Kingdom At Work
(Blog based on teachings from Dr. Marcus Murphy, Biblical Teacher)
As Kingdom-minded CEOs and owners, we rarely question whether God cares about our character—but do we really know where He stands on our KPIs, P&Ls, hiring plans, and growth strategy?
In Luke 19, Jesus tells a story about His Kingdom, and He doesn’t shy away from results. He talks about return, gain, and outcomes. A nobleman gives money to his servants before leaving and says:
“Engage in business until I come back.” — Luke 19:13 (CSB)
When he returns, he calls them in to find out how much they had made in business. That’s profit language. That’s stewardship language. That’s ROI language. Jesus is not asking Kingdom leaders to sit on the sidelines. He is commanding us to engage—to actively steward, build, invest, risk, and grow what He’s placed in our hands.
The question is not whether He cares about ROI.
The question is: What kind of return is He really after?
Return to Rule and Reign with Him
That phrase “engage in business” comes from the Greek word pragmateuomai, which means to carry on a business, be occupied in trade, actively transact.
In other words, Jesus is saying:
“Stay fully engaged. Trade. Build. Steward. Don’t bury what I gave you. Put it to work until I return.”
The New Testament paints a picture of men and women—sons and daughters of God—who rule and reign with Jesus in the natural realm. This ties directly back to God’s original mandate:
“Let them rule…” (Genesis 1:26–28)
He chose to extend His rule on earth through people—through you, Kingdom leader. Through your leadership. Through your company.
If you’re a CEO or owner, your business is not a spiritual side note. It’s part of how the King has chosen to exercise His rule and care over people, cities, and even creation itself.
Measurable Gain: What Is Jesus Actually Looking For?
In the parable, when the king returns, he asks for an accounting:
“…so that he could find out how much they had made in business.”
The phrase “made in business” carries the idea of earning by trading, gaining through activity. In other words, Jesus expects that what He has entrusted to you—your influence, capital, people, relationships, skills—will result in measurable gain.
But here’s the key: His approval is not primarily about the size of the outcome; it’s about the faithful diligence that helped facilitate it.
We can’t control economic cycles, competitor decisions, interest rates, or global shocks. But we can control:
- Whether we show up fully present.
- Whether we obey the nudge of the Holy Spirit.
- Whether we steward people and resources in alignment with Heaven’s values.
Jesus is not rewarding you for outcomes you were never in control of. He is rewarding you for loyalty, diligence, and obedience with what you were given. He’s looking for gain, yes—but a bigger kind of gain than quarterly earnings alone.
Redefining ROI: Aligning with Kingdom Values
Financial profit still matters. It’s like oxygen—we need it to live—but we don’t live to breathe. Stewardship includes paying people, funding growth, and running a healthy business. Profit is not the enemy.
But profit is not the finish line in the Kingdom; it’s fuel for something deeper: restoration.
Scripture paints a picture of a restoration lifestyle:
“They will rebuild the ancient ruins, restore the former devastations, renew the ruined cities…” — Isaiah 61:4
Creation itself is described as,
“waiting with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.” — Romans 8
Our world is longing for sons and daughters who will govern it rightly in Christ. So what might Kingdom ROI look like for a CEO? You don’t have to throw out your financial metrics. You may just need to add a few new columns.
1. People ROI
- Are people being built up or burned out?
- Are team members growing in their God-given potential?
- Are marriages, families, and personal lives healthier because people work at your company?
Kingdom ROI asks:
“How are the people entrusted to me being transformed?”
2. Culture ROI
- Is fear, accusation, and striving decreasing?
- Are honor, truth, forgiveness, and grace increasing?
- Do people experience the company as a safe place to be known, challenged, and developed?
Kingdom ROI asks:
“Does our culture reflect the heart and ways of Jesus?”
3. Community ROI
- Is your presence in a city leaving things better than you found them?
- Are broken places—economically, relationally, structurally—being rebuilt in part because your business is there?
- Are you using your influence to restore what sin and selfishness have damaged?
Kingdom ROI asks:
“What evidence of restoration would remain if our company disappeared tomorrow?”
Our Responsibility, God’s Results
We can’t control all outcomes, but we can always control our obedience. He’s rewarding you for your loyalty, diligence, and obedience. The outcomes—that’s His glory. Your job as a Kingdom CEO is not to guarantee results.
Your job is to:
- Listen.
- Act.
- Risk.
- Build.
- Repent.
- Adjust.
- Keep showing up in faith.
God will:
- Transform lives.
- Multiply fruit.
- Open and close doors.
- Redeem what’s been broken or lost.
In the parable, the king doesn’t say: “Well done, good and perfectly profitable servant.”
He celebrates servants who did something—who didn’t hide, bury, or coast, but faithfully engaged in business with what they had.
He’s not going to ask, “Did you beat the market?”
He’s going to ask, “Were you faithful with what I put in your hands?”
A Simple Next Step: Audit Your Scoreboard
If you sense the Holy Spirit pressing on this, you don’t have to rebuild everything overnight. Start with one simple step: audit your scoreboard.
Take these questions to the Lord—and to your leadership team:
- What are we currently treating as the “win”?
- Look at your board reports, all-hands meetings, and celebrations.
- If Heaven wrote our year-end review, what would it highlight?
- Where have I slipped into passivity instead of engagement?
- Are there issues in culture, people, or integrity that I’m tolerating?
- How might Jesus be inviting me to reinvest something for eternal return?
- Time with people I usually rush past.
- Authority to elevate overlooked voices.
You don’t need a 50-page strategy to begin.
Ask God—and take the next right step of obedience.
Walking This Out Together
If this stirs something in you, that’s not just leadership theory—that’s likely the Holy Spirit reminding you who you are: A son or daughter of the King, entrusted with real territory, called to engage in business with Him until He comes.
At Kingdom at Work, we walk alongside CEOs and owners who are asking the same questions:
- What does Kingdom ROI look like in my company?
- How do I align my leadership, culture, and metrics with Heaven’s values?
- How do I move from “believing” this to actually building it into the way we do business?
You don’t have to figure that out alone. If you’re sensing the Lord invite you to rethink what “success” means in your business, we’d be honored to journey with you—through workshops, coaching, and community with other leaders walking the same road. Reach out today. Your business is not just a company. It’s Kingdom territory.
And the King’s command still stands:
“Engage in business until I come.”