Following last week’s article on Principles of Biblical Entrepreneurship from Matthew 6:33, I want to take us about a direction that I have come to see from my personal experience working under some fellow Christian entrepreneurs.
I spoke with a husband & wife team regarding what principles of Biblical entrepreneurship they utilize in their own business. These two are a dynamic duo – a powerful team of faith-filled business leaders & healers that operate a Christian faith-based healing center in Rochester, Minnesota. And no, it is not the Mayo Clinic. I will keep their names & business private for the sake of their request, but I will highlight a few principles that they shared with me that will edify you as well in your own journey.
Listening
The first principle of Biblical entrepreneurship that stands out when you talk with these two is this: listening to the Holy Spirit.
As I sent them the article from The Stone Table on following the pillar of fire, which you can read here, they were edified in finding that many of the principles that this article talked about were things that they were doing as well. One of those things, which I will quote from the article that I linked, was this:
“One of the principles of Biblical entrepreneurship is this: When you’re daily spending time with God, daily surrendering your life, your business, and the work of your hands to His leading, you begin to instinctively sense when His presence is on the move.” – Erik Cooper.
Truly, this is the foundational standing for what these two entrepreneurs are doing in their own business as well.
These two Spirit-filled leaders are diligent in spending their own quality time with God. They learn, receive, and grow within the context of their private time with the Lord, as well as within the context of the community of their local church. These are two pivotal cornerstones of faith-based entrepreneurs: the private study and the public assembly. It is through these two avenues that this couple finds themselves constantly in contact & context with the Spirit of God, ready to listen & ready to move. Without this application to both public & private worship of God, your time will often become toil.
Obedience
The next principle that stood out to me in their journey was obedience. This is another vital principle of Biblical entrepreneurship because without obedience, we are unable to receive the blessing that God has for us. Blessing follows obedience.
I will spare the extensive details, but these two have been faced with some incredibly difficult scenarios throughout their business venture – both personally and in their business. When faced with those sorts of oppositions or roadblocks, what I’ve seen from their story is that they’ve always first gone to God in prayer and submitted their steps to Him. They know that their steps are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23) and they are willing to let go of their “ideal” to let God do what He wants to do. That’s a Biblical surrender.
Following that, they are willing to do whatever He says to do. That’s a Biblical obedience. We find in the story of Exodus 3 & 4 how Moses is called by the LORD God of Israel to do something great. However, he spends numerous verses sort of pandering for a different order from God. Have you ever done that? Maybe God has called you to do something fantastic, but it seems so outlandish that you say no. Unfortunately, that kind of stops up the gap of God’s blessing; and, as He did with Moses, He will not be too thrilled with that plan of action.
I think obedience is something that this couple has displayed admirably. They navigated through a difficult season during some strict local covid regulations because they listened to what God was speaking to them and they were willing to do whatever He said, even if it looked contrary to what the world might say. As a result, their business actually flourished & exploded during the 2020 year of the pandemic. To me, that was the result of God’s blessing on their decision as they walked in obedience to what He told them to do.
Faith
The third of their principles of Biblical entrepreneurship that stood out to me from their story, and obviously I cannot recount them all here in one article, was faith in God. When I say “faith” in God, what I am referring to is not a blind faith, but a true “pistis” faith1, which is the Greek word used most commonly in the Bible to be translated as “faith”. “Pistis” (Strong’s #4102) is most simply a firm trust in God. Like many Biblical entrepreneurs, I found that this couple was rooted in a faith, trust, and persuasion of God’s goodness & faithfulness; so, they knew that by walking in His will, things were going to pop off2.
The Lord has a way of responding to those that put their trust in Him. He shared a principle with me one time this past year that went like this, “God will work with you up to what you can believe Him for.” That’s one He gave to me specifically. So, if you can believe for “just getting by”, then you wrap your faith around that and take it. But, if you can believe for flourishing, let God direct your steps to walk out the work, let your faith latch on to His word, and let the breath (“ruach”) of God catch those sails baby. And take off.
Love
Finally, their love for people. This is probably the most evident of their principles for Biblical entrepreneurship. Jesus says, written in red, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). This couple is probably the most sacrificial, willing, and loving team of leaders that I have ever seen in my life. I haven’t found many churches that are as willing to love on their team & build them up as these two are for their employees. This is a culture founded on the love & generosity of Christ. They are constantly going above & beyond for the sake of Christ being magnified. They love people, and they work at restoring their health & wellness in the grace of the Lord, so that He be magnified in their wellness. But they also do it to be servants – to be examples of the willingness of Jesus to get beneath someone’s feet and wash them. They build up by love. They speak hope into their patients and demonstrate what it means to be a servant of Christ by exemplifying the heart of Jesus for all of His people.
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Cor. 13:1).
The Bible is consistent in its reiteration of the importance of love. Statements like, “love your neighbor as yourself”, “love fulfills the law”, and “they will know you are Mine by your love for one another” crowd the teachings of Jesus. It is a self-sacrificial & servant love that He speaks of – one that is even willing to lay down life for their friends (John 15:13). This is the foundational principle of Biblical entrepreneurship that these two exemplify in their daily lives and in their business operations. They are far more than clanging cymbals in the marketplace – they are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
To recap, these are four powerful points we learned today regarding the pursuable principles of Biblical entrepreneurship:
- Listening to the Holy Spirit
- Obedience
- Faith in God
- Love for People
From the bottom of my heart, I hope that this story edified you, encouraged you, and challenged you to pursue God more deeply. The world needs more Biblical entrepreneurs; ones that are willing to go out & engage the marketplace with love, light, and hope – to be the salt of the earth in a sphere that needs a lot of Christlike flavor.
1Time would not do well for me to elaborate on the expanse of what “pistis” truly can encapsulate in regard to the English word “faith” – this is simply one route or option to define it. English does not do due justice to the word “pistis”, including in the context in which I am using it.
2This means “go very well” in youth terms.
