Anointed for Business , livre ebook

P RAISE FOR
A NOINTED FOR B USINESS
What a terrific book! Twice in 1 Corinthians 7 the apostle Paul urges us to remain in the vocation to which God has called us. I’ve often paraphrased that by saying “Bloom where you’re planted!” I believe that a carpenter, an accountant or a president is just as much a minister as a TV evangelist and that his life and business practice are his most effective sermon. My thanks to Ed Silvoso.
P AT B OONE
E NTERTAINER L OS A NGELES , C ALIFORNIA
Ed Silvoso is the only one who could write this book. His years of laboring both with churches and business leaders have allowed him to catch the heart of one of God’s most underused resources: the empowered businessperson. Ed lays out the heritage of God, using businesspeople to accomplish His purposes on Earth. He also challenges the Church, as well as business leaders, to discover the call of God on their lives and to get in the game. This is a must-read for business and church leaders to equip them in partnering together as God intended.
D ENNIS J. D OYLE
CEO, W ELSH C OMPANIES P RESIDENT , N EHEMIAH P ARTNERS M INNEAPOLIS , M INNESOTA
Anointed for Business is in my top five books on taking faith into the workplace. Ed provides many fresh insights and applications not expressed in other faith-at-work resources. I found it biblically sound with many practical applications. Every Christian in the workplace should read Anointed for Business .
O S H ILLMAN
P RESIDENT , M ARKETPLACE L EADERS AND I NTERNATIONAL C OALITION OF W ORKPLACE M INISTRIES A UTHOR , T HE 9 TO 5 W INDOW
If more Christians realized they were anointed for business, God’s kingdom would come much faster to this Earth. Ed Silvoso offers a new and insightful look into the business acumen of our early Christian leaders and how relevant it is for today.
L AURIE B ETH J ONES
A UTHOR , J ESUS , CEO ; T HE P ATH ; J ESUS , I NC .; AND T EACH Y OUR T EAM TO F ISH
Anointed for Business is a welcome addition to the teaching ministry of Ed Silvoso. While his early books have greatly blessed the Body of Christ, this one is destined to release even more of God’s ministers into the fulfillment of their destiny. I have been privileged to watch this message become formed in Ed and released to the Body, and I can say from firsthand experience, “Get ready to be blessed!”
R ICH M ARSHALL
A UTHOR , G OD @W ORK
Ed Silvoso has once again put his finger on the pulse of God’s direction for the Church at this hour. Anointed for Business is a revelation that could liberate the Body of Christ and uncover the much-needed resources to finance this last-day move of God. Christians in the marketplace is not a new phenomenon: Luke 19:13 says we should “occupy until He comes.” “Occupy” means to “barter, trade, to literally do the work of a banker.” God has anointed people in the Body of Christ to be successful in the marketplace. This book will help you discover if you’re one of them.
B ISHOP V AUGHN M CLAUGHLIN
T HE P OTTER ’ S H OUSE J ACKSONVILLE , F LORIDA
Ever wonder if you can make a difference in your community? From pulpits to corporate boardrooms, men and women of God are impacting our society with integrity and righteousness. Each one has been called to be a minister and a witness for Christ—in the home, on the job or at school. Wherever the Lord sends us, we are commissioned as His ambassadors. Ed Silvoso clearly shares principles and practices of marketplace evangelism. He exposes misconceptions and exhorts each of us to be that example for Christ wherever we are. How does that translate into your life? As you read brother Ed’s book, you’ll have a clearer understanding of the plan and purpose God has for you. Using examples of business professionals and ministers alike, brother Ed expands our perspective on how the Lord desires to use each of us to influence society. As always, he challenges our paradigms of thinking. Ed Silvoso has been raised up to present this message for this hour—for you, for this nation and for the nations of the world.
D R . J. D OUG S TRINGER
F OUNDER , S OMEBODY C ARES A MERICA H OUSTON , T EXAS
I believe that societal transformation is high on God’s agenda for this generation and that the chief catalytic force to bring it about will be Christian believers ministering in the marketplace. In Anointed for Business , Ed Silvoso shows more clearly than anyone else to date exactly how you and I can help make this happen. This is truly a book for the times!
