3 Key Ingredients to See the Prophesied Transfer of Wealth

Have you ever wondered what it's going to take for you to experience the transfer of wealth that the Bible predicts?

Sometimes, huge concepts like the wealth transfer seem like distant, pie-in-the-sky concepts ... especially when we have not experienced them yet.

Proverbs 13:22 says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just."

We believe God and desire the prosperity He promises. So, we pray and pray for the fulfillment of His Word, but we often don't know what else to do to see the things we are praying for manifest. However, anytime we dissect a historical occurrence of a phenomenon such as a transfer of wealth, we find patterns we can replicate in order to see that phenomenon happen in our own lives.

Recently, the Lord showed me three key ingredients of the wealth transfer that we can each replicate in our own lives in order to see that wealth transfer come to pass.

What are these patterns?

1. Do business in a frontier.

Have you ever wondered how the great moneyed families of the Gilded Age (circa 1870s-1900) were able to accumulate their legendary wealth? The primary reason is because each of them chose to do business in a frontier:

• Andrew Carnegie was the first to harness the power of steel in construction.

• The Vanderbilts were railroad magnates.

• The Rockefellers "dabbled" in oil.

• The King and Wetmore families engaged in the China trade.

• The Fair family made their fortune in a silver strike at the Comstock silver lode in Nevada.

These families each tapped into their own frontier. And when they did, they found new and inventive ways to solve problems and serve people. They found frontiers where there was little to no competition. In doing so, they discovered that new ideas could turn into profit overnight. Therefore, they were able to turn enormous profits quickly.

2. Hard work is required.
 
A person's work ethic usually falls into one of three categories. Either:

• They work hard for others and for themselves, or

• They work hard for others, but not for themselves or

• They value fun more than they value hard work.

Though we don't always view it this way, work is a gift from God. He loves to see us work at what He has called us to do; and we are commanded to work "as for the Lord and not for men" (Col. 3:23b). Therefore, when He does something, it is usually going to require us to participate with diligence and faithfulness.

No matter which category your current work ethic fits into, be aware that hard work will be required if you desire to see the transfer of wealth. It will take work to:

• form a business (whether for-profit or nonprofit) which can receive, hold and disburse the wealth God wants to send you;

• identify and implement new ideas;

• build relationships with the people you serve; and

• continue to maintain a healthy spiritual life, personal life and family life.

The good news is that once you get your business established and profitable, it takes less work to make a profit on an ongoing basis than it did at the beginning. The hardest work is at the very beginning.

I believe the third component of the great transfer of wealth is:

3. To get started, you have to take a risk.

Andrew Carnegie took a tremendous risk by arranging for the first steel bridge to be built. The bridge almost bankrupted him, and he had no way of knowing that people would use such an innovative structure even after it was built. However, he believed steel was the substance of the future, and he wanted to prove it and serve people at the same time.

The China trade merchants also took a huge risk every time they sent a ship to the Orient. Not only were they unsure that their goods would sell, but they also had to deal with the risk of potentially losing a ship due to weather, fire, or mutiny.

Likewise, the silver-mining kings had to deal with the risks of cave-ins, theft, empty mines, wild animals, lack of medical care and many other uncertainties that went along with living in the undeveloped American Western frontier.

Nevertheless, they took calculated risks because they believed.

In each case, they saw the potential in their respective frontiers. They believed in their product or service, and they believed they would receive the results they dreamed of if they would just push into their vision.

If we are going to experience the transfer of wealth in the body of Christ, we must get back to the basic ingredients required for such a transfer: doing business in a frontier; working hard; and taking calculated risks.

What frontier is available to you today?

The American West is already developed; railroads have been built; oil and gas are readily available around the world. So what frontiers are left? I'll name one: E-commerce.

We believe the biggest frontier available to us today—the single greatest vehicle God has ordained for the transfer of wealth—is e-commerce. We believe that the internet was invented for such a time as this—specifically to bless the body of Christ and allow God's people to gain wealth. Here's why:

• It's available to nearly everyone.

• Startup costs for most types of internet business are low, very low or free.

• It provides an unlimited customer base. Through the internet, one entrepreneur can do business with people in every corner of the globe.

• An internet site or store is open for business 24/7, whether you're sitting in front of your computer or not. (Remember the Prov. 31 woman, whose lamp goes not out by night?)

• It allows for passive income, such as income through product sales and advertising revenue.

• There is a niche for everyone, from preachers to sellers of shoes to travel guides. Every person can have his or her own brand; it's completely unnecessary to work for anyone else.

We believe internet business is the vehicle God has ordained to bring the church the great transfer of wealth.

It is a frontier available to all. It allows you to become the head and not the tail; above only and not beneath (Deut. 28). It allows you to maintain your unique identity and function exactly in your own calling and gifting. It allows people to bring you income continually (Isa. 60:11). And the potential for profit based on creative solutions, excellent service, and innovative ideas surpasses what was available at any other time in history.

God has called us to be the head, and not the tail; to lend to many nations but never borrow. Internet business provides every believer with a reasonable avenue by which to arrive at that level of prosperity.

Jesus also said to occupy until He comes. "Occupy" means to "do business" until He comes. The only way to obey His command, as well as to receive the wealth He has promised, is to do business.

I would also encourage you to reconsider the traditional notion that doing business for someone else is anyone's ideal solution.

Yes, we have to work for others ("have a job") and support our families if we aren't yet in a position to stop doing so. However, even if you are tied to a job working for someone else right now, I strongly encourage you to start a side business if you want to participate in the great transfer of wealth. And ideally, such a business should be a business of your own—not buying into someone else's great idea or multi-level marketing plan.

Why does this matter? Because it's all about lining up with God's Word. God's Word states:

• That you are to be the head, and not the tail (Deut. 28). How can you do that if you're laboring for someone else's dream?
   
• God's Word also says that "virtue" requires us to take raw goods and manufacture resellable materials (Prov. 31) to bring income into our households.
  
• His Word even says we should lend money at interest (Matt. 25:14-30).

We love to spiritualize all these teachings, but the fact of the matter is that each passage very clearly discusses how we should handle money and how God expects us to do business.
Therefore, I encourage you to prayerfully consider:

• Starting a business that allows you to use your gifts, your talents, your story and your personality to serve others as only you can.

• Starting a business that will bring you into your dream of serving for the greater good, and will bring you all the profits—both to enjoy and to disburse into gospel work.

• And, because of the frontier factor, we strongly encourage you to pray about making your "side hustle" an internet business.

For some, this concept is daunting. Have you ever thought, "I could never start a business!" or "I don't even know what I would do"?

If so, consider the gifts and talents God gave you. You may not even be aware of all your gifts, but your gifts are the key to your breakthrough. So how can you tap into them?

We've all heard the phrase, "Desperate times require desperate measures." It's true that, when we are desperately hungry for a breakthrough, we press in to see behind the veil.