4 Principles: Should a Christian Business Help the Poor?
Dave Kahle
B2B sales guru & Christian business thought leader. I help sales teams sell better & nudge Christian businesses to bigger impact -- presented in 47 states & 11 countries, authored 13 books, & worked with 500+ companies.
Christians are expected to be generous to the poor and needy. God commands us in the Old Testament to do so. This message continues consistently through the end of the New Testament. There are literally, hundreds of passages promoting that message. But, is the responsibility to help the poor and needy apply only to individuals? Should a Christian business help the poor and needy?
Let’s examine that issue together.
First, a little background
In The Good Book on Business, I uncovered the model for a Christian business: the Biblical household. The Biblical household is an economic entity that consists of family, slaves, servants, and employees, under the direction of the ‘head’ of the household. The Biblical household has a presence and position above and beyond the collection of individuals who were employed by it. It was organized to accomplish some God-given task. In modern day terms, the Biblical household is a family business.
Businesses (Biblical households) had a major role from the very beginning of creation through the entire Biblical narrative. This included the establishment and propagation of the church in the New Testament.
Most of the Biblical businesses were agricultural. Abraham, for example, was a wealthy rancher. Growing and selling grain, growing, processing and selling wine, and raising livestock were common business, but not the only ones. Joseph, for example, was involved in food distributor, while Bezalel was a custom jeweler, Jesus a carpenter, and Paul, a tent maker, to name a few.
Just like today, there are some things that only a business can do. Businesses generally have a larger collection of manpower, assets, and resources. Read the passages that provide directions that can only be accomplished by a business.
Here are two:
Leviticus 19:10 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor gather up the grapes that have fallen. These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien. I, the Lord, am your God.
The law is directed toward...CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE.
A secret weapon behind powerful social & creative enterprises & their CEOs. Helping seasoned experts become word-class & in high demand coaches and publishers
1 年Great article! Thanks for sharing the insights!
I help Entrepreneurs generate QUALIFIED leads and close sales through Facebook ads and Facebook organic marketing
1 年It's interesting to explore the concept of a Christian business and its potential responsibilities towards the poor and needy, as presented in your post. Thanks for this thought-provoking biblical insights.