BJ#5 Appreciation of Situations

Two key points with regard to "Appreciation of Situations" are:

1. Facing up the Realities

2. Know the Trends and Be Ready.

1. Facing Up the Realities

a. Be Observant - Not be Blind-Sighted.

The most common mistake of Corporations is to ignore the realities within and the changes in the external environment - the marketplace. We are admonished by Jesus to have good eyes and to be observant. Without sights, we will be in darkness and ignorance.

Mt 6:22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. Mt 6:23 "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

i. Causes of Blind-sighted - Cause#1 Pride

The major cause of our blindness is pride. Pride says I am right; I am OK; I am better. Pride is presumptuous. It will ignore any signals to the contrary. It is no wonder that the Bible has a lot to say against the proud people. Someone says that "Good is the greatest barrier to Greatness". The greatest failure of many comes just after their initial successes. Peter said he would die with Jesus but when the reality struck, he denied Jesus three times. Elijah, just after his great success of killing the prophets of Baal, ran for his life when he heard that the queen was after his life. Samson was so sure of himself that he flirted his life away. However, I am not saying that we should go to their extreme of being in fear. It is facing with the realities of our strength and weaknesses as compared with the Market and Competitors.

ii. Causes of Blind-sighted - Cause#2 Fear

Another cause of our blind-sightedness is fear. It is the Ostrich way handling danger --- if I don't see it, it is not there! But reality is reality whether we see it nor not. It is better for us to see it clearly and earlier so that we can plan to overcome it. Jesus spent much time telling us not to fear - not to fear man or the future but to just have faith in Him. Courage allows us to see things clearly so that actions can be taken.

A good book is "Confronting Realities" by Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan --- "As a leader, you have to wrestle the behaviors of unreality to the ground not only for yourself but also throughout your organization."

b. Be observant - Not be misled

Mt 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?....

Here we have a warning that false-prophets will look like, camouflage as, the real ones. Outwardly, it is difficult to tell them apart - all look like sheep. But there are ways to tell the real ones from the false ones. You can judge them by their fruits. We should be wary of expert advice from consultants, industry gurus, etc. Many reviews are influenced by the advertising dollars behind them. It is typical for large corporations to fund 'independent' consultants to come out with reports that give good reviews for their products or services. Consultants are also influenced are what other say and create a either an over-endorsement or an over-condemnation of products or trends. We need to do our homework - to trace the true cause-effects, get first-hand information at the source, ask not just one but a range of customers, and see the outcomes not just believe the marketing or sales claims.

Please read "Seeing What's Next - Theory of Innovations" by Clayton Christensen showing how leading corporations are disruptively removed from the market by new entrants and how to prevent it from happening.

c. Be Observant - Watch the External

Besides looking inwardly, one needs to look outwardly. Need to do an "Environmental Scan" and do "Intelligence Collection". External should include the customers, suppliers, competitors, industry, government and its regulations, other countries, and environmental, social, economic, and political events.

Need to accede to Jesus' warning of "wolves in sheep's clothing" that we must guard what is received: filtered lies, incorrect market intelligence, mistakes of experts, mistakes under pressure, and other things. Competitors could feed wrong information to media, and consulting channels. and make over-ambitious claims, etc.

d. Doing a Proper TOWS rather than SWOT Analysis

See The Sun Zi's Art of War that even the experts may not know #3

and Strength alone has no meaning - Reorder Your SWOT

We have 2 passages in the Bible that highlight this very well:

Lu 14:28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 "saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'

14:31 "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Lu 14:32 "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace

The framework of TOWS/SWOT analysis is easily available. Just do a Google search for it. The problem lies in how we put in the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Remember the earlier saying about facing up to realities. To prevent our own prejudices and blind-sightedness, our claims of SWOT must be validated from external means such as our customers, and suppliers. fellow competitors, and outside consultants. Strengths or Weaknesses should not be what we claim but need to be compared against our competitors (a range of them) and customer claims.

The other error in SWOT Analysis is the lack of following through. We are to come out with follow-on strategies whereby we can use our strength to exploit the opportunities and also either overcome or convert the Threats into Opportunities. We are to come out with strategies to compensate for our weaknesses as well. Actually, strengths and weaknesses could be dependent on the market we are after. It may sometimes be easier to change your markets so that it suits your profile where your so-called weakness could become a strength. A typical large corporation's strength of economy of scale is also very weak in meeting the total special needs of its customers. In the world of giant corporations, there are many boutique suppliers.

Please see my thinking blog http://mind-value.blogspot.com/ and http://www.bvotech.com/BVITS.htm for innovations.

2. Know the Trends and the Future.

Most people plan in situ, as if competitors are inanimate death objects, and as if the marketplace won't change. But Jesus tells us often to know what is coming and be ready for it.

