Not "Business as Usual"

There was Scripture reading, prayer, hymns, and testimonies. There were "Amen’s", fiery preachers, and folks standing to make a commitment. A typical church service? No, in fact, the Amen’s were not coming from church congregants, and the Scriptures were not about repentance, per se, but rather about repenting for their spiritual life not impacting their businesses. This was, in fact, a business meeting.

The setting was Cobo Hall, the Joe Louis Arena, in downtown Motown. Speakers had come from as far away as the Bahamas, Virginia Beach, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, and L.A., just to name a few places. There were celebrities, wealthy individuals, and successful men and women from a variety of disciplines. It was an education for many and a dream come true for others. I think it was a first step toward the legitimate fulfillment of the Scripture…. "the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous". (Proverbs 13:22)

I’m sure you have used or heard that Scripture on occasion, but have you ever wondered exactly how that is supposed to take place? As a young Christian, I often heard that and wondered exactly how God wound bring that to pass. Yet, I knew the Scriptures were infallible and absolutely accurate, and therefore must be fulfilled. How, I wondered, could the wealth of the wicked be transferred to the righteous? There must be a way to allow God to be fair to the wicked, yet keep his promise to the righteous. To simply strip the wealth from the wicked would leave God open to a charge of favoritism and "the judge of all the earth" must at all times, in all manner "do right"

Some years ago the answer came to me as I meditated on a passage of Scripture… "to him that hath shall be given…" This is the basis for the old proverb, "the rich get richer while the poor get poorer". You see, the last half of that verse reads, "…to him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken from him". (Matthew 13:12) Scripture articulates how we reach the stage of becoming the "haves" as opposed to the "have-nots". When placed in a non-religious context, (i.e., business) this Scriptures proves itself out and has demonstrated its power and value in some of the largest corporate structures in the world. Every multi-national, multi-billion dollar corporation applies the principles contained in the Scripture on a daily, and in some cases, an hourly basis.

This was the essence of the messages contained, for the most part, in the Christian Business Network meeting I attended in Detroit. The principle is articulated in King James English thusly… "He that would be the greatest among you must be the servant of all." (Mark 9:35)

In modern 21st century English, it would read thusly…. "to make big bucks, render great service, and the dude with the best service makes the most bucks". Apply this to your own experience and ask yourself, "Where would I go most? Where I got the best service, or the worst?" Think of some of the corporate giants that come to mind when you consider the long-range application of this principle.

In order for the wealth of the wicked to be transferred to the righteous, we must provide the services necessary to attract that wealth…. businesses. Could it be that a 1st century

principle of "service" is the wealth-transference tool of the 21st century? Let me reiterate. The Bible is not a religious book, and the principles contained therein are not religious principles. God’s plan was to reveal to his people how they could "spoil" the nations where they found themselves. No matter the conditions in which they found themselves, by implementing these principles, they would inevitably rise to become "the head and not the tail, the lenders, not the borrowers, the first, and not the last".

Let us consider the ways in which we might refrain from just doing business as usual, and really become "the greatest among them". Let us strive to give God the means to legitimately transfer the wealth.