The Master Said Engage in Business

Why does Jesus tell his servants to "engage in business" until he returns? Growing up in a pastor's home, I thought full-time ministry was the most godly thing you could do, so why business? In this episode, I share some stories from my own business journey that helped me see why Jesus chose this directive. The master isn't coming back to ask if we kept it safe. He's coming back to ask what we did with what he entrusted to us. And that answer matters.

Episode 48 of the Elder My City, with Tim Schmoyer podcast, hosted by Schmoyer Media, titled "The Master Said Engage in Business" was published on April 10, 2026 and runs 23 minutes.

April 10, 2026 ·23m · Elder My City, with Tim Schmoyer

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Summary

Episode Description

In Luke 19, Jesus tells his servants to "engage in business" until he returns. Not pray, not read the Bible, not serve the poor (all good things), but engage in business. I've been saying I'd come back to this, and here we are.

I'm wrestling with why Jesus chose this directive. I think it's because business is the only arena that simultaneously pressure tests every dimension of character that God-fearing men need, and it does it in public with real consequences among people who owe you nothing. The master in Luke 19 didn't ask for his mina back. He asked what it had produced. Faithfulness doesn't mean just holding on to what you've been given. It means taking what he's entrusted to you and making it fruitful.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Why Jesus told his servants to "engage in business" instead of pray, serve, or study
• The prideful martyrdom mentality I had in full-time ministry (and why it was wrong)
• How business pressure tests your character in ways nothing else can
• The story of turning down a lucrative client because the brand was about startling little kids
• Firing someone for the first time and instantly earning my team's trust
• Why the master rewarded faithful servants with authority over cities, not just more money
• The third servant who didn't steal or waste anything but also didn't grow it (and why that wasn't enough)
• How business wisdom transfers into your marriage, parenting, and becoming an elder in your city
• The real question the master will ask when he returns: what did you do with what I entrusted to you?

Listen / read the full post here: https://read.timschmoyer.com/p/the-master-said-engage-in-business

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