Mat 24:25 "Behold, I have told you in advance Mk 13:23.

Be ready all the time:

Mar 13:36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

Read the signs and watch the trends:

Mat 16:3 ...'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?

How can we be ready all the time and any time?

It is being watchful and agile. Just being watchful is not enough. One needs to be agile and be ready to adapt and exploit the changes. One need not be super agile - but just needs to be one step ahead of competitors.

There are changes happening all the time. One need not be catching up with all the changes. The key is to detect those that will become the major trends and quickly adapt and exploit them. Overcoming corporate inertia is a much-discussed topic. Please read Geoffery Moore's "Dealing with Darwin" showing the market development curve (including crossing the chasm) of innovation and the different stages of innovations needing different strategies.

Bible for Business Seminar#6 Appreciation of Situations

- - - o o o - - -

BJ#0 Business According to Jesus TOC --|--BJ#6 Strategies

Discipleship Evangelism - What's the Difference

What is the key difference between our past way of evangelism and "Discipleship Evangelism" http://www.delessons.org/ ?

Jesus in Mark 16:15 and Mat 28:19-20 commissioned all to preach the Gospel and to make disciples of all nations. 

The traditional evangelism over-stressed part 1 - preaching to get people saved and unintentionally making the 2nd part, the discipleship part, almost an optional item. 

The Gospel message is "Believe in Jesus and receive Eternal-life". 
While this is not wrong, eternal life is usually defined as going-to-heaven after death; or being saved from Hell. This very narrow definition of Eternal-life resulted in getting saved as the end-point. If one is saved and then that is the end, why bother with discipleship. Worse still, if I have been already saved by Grace, hell-proof, then I can do what I want. 

But Eternal life, defined by John 17:3, is about knowing God, not escaping hell. ("This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.") . It, Zoe Life, is God's kind of life for fellowship and union with God (vs. animal, plant kind of life).

I suggest that we change our message from "Believe in Jesus and receive Eternal Life." to "Believe in Jesus and be Born Again with the New Life of, with and in God now." The purpose of creation and of salvation is the same, life with God.

Another key difference in Evangelism & Discipleship is not just preaching "Jesus for Salvation" but sharing and applying the teachings of the Bible to everyday real-life issues - showing how the Bible or God sees and solves the issues of lives.

The third difference, not clear in the title itself, is in the message of Grace - the completed work of Christ gives us the ability the live the life that we should. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ for good works to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. We are to live out the Christ within us. We are not to work in fear of losing our salvation.
    

Here is the comparison:

Traditional	Discipleship Evangelism
1. Conversion is the objective.	Re-birth is the Beginning. Intimacy with God is the purpose starting now.
2. Multiply by Preaching & Getting others to preach Salvation	Multiply by reproducing disciples
3. Work to maintain Salvation. Performance out of fear of losing Salvation	Saved for Good Works to Glorify God, out of the Grace of Christ in us.
4. Eternal Life as a product.	A new beginning continued as a process, relationship, togetherness, in God, and with one another.
5. Teaching	Sharing of Life or Role-Modeling Knowing and Applying the Bible to everyday life.

In summary, "Discipleship Evangelism" shifts the focus from merely converting individuals to nurturing an ongoing, intimate relationship with God. It encourages believers to grow in their faith, apply biblical principles to daily life, and reproduce other disciples, emphasizing grace and the transformative power of knowing God deeply.

A Coin has 2 Sides - A Believer has Forgiveness and a New Life

When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior we have both things: the forgiveness of our sins and His new life of righteousness. They are like the two sides of a coin. If you have Christ, you have both.

Most Christians focus on only one side - the forgiveness of sins and neglect the other side of the New Zoe Life. If we don't have the other side of the New Life of righteousness, then we just remain a forgiven sinner. A forgiven sinner is still a defeated sinner. But Christ has not just forgiven us but also given us a new life.

To live a victorious Christian life, we need to remember that we are no longer a forgiven sinner but a righteous child of God - the new man of God. We are in Christ and Christ is in us. (John 17:2-23, Rom 12:5).

Consider this amazing truth - All the good works that Christ had done also belong to us because we are in Christ. We in Christ and through Christ have done those good works! It is therefore not surprising to read Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

We should therefore focus our mind on this side of truth - A New and Righteous Man in Christ empowered for Good.

• Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
• Rom 6:4 ....so we also should walk in newness of life.
• Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Col 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

We are able to do good works because we are enabled by Christ in us.

In summary, embracing both aspects of our salvation—both forgiveness and new life—leads to a more balanced and victorious Christian life. This holistic understanding encourages believers to live out their faith in fullness, reflecting Christ's righteousness in their daily lives.

BJ#4 Your Values

This is part 4 of Business by Jesus Series. See BJ#0 for overview.

