in church or missions (Bible College).
- Get a job in church or solicit sponsors for a mission.
The religious track is usually about as fulfilling as engineering since both are artifacts of “my will” and target what I can do to make me happy. Both tracks can feel like the grass is greener on the other side (money vs. ministry). I my case, I kept my engineering job and became a bi-vocational pastor and planted two churches. We did have fun, there was fruit, and God was merciful… and Sue and I both burned out after 13 years.
Lessons Learned – At the end of the day, the measure of a successful life isn’t money or dreams coming true. It’s not realizing my potential and releasing my gifts in my work. Success in Kingdom Business is fundamentally doing what Father is doing (Jn 5:19-20), following the Lamb (Rev 14:4), and keeping in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:25).
Regardless of cash flow and business metrics, we are not successful in any vocation until we hear our Father saying, Well done! That can happen in every vocation and every location. If you’re not hearing that voice and having those conversations, changing vocations isn’t the cure. Your work isn’t the most important thing; it’s co-laboring with our Father’s work wherever we are.
The New Metric – What you can do, premised on your Motivation, Education, and Vocation, is relevant but not the deciding or guiding factor. The Kingdom metric in Reformation is What Can God Do Through You?
Kingdom Business taps the Deut 8:18 promise to create the value both spiritually and naturally that blesses people and nations. Our business products and services are a ministry to people that has Kingdom value.
Deut 8:18 – But remember the LORD your God,
for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth (Chayil is value),
and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Following the Lamb and creating Chayil value allows Father to add all these things, Mt 6:33. The result is that your co-laboring work in Kingdom Business:
- Reflects who you are in a healthy way (Identity) Father
- Becomes the expression of your story, redeemed calling Jesus
- Work is the bread of your purpose that feeds you Holy Spirit
Eph 2:8 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9) not by works, so that no one can boast.
10) For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, (God’s works)
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Can you hear? – Can we really connect Father’s purpose with our Kingdom business work to release what Father can add and do greater works? Can sons and daughters get it right and do exploits in Jesus’ Name?
Yes, we can! You can start to see how sons’ presence in Heaven’s Courts and Council becomes a necessity in gaining this clarity and inheriting this promise.
Jn 5:20 – For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.
Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.
What if I fail? – Don’t worry, you will! That’s the point of Father’s grace and mercy. Sons are used to mid-course corrections in the Council. They trust Father to lovingly discipline or train us in a maturing process of learning to hear His voice and follow the Lamb. Sons are not surprised by the messiness and confusion of warfare and fiery trials. They hear Father’s voice through it all.
1Pet 4:12 – Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you,
as though something strange were happening to you.
13) But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ,
so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Sons don’t have a paradigm for:
Failure – they are following the Lamb wherever (they expect warfare).
Rejection – they don’t expect positive responses from everyone.
Delay – Father is the one who says “when” …not me.
My identity isn’t tied to an intellectual definition of success; there are no recipes, only conversations. Father is looking for relational sons and collaboration, not rule-bound, performance-driven servants.
This blog was inspired by a Council Session you will enjoy. It’s an encouragement for your own Council sessions:
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Take the Next Step:
Progression to Sonship – Your Kingdom Purpose and redemptive stories form the basis for your personal identity, purpose, value creation, and your business offer. Becoming your authentic self is the practical key to flow and fruit in business and life. We offer a practical and prophetic approach to help you get there, flowing with your Father (co-laboring) instead of fighting circumstances and resistance alone.
- Register for the Next Masterclass on November 21, 7 AM PDT (Graphic Below).
