“Our country today faces a precarious future,” Bro Lim Kah Hooi said at a recent FCCI (Fellowship of Companies for Christ International) conference that was themed, “Success Through Righteousness.” More than ever, we need men and women to rise up with strong faith, courageous faith, and exciting faith to face the challenges ahead. We need all sorts of people—Christians—like you and I, to bring hope to our nation.”
The National Director of FCCI (Fellowship of Companies for Christ International) Malaysia, Bro. Kah Hooi has worked in several large American Multinational companies for nearly 20 years and has been involved with coaching and mentoring CEO’s and business owners in Malaysia for the past 20 years. Today, FCCI has business groups in KL, Seremban, Penang, JB, and Ipoh.
The conference was held in Ipoh on the 27th and 28th of February. After several thought-provoking and faith-challenging sessions on Saturday, Bro. Kah Hooi presented an introduction to FCCI in order to give the conferees a better understanding of the organization.
He began by telling a story of how “two grocers changed the course of a nation.” It was the 1300’s in England, and two Christian grocers decided to keep one another accountable by checking each other’s scales to ensure that they were not cheating their customers. They soon noticed that their businesses had begun to prosper. Other grocers in the marketplace also noticed, and wanted to be a part of what they were doing so that their businesses would also grow.
The two men agreed, but said that they would have to abide by 12 Biblical principles that they had drawn up. That was how the first guild association started in London. The bakers saw what was happening among the grocers and wanted to do the same thing. So they got together. Soon, word spread throughout the country, and the British government eventually realized that they should be the ones imposing standards and measures. That is how the Weights and Standards department started in the UK. Two grocers changed the course of a nation.
“God has put more than two Christians business owners in this room,” Bro. Kah Hooi said. “I believe that when we get together, we can do mighty acts for God. The Bible says that when two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in our midst. So if two like-minded Christians in business can get together and collaborate, we can change the course of our nation. The vision of FCCI is to transform our world through Christ—one company leader at a time.”
Bro. Kah Hooi then went on to share a short video of one of FCCI’s founders who shared his story. In 1977, Bobby Mitchell read the book, “In His Steps,” by Charles Sheldon. “It’s a story of a televangelist who challenged a big social church to face every issue in life by asking the question, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Mitchell said.
“The book is a story of 12 people who took that challenge. One of them was a guy named Milton Wright. He was a businessman. And he converted his business in an attempt to make that a platform for ministry.
“I was absolutely intrigued with it, and it started me on the most exciting journey of my life. I had a good friend named Larry Burkett who was in financial ministry. We invited men from the southeast to come in and see if they were interested in operating their business in a way that would honor the Lord.
“What we found was that it resonated with people who had deep faith. It made no impact whatsoever on people who had casual faith. But people who had deep faith wanted to make that reality. So that birthed the ministry, Fellowship of Christian Companies for Christ International.
“We have served thousands of businesses around the world in the last 30 years, with groups, conferences, materials, and now, the Internet. It has been exciting to see life change. We believe life change happens in small groups. So we urge everybody to join and be a member and to get into a small group. We believe that it would change your life and bear much fruit for the Kingdom.”
“How many of you feel like a second-class citizen in the Kingdom of God?” Bro. Kah Hooi asked. “I was pretty good at my job. I got promoted, and eventually became a managing director of a company with 1000 employees. But I always felt like I was second-class. I always felt like if I want to be a really good Christian, I must be a pastor or a missionary. I always felt excluded from the elite.
“But not everyone is called to be a pastor. And I realized deep inside me that I was not called to be a pastor in a church. God has given me certain gifts in the workplace and I was enjoying my job. I really looked forward to going to work in the morning. But there was this dilemma and I was seeking for answers. Then, in my journey, I discovered FCCI.
“A friend introduced me to the president at that time, and he said he will send me some materials where I could learn about how to be a minister in the marketplace. Lo and behold, he sent me a whole box of DVDs. I was hungry and searching, so I went through the material, and realized ‘Hey, I can do those things!’ I began learning to integrate my faith into what I do at work!
“So that’s how FCCI Malaysia came about. I felt like there were lots of Christians who were in business who felt the same way as I did, and I wanted to share the journey with them. The Bible says that the Kingdom of God is like a pearl. I was like a man who found this valuable thing. I wanted to abandon everything and share this discovery with Christians in the marketplace.
Bro. Kah Hooi then asked everyone to do a short exercise:
How many employees do you have?
How many customers do you have?
How many suppliers do you have?
How many competitors do you have?
Add those numbers up. Multiply the total by five (representing the average number of family members).
“The definition of a mega church is anything more than 2000 people.” Bro Kah Hooi said. If your number is 3000, you have a mega church. If you are a boss, you are basically a minister or priest in your company.”
“I have a call from God. I am convinced His purpose for me is in the business world. My business is my pulpit.” – Stanley Tamm, Business Owner & Author, “God Owns My Business”
“If you are a business leader, you are preaching from that pulpit of your business. Your employees, your customers, your suppliers, your competitors, look at you. The way you behave, the way you walk, and the way you talk—you are preaching a message. If you are a Christian business owner, that is your congregation. Brothers and sisters, if you are in authority and leadership, you have a very important role. Don’t take it lightly.”
“In FCCI, we say that in pursuit of Christ’s eternal objective, we equip and encourage Christian business leaders to operate their businesses and conduct their personal lives in accordance to Biblical principles. Our focus is on equipping and encouraging.
“We are here to provide you with resources and materials that would encourage you, and we do so in small groups. We believe very strongly that in a big group, transaction of information happens. But in a small group, that is where transformation happens. Jesus modeled that for us very clearly with His 12 disciples. We are to spend more time with our inner-circle.
“The difference between an FCCI group versus a church cell group is that everyone in your FCCI group is homogenous. They face the same issues you face and go through the same experiences. These are the people who will journey with you—like-minded Christians who walk the same steps you do, who will eventually impact you.”
FCCI uses the model called “Pathway to Purpose,” which focuses on four areas:
1. Spiritual maturity
We are anointed to be His servants and therefore we must pursue a pathway to spiritual maturity in order to accomplish His perfect plan for our lives.
2. Servant leadership
There are many kinds of leadership in this world, but we believe that servant leadership is the one that Jesus modeled. To be a leader, you must first learn to serve.
3. Organizational Excellence
If you want the world to listen to you, you must have a platform, and your business is your platform. If your platform is not strong, people in your industry will not want to listen to you. The Scriptures can guide us to achieving this.
4. Kingdom Company
Work is ministry and ministry is work. On the Kingdom development path, we will develop and implement a ministry plan that impacts employees, customers, suppliers and the marketplace for Christ.
To find out more about membership with FCCI and upcoming events/conferences, please contact FCCI Malaysia at fcci.msia@gmail.com
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Esperanza Ng
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