Your values - what you value and believe in, are important in providing decision making framework where there are no clear guidelines. It determines the Corporate character that is the sum total of the individuals working in the corporation.

The 1st and basic value is Commitment to the Mission, Vision and Values of the Corporate. Without this commitment, all other stated values are mere talk and are useless.

The next is to realize that Corporation is an an organization of Individuals working together to achieve a common mission. The Bible uses the metaphor of a Living Organism of many parts of different functions to describe the Corporate Church (Rom 12, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4). Two key points are:

1. Difference (function) is valued and "Respected". All parts cannot be the same.
2. Difference need to be aligned and synchronized toward achieving the mission.

The underlying value to unite the differences is LOVE. But love is such a misunderstood and misused term that need to be further qualified. The Bible uses another metaphor - A Family to describe an organization. We are to treat each other as brothers and sisters.

Jesus uses the "Golden Rule" to give substance to love. He said in Mat 7:12 "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." or in modern language "Treat others as you want them to treat you".

Someone is quick to point out that due to difference in personality, cultures or taste, what you like is not what others may like. But if you study the statement in context, v12 starts with therefore, which means it is the followup of previous verses. The earlier verse spoke about people asking for things first and the father supplying them. To me, this verse means the following: (The similar verse Luke 6:31 has a similar context of request and more than satisfying the request - the spirit of service )

1. Put yourself in their position first- understand them from their point of view.
2. Ask them what they would like.
3. Do for them what they ask.

So, someone has nicely re-phrase it in the Platinum rule as "Do Unto Others as They Would Have You Do Unto Them".

The value we need is "Empathy" or "Understanding" and "Service".

Misunderstanding comes often from lack of communication. Communicate often and transparently and honestly facilitates understanding. Differences in personality, cultures, and other background also behooves more communication to minimize misunderstanding and to create trust. "Respect" of individual differences helps in gaining understanding and creating trust. Trust comes from "Integrity". Integrity is made up of "Honesty" and "Competence". Competence is delivering the commitment made.

Living and Healthy Organism grows. The other value that Corporate must have is "Learning" resulting in "Innovations". Learning is about overcoming limitations, gaining new knowledge, being innovative, being adaptable to changes, and being agile. One must be humble to learn and be corrected. Humility is a value to have.

In the midst of performance targets, we may quickly forget the basic rule of love and hence, adding in "compassionate" and "care" are good values for our reminders. Life is more than just materials earnings and profits.

Others may want to add "value-adding" but I think this should be or implied in the mission statement. No corporation can survive without providing value-add.

(12 Feb 2011) add the following: 

Values should be balancing. 
For example, love at the extreme, ignoring justice, leads to indulgence and lawlessness. Bravery to the extreme is recklessness. We need to be hardworking and smart. Successful entrepreneurs are not risk taker but minimizing risk bold mover. They probe and test key assumptions before making the big bold move. Chinese' animal year of birth signs have an interesting balanced values to tell. See Complementary Values from Chinese Zodiac Signs.

Values must support the Mission
Not all values support the mission directly. If you are in the food industry, then personal hygiene, health, cleanliness are key values.

Values must be Implemented
Values are not the statements that you put on the wall. They must be practiced. It is better to have policies and rules made up from the values. Back to the Food Industry example. The value of cleanliness must be implemented in rules such as regular cleaning of the work place, washing of hands, clothes and so forth. Values are best communicated with frequent citing of good behavior that reflect such values. It is good to have a book of testimonies showing such values. They also best contributed by staff, customers and partners. With the social media technology available now, it is easy and good to have such stories told and shared.

- - - o o o - - -

BJ#0 Business According to Jesus TOC --|-- BJ#5 Appreciation of Situations

Blessed to bless others!: Joshua 9 - Another mistake made! How Con Artists con us.

Blessed to bless others!: Joshua 9 - Another mistake made!

A dear and long-time brother in Christ, Steven, is leading a study on the Book of Joshua. Please follow the link to discover nuggets.

In this particular chapter study, we are reminded again of how often and how easily we are led, or fooled, by circumstances. It was so obvious that we don't check with God. We tend to walk by sight and not by faith which is opposite to the Bible 2Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

This is typical of how "trick" works ... present the seemingly true facts that lead you to conclude what they want. ... or tell you what you want to hear and you will believe.

The prevention? The best is to "ask the Lord" and He will give you wisdom look at the true evidence not presented. Dig deeper. Another key is Time. Jos 9:16 ... 3 days later... they heard...

This decision-making technique - asking of the Lord is very important as we encounter them in our daily work. Do we or do we not take up the deal?

Some points to take note of:

Lim LiatJanuary 23, 2007 11:36 AM

Referring to the deception, I wish to point out the following:

1. The leaders did do a Due-Deligence check v7 which the enemy had prepared for with the made-up evidence. They put their trust in the method rather than God. Conman understands your thinking and hence is able to trick you.

