“I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:3-6  

Paul wrote this to his old friends in Philippi who had been such faithful believers and a source of joy, encouragement and practical support to him in his ministry to the Gentiles across the Roman Empire.  We particularly love and relate to this prayer of thanksgiving as we think about our work in C12 because it first thanks the Lord for the privilege, then talks about the joy of having fellowship in Christ and His gospel, and then closes by praying for us to finish strong in this life and calling that we share. 

Our lives as Christians aren’t meant to be solitary, but lived as an integral part of the Body of Christ.  God wants us to work closely with other believers in His service.  In fact He’s designed us to work best that way.  I know we’re all a part of churches in our home towns, but as I think about our recent Leaders Conference – and the way the Lord continues to bless our work in serving those He has chosen to run His businesses across America – I’m reminded of the privilege we have to be in close relationships with fellow members of the C12 community in our calling to make a Kingdom difference through business.     

Our recent Leaders Conference enjoyed 421 attendees… with nearly 25% of our national C12 community in attendance, many of them with their spouses.  Our time together – punctuated by many memorable presentations and much Christ-centered fellowship – demonstrated the life-changing impact of spending time with likeminded peers who are all about doing business and living life for Christ.  It was inspiring to see the many ways that the Lord ‘turns the light on’ for us, or takes us deeper by refining us, as we learn to serve others for Christ and become trustworthy servant leaders committed to growing the Kingdom through business.  It was wonderful to hear several speakers discuss moving away from formerly living a ‘Christian veneer’ on the American dream for life and business.  With ‘cultural Christianity’ and the ‘prosperity gospel’ rampant across America, there are already too many misguided or counterfeit ‘disciples’ among marketplace leaders.  Being continually reminded of this vital distinction, C12’s Chair corps and Board has become more firmly focused on our uncommon mission to help our clients seek God’s ‘best and highest’ as stewards, ambassadors, and servants through building excellent businesses.  

It’s truly a privilege to have the opportunity to regularly come alongside each other, engage in lifelong learning, seek timely input when we’re struggling or blind to true opportunities, need to brainstorm or talk with folks who understand, receive objective and trustworthy evaluation of ideas and strategic alternatives, or simply need timely encouragement.  

We can be so stuck in our own habits and limited knowledge, and so focused on the task and on our own plans – on what we’d like to see happen, not necessarily on the opportunity the Lord has placed before us – that we often forget the special beauty and power of the God-given relationships we have together.  Many of us have the blessing of serving our churches and belonging to intimate fellowship groups of many kinds… but the special peer relationships we have, as those called to build fine Kingdom companies across America, are unique in their purpose and impact.  For many of us, they are the most productive and fruitful relationships in the lives the Lord has called us to live as leaders.  Click here to enjoy a brief 3-minute collage of photo images highlighting the events of our Leaders Conference to be reminded of just how precious these peer relationships and our iron-sharpening-iron time together truly is.

This Thanksgiving, let’s give our Father thanks that we can trust Him to finish what He has started… “that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Php 1:6).  We can take great comfort in this clarion promise that enables us to boldly lead for His glory while rejecting temptations to operate out of fear or selfishness.  Our God promises that nothing in all of creation “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ro 8:39)!  Lord, help us to see that You have given us these intentional iron-sharpening-iron relationships in C12 that we may walk in the full promise and potential You’ve sovereignly given us.  Help us to engage each other in a way that produces much encouragement, insight, and eternal fruit!

Yours in Christ,

Don Barefoot, AfC                              Buck Jacobs, AfC
President & CEO                                Founder & Chairman