Kingdom Economics
Becoming God's Business Partner
By Dennis Peacocke
This is the heart of the difference between someone, Christian or non-Christian, who builds his business on Christian principles, and someone who doesn't. The latter is satisfied to get employees who make him rich. The former is satisfied only if he can produce new proprietors who become partners in the business and prosper in it themselves. In other words, Christian leaders are committed to making others wealthy, not rich.1
I continue to stress that our goal is not to make a profit or gain employees; the goal is to make partners and proprietors. This is the pattern God sets for us. Multiplying proprietors is the focus; profit is the by-product. When people are born again2, they become "children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:16-17 KJV).
God's aim is not that we should remain mere employees for eternity, but that we should become members of the family and partners in His business. We're junior partners, to be sure, but partners all the same. That is why Christ said this to His disciples in John 15:15-16: "No longer do I call you slaves; for the slave does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit..." (NAS). It is also why He challenged His disciples with this question in Luke 16:12: "If you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?"
Anyone can, by offering enough wages, get employees to work for him. He's merely buying people's work. But employees are not what the Christian business vision is all about. It is about partners, associates, and proprietors. It is about people who have a stake in the business that goes beyond their weekly paycheck. It is about transforming people from employees to co-owners, from orphans to heirs.
1 Riches are perishable assets that we can gain with
or without ethics or morals. Wealth is primarily achieved
through the skills, spiritual knowledge, and character
developed in obeying God's ways of approaching resource
management.
2 To be "born again" refers to the new life
that Jesus offers us (John 3:3).
From Almighty & Sons: Doing Business God's Way, by Dennis Peacocke, © 1995, Rebuild Publishers, Santa Rosa, CA. Used with permission. Available from Strategic Christian Services, (707) 578-7700.
Dennis Peacocke is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, a former research economist, and a business owner. He is founder and president of Strategic Christian Services, Inc., which helps leaders apply Biblical truth to businesses, churches, and culture.
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The Real Jesus: Who is the Real Jesus? Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archaeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the "historical Jesus" -- a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin. Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archaeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regretably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.
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This presentation explodes the myths of these critics and the movies, books and television programs that have popularized their views.
Presented in ten parts -- perfect for individual, family and classroom study -- viewers will be challenged to go deeper in their knowledge of Christ in order to be able to defend their faith and present the truth to a skeptical modern world – that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of history -- "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). He is the real Jesus. Speakers include: George Grant, Ted Baehr, Stephen Mansfield, Raymond Ortlund, Phil Kayser, David Lutzweiler, Jay Grimstead, J.P. Holding, and Eric Holmberg. Ten parts, over two hours of instruction! Running Time: 130 minutes
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| The Beast of Revelation: IDENTIFIED
Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation? Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry's insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation -- and even more importantly -- amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview! Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue -- but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today. Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study -- for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John's famous letter "... to the seven churches which are in Asia." (Revelation 1:4) |
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Perfect for group instruction as well as personal
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| Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism
Over four hours of instruction! Just what is “Calvinism?” Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology? This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer. |
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