2. All the Leaders, not just Joshua, were tricked. The influence of the majority, supporting each other wrong perception of reality is a major cause of corporate failure. Again look out for the wise counsel of God rather than rely on each other's opinion.

3. The enemy seemed to have more faith and know more about the God of Israel than the Israelis so they quickly made peace first.

Update 13 July 2024

This story explains how we can be cheated by con men.  They understand our due diligence method and give us all the evidence we are looking for. 

How can we counter such cheating? Take multiple views of the same situation and compare the evidence.

Getting additional advice from Gemini gives：

Here are some ways to counter such cheating, combining your idea of multiple viewpoints with other strategies:

Multiple Viewpoints:

• Consider alternative explanations: Don't just accept the evidence presented at face value. Ask yourself, "Could there be another reason for this?" Look for alternative explanations that fit the evidence but don't necessarily support the con artist's story.
• Seek outside perspectives: Discuss the situation with trusted friends, mentors, or colleagues who can offer a different viewpoint. They might spot inconsistencies you missed or raise questions you hadn't considered.

Beyond Viewpoints:

• Independent verification: Whenever possible, try to verify the information independently. For example, if someone claims to be from a specific company, contact the company directly to confirm their identity and the situation.
• Gut feeling: Don't ignore your intuition. If something feels off or too good to be true, it probably is. Take a step back and re-evaluate the situation before committing to anything.
• Set boundaries: Con artists often try to pressure you into making a quick decision. Set clear boundaries and avoid feeling rushed. Take time to think things through thoroughly before acting.

The summary and additional points from Gemini are captured in the mind map below:

Grace Based View of the Parable of Prodigal Son

Yesterday night Disciple Bible Study by Ps John was session 2 on Breakthrough. 

The 4 key steps are 

• 1. Hear - Revelation 
• 2. Say - Confession 
• 3. Come - Action and 
• 4 Take - Appropriation or in another format hear-say-do-receive. 

The keywords can be found in Rev 22:17. 

My version has 6: 

1. Know 
2. Believe 
3. Say 
4. Walk 
5. Share 
6. Grow (more on this in a future posting).

One of the most interesting parts of the message is a Grace-based view of the Parable of the Prodigal Son Luke 15:11-32. 

The prodigal son exemplified people who abuse Grace as a license to sin. He knew his inheritance - He asked for it - He received it -He wasted it and He came to his senses. He realized that 'Grace' is not for sin but for a living - power for good works (From the Dead work of Eph 4:8 to the Good Work of Eph 4:10). 

Grace is the power to righteous living (see earlier post on the correct definition of grace). One key phrase was "My son was dead and is alive again". Abusing grace is dead. Using grace for good living is truly alive. This younger son knew his Father's love and kindness very well so that he dared to go back to him and expected forgiveness of some sort. His Father's love far exceeded what he thought.

Ps John did not elaborate further. However, taking the same viewpoint and applying it to the elder son, we can see that the elder Son is ignorant of his rights and inheritances - the Grace of God. He was still living by performance to gain his Father's love and acceptance. He was ignorant of his Father's love. With such a mentality, he could not love, forgive, or share in the joy of others. His life was a life of dead work .... doing a lot to gain the acceptance that he already had and being angry at others' good fortune and life. He was so close ( in his Father's presence all the time) and yet missed it so badly. 

Let's wake up to the Love and Grace of our heavenly Father and live in His love and grace.

Know Your Faith Accurately

Tit 1:9b that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to refute the opposition.

In Titus 1:9, we are told to know our faith well so that we can encourage and correct those who oppose the truth (It is not about opposing us.). We are the products of what we believe and value. Wrong beliefs will lead to wrong decisions and to wrong living ending with bad consequences.

The people who believe wrongly will teach others to believe wrongly as well. Hence any wrong belief must be stopped ( Tit 1:11). We are told (v13) to rebuke them sharply so that they may be sound in faith. "Sharply" is not in an emotional manner (angrily, fiercely, ..) but with accurate and sound arguments. The purpose is for them to have "sound" faith in living well. How can we do that unless we are also sound in our faith? The proper way is Kindness 1st then Truth 2nd.

It is imperative that we dig into the Bible in-depth, and ask the Holy Spirit to be our teacher and guide, check the original Hebrew and Greek words, compare the teachings and commentaries that we may come across, and organize our knowledge of the faith, jotting down our misunderstanding and clarification and those that need further exploration. It is with effort that we may truly grasp the truth, live in it, and by it, that we may lead the abundant life promised in John 10:10 and touch others as well.

