Charles Spurgeon once said, "When God means a creature to fly, he gives it wings, and when he intends men to preach, he gives them abilities." No matter what their occupation people need to share the light of Christ. They may share this light through evangelism, pastoral care or missions work, or even through living a subtle example in other careers. The field of business can offer more than a career in the study of a market economy -- it can also be a calling. While using their business talents and abilities, people can further the Great Commission.

In January 1995, with less than 48 hours to live, J. Robert Ashcroft was holding on to life, waiting and hoping to see his son, John Ashcroft, sworn in to the U.S. Senate the following day. As John Ashcroft's family assembled in Washington, D.C., for a small reception, J. Robert Ashcroft asked his son to play the piano while everyone sang "We Are Standing on Holy Ground." After the hymn, the feeble old man spoke these compelling words quoted in Moody magazine (July/August 1998): "John, I want you to know that even Washington can be holy ground. Wherever you hear the voice of God, that ground is sanctified. It's a place where God can call you to the highest and best." Wherever a person may be in his or her occupation, if Jesus Christ is Lord of his or her life, that place is a holy place of service for Him. Many people are called to be ministers and missionaries. They are called to these roles because God has a specific use and need for them, and they usually have talents that enable them to do well in such a position. The same is also true for people with careers in business.

Christian businesspeople can serve God by living out their Christian beliefs and morals in an industry that is constantly marred by dishonesty and illegal behavior. According to a study by the American Management Association, U.S. businesses annually lose over $10 billion to employee pilferage and commercial bribery, over $4 billion to embezzlement, and over $500,000 per incident of computer fraud. These white-collar crimes are commonly performed from inside the business. In fact, according to U.S. Department of Commerce findings reported in the Wichita Business Journal (Sept. 2, 1996), approximately one-third of all business failures each year can be traced to employee theft and other employee crime.

The business world is crying out for ethics, morality, honesty and integrity. As Christians, we are judged by our actions on a daily basis. If Christian businesspeople practice the values of morality and integrity that are part of the Christian faith, they can be shining examples and quality influences on others in the business world. Evangelism is an excellent way to witness to people, but living one's life as an example of faith is no less a witness or testimony.

Showing Christian morals by example is not the only way to use a business career as a tool of ministry. Our attitudes toward working and serving are also very important. According to a story in the book It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It (Robert Fulgham, 1990), when the renowned British architect Sir Christopher Wren was directing the building of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, some of the workers were interviewed by a journalist who asked, "What are you doing here?" The first worker said, "I'm cutting stone for 3 shillings a day." The second worker said, "I'm putting 10 hours a day in on this job." The third worker replied, "I'm helping Sir Christopher Wren build the greatest cathedral in Great Britain for the glory of God." As businesspeople, are we motivated by and working for the almighty dollar, or are we working for the Almighty God?

Businesspeople need to determine how their spiritual gifts best fit with their careers and adjust their ministry efforts accordingly. Two spiritual gifts that apply excellently to business are financial knowledge and leadership, and businesspeople can apply these talents to helping advance the church. Financial knowledge and expertise can be used as a service to counsel other Christians on the management of their finances for estate planning, trust funds, memorial gifts and planned giving. Leadership and administrative experience can be used in planning capital campaigns, doing internal church management and role modeling for new Christians in the church.

There are many ways businesspeople can use their careers as ministry opportunities: witnessing to co-workers or customers, serving people in need, or simply influencing the business world through ethical and Christlike decision-making. Ultimately, however, how effective a career is as a ministry tool depends on how a person views his or her job. In 1 Peter 5:2-4 we are instructed to "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers -- not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." This passage explicitly calls quality leaders to come forward in the church and implicitly speaks to businesspeople about how they can serve the Lord through their careers. As God calls people to work in business, they will be effective for the kingdom if they are willing and eager to serve and live as examples to the flock.