- 1 Cor.5:11 (AMP) But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person.
- Ephesians 5:5-7 (NLT) 5You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world. 6Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey him. 7Don't participate in the things these people do.
In life, those with whom you "hang around" will shape you. In the business world, senior executives who develop their personal advisory team also benefit from surrounding themselves with the wise and not the foolish.
Wait, you might say. Nobody puts fools on their team – especially an advisory team or Board of Directors! Certainly, not knowingly. The Bible simply defines a fool as a person who says there is no God and lives as if God is not relevant to their lives and His existence (or lack thereof) does not really matter. The wise not only recognize God's existence but also the personal impact of a God who was never alone become alone so that we might have a personal relationship with Him.
Christian business leaders must recognize that some of the “foolish people” are on a search for God. That search is often times confusing because there are those who say they have found God but live life as if it really does matter. And then there are those who go to church on Sunday and live like the devil Monday – Saturday: they damage everybody, confusing those on their search; blinding those who accept the existence, but struggle with the relevance; and infuriate those who have a vital personal relationship with Him.
Business leaders who claim and live-out their faith can’t just hire and promote a person because of their faith. So, how does the senior executive build a team a team of advisors that will support their walk of faith?
One way is by aligning themselves with groups of business people who have the same value system – groups like Christ @ Work (see http://www.fcci.org/) or Marketplace Ministries (http://www.marketplaceministries.com/) or BBL - Breakthrough Business Leadership (http://www.bblforum.com/). The principle is the same for each: hang with the spiritually wise and become wiser. Build an ad hoc advisory team with the "wise" and expect God to work through them and through you to achieve His purposes in your business.
Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell
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