BJ#0 Business According to Jesus

Follow the Patterns of the Most Successful Organization in the World

(updated 27 Oct 2008)

This posting should actually be the first in this whole series of "Business by Jesus". The earlier postings are BJ#1 The Golden Rule for Business Success, BJ#2 Have a Mission Statement, BJ#3 Vision Statement.

One of the world most successful organization with the longest history and largest world wide following would likely to be the Church established by Jesus Christ. The founding pioneers, the disciples of Jesus, were generally fishermen, (though there was a good accountant and tax consultant called Matthew). What had Jesus taught them that such a big and growing organization was possible through average people. One may claimed it was God. But God works through people and give us the examples where other can follow. What are the principles and strategies that Jesus taught the Church. The answers are found in the Bible. Bible is more than just a moral and ethical standards of behavior. I strongly believe and will show in this series of postings that Bible also teach us the principles and the how-to, the strategies for building long lasting successful enterprises that contribute to the well beings of society.

Earlier postings have covered the Golden Rule for Business, Mission and Vision - what are the important things that make good mission and vision statements. This posting is like a table of content showing the additional topics that will be covered in future.

The TOC are:

• The Golden Rule for personal & business success
• Mission
• Personal Mission
  
• Vision
• Values
• Appreciation of Situations
• Strategies
• Resources
• The Balanced Scorecard
• Performance Measures
• Financial
• Customers
• Process - Execution
• Learning & Growth
• Competitors

I will use the current management terms to relate to the Bible so that we can find relevant and immediately useful guidelines for making our business successful. The next posting will be on Values - BJ#4 Values

Other Useful References

1. There was a series of seminars held to cover the above topics....The Bible for Business Seminar Series.
2. If you have issue with your calling into business and being a successful businessman, Secular vs Spiritual Jobs
3. There is a complimentary series Kingdom Laws & Principles. Please refer to them too for laws and principles of His Kingdom Economy.
4. Learning from Others: 
1. Entrepreneur Leadership - Kingdom Principles in Business

BJ#3 Vision Statement

Vision Statement

Vision Statement is a visualization, a picture of what it will look like as you accomplished the milestones in your mission. It is what you become in 5, 10, 15, or 20 years. It is adding a time dimension and a visual dimension to the mission. It makes the mission come alive.  It gives focus. It shows the benefits of the mission clearly and gives motivation. Mission gives the purpose（why), and vision shows the picture(what and sometimes includes the how over time ). 

Hab 2:2 Then the LORD answered me and said, "Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run.

Vision gives a clear picture that can be easily recorded in the mind and in the heart so that they can quickly run to bring it to pass.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Mark 9:23

We need first to have a picture that we can believe in and then it outcome will be certain. Prov 29:18 (KJV) Where there is no vision, the people perish. Or in (ESV) Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint. Vision gives the guides.

Pro 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he

Examples of Vision Statements

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men Mt 4:19.

Jesus, when speaking to fishermen, used the picture that they could best understand. 'Making Disciples' is like having a big catch of fish - net breaking load of fish. They can associate with it and can feel the joy and excitement of such a catch.

To the woman at the well, he said, "Follow me and you will never be thirsty again". John 4:13 He also said "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger" John 6:35

When painting a vision, use things that the readers can best understand and be motivated by. Put them in the context and background of the readers. Use their terms.

Here are additional visions:

John 3:16 "....whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

John 7:38 "He who believes in Me, .... From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.'"

John 8:32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,

Mat 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Notice that the benefits are to the people involved - who believed.

Vision must include the benefits to the corporations and to the customers, employees, and owners in the order.

Vision must be as specific as possible so that the reader can have a clear vision in their mind and in their heart. Most corporate vision speaks of revenues, market ranking, and physical sizes like the number of people and the number of countries or cities they will be operating in. These are ok but there needs to be further illustrations and other areas as well. What do those measures mean to the customers, the employees, and the owners. Listed corporations like to have measures in terms of the shareowner's values, such as Total Shareholder Return (TSR). But one should remember that profits are a by-product of providing good value to customers with good execution by the employees. In painting the vision, one should describe the impacts to the customers, and to the employees. The corporate cultures, the working environment, the pre-sale and after-sale, and other things that relate to employees and customers.

The clearer the vision, the easier it will be in deciding the strategies and their execution later.

Where are the measures and the timing?
The above vision statement, like, "become fishers of men" is visualized mission statement of "Go make disciples". Jesus used fishers of men because Peter and the others are fishermen. They will understand the vision and mission well. 

The measurement of the catch is very obvious - the number or the weight of the fish caught. The best measurement is one that is very easy to see. You don't need to have an instrument to tell. A good one is reaching a destination. When you reach a destination, you know you have arrived. 

e.g. Putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade is a good vision statement.

The measure is obvious - a man landed on the moon (alive and return is implied).
The timing is before the end of the decade (it was by 1970).

