Christians and the Concept of Investment: Is it Sin or Not Paper Presented on Symposium for UCHOCHEAJI WA MAENDELEO KWA WANANCHI NA TAIFA, at Hotel JB Belmont, Mwanza, September 9, Muneja, Mussa PhD

God is the Greatest Investor Investment per se is not sin However it may be a form of sin depending on the type of business or on the manner you treat the workers in your company God himself is the greatest investor. The whole project of creating the world and all that is within is an investment When God’s investment was destroyed by sin and Satan, he embarked on another restoration project through Jesus Christ (John 3:16) The book of Deuteronomy 28 is full of blessings which fits in the scope of investment (READ Deut 28: 1-8)

In the New Testament Jesus called Disciples to stop investing in fish business to gospel business Jesus did not condemn the investment activities they were doing In another incidence when he gave the parable of the talents, Jesus endorsed, OCCUPY TILL I COME.’ This implied that every investor needs to remember that at some point his/business shall be assessed.

Does Math 19:23-24 Teach that Investors shall not go to Heaven? It needs to be clear here that Jesus was talking in reference to one specific example—The rich young ruler The problem of this famous young person is that he was greedy, he did not want to share his possession with the needy. The whole problem of greediness belongs to every human being regardless of his/her investment position. The bible has plenty of examples of faithful people who were extremely rich: Job, David, Solomon etc However being rich does not necessarily mean you are BLESSED!

Wrong Forms of Investment Religious leaders pressurizing the flock to give so that they can accumulate wealth and claim it is God’s blessing It is wrong to invest in businesses that are contrary to the Word of God such as illicit drugs, liquors, cigarettes, weapons, film industry (with the so called adult content), human trafficking for sex industry, etc Investment that evades payment of legal taxes Investment that oppresses workers Investment that has no plan for the poor and the needy

8 Principles of Christian Investment 1. THE ROLE OF PRAYER Take time to pray and ask God to guide you as the steward of His finances

2. BE PATIENT Hasty decisions may lead you to draw the wrong conclusions concerning your investments causing significant long–term losses.

3. SEEK COUNSEL Ask a trusted Christian investment counselor to assist you as you develop your investment plan. “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.” Proverbs 15:22

4 PAY OFF SIGNIFICANT DEBT BEFORE INVESTING Controlling outgoing income is as important as gaining cash flow.

5. INVEST ETHICALLY Ask yourself, “Will this investment be pleasing to the Lord?”

6. SET SPECIFIC GOALS Biblically based investing includes purposeful goals such as a college education or retirement fund.

7. EVALUATE RISK AND RETURN Investments are not “one size fits all.” Research the potential risks involved.

8. DIVERSIFY Divide your wealth between different types of investments with varying risk levels. Diversification is the key to the long-term stability and success of your investments. “Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. Ecclesiastes 11:2”

9. UNDERSTAND YOUR INVESTMENT Knowledge is the key success investing “Through wisdom is an house built; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24: 3–4

10. TAKE RISK ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF YOUR FAITH Without risks one can not make a significant progress.

Call the Meeting into Prayer

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