God’s Biblical business plan to lead and manage operations
Many people that have trusted Christ as their Savior, are devoted to living their lives in His honor. However, often when working in the business world, it is not an accepted practice to mention anything that is religious, especially in positions of leadership. Even in the vast majority of business schools and training, anything related to religious principles is not even mentioned. This has resulted in many Christians in the business world not being able to share these principles with others, much less subordinates. How then does a believer incorporate Godly principles to lead people and organizations?
How does a Christian start to use Christ-centered leadership?
There are several things to consider as believers that have trusted Christ as our Savior and how it applies to our leadership. In my own experience, I attended well known military leadership schools and civilian leadership schools and training. In every case, I did not just enroll only knowing the administrative details of the schools and their founders, I learned their histories and details about what they taught and looked up some of their graduates and how they were performing. Once enrolled, I studied hard and used those things I learned both in ministry and non-ministry leadership.
More importantly, I attended a seminary where I ultimately received doctorate level training in Christian Education with a concentration of Advanced Leadership and Administration. I also attended other Christian training programs. So, while my resume is filled with lots of valuable information about my training, certifications, and leadership experiences, in light of eternity, I have nothing to brag about. This is because there is still something that is most important that supersedes all of these.
That one most important thing is intimate knowledge of the Lord, the Bible, and its practical application. This is also known as practical theology. In other words, what does God’s Word teach us and how do we apply it practically? Unlike other schools and training, we don’t reach a point of knowledge and expertise then graduate with a diploma that hangs on the wall then go to work. Instead, as believers, our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life in Heaven (Revelation 21:24-27). Then we are fully enabled to embark on a life-long study and work that never ends until a graduation day when we stand before the Lord in Heaven, excitedly waiting to hear Him speak face to face with us.
What business management plan should we follow as Christian leaders?
To start, we must commit ourselves to studying the Bible daily and attending a good Bible believing church that preaches and teaches from God’s Word. This is a lifelong study that will prove to be very helpful in using what we learn in practical application. As believers, we also have the advantage of the Holy Spirit living in us that gives us a “Spirit of Wisdom” (Isaiah 11:1-3; Ephesians 1:15-21). He enables us to have Spiritual discernment and understand what we study and how to apply it to our life. Without the Holy Spirit, we do not have the capability to know the deep things of God as follows:
1 Corinthians 2:6-16. “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
The awesome thing about having the Holy Spirit’s Wisdom is that He speaks to us in ways that are amazing. For example, as we go through the day and encounter different experiences, He brings to mind Scripture verses we weren’t even thinking about that apply to the situation. When having discussions about how to approach a certain situation He does the same. This is how God shows us evidence of things we do not see, such as His existence and involvement of our daily life as follows:
Hebrews 11:1-3. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
Where’s an example of a Biblically based management plan?
A Biblically based management plan starts with a Spirit filled leader
We see a description of a Biblically based management plan when the LORD spoke to Joshua. He spoke about how to carry out a successful mission leading the Israelites across the Jordan River into the land He promised to them. It is important to note that before this, Joshua was given the same “Spirit of Wisdom” by God through the laying on of hands by Moses as follows
Deuteronomy 34:7-12. “And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, 12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.”
This laying on of hands, as God instructed Moses, enabled Joshua with the Holy Spirit to carry out God’s plan for leading the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land.
A Biblically based management plan supports a strategic plan
A Strategic plan is the process of defining an organization’s strategy or direction and making decisions on allocating resources to attain clearly defined strategic goals. These goals take into account the mission, vision, and established values of the organization. Simply sated, what are we trying to accomplish and what does it look like?
We see a basic description of this in Joshua Chapter 1:2-4. Here we see the LORD spoke to Joshua about carrying out a mission leading the Israelites across the Jordan River into the land He promised to them to fulfill His vision for Israel. God begins telling Joshua His strategic plan and promises to provide Joshua what he needed to carry it out starting as follows:
Joshua 1:2-4. “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.”
While this part of the plan is high-level in God’s mission and vision, it also includes the established values made long before the death of Moses. From here, Joshua had to create a business operations and management plan with supporting “projects” to be carried out by all involved. This operations management plan relied on several “executive” promises by God to Joshua.
Promise 1: A place to do God’s work
As we just read, the LORD promised Joshua that He would provide a place for him to do the work that God had in mind for him to do. We see this place was across the Jordan River and would include everywhere he walked in the Promised land. This ranged from the wilderness of Lebanon to the river Euphrates, and all the lands occupied by a group of people called the Hittites, to the coastline. To use a modern description, it is “from the river to the sea”, but the river is the Euphrates, not the Jordan River, as some today like to claim. The Euphrates River flows southeast from Turkey through northern Syria and into Iraq where it empties into the Persian Gulf near the border of Iraq and Iran. Simply stated, it is a large section of land that was promised by God thousands of years ago.
