The Biblical basis for entrepreneurship
From a talk by Matthew Rohrs, CEO, Sinapis
Through Sinapis training, entrepreneurs learn how to scale their businesses while also making a social and spiritual impact in their community. At a recent FORGE Global Summit, an annual experience for believers driving change through entrepreneurship in emerging and frontier markets, Matthew Rohrs, CEO Sinapis, spoke on the Biblical basis for entrepreneurship based on the "big story" of the Bible - creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Here is an abridged account of his talk:
This talk is about an intersection of theology and the practical work that God has called us to do. The Biblical basis for Kingdom business is rooted in the meta narrative of God.
God began everything in creation and He created this good, beautiful world showing His creativity and His desire to build. He said it was very good. The next part of the story is that the Fall came. All of the brokenness that we feel around us and inside of us was ushered into the story of creation. We may blame Adam and Eve but we also need to be humble to recognize each one of us is contributing to that brokenness, to that rebellion against God.
So God works with his people, Israel and He's promising an anointed one, this Messiah that would come. And so we see the redemption where Jesus comes, takes on flesh, lives a perfect life, teaches us about the Kingdom of God, teaches us His way, goes to the cross, defeats death and rises again.
He promised that he would restore all things at the end. "Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'” Rev 21 v 1-5 NIV
So this is the big story of God. This is the meta narrative.
Depending on where you grew up and what type of church experience you've had, you may have had emphasis on the Fall and Redemption - only two of the elements of this big story. If you had asked me when younger what's the gospel about I may not have use the words Fall and Redemption but I certainly would have said as an individual that, "I'm a sinner, I need to be saved, Jesus came, lived that perfect life, went to the cross, defeated death, resurrected and then, when we die we're going to go to heaven and be with him."
All of that is true but that is a pretty limited understanding of this big story and it has very significant impact on how we understand the role of business and what the Kingdom of God is about.
If any of you have ever had a season where you struggled mightily with sacred/secular dualism, this understanding of the gospel as Fall and Redemption has limitations that are really important and I want to point out some of them:
1. It doesn't tell us why we were created.
It doesn't take us back to God who actually created a good world that he was pleased with and he ushered humanity into that place. It also doesn't tell us about our true destiny. It doesn't tell us where we're going and what we are going to do. If everything is just about people being saved and going to heaven then what does anything on this Earth really matter? Why should I care about anything other than helping people be reconciled to Jesus?
2. There is no Kingdom without a King
From eternity past to eternity future, there has been a King on the throne. When we talk about Kingdom business, Kingdom entrepreneurship, Kingdom investing, we are relating to this absolute Sovereign King of all kings and Lord of all Lords. The place where God rules and reigns and Jesus is ushering in his Messianic Kingdom. We need to root ourselves in the biblical basis of Kingdom.
3. We are stewards and co-creators
He is Sovereign, He is the one we were made for and the King calls his people to work alongside him as stewards. People given the responsibility and authority to rule over the affairs of a household. It has economic connotations - you could think of Joseph in Egypt. In my experience, I often associate stewardship with being a good manager of time, talent and treasure that God has given us to manage for his purposes.
But the roots of stewardship actually go a lot deeper in Genesis 1. Before sin came into the world, He invites Adam and Eve into this relationship with Himself. They're made in His image. He gives them authority and He blesses them and then He tells them to go and 'subdue' the Earth and rule over it. The connotation of this word, 'subdue', in the Hebrew is 'to gently subdue, to work alongside'. So this is a remarkable invitation. God is saying to them and to all of us, I am giving you authority, made in my image, to work alongside me, to work with the creation to build things, to improve things, to co-create with me.
4. The King will complete a good work in you
This King began and will complete the story in perfect Shalom - peace, wholeness and well-being.
"There is a universal longing, a desire transcending tribe, tongue and nation that sits at the core of every human heart. It's a desire for thriving, for blessedness, for fullness of life, for flourishing. Everything as it was supposed to be." Dr Anne Bradley, institute for Faith, Work and Economics.
I really believe there is a spiritual battle happening against what we're working toward, against the holistic nature of it, against the focus on the King and his Kingdom. But He will complete what He started and it will be in perfect peace. We can stand on that promise.
5. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done
I have a friend in South Africa, a church planter, not someone who is in economic development, entrepreneurship or the work that we're joined together in. He used this phrase, "We are to give everything we have for this great Kingdom calling." This phrase stuck with me. This idea of the great Kingdom calling, everything for the King, everything for the Kingdom.
When Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done", we think about what that means. It touches a variety of different contexts in our lives - clearly the Great Commission - but also the importance of poverty alleviation, our call to love and serve the poor, how we care for children, how we engage in politics, how we care for creation, how we engage in art and music, etc.
It's everything but it's all under the banner of what He prioritises, what He cares about and it's this beautiful inclusive call. I hope as we think about the special role that business plays that we feel encouraged, empowered, enlivened by what God is doing here.
6. Repairers of the breach
Let's look at Isaiah 58 - very familiar verses contrasting fasting that God rejects with with true fasting that He wants. Rejecting fasting that has very religious overtones but is separated from the heart, separated from a call to Justice and righteousness and caring for the poor.
Paraphrasing the passage, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noon day. The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong. You shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations. You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
This picture of repairer of the breach, restorer of the streets, I think connects powerfully to the role of business. Think about Nehemiah. Why were walls important? They meant safety. They meant security. They meant hope. I believe it's a beautiful way of thinking about the role of business. In the call to Kingdom business, we often talk about economic, social, spiritual, environmental transformation. As we engage in entrepreneurship, as we support entrepreneurs who are growing profitable businesses dedicated to the Kingdom, we are restoring walls, we are restoring lives, we are bringing protection, we are restoring streets where lives can be carried on, where commerce can happen. Where there can be hope and normality and Shalom.
When we look at the research about how is poverty alleviated - where people do not have hope materially, find hope, it's only through the sustained growth in companies in society. Where that is grown from a social perspective, when we look at the desire of each and every person, who has been made in the image of God, who wants to use their skills, have dignity, provide for their family, lead and grow as a person, every time we launch and grow a business, creating and sustaining jobs, we are repairing a breach in a wall. We are restoring a street where there's hope and dignity.
Watch the 23 min video here:
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From a talk by Matthew Rohrs, CEO, Sinapis, 11/09/2024