Kingdom Commerce (7)

Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. Acts 4.34, 35

Transforming grace and truth
No nation can exist without an economy. Whatever its form or elements, an economy will exist among men in order to facilitate the exchange of money, goods, and services, to meet the needs of those who participate in it.

But the black horse of corrupt commerce all too easily finds boarding within the economies of the world. And those systems of commerce, once corrupted, spread their cancer to all other areas of life and culture, even to the churches.

But economies do not have to remain centers of corruption and corrupting influences in the lives of those they are intended to serve. Chattel slavery, after all, was abolished. Robber barons have been regulated. Corrupt politicians are exposed and removed.

Even the Church has experienced revival, renewal, and awakening.

The Scriptures boldly proclaim, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Ps. 33.12). This blessedness pertains to every aspect of national life, including commerce. Can an economy be redeemed? Or, at least, can it be so salted with the grace and truth of God that it begins to reflect divine principles of economic wellbeing? We must believe that, as Jesus Christ works to reconcile the world back to God (2 Cor. 5.16-20), the economies of the nations may also know the presence of His transforming grace and truth.

For evidence of this we may look to our first Christian forebears. Among them the reigning currency of greed was exchanged for an economy of grace, self-denial, compassion, generosity, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit. And that Church flourished, even in its commerce.

The grace exchange
What principles can lead us to a system of commerce that is more honoring to God? And what can we expect in the way of real gains in seeing our own national economy transformed by the grace and goodness of the Lord?

First, some principles: As we see in the first Christians, they embraced the goals of economic activity that we described earlier – meeting needs and giving glory to God. These people knew that they were not their own, that they had been bought with the price of Jesus’ blood and righteousness, and they resolved to honor Him with every activity of their bodies, even their commerce.

This has to be the starting point of all economic activity for every believer. This is the fountainhead of grace – love for God and love for our neighbors. Christians must renounce greed and self-centeredness, queue up daily at the grace exchange of Scripture and prayer, pay attention to the needs of those around us, moderate our natural acquisitiveness, give freely even as was freely given to us, and seek to advance the righteous, peaceable, and joyous reign of Jesus Christ in all our economic activity (Rom. 14.17, 18).

Stewards of a trust
Second, we must engage all commerce as stewards of a trust. God has given us gifts, resources, skills, and opportunities so that we might be fruitful in economic endeavor; but we must always remember to invest our resources wisely, for Kingdom ends, and to hold the fruits of our labors, as a trust from God. We are not our own, after all; we belong to Christ, Who belongs to God. We are His stewards, and servants of His Kingdom and economy, and all our economic activity must reflect this.

Finally, we must determine to trust the Lord in all our doings and not to look for short-cuts to self-advancement through economic or other machinations (Acts 5.1-11). This will require that all our economic activity be based in Scripture, bathed in prayer, and transacted with the currency of grace.

Only as we look to the Lord together, as communities of believers, will we be able to identify and resist the temptations of economic gain, overcome the corrupting practices of worldly living, and serve as salt, light, and the leaven of truth for our neighbors.

And this is as much as we can expect by seeking the redemption of commerce and economic activity: to be a light in a dark place, as those who ride the white horse of Christ against the black horse of corruption. The Church can be a haven of hope in a desperate world, an emblem and arena of compassion and sacrificial living to any who may be in need, a sign and outpost of the Kingdom of God. But we cannot do so on the world’s terms, as if the Kingdom economy of God were not advancing daily in the world.

We must seek the Kingdom and righteousness of Christ in all we do, as believers and communities of faith, even in our economic and commercial transactions. If we can begin to achieve this, believer by believer, church by church, grace unto grace, we may begin to redeem our corrupt system of commerce and realize significant progress in the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom.

For reflection
1.  Do you agree that Christians should seek to play a role in redeeming commerce? Why or why not?

2.  In your own life, where do you need to begin working for the redemption of commerce?

3.  What could your church do to bear witness to the Kingdom economy in its transactions with the surrounding community?

Next steps – Transformation: Take your answer to question 2 and reduce it to a series of next steps in each area. Support these steps with Scripture, commit them to prayer, and begin taking them every day.

T. M. Moore

This week’s ReVision study is Part 5 of a 10-part series, “The Kingdom Economy.” You can download “Kingdom Commerce” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here. Start your day in the Word of God. Study with T. M. in our daily Scriptorium newsletter, as he walks us through the ongoing work of Christ in the book of Acts. You can subscribe to receive Scriptorium each day at 5:00 am Eastern, or go to the website to download each week’s study in a free PDF.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.