Jesus did not specify the targets and timing then. It was up to the disciples each to determine for themselves when they followed Jesus and learned more.

- - - o o o - - -

BJ#0 Business According to Jesus TOC --|--BJ#4 Your Values

BJ#2 Have A Mission Statement

This is part 2 of the series "Principles and Strategies for Business Success according to Jesus". The 1st one is "The Golden Rule for Business Success". I have decided to change the long name into a short one - "Business by Jesus" or in short form BJ for easier identification of my postings.

Why You Need a Mission Statement

A mission statement gives us the purpose and meaning of our existence. It direct our efforts. Mission is for the long term. The methods used to achieve the mission could change with time but the purpose should remain. If the mission changes, then the corporate takes on a new identity.

• Mat 6:21 Your heart will be where your treasure is.
  

Mission should be our treasure - the thing we hold to be of utmost important. If you don't feel for your mission, either the mission is wrong or you need to change. If you are the owner, then change it to the thing you treasure most. If you are working for a corporate where you could not change the mission, you should perhaps change your job. If you are the Chairman or the CEO, and you are passionate about your mission, you still need to do one more step, communicate your passion about the mission down the line, all the way to the one serving your customers. The mission should be the treasure in our heart and our heart should be for the mission. Everyone in the company should feel the same way for the mission.

Mission Statement has a Single Purpose

• Mat 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
  

Mission statement should create a single focus. If you felt that there are many targets you want to achieve, then you are still not at the right mission statement yet. You need to go a level higher, abstract all the targets to a single purpose. You may need to ask why ... why do you want to achieve this target or goal ? or What is the purpose you are trying to achieve when you want to reach this target. Some one says we should ask WHY 5 times. Eventually, we should have a hierarchy of goals with the top-most, the root, being the Mission. Mat 6:24 tells us that no man can serve two masters, so we need to get the mission down to one purpose.

Example of the Best Mission Statement

• Mat 28:18 Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
• Mat 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
• Mat 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

The mission statement is "Go make Jesus' Disciples of All Nations".

The single purpose is "make Jesus' disciples". It is action packed with GO and the extend and scope of work is "All Nations" or "Globally" in today language.

The other parts tell of the HOW to make disciples:

1. Baptize them into the Body of the Church
2. Teach them (what Jesus taught)

and the Resources given.

1. Authority of Christ v18
2. Presence & Empowerment of Christ v20
3. The Bible - what Jesus taught.

What makes a Good Mission Statement

We can summarized into the following qualities:

1. Of Long Term Value and Worth - treasures of the heart.
2. Singleness in Purpose
3. Action Verbs: GO, Become, Be .....
   
4. The Scope, the How and the What of resources.

Can you apply the above 4 points to your present mission statement and see it can be improved ?

Additional Views for Christians about the Commission of Christ.

1. We are called not just to make converts, though it is the first step, but to bring them up into disciples of Christ, or Clones of Christ in modern terms.
2. We must, ourselves, be Christ's disciple, before we can help others to be like-Christ. We should have His Word in our hearts, think and feel as Him, through communicating with Him daily and through His Words, and behave as He would behave.
3. We must be Role-Model for others to follow.The method is to teach His Word (not our opinions) and by our exemplified living out His Word. i.e teaching is more than talking. we teach by talking and walking, each reinforces the other.
4. Some one put it this way... 1st I show you. 2nd You do as I do. 3rd You show others. 4th Others do as You .....

   2Ti 2:2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

For a personal mission statement, please see #BJ2a Your Personal Mission Statement

- - - o o o - - -

BJ#0 Business According to Jesus TOC --|--BJ#3 Vision Statement

Envious of Success through Short-cuts?

Habakkuk 1 reflected our feelings well when we saw the apparent successes of those who took nasty short-cuts and sacrificed others in their pursuit. We are angry at them and at God for not doing anything to right the injustice. Besides Hab, Ps 37 provided us with advices and assurance. God is not asleep and punishment will come upon the wicked.

Outcomes of the Wicked

The outcomes of the wicked will be: cut down (v2), cut-off (v9), no more(v10), killed by their own arrow(v15), their arms broken (v17), perished (v20), passed away(v35), destroyed (v38).

What are We to Do ?

Firstly, we are not to be angry or envious, otherwise, we ourselves will fall into sins.... giving up our standards and adopt their practices too.

Secondly, we are asked to trust the Lord. Continue to trust the Lord and do good (v3). Delight ourselves in the Lord (v4) with the promise that we will get the desires of our heart. Commit our ways to the Lord (v5). Rest in the Lord and wait patently for Him (v7).