C. P ETER W AGNER
C HANCELLOR , W AGNER L EADERSHIP I NSTITUTE C OLORADO S PRINGS , C OLORADO
Ed Silvoso takes away the myths capturing the minds of many Christians concerning believers in the workplace. I love the way he utilizes familiar Scriptures to bring to life biblical characters who were in the workplace and used mightily by God. The Church must activate and mobilize all believers—including those who are in the workplace—if we are going to see revival. Anointed for Business is a timely book. It is a much-needed tool to propel the Church into the harvest. Today’s harvest is waiting to be reached in places of business, government and education. I highly recommend this book to every believer.
B ARBARA W ENTROBLE
A UTHOR , G OD ’ S P URPOSE FOR Y OUR L IFE P RESIDENT , W ENTROBLE C HRISTIAN M INISTRIES D ALLAS , T EXAS
Ed Silvoso’s clear-cut message could be the catalyst that propels America into a first-century-type revival. Anointed for Business is a must-read book for Christians who take the Great Commission seriously.
Z IG Z IGLAR
A UTHOR , S EE Y OU AT THE T OP ; 5 S TEPS TO S UCCESSFUL S ELLING

© 2002 Ed Silvoso
Study Guide © 2002 Harvest Evangelism, Inc. Used by permission.
Published by Chosen Books 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 chosenbooks.com
Chosen Books is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Chosen edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-6873-0
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2011
Ebook corrections 09.26.2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible , © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Other versions used are:
KJV — King James Version . Authorized King James Version.
NIV —Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
D EDICATION
I dedicate this book to an extraordinary architect of biblical dialogue. He is a person who has a unique ability to build forums broad enough for heterogeneous groups to exchange ideas and thoughts about difficult and controversial issues that directly affect the fulfillment of the Great Commission. He is someone who I have never heard utter a word of criticism directed at those who do not understand what he does or who vehemently disagree with his conclusions. I dedicate this book to C. Peter Wagner, with deep admiration for his character and great gratitude for his impact on the lives of millions, including my own.
C ONTENTS
Foreword
By Laurie Beth Jones
Introduction
The marketplace—a synthesis of business, education and government—is to a metropolis what the heart is to the human body. Yet millions of men and women who have been called to ministry in the marketplace feel like second-class citizens when compared to those who serve in a church or missionary context, and they often fail to rise to their God-appointed position. It is time to give marketplace people their rightful validation as full-fledged ministers, because the last revival—the one prophesied by Joel and quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17-21—will take place all over the city and not just inside a church building .
Chapter 1
Confessions of a Christian Businessman
In my early 20s, I wore three business hats: hospital administrator, member of the board of a bank and CEO of a lending company. I felt good about my job—until some well-meaning but misguided church leaders looked down on my occupation and asked, “When are you going to go into the ministry?” I knew my job was my ministry. Yet it wasn’t until 1999 that I discovered I had been anointed for business with the same anointing that I was so familiar with behind the pulpit .
Chapter 2
Jesus and the Marketplace
Traditionally we picture Jesus more as a monk than as a manager. However, He was a businessman much longer than He was a preacher. He was also born in the marketplace—in a stable at an inn—and later identified with the marketplace—when He became a carpenter. His teachings dealt extensively with the marketplace. A closer look at His life can help validate the role of marketplace Christians .
Chapter 3
The Disciples and the Marketplace
From the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus reached outside the rarified religious circles of Jerusalem to recruit His core group of disciples. Even though He was a rabbi, none of the Twelve was a leader in the Temple or in the synagogue. Jesus designed the Church to be the counterculture rather than a subculture. His mission went beyond the people who frequented the Temple and synagogues and touched every city in the world through His focus on the marketplace .
Chapter 4
The God of Business
Every major revival in the Old Testament was a marketplace-centered revival. Even one of the greatest victories for the army of Israel pitted a small businessman