Full-time in the Marketplace
This Friday, we were privileged at FGB Jaya Chapter One to have brother SC Khoo, a businessman and director of Influence Point, a marketplace ministry organization that gives 51% of its profits to kingdom work.
In beginning his sharing, brother Khoo first shared how a sudden call in the middle of K.L. at 4.30pm changed his life. A brother from the call had asked him to come to Jakarta Indonesia Indonesia was 10 years ahead of the marketplace ministry in Malaysia
A non-believers for many years into his career, brother Khoo was finally saved one day, and immediately quit his job the next day. Before he was a Christian, money was his life, and he was literally a slave to money. In the name of work, he would go to the pub, and come back from home at 3 to 4 am. His relationship with his wife was on a thin line. But the moment he was saved, the desire to sin left him, and he was madly in love with God and with his wife. Thereafter, he was without a job for a year and saw all his money used up quickly for that was how God dealt with him and his ego. Nevertheless, that 1 year, he grew incredibly close to God and experienced times enjoying the glory of God in his room or sitting beside Jesus on the bed. He even heard the Lord’s voice on His handphone on 2 occasions. After the 1 year, he heard the Lord’s call for him to go into missions, and he went to Myanmar
Moving on, brother Khoo shared about the miracle of Sentul City , which has a land area about half the size of Singapore Sentul City Sentul City is a Kingdom City
Why are they so successful? In this company, 51% of the profit goes to a foundation that disciples nations. Surrounding Sentul were villages of a different religion who were suspicious of receiving help from Christians. They were turned away the first time. The second time, they managed to convince a village that they just wanted to help, not to convert. At that time, the land was hard, filled with rocks. However, intercessors who were businesspeople came and prayed and walked the land and asked God to heal the land. The land was infertile because there was no water and no crops were grow. But the intercessors prayed and dug a well, and water came out. Today, the village is fruitful and successful, and her people have accepted the Lord. Bringing the Master there brought transformation to that village.
All of us are in the marketplace for a reason. The first question we must resolve is “Is God really interested in our business, our job?” We need to get an answer from God. Is making money evil? No! We are placed to be successful. How we use the money attaches the value to it. If we use the money for corruption it becomes evil. When we use the money to help the poor, it becomes good.
In the beginning, God made Adam and Eve to take care of the garden of Eden. Broken branches needed to be cleared, fallen leaves needed to be tidied up, animals needed tending at times. This was labor, and at the very beginning, God ordained labor, work! It was and is a worship to God! The same assignment given to Adam and Eve still prevails with us today. We must take care of the city, we must fix what is wrong. The city is also God’s creation. If our company is not doing well, we have a job to help fix it. Labor is worship!
In the gospels, after preaching one day, Jesus asked Peter to throw his net on the right side, and reluctantly he did and was immediately amazed at the great number of fish that were caught. It was big harvest, big gain, and the fishermen would have made a huge profit that day, for none of the other fishermen had caught anything.
Upon returning to the corporate place, brother Khoo was asked by his boss to head up a new company. He agreed but informed his boss that he would work by certain principles, which included no bribing. One day, the sales manager came to his office excitedly saying that he had closed a deal worth RM250,000. However, the employee of the other company had asked for a cut. Brother Khoo agreed to give him the commission, but that it would be in black and white and addressed to the company. Obviously, the employee refused to have it that way, and the salesman in anger lost the business and his commission. When he went home, brother Khoo cried to God “Show him you can prosper the company, Lord!” Soon after, brother Khoo received a call from the managing director of a company whom the group had sued before for non-payment. In such unusual circumstances, the MD was actually willing to do business with them again. This time, brother Khoo requested cash on delivery, and the business brought in was worth RM1,000,000. He told the Sales Manager, this is my God.
All of us are in full-time ministry, not just pastors. Our job is our ministry and our ministry is for God. If you have a business, view yourself as a business pastor and your employees as the congregation. With that view, does your attitude change? If I am a CEO and one of the staff is sick, I’m not too bothered. I can replace him. However, if I am a Pastor, I will go to the staff and show concern, even pray for him. We are called the salt and light of the world for a reason. Our job is our ministry
Jesus was a businessman. He was known as carpenter and earned a living. After Jakarta
What should be the Spiritual Business Plan
Firstly, discard the deception you are not a minister
Reject the deception that your job is not spiritual
Welcome Jesus to the workplace, dedicate your workplace to Jesus
Ed Silvoso has a chair beside him in the office called the red chair. Ed is the managing director but that’s where His CEO sits, Jesus. God the Father can be the chairman, the Holy Spirit can be the Legal Advisor.
At Influence Point, brother Khoo gives 51% of the profits to kingdom business. Jesus is the CEO and majority shareholder.
A top lady executive in a Fortune 500 company heard Ed Silvoso’s message and started seeing herself as a pastor to her company. She came early and prayed over the business, praying blessing, and inviting Jesus to be CEO. At that time, her company was in the process of taking over another company. One morning, Jesus spoke to her, and told her the accounts were flawed and told her specific details where to look for the flaw. She told the CFO where to look, and although the first set of auditors had overlooked the flaw, a second set was asked to go in and found it just as she had said. The CFO had asked her where she got her source, and she said God, to his great surprise. After the incident, the CFO asked her, what else did God tell you? Did He tell you about me?
In another testimony, a man in a major telecommunications company heard the message and invited God to come to his company. He prayed for the employees in his department. Before, it had been known for high sick leave, but the sick leave came down tremendously, and the CEO asked him what had happened. He said “Its God”. When the company built the new headquarters, the CEO appointed him as judge as he was trusted. He prayed and there were no accidents at all during the entire construction. The people couldn’t believe it and called the audit team in but could find really no accidents. God’s favor was on that man.
Next, when bidding for a huge contract, the CEO, a non-Christian asked him “Ask your God what will it take for the company to win the contract?”. The man prayed, and was told to ask the CEO to present the company’s environmental preservation book, which had nothing to do with the contract. Nevertheless, the CEO showed at his presentation and amazingly 2 weeks later, the company won the contract, and largely due to that environmental preservation book, which none of the other competitors had done.
In closing, brother Khoo exhorted us to have the mindset that we are all ministers and pastors in the marketplace, and let God use us to pray and make a real difference to transform the marketplace where we work and live.
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