Don't Just Fund The Kingdom; Demonstrate The Kingdom

Don’t Just Fund the Kingdom. Demonstrate It.

Why the power of God is not reserved for ministers and missionaries - and what Christian business leaders must recover now

Many Christian business leaders have quietly accepted a reduced role in the kingdom: Make money. Give generously. Support ministry. Serve on boards. Help fund what God is doing through someone else.

And all of that matters. But what if that was never the whole assignment?

What if your business is not just a funding mechanism for ministry, but a place where the kingdom of God is meant to be demonstrated?

Listen to the podcast here: heaveninbusiness.com/podcast

That was the question behind my conversation with Will Hart, CEO of Iris Global. Will has served around the world, from Paraguay to Mozambique and beyond, and now helps lead a global missions movement serving servants across many nations.

But what I love about Will is not just the wild places he has been or the miracles he has seen. He carries a deep conviction that every day followers of Jesus, including business leaders, are called to walk in the same Spirit, hear the same voice, and demonstrate the same kingdom.

Your mandate is not simply to fund the kingdom; it is to demonstrate it.

The Problem: We Have Compartmentalized Business and the Kingdom

Most business leaders I know are not afraid of risk. You have risked payroll. You have risked expansion. You have hired people before you knew exactly how it would work. You have taken loans, made investments, carried pressure, made decisions, and built things from nothing.

But when it comes to hearing God, praying for someone, obeying a prompt, or stepping out in faith, suddenly the risk feels different.

Suddenly, we say:

“That’s not my role.”

“That’s for the ministers.”

“That’s for the missionaries.”

“That’s for the evangelists.”

“I’m just a business person.”

Will challenged that thinking directly. He said the church has often put people into categories. Missionaries go here. Pastors do this. Business people do that. Successful business leaders are encouraged to tithe, serve, give, and maybe sit on a board.

But that is not the full picture of the kingdom.

Business leaders are not second-class citizens in the family of God. They are not outside the flow of God’s power and presence. They are not limited to supporting what God does through someone else.

In Scripture, Lydia was a businesswoman, and the gospel advanced through her life. She was not disqualified for being in the marketplace.

And that has not changed.

The problem is not access. The problem is limitation.

We have limited ourselves. We have compartmentalized our lives. We have called one thing “business” and another thing “God,” when Jesus is Lord of all of it.

The Question: Is This for Ministers and Missionaries, or Everybody?

So I asked Will very directly: Is there a difference in access to union and connection with God for a minister or missionary than there is for someone in the marketplace?

His answer was simple.

No.

There is no second-class access to God for the marketplace believer. The same Holy Spirit fills the pastor, the missionary, the parent, the employee, the entrepreneur, the CEO, the manager, the tradesman, the investor, and the founder.

The same God speaks. The same kingdom is at work. The same Spirit empowers.

Will even said that some of the greatest evangelists and people moving in miracles, signs, and wonders are businesspeople.

That matters because the real issue is not whether God wants to move through business leaders. The issue is whether we believe He will move through us.

The Solution: Recover the Spirit-Filled Life in Everyday Business

The Spirit-filled life is not just for a ministry platform. It is not just for a healing meeting. It is not a strange moment disconnected from daily life.

Throughout Scripture, the Spirit of God empowered people for real life and real assignments. Bezalel built by the Spirit of God. Joshua led by the Spirit of God. Solomon received wisdom from God. In Ephesians 5, being filled with the Spirit did not only result in a dramatic experience. It overflowed into worship, gratitude, mutual submission, and transformed relationships.

In other words, the Spirit-filled life touches everything.

Your leadership. Your decisions. Your family. Your work. Your wisdom. Your courage. Your obedience. Your discernment. Your ability to serve. Your willingness to pray. Your capacity to love people in front of you.

This is not about becoming weird at work; it is about becoming fully available to God at work.

The Evidence: Business People Obeying God

Will shared the story of Richard Holcomb, a businessman from Texas. Richard was not the preacher. He was not the platform guest. He was not “the minister.”

But before Randy Clark stood up in Toronto, Richard called him with a word from God: “Test me now. Don’t take your eyes off me.”

Randy has said that if it had not been for that word, he may not have had the courage to stand up and step into what God was doing.

That obedience mattered.

A businessman strengthened a leader at a critical moment before what became one of the most influential moves of God in recent church history.

That should confront us.

The businessman was no less spiritual because he was in business. He simply obeyed.