Evidences of Trust

How can we know that we are trusting the Lord ? Here are the signs: not angry or envious (v8); meek (v11), peaceful (v11,37), contentment (v16), delighting in God's ways (v23) and hid God's laws in his heart(v31), do not give-up (v24),

Promises of Blessings for the Righteous

Their righteousness shall be known (v6). They shall have eternal inheritance(v18). They inherit the land(on earth here, not just in heaven) (v29), Their descendents will be blessed too (v25,26). They shall be delivered from the wicked (v40). The contrast is shown in v19, they shall not be ashamed in evil time and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Conclusion

Our best decision is to trust the Lord fully not matter what - v39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.

See also Take a Different View - Getting Rid of Grudges

BJ#1 The Golden Rule for Business Success

This is the 1st in a series of meditations on "Principles and Strategies for Business Success according to Jesus". Being the first, the most important golden rule shall be covered here. I think the foundational principle, upon which others are built, is

(Mat 6:33) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God wants you to be successful
Firstly, it reveals God's intention - God wants us to be successful in life. That is why He is giving us the principle for success. It also reveals God's promise, or guarantee, or God's kingdom's operating laws (like the natural laws of gravity), for our success. Do it God's way and you get God's promised result. We can recall Joshua 1:8 - the Book is given that we may prosper. Now we talk about the HOW - the method.

1. Reality of Life - God must come first

'Seek First God's'. Follow after God and all these things (foods, covers, things for life, represented in money) will be added. The very 1st principle of Business Success is Put God first. When we chase after God, money chases after us. In Mat 6:24, we cannot serves both God and money. The advice is clear, serve God first and money will follows. Restated, money follows Godly practices.

2. God's Kingdom - The Right Things - The Right Strategies.

It is the operating principles and laws, like the natural law of gravity, the Newtonian Laws, Laws of Thermodynamics, etc of God's government. It is about the Right things to do. Jesus told of commandments and many parables of how the Kingdom of God works. We will discuss this in future postings.

3. God's Righteousness - Do Things Right - Walk the Talk. The Execution of Strategies.

Righteousness is not just about knowing the right things but to doing them right - reaching up to the standards. It is about quality. Jesus not only tells us about God's kingdom rules, he has to die for us (because we fail to do it!) to accomplish the requirements and obtain righteousness for us. Integrity is about walking the talk. Business success is not just about the right strategies but also about executing the strategies.

4. Do it Now.

Mat 6 ends with verse 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Let us not be paralyzed by fear of tomorrow. Tomorrow happenings is determined by today actions. Let us starting doing it now - to know God and to act on it.

5. Going Long Term

In Mat 6:19-20, we are taught to lay up treasures in heaven. Success is not short term or sporadic. It should last the test of time and stretches into eternality. The time period in our PV (Present Value) calculations should include the eternal perspective. Following the Golden Rule of God's 1st will create business that last.

6. A famous preacher rephrased this verse roughly as "Economic Success follows Spiritual Revival". This is definitely supported by the development of Europe and US after the rediscovery of salvation by faith alone.

- - - o o o - - -

BJ#0 Business According to Jesus TOC --|-- BJ#2 Have A Mission Statement

Creative God but a Boring Church

Why A Creative God with a Stale Church?

When we think of creativity, do we think of the church or the Bible? Why is it that the Church of the God of Creation is not associated with "Creativity"? The great artists and scientists of the last few centuries were Christians. What has happened that the Church has lost its creativity in Arts and Science?

Religion - Forms Taking Over Substance

I think the key reason is "Religion". The Church has swapped the intimate relationship with Jesus for a set of Rules. We are more concerned with sticking to a set of religious rules and practices than with the Person of Jesus. This is exactly what the Ephesians Church fell into... so good at discerning the false doctrines and false prophets and lost their first love for Jesus. To them, correct doctrines were more important than Love-Relationship with Jesus. Not that correct doctrine is not important but that there is a more important thing - one key principle - love Jesus. Loving Jesus can be expressed in many forms. But religion will insist on the particular form - usually the one that is decided by those in power that suits themselves. It is outward form more than inward content. It is insisting on following the forms rather than letting the inward content express itself freely outward. No wonder the Church is not creative. It is bound by the forms.

Insisting On Past Methods than Sensing the Spirit

As an example, let's look at the area of Healing. The Church is after the methods that will result in healing. Is it laying of hands? Or speaking the Word? Maybe we should use spitting like Jesus. Maybe we need more faith. If we study the healing incidences, we will realize that Jesus used all kinds of methods. Or to put it another way, Jesus use only one kind of method - the ONE that works. The ONE method that works has many variations depending on the person and the situation.

Situational Ethics Need No Creativity

I am not talking about situation ethics where we bend the ethics to suit the situations. You don't need creativity here where you bend the rules to suit the situations. It is when you stick with principle and come out with solutions in seemingly impossible situations that needs creativity. Jesus' answer to the need to pay taxes is one such example. Mat 22:19-21.

