MIDLAND – The Parable of the Minas in Luke 19:11-26 contains words and phrases like do business, accounting, increase, bank, interest, kept, saved, maintained, out of fear. In this parable, Jesus implies that Christians should have an entrepreneurial spirit regarding kingdom growth and activity. Even more, Jesus teaches that by playing it safe, you can lose what’s been given to you.
In this parable, there are two kinds of people: 1) those who are driven by possibilities and 2) those who are driven by problems (or fear). Those driven by fear are more concerned about what they could lose than what they could gain. One thing is very clear from this parable; there is no reward for those who play it safe. Instead, this is a time to take risks – to look at the possibilities more than the potential problems.
Faithful Christians are those who hear the Word and obey what it says. They share the Word and produce a crop 30, 60, and 100-fold. Business people understand this. If you were someone who had a store and went there every day and opened it up and sat behind the counter and never sold anything – that’s not faithfulness – that’s bankruptcy. But churches do this all the time and call this “faithfulness.”
Jesus says, “engage in business.” So, there is a side to faithfulness that is about growth and numbers. Jesus wants us to have an entrepreneurial spirit for Kingdom work. Be intentional. Be deliberate. Think about it. Dream. What are the potentials? What are the possibilities? What could you do differently than you are doing now? Who are the people you need to get to know?
Maybe there is that thing back there in your life that you always wondered about – whether God was calling you to do that and go there and start it. Maybe now is the time to exercise faith and trust God for it. You won’t know if you don’t try. What changes do you need to make? What adaptations should you consider?
Be mindful that some people might try to discourage you, and the Devil himself might get you to doubt yourself and God with things like “you’re crazy, don’t overextend yourself, that’s too much, just think of what you could lose.”
He tried that with Jesus. When Jesus was on the cross, He was told, “come down from there. Prove you’re the Messiah. Save yourself.” I’m glad Jesus didn’t give into temptation and come down from the cross!
Jesus said, “Whoever loses His life for My sake will find it!” Do you believe that?
What are you not doing that God wants you to do?
What are you doing that God wants you to stop?
If you’re a Christian, you have the assurance and hope of heaven because you belong to Christ, and He lives in you through His Spirit. So, why are you holding back? What are you afraid of? If you believe God’s Word is true, then be a doer of it and not merely a hearer only, deluding yourself.
Stop being at ease in Zion. Stop bowing at the altar of comfort, convenience, and ease. Stop playing it safe! Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering what God would have done had you obeyed Him.
Listen to The Richard Blackaby Leadership Podcast, as much of what I shared in this article came from an episode I heard there.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. David Roberts is Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Midland and serves as the Associational Mission Strategist for the Bay Area Baptist Association.
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