Promise 2: Protection to do God’s work
In Joshua 1:5, the LORD promised Joshua that He would provide the protection for him to do the work that God had in mind for him to do as follows:
Joshua 1:5. “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
We see here that the LORD told Joshua that just as He had been with Moses every step of his way, without fail, He would be with Joshua every step of the way. This is important in that to do the work of the LORD; we must rely on His close leading and protection, in ways which no other person can provide.
Promise 3: Strength and courage to do God’s work
In Joshua 1:6, the LORD promised Joshua that He would provide the strength and courage he needed to do the work that God had in mind for him to do as follows:
Joshua 1:6. “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.”
We see here that God had a plan to divide up the land into sections that were promised to each of the families of Israel. This work required a lot of physical labor and courage to not only deal with unexpected events in the wilderness but also working with the needs of each family that was involved. This is important in that to do the work of the LORD; we must rely on His provision of strength and courage to do things that involve situations and people we may not be familiar with.
Promise 4: Guidance to do God’s work
In Joshua 1:7, the LORD promised Joshua that He would provide the guidance he needed to navigate his way through very trying situations involving the Law of Moses and applying it without fail to the benefit of all aspects of life and worship as follows:
Joshua 1:7. “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.”
We see here that God has standards of how He want things done. These standards typically are part of the strategic values of an organization. These standards are often difficult to manage and are complicated by the fact that people’s ways of life are involved. However, maintaining these standards will lead to prosperity for all no matter where they go. This is important in that for us to do the work of the LORD, we must rely on His guidance in all issues and activities of life for us and help those around us benefit from them.
Promise 5: Prosperity leading to success
In Joshua 1:8, the LORD promised Joshua that He would provide the prosperity he needed for success by meditating on the Book of the Law and quoting from it. This involves deep study to know what it teaches and talking about it to the people as follows:
Joshua 1:8. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
We see here that God wants us to be Biblically literate, knowing not only the Word of God, but how it applies in each and every situation. This is important in that for us to do the work of the LORD, we must rely upon a deep understanding of His Word and speak of it with others. In the business world, it may not be through quoting Scripture, but instead, sharing the values and logic behind how and why it should be done. This sets up a stable environment with rules, processes, and regulations in which to operate. It also teaches us to communicate and share with one another how they apply in each situation.
Promise 6: Close fellowship with God
In Joshua 1:9, the LORD promised Joshua that as God demonstrated in His commands to Joshua, He would provide an environment that is built on a close fellowship with God. Like a recipe. This brings all the ingredients for Godly success together to create a strong relationship with God that provides courage, dispels fear, and reduces stress as follows:
Joshua 1:9. “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
We see here that God wants us to trust Him more and more as we experience life events with Him alongside of us every step of the way and with others. This is important in that as we experience the richness of our situation in life and fellowship with God and one another, we experience it much in the same way we experience an amazing meal with our closest friends and family.
Joshua began execution of this plan right away
As we read in Joshua 1:10 and beyond, we see Joshua started putting the operations in motion: incorporating Godly principles to lead people and organizations into the Promised Land. It is important to understand that all activities, plans, and timelines must be in sync with God’s blessings, promises, and plans within the timing He has provided for all these things. Joshua went through hard times and easy times, but in the end, he was personally blessed by God and the people were blessed by his leadership.
Final Thoughts
We have barely scratched the surface of incorporating Godly principles to lead people and organizations. But, if we commit as Godly leaders to God’s Biblical business plan to lead and manage operations, we will be successful and bring honor and glory to His name. While we may not be able to quote Scripture and give Him the public praise and honor He deserves in the workplace, we can certainly share His principles, blessings, and love for those we lead along with our planning and business operations. In doing so, you will have opportunities where your subordinate will recognize where you got your leadership style and even mention the noticed it, which is an awesome blessing.
As a final thought I must share. I learned many years ago in the United State Army Advanced Non-Commission Officer Academy a very important motto as how I should conduct myself as a leader. That motto is, “Inspire others to accomplish the mission.” Later, when I got saved by the Lord and studied His Word, I realized that this was a Biblical truth: Inspire others to accomplish HIS mission. Who would have known that a Biblical truth of the Lord would have been taught to me as a young sergeant?
Now, let us continue to study how we may incorporate Godly principles to lead people and organizations.