   
Break Free with Grace

Rest in the peace and love of God. Let us live with the security that God loves us and delights in the things that we do. Know that God has reborn us a new creation with righteousness, ability, and creativity. Rooted and grounded in the love of God will keep us living right and free us to break with traditions and mental blocks to create new paths, new forms, new knowledge, and new expressions to engage the new generations. Let the Church not only stay relevant but also set the trend in fashion, thinking, movies, music, arts, and other means to bring forth the true gospels of Jesus Christ. When Christians have given up on the media the devil will step into it to misuse and abuse it and deceive many people. It is time now that Christians take back the creative media and science to show the glory of God.

Does that mean we throw away the Laws (as represented by the Ten Commandments)? No, the Ten Commandments are a mirror for our reflection. After we are saved, we have no fear of the commandments as their requirements are fulfilled by Christ and there is no more condemnation. We use them as a minimum checklist. We follow after a higher standard, the new commandment of love and life empowered by the grace of Christ within us. God is glorified through us - His grace is shown forth through us through good and creative work.

Updated 29 Jun 2024

With the availability of Generative AI, I asked ChatGPT to summarize the passage (and hence bring up the key points). Here is from ChatGPT:

The passage argues that the modern church has lost its creativity by prioritizing rigid religious rules over a personal relationship with Jesus. It suggests that the church should move beyond traditional forms and embrace creativity in expressing faith, as Jesus did through various methods of healing. The passage emphasizes that true creativity comes from adhering to principles while finding innovative solutions, and it calls for Christians to reclaim and lead in cultural domains like media, arts, and sciences. Finally, it advocates for living out faith through grace and love, surpassing mere adherence to the Ten Commandments.

The Chinese AI doubao makes a key point:

Overall, the passage encourages a reevaluation of the Church's approach to faith and ministry, emphasizing the importance of creativity, a genuine relationship with Jesus, and a flexible response to the needs of the world. 

Based on the love relationship with Christ, empowered by His grace, let us find new ways of expressing the gospels to engage this ever-changing world and be relevant and attractive to the present generation.

Related: A Re-look at the Ten Commandments,
Principles & Insights from the Ten Commandments
Putting the Commandments in Order - From Ten Commandments to New Commandments

Two Kinds of Knowledge

In Mat 22:23-32, the Sadducees, who does not believes in resurrection, are a good representation for people who believes in the natural knowledge (of and from human mind). They think have a good argument against resurrection - whose wife of the seven will she be ? 
 
Jesus, with revelation knowledge told them plainly that the resurrected life was not what they thought. They were all wrong.
 

Our limited mind with our limited knowledge is not able to understand things beyond the natural. Extrapolating into dimension we know not usually ends in error. We need some one else who has been there, like Jesus, to come to tell us what the other spiritual dimension is like. Bible is God's revelation knowledge to us. 
 

To know the truth, we need humbly to acknowledge our limitedness and to open-up ourselves to the revelation of God through the Bible. Then, we will get a better grasp of the truth, the purpose and the working of our natural world.

See also Two Kinds of Work

Two Kinds of Work

In our Christian walk, it is very important to differentiate two kinds of work - dead work and fruitful work.

Dead work is work done, by following after the laws, to gain righteousness (Heb 6:1 repentance from dead works; Heb 9:14; Rev 3:1-3).  Dead work is useless work. Lots of effort but zero result. A monkey can behave like a man but that does not make it a man. A man can behave like a monkey and yet he remains a man. It is not by work to become but a transformation of new birth into a different kind that count. See "Be-Do-Have" of Grace Based Doctrine.

Fruitful work is work done according to the desire of God that results in many fruits that bring glory to God. We are saved for good work. The order is we must be saved first then we are empowered and led to do the right kind of good work. Eph 2:8-10.

Before our salvation, we try to gain righteousness by doing the right things. After a while, we know it is futile. We heard of the Good News of Jesus Christ and His completed works for us that we may become righteous not by our effort but by believing and receiving Him. We are born anew into righteousness and not by our work which is useless and dead in giving our righteousness.

After our rebirth with attribute of righteousness, we are called to do fruitful work. John 15:5 abide in Christ tells us how to do work that produce good fruit. John 15:16 tells us that our Father is glorified when we bear fruit. Gal 5:16 echoed the same method of "walk in the Spirit" that result in Gal 5:23 fruit of the Spirit of Love, Joy, Peace,.....

As born again Christians, we should not try to 'preserve' our Salvation by going back to follow after the laws. There is not need to as we who are born of Christ is already righteous(1 John 3:9). We are called to act out the internal reality of Christ in us Phil 2:12 by His grace (strength) Phil 2:13.

Related: Two Kinds of Knowledge