Business and Christianity – Where Do They Meet?
Where is the common ground between business and Christianity? To many business leaders who attended the first Pastoral Exhortation Meetings in April and May, it did seem that their businesses and church teachings were often unrelated. As such, the meetings proved to be a valuable platform for leaders to hear from the Senior Pastors of the Church of Our Saviour (COOS) and 3:16 Church on God’s perspective of their involvement in the marketplace.
Speaking at the first meeting on 22 April, Senior Pastors Ian Toh (3:16 Church) and Daniel Wee (COOS) dwelt on the importance of Christians in the workplace, and this led to the second meeting on 14 May, which covered the value of work, and the purpose of the Christian worker.
Ps. Ian began the first session by highlighting the need to ask God for wisdom, and how believers should feed on the Word of God every day, not only on the days when they attend service. Ps. Ian also reminded business leaders how their businesses and the way they are run reflect Jesus in several ways, including our pursuit of excellence, how we treat people, down to each and every human encounter, and even the values behind our business.
As the saying goes, “Behind every cloud there is a silver lining.” Ps. Ian similarly pointed out that the current crisis represents opportunities for the Kingdom of God to come through business efforts, giving participants a timely reminder that opportunities can be found by looking at those most in need.
In the second session, Ps. Daniel explained how work is part of God’s original design for man, as it predated sin. Highlighting that the value of one’s work lies in the product of work, Ps. Daniel pointed out that “be fruitful and multiply” in Gen 1:28 can also be translated as “be fruitful and be great,” and urged business leaders to avoid waste or unproductive consumption at work.
Ps. Daniel went on to point out that a good Christian worker is one who embraces hard work and brings order to the world. Yet it is not all about working hard with no respite, as Ps. Daniel told participants that work must be balanced with rest, citing how God rested from his work on the seventh day. Ps. Daniel ended with a caveat that our world is a broken one, filled with scarcity and competition, which means that work can become exploitative. Nevertheless, work is supposed to be enjoyed, as it gives life its meaning and purpose.
Giving their thoughts on the senior pastors’ sharing, participants appreciated the new perspectives shared at the sessions, and highlighted the need for communication channels between business leaders. As Reno, a participant, said, “I need to go through and reflect, learn, and probably apply.” We hope such sessions will continue to bless the business leaders as they continue to serve God whilst working in the marketplace.
