Speaker 1
So Rita is asking how did Jesus handle business affairs?
Speaker 2
I love this question. This is actually something, Rita, that I’ve been studying for past two, three, many years as I’ve been growing my own business and thinking about how would Jesus handle these things. And I continue to be just amazed how many lessons are to pull out from Jesus. And we’re not even going to nick the surface on it, but how to be the ultimate CEO and manage people. Jesus showed us how to do that, how to brand. Jesus is really good at branding and coming up with almost like logos. He gives us so much imagery to identify with, like light that Lamb. I mean, we see these things and we just think, oh, Jesus, God church, all these things that Jesus has given us almost this new separate language, very massful like the Apple Computer company has taken imagery and things that identify the people who are purchasing Apple products. Jesus did the same thing so that we could feel part of this special group and have again this language that we can speak to each other with. So I would love to dive deeper into those things, but let’s touch on some of what I think are real important principles that we can all implement day to day in how we do business.
Speaker 2
So the first one is Jesus did a lot of delegating and this is repeated a couple of times in the scriptures and often gets missed. But Jesus didn’t do everything. It wasn’t just Jesus. And this is where like, the show chosen, I think, does a decent job, where it’s showing Jesus making his disciples do a lot of work. And we see this in John 1329, for example. So John 1329, this one is telling us how Judas was in charge of the money. So for some thought, because Judas had the money box that Jesus said to him, buy those things that we need for the feast. So here Jesus lets Judas handle money. He delegated that out to him. We know after the fact that Judas was a thief, jesus still was trusting. Matthew 536. This one is about the breaking of the loaves. And we see here that Jesus took the seven loaves and fish and when he gave thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples and they in turn took them to the people. So Jesus isn’t burning himself out, just trying to do everything himself. Again, he breaks the bread, gives it to disciples and they spread it out.
Speaker 2
It’s kind of the same model that we saw Jethro help Moses implement, because Moses was trying to do everything when he was running the people. He was trying to decide every single case. And his father in law said, whoa, whoa, whoa, Moses, slow down, don’t do it all yourself. And so Jesus never made the mistake of doing too much. He always delegated it out. And even the baptisms jesus didn’t baptize everybody. He did it through his disciples often. So Jesus probably baptized the disciples, who in turn would baptize others. And that continues now through us baptizing. Next one is Jesus. I like to say as Jesus increased his reach by using influencers. Now this is another form of delegation. So we read in Luke ten, starting at verse one, it says, after these things, the Lord appointed 70 others also. So this is in addition to the twelve disciples. Jesus had 70 others that he sent them two by two before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to go. Then he said to them, the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of a harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Speaker 2
So Jesus even had to deal with a labor shortage like we see today. But he still used influencers, still had people that would go up, prepare the way for him to come, get the word out, get people excited, rallied up. So Jesus was really good about marketing and he would also do this where he cast out the demons from the demoniac. And I says, Please let me come with you. And Jesus says, no, I want you to go share the word. Same thing for the Samaritan woman at the well. And Jesus said, Go spread the word. So Jesus is using influencers. And of course there’s nothing more powerful than testimonies. Even today, marketers get the testimonies of people who have bought the products and liked it to share their experiences. That’s like the best form of marketing. And this is Jesus’s main way of reaching people. He says, don’t just take my word for it, I want to hear what others are saying. Now, another important principle is Jesus did value for value. Not to mean he never ever gave things away for free, but it’s this concept that you never have to worry if you understand the true nature of value.
Speaker 2
You will never have to worry about a roof being over your head. You never have to worry about being hungry. You will always understand how you could serve people in a way that then they will in turn want to reciprocate and provide value to you. So we see this in going back to Luke ten. Jesus is speaking to the 70. As he’s sending them out, he says, carry neither money, don’t carry money, bag, knapsack, sorry, nor sandals, and greet no one along the road. But when whatever house you enter, first say peace of this house. And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it. If not, it will return to you and remain in the same house, eating or drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worth worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house whatever city you enter and they receive you. Eat such things as are set before you and heal the sick there and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near you. So can you imagine that? Especially in this world as we’re seeing getting darker and darker and darker, people getting sicker and sicker, sicker people just need so much help left and right.
