Toure Roberts - God and Business

I’m going to be talking about God and business today—God and business, a combination that almost seems like a paradoxical statement. God in business? But it isn’t at all. In fact, they work more closely together than you think. If I were your enemy, I would try to make you feel that way—that God and business should not mix. Let me show you right here in the Bible, Luke chapter 19, verses 11 through 27. What I’m going to do is read it all the way through, we’ll pray, and then I’ll go verse by verse, because a paradigm shift has to take place, and you can see the holiness of business in holy hands. Business itself is neutral; it can have a wonderful or awful impact on culture and society, and all that is determined by who has it. That’s right, and God wants His children to do business.

Luke 19:11–27 says: «Now as they heard these things,"—the backdrop is incredible—"it’s after the Lord saves a businessman named Zacchaeus. Study it when you get a chance. He was very rich but had some character issues, and he ends up getting saved. Do you think he walked away from his business or his resources? In fact, he said, 'Oh, by the way, I’m going to give my resources to the poor.' Look at that one shift! Now you go from greed and self-absorption to impact. I’m ready to start teaching already, but I have to read this.

That’s the backdrop. «Now as they heard these sayings, He"—Jesus—"spoke another parable because He was near Jerusalem, and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.» Therefore, He said, «A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'» Say, «Do business! Do business till I come!»

«But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'» That’s interesting; the command is to do business, and the opposition automatically associated that with reigning over them. I’ll come back to that, but I will say that even the devil gets it.

«And so it was that when he returned having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.» Then came the first, saying, «Master, your mina has earned ten minas.» He said to him, «Well done, good servant! Because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.» Ten cities! Let it sink in.

«And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.' Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'» Oh, I can’t wait to teach this! Then another came, saying, «Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief, for I feared you, because you are an austere man; you collect what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.»

He said to him, «Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank? At least let me have earned a minimal interest!»

«And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him and give it to him who has ten minas.' But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas! ' For I say to you that to everyone who has will be given, and from him who does not have even what he has will be taken away from him. And by the way, bring here those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them and slay them before me.»

Father, thank You for Your word. Thank You for the revelation therein. Thank You for Your love for Your sons and daughters—all Your children. Thank You for Your heart for them. May I embody Your heart for Your children in this moment as I preach. May they feel Your fingerprints all over this message—love, revelation, wisdom, impartation, transformation. Thank You, Jesus, and I thank You for what You’re going to put into the hearts and minds of these, Your sons and daughters. I thank You for what this message is going to look like in their lives in five years, in ten years, in their children and their children’s children, and most importantly, in the earth. Thank You, Lord. May we perceive Your strategy in this message, and may lightbulbs go off all over this room—lightbulbs go off among those who are watching via livestream. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and Redeemer. In Jesus' name, thank You. Amen. Amen. God bless you. Please be seated.

I have been preaching since January 17, 2001. I preached my first sermon, so I’ve been preaching for 23 years—23 years—and I have never, in the 23 years that I’ve been preaching, seen so clearly what the Lord revealed to…