God’s Business
These insights from a business leader can be applicable for all Christians.
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We invited Aaron Thomas to come and speak at Stronger 2022 and gave him the title ‘God’s Business’. It was an incredible talk, and not surprising given that Aaron is a businessman who has a desire to empower people to understand how they can utilise business and finance in their personal context.
We’ll release the whole talk in the coming weeks but wanted to give you a snippet of what he said because we really enjoyed it and thought there was a lot of practical and inspiring stuff in there.
Aaron spoke under three main headings:
1.God’s Way
2.God’s Business
3.God’s House
1.God’s way
Drawing on Matthew 6.33 ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’. He said,
‘I want you to understand the basis and foundation of whatever you do, whether it be business or anything else…we have to see that key for us is the kingdom of God…..this really deals with the foundation, which is our heart, which is our posture, which is our mindset towards how we advance forward in business…’
It was such a great reminder from Aaron, that in the face of all the busyness, in the midst of all the ambition and drive, undergirding it all, needs to come a posture of seeking God’s Kingdom first. Simply seeing God as an add-on, is not enough. Having God along for the ride as a passenger, is not enough.
Aaron follows up with this:
‘….So I want to encourage you….those who are feeling called to business or wanting to start businesses … really hone in and focus in on seeking God's kingdom. What is God saying about this? …. ‘
What I loved about this is that it’s true no matter what you’re working on. Seek first God’s Kingdom at the school gate, in that zoom meeting, as you send emails, as you brush your teeth, as you launch a business.
2.God’s business
Aaron’s second point was that it’s God’s business ultimately, not ours.
He says….
‘…and that's a crucial question. whose business is it? Is it your business or is it God's business? If it's God's business….and not your business, almost the pressure’s off, there's almost an ability to take your hands off the wheel….’
When you speak with Aaron you can see that he’s someone who lives this out. This isn’t just words for him and it’s really inspiring to see someone living like that.
If God is leading you into something, let God lead you. Yes we need to work hard and do what we can, and God invites us to use our skills and networks, and gifts and time, but ultimately it’s all for him. When we lose sight of that we begin to get side-lined by other things that distract us from the main and the plain.
3. God’s House
Aaron put forward a clear reminder that we need to plug into a church. He said this:
‘…Your local church needs you. Whether you have a successful business, whether you've just got a creative idea, your local church needs you. And it's valuable as business owners, as people that are wanting to embark on entrepreneurial activities … your skill set and your perspectives … are needed in your local church…’
As a vicar of a church for 11 years I was so struck by this. He was speaking my language.
Over the years I’ve seen how differently people relate to the local church. For some, Church is simply a service provider, for others it was there if they needed it, then there were others who felt like they ought to go to a church but had one foot in and one foot out, and still others who had a clear vision for being the local church.
Aaron clearly fits under that final category.
He reminded us that we each have a role to play in the local church. A bit like that passage in 1 Corinthians 12, where Saint Paul paints a word picture of the body of Christ. No matter who we are, as a follower of Jesus, whether we work for a church or whether we work in business or whether we’re unemployed, or a student or a freelancer – we each have a role to play because we are the church. God wants to use your gifts and skills to advance the mission and ministry of the Church.
….of your church!
Thinking back as a church leader, I was always struck by and enormously valued it when people communicated with me about their involvement. Particularly around these things:
1.Their capacity to get involved in the church
2.What their commitment to the church looked like
3.Where they felt excited to serve
4.What their expectations were of me as church leader and the church community
5.When their time was coming to an end in our community because they were moving out of London
Those kinds of conversations didn’t happen all the time, but when they did, I found that it brough a certain amount of freedom on both sides. As church leader I felt I understood where they were coming from, and it helped me to work out how I could best serve them during their time in our community.
It was fascinating hearing from Aaron, and seeing his passion for God, for business and for the local church. It was inspirational and I know he will be making a huge impact in his local church through the gifts and skills that he brings to the party.
Powerful stuff.