Speaker 2
I mean, I totally see now being viable where you could just hit the road and just find home, say, hey, anything, we need a place to stay. But if we help around the house, if we help you prep your food, if we help nurse you, if you’re sick, could we stay a little bit? Of course there’s going to be trust issues, but once you overcome that and if they feel the peace of God with you, you could be a godsend to someone. Just understand that value, understand how you can help others. And when you can do that again, you don’t have to worry about having lots of money, you don’t have to worry about taking care of yourself. Your value will be benefiting others and they will then reciprocate. And like to add with this, this is Jesus’s words to the disciples. Luke nine one to four. He says, then he or sorry, Luke, luke nine verses one to four. Then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all the demons. And to cure diseases, he sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Speaker 2
And he said to them, take nothing for your journey, neither staffs, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, nor and do not even have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. Last thought, last thought. This is a big one when it comes to Jesus’s, just mindset of money. How did Jesus think about money? When I saw this verse, it blew me away. And I think this is really so important for all of us to understand. What is our relationship with money supposed to be like? What are we supposed to use it for in this world? This is Luke 16 verse nine, by the way. I think the whole gospel of Luke is just telling us in and out about true wealth. What does that really look like? And this is the heart and soul of it to me. Luke 16 verse nine, Jesus says, and I’m reading from the NIV here, by the way. This is the NIV, I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves so that when it is gone you will be welcomed into eternal dwelling. So use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves.
Speaker 2
This life, whatever wealth we have in this life really is all from God. And this actually comes right after the parable of the unjust steward who unfaithful steward who was then using all the funds of his, his master, you know, shaving off the debt to win friends so that when he lost his job, they would take him in. And Jesus is now saying like, you know, use your worldly wealth which comes from God, everything we have is from God. Use that to make friends. And as we’re making friends in this life, think about then what it will be like in the next life in heaven. Not only will we have then hopefully those people with us in heaven, that’s the only treasure really that we’re going to take with us in heaven. And then maybe the angels will be grateful. God will be grateful. This is what this life is about. This life is about relationships. It’s all about that. It’s not about your status, it’s not about getting biggest home. All those things are going to be burned, destroyed, be lost. It’s only relationships that we will be able to carry to the future.
Speaker 2
So whatever money you have, don’t despise the money, but put it to good use to build relationship. That’s Jesus’s, I say one of his key teachings when it comes to business and money. Tina, do you have any thoughts?
Speaker 1
I think that was really good. I think that’s so important, all these things. It’s so funny because you have such a business mind and I don’t. So it’s kind of cool to see how Jesus did use so many. Jesus in a way did have a business mind because he’s in the business of saving souls. And I think you’re spot on saying we need to use the means that God gives us for his kingdom basically to win souls, to go to heaven. Definitely. But I think there’s so many words of wisdom like we see in the book of Proverbs, just talking about how we need to be good stewards and keep account of our things. So that basically we render to God things that we should. And I think one of the most beautiful verses that Jesus ever said was in Mark, I think chapter twelve.
Speaker 2
I.
Speaker 1
Think it’s 1617 Mark 1217, where the Pharisees come tempting him and they’re like, should we pay taxes to Caesar? And they were trying to trap him and he says, whose face is on it? And they said Caesars. And he said pay to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are gods. And I think Jesus really understood the balance of it’s okay to have means, but we need to use them the right way and use things for God that are gods and give to this world the things that belong to this world and be fair and be just and be honest. And so, I don’t know, jesus is just so amazing and so beautiful and so well rounded, perfectly balanced. Exactly. And I went to a Christian financial seminar a long time ago because I didn’t really have a lot of financial training growing up. And I always thought money is bad, money is something. I always thought money is the root of all evil. But that’s not what the Bible says. The Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil. So what the speaker was basically getting at is like, money is not bad.
Speaker 1
Money is amoral. It’s what you do with it that makes it good or bad. It’s just like a brick. You can use a brick to build a house and do something good, or you can use a brick to hurt somebody. And that’s really what finances are like. I think there’s so many different aspects. Like, this question could go a million ways because it’s just so broad. But I think you’re spot on. Going back to Jesus knew how to manage things and knew how to work things. And I think we really also need to educate ourselves to, you know, kind of like you’re saying being a good steward and using the money for the ultimate, highest purpose, which is to win souls to God’s kingdom. For sure.
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