Christian Principles in Business by Michael Kho of Boy Bawang

February 3, 2017, San Juan Manila,

Michael Kho who is the owner of the most popular cornick brand Boy Bawang is this week’s speaker at Christian Gospel Center. The group had a special career meeting as part of their series “REAL PEOPLE – Stories of Faith” which features Christ believing professionals to share their testimonies on how God is alive in their walk in life as a Christian.

Here is the translated summary from hokkien.

Christian principles in business

Boy Bawang History and Testimony

by Michael Kho

Our service and everything we do are connected to Christ

In Matthew 25:14-39, it talks about the Kingdom of God, gifts and talents

The Parable of the Bags of Gold
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

In the KJV version, the term for the one who got 5 talents is he ‘used it in trading.’

16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

The first servant who received 5 bags was diligent and used in trading and gained five more.  the second servant was also industrious and gained 2 more.  The last servant was lazy and did not do anything.

The master came back to account and was very angry at the lazy servant.

So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Truth from the parable –  The Lord wants us to do business diligently

Doing business and being a Christian can’t be separated.

1. If you are a Christian businessman, people will look at us more.
2. If the business is not suited for Christians we cannot do it.  We cannot do businesses that will cause people to stumble.  For example, gambling, liquor, and drugs.

I feel I’m dumb compared to wise people in the world.  I realize I’m not wise and at the losing end

If the Lord wants you to earn money then you cannot do anything about it.

If we do business and have a Christian testimony, people will want to do business with us.

• More good people will follow and trust in us.
• We need good people to do business with who wants to really help and not just capable.
• If there are good people striving with you then business will flourish
• Salary and benefits are important, what is more important is to ask them “Are they happy working for us? Will they follow us?”
• If you don’t do business the right way, people won’t follow you

When doing business we should not depart from the Lord

We are to pray, humble ourselves, and walk the pathway of life

In my younger years, I spend much and do not save.   I finished my studies for the sake of finishing.

Before I started my business I started helping out with our family business when I was 13-14 years old.  This helped me gained some experience in business.  However my knowledge and experience is nothing compared to others.

We did not know how to start the businss and thought of praying but we didn’t know how to pray.  We even lied down and started praying.

“Lord we do not know how to start a business and have no capital.  Please help us”

The Lord looks at our hearts.  The more we pray and rely on the Lord He opens a way for us.

As we went to the market I encountered a friend who shared to me that toys are selling very well and recommended to me to sell toys as a business.

I prayed to the Lord for this business.

“Lord, please do not cause our business to go bankrupt”

The Lord looks at heart.

In just 45 days, my capital of 10k became 800k.

I looked at other business owners for our next project and a friend shared with us that mixed nuts like Dingdong is selling very well.

We were simple minded and humble and we prayed.

For my second project I sold mixed nuts.  In just one year my  850 thousand became 10 million.

We used to do everything ourselves – from being the sales agent, the mechanic and other roles needed in the company.

Like most young people,  my pride slowly came out.

In the past, I knew how to pray and the Lord blessed us.  Money is easily earned

Now that we had more money for the business, we used the ways of the world and hired other people for the roles we used to do.

To maintain good relationships with clients, I treat them out to eat and drink.

In time, I learned to drink more and started drinking out even though I was not with a client.  Treating clients had become my alibi.  My clients had become my drinking peers.

When my spiritual life was not well, bad and non-contributing people came to work in the business.  The sales became stagnant causing the business to lose the money that it has earned.

Employees even came up with a union.

I thank the Lord that he has restored me through my illness.

I could not sleep and had nervous breakdown

“What will I do?” I couldn’t sleep and was so afraid that I needed to take sleeping pills.

But I did not want to depend on the medicine because I did not want to end up dumb.  A relative took sleeping pills and became dumb at 40.

I visited the pastor at our church.  Pastor JR helped me by praying for me and advised me that only Jesus can help you.  He also recommended me to pray and attend church meetings.

I returned and served the Lord.

When I pray, I feel peace.  I feel that I have touched life and spiritual things.  I do not want to take sleeping pills or rely on others.

I spent 1 to 2 hours having fellowship with the Lord.  I communed with the Lord and served.  I did not rely on medication but relied on the Lord.

I thank the Lord for saving me and being merciful to me.  I was able to sleep.

Spiritual things cannot be fake and is real

What the world shows you are fake.

When I returned to the Lord I no longer drink.  The lazy and non-contributing employees that formed a union had left the company.

I didn’t have to argue with them

The Lord is working and caused them to leave.

The business recovered.

Before I am away from home all week due to drinking.  Now I am away from home all week serving the Lord.

The Lord also gave me a very good sister as a wife.

During night time we pray for a long time for our relatives and for our business.

Slowly, our relatives accepted Christ as their Lord and savior.

Our cornicks product Bida sold very well until we have raised the capital for starting our own business.

My wife and I prayed for a chance to do business given to us by the Lord

A chance for us to earn money.

I still attend church meetings, do morning watch for an hour, and communion with the Lord and just relying on the Lord.

When we have raised the capital. I failed again and used my own method.  I hired professional managers, mostly retired regional sales managers from famous companies like Procter and Gamble, Del Monte, Universal Robina Corporation.  They are very capable and wise people.

My prayer life lessened and I just relied on the managers.  There is nothing wrong with the systems they created.

However the Lord does not want to bless the business and it almost went bankrupt.

Once again, I returned to the Lord. I repented, prayed and relied on the Lord.

Spiritual things are real

Our decision making must be committed to the Lord.

When the product Boy Bawang came out, I love to pray and join church meetings in Taiwan and Iloilo conferences.

The business started to expand from cornick products to chips.

Doing business is a chance given to us by the Lord.

If we do business just for the sake of money, it is a shame and shallow goal.

I’m someone who is a nobody in the past and not capable. It is the Lord who gave it to me.

From a capital of 10k, until today I never imagined it will grow like this.

I still want to do company expansion but only if God allows.

If I plan I don’t want to plan small, if the lord is willing, he will send the right person to help us out.

Do not be afraid to do business without capital if the Lord wills it

Our heavenly father is very rich.  If we do not live for the lord we will regret it.

When I stand in my factory I do not feel like it’s my business,
I’m just a manager of our heavenly father

When we become a steward for lord we will be blessed.

During a church conference, a song played, “Lord I offer my life to you..”

I struggled because I felt that the Lord impressed upon me to give my capital to the lord.

I told God, “This is yours, do not let me lose my testimony that will affect your name.”

I used to be a poor person, I can still be a poor person

After i offered my money, The Lord did not allow me to go bankrupt and allow me to gradually restore myself.

Year by year, we see the Lord’s faithfulness.  The business expands and good people come in.

We should live and serve the lord and He will bless us.

The Lord will not allow us to go hungry.

Whats is best are spiritual blessings.

We should not depart from the church or the blessings will be gone.

Serving the lord is our primary career like in Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship.

The Lord does not want partial offering.  He wants our whole heart.

If the Lord tells me to sell the business, I will respond “Yes Lord, Your will be done.”

While we live on earth, we shouldn’t be focused too much on the things of this earth. We should focus on the spiritual things.

We cannot bring our business when we die.

There is the promise of eternal life and eternal blessings if we serve the Lord well in the new heaven and the new earth.

Revelation 22:3

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

I’m now 51 years old.
I don’t know how long I will live

We are fools if we only live for the present time who did not know the Lord and did not serve Lord well.

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