"Christian" Businesses...or, CHRISTIAN Businesses?

As I write this blog, I'm preparing for a speech I'll give at a local

pub on "Faith in the Marketplace." Knowing the most in the audience would identify as Christ-followers, I've decided to present a fairly hard-hitting presentation on how faith SHOULD be presented at work or in the world of business...versus how it often IS presented....

You see, I've learned the hard way that many so-called "Christian" Businesses are not very...well..they're not very Christian! Furthermore, I've learned that in the secular world of business and economics, Churches and "Christian" organizations often have the WORST reputation when it comes to:

* Being pleasant to deal with.

* Returning calls.

* Paying their bills...or,

* Paying their bills on time.

* Being "fair" in negotiations/settlements.

* How they treat employees or vendors.

* Communication within and without their corporate walls.

* Having employees that are reliable, hard-working, and/or honest.

* Being Transparent vs. Hypocritical.

* Being wise and thus, successful in a competitive world...

& More....

Jesus spoke of this when he said, "The sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light (Luke 16:8)." This also makes me mourn what passes for Christian entertainment, especially TV and movies. Why is it that if we watch a movie that is overtly Christian, we normally see shoddy acting, graphics, and special effects that make the 1950's-vintage Godzilla films look high tech?!

Whatever happened to honoring the Lord with excellence vs. low-budget embarrassment?

It's time for the people of God to act like it. That is, to act like we're people of God. We should be the MOST generous, fair-minded, wise, reasonable, and quality-exuding businessmen and women on the planet! We should run our businesses and do our work like we really worked for Jesus, because according to Paul, we DO (see Eph 6:5-9)! We need to look to the few shining stars like Chick-fil-a, Mary Kay, and others to see how to present Jesus to a lost and dying world of business and commerce.

It's time for us to live out our faith at work...not just in Church on Sunday!

To that end,

Pastor Joel