Then there is Joanne Moody’s story (https://youtu.be/VGdZE0QYsfM?si=0jmQJLGYaxzMYNGc). After years of debilitating pain, a businessman prayed for her, and she was instantly healed. He did not stop being a businessman. But his obedience became part of someone else’s healing and global ministry story.

That is the point.

You may not be holding the microphone. You may not be leading the meeting. You may not have the title. But your obedience still matters.

The Barrier: Fear of Wearing Business Clothes

So what stops everyday people from walking in this?

Will named fear: Fear of man. Fear of failure. Fear of finance. Fear of losing what has been built.

And that hits close to home for business leaders because fear can sound very responsible.

Fear says, “I’m just being wise…” Or, “I have too much to lose.” Or, “That is not my role.” Or, “I don’t want to make it awkward.” Or, “What if nothing happens?”

But often, fear is simply unbelief wearing business clothes.

The irony is that many business leaders know how to take risks in business, but have become deeply cautious in obedience. We ask hard questions about the balance sheet, the employee, the project, the delivery, and the quality assurance assessment.

But we avoid asking the same hard questions about our spiritual life.

What if we started asking?

• “God, where have I become stagnant?”
• “Where have I stopped being hungry?”
• “Where am I playing safe?”
• “Where have I built a wall of comfort around my life?”
• “Where do You want to use me?”
• “Who do I need around me to provoke me to more?”

That kind of honesty opens a door.

The First Step: Tell God the Truth

When I asked Will for a practical first step for someone who wants more, his answer was not complicated. He said, “Stop lying.”

Stop lying to yourself. Stop lying to God.

If you are not hungry, tell Him. If you have become settled, tell Him. If you are comfortable and no longer want to be uncomfortable, tell Him.

Pray honestly: “God, I am not hungry. God, I have become settled. God, I want to want more. God, make me uncomfortable again.”

Truth is where freedom begins.

The Next Step: Get Around People Who Provoke Hunger

Then get around people who provoke hunger.

If you want to get wet, get under the spigot. If you want to slay giants, get around people who slay giants. Put yourself around testimonies, people, and environments that confront your norm.

Read the stories. Listen to the testimonies. Get around people who are living what you say you want.

You do not know what you do not know until you experience something different.

The Hard Step: Ask Dangerous Questions

And then ask dangerous questions.

Ask your spouse. Ask a trusted leader. Ask a mentor. Ask someone who loves you enough to tell you the truth.

• “Do you see me becoming all God has called me to be?”
• “Where am I drifting?”
• “Where am I playing small?”
• “Where have I become too comfortable?”

Will gave a strong warning here: make sure you are not only celebrated but also challenged.

If no one in your life can confront you, you will drift.

Business success can create walls. Wealth can become the wall of your city. You need wise people who can scale those walls, look you in the face, and say, “I love you enough to tell you the truth.”

The Obedience Step: Put Yourself Where God Can Stretch You

And finally, put yourself where obedience is required.

Serve the poor. Pray for someone. Go on a trip. Put yourself in rooms where people are hungry for God. Step across what some call the “chicken line.”

You do not have to leave your city to find people in need. Go serve at a mission. Go to the soup kitchen. Get around the poor, the sick, the needy, and the broken.

Will said something powerful: when businesspeople serve the poor, it puts everything back into perspective. It reminds us why we are blessed. And it awakens something in us that comfort can quietly dull.

The Invitation: Stop Hiding Behind “I’m Just a Business Person”

This is the invitation.

Don’t limit yourself to funding what God is doing through someone else. Don’t hide behind your role. Don’t say, “I’m just a business person.”

If you are a follower of Jesus, you are called to carry and demonstrate the kingdom of God.

In your business. In your family. In your leadership. In your city. In your everyday decisions. In the way you serve the poor. In the way you hear God. In the way you pray. In the way you take risk. In the way you obey.

God wants to move through you.

The question is not, “Can He?”

The question is, “Will you make yourself available?”

Join Us in Dallas This August

That is why Will Hart will be with us this August in Dallas at the Heaven in Business Conference.

This will not simply be a conference about business principles. We are gathering to help Christian business leaders hear God, respond with courage, and demonstrate the kingdom in real-life business decisions.

Will is going to be praying for people. We are going to activate you to walk in on this yourself. You will hear stories, be challenged, be equipped, and engage in the practical hearing of God for everyday business decisions.

Come if you are hungry for more.

Come if you know you have been playing safe.

Come if you want to be activated, challenged, and equipped.

Come if you are ready to stop simply funding the kingdom and start demonstrating it.

Join us this August in Dallas.

Register at Heaveninbusinesslive.com