What's the Occuprise Network all about?
Hello, and thanks for visiting our site.
Allow me to get this out of the way first: The Occuprise Network is not about achieving financial, personal, or influencer success as Christian business owners. Instead, we focus on the practicalities of kingdom principles and impact through our work.
The Occuprise Network is about having a different sort of spirit (Numbers 14.24) in the marketplace.
We believe that Jesus Christ is concerned with influence, increase, and impact in the marketplace of both commerce and ideas. Wherever we bring kingdom principles to bear is where the kingdom of heaven exists.
Jesus chose business owners and merchants as his core “mastermind” of twelve. The apostle Paul was a Pharisee, but also a tent-maker. As business owners and independent contractors we have myriad opportunities to affect policy, marketing, events, and client and customer relationships.
We’re fighting a battle in the United States and worldwide. Our liberty to live and work is being removed. Justice and right-thinking are suppressed. How do we respond? What can business owners do? First of all, we have to come together.
So our focus is on nurturing relationships, messaging, branding, client attraction, responding to objections and critics, speaking truth in a winsome way, and taking advantage of the opportunities presented by entrepreneurship to advance the kingdom of heaven on earth.
We want to build our enterprises on kingdom principles and share those principles, not through direct preaching, prophesying, or teaching, but through ordinary, everyday decisions and actions as we go about our business. It’s covert evangelism.
Why does this matter?
It matters because we want to live peaceable lives in our nation, surrounded by a culture that allows us our freedom to worship and openly practice our faith in Christ, and to impact our culture for Christ, taking back the territory that’s been taken from us.
Just as progressive ideologies have discipled our culture pushing truth and godly values and viewpoints to the back burner or suppressed them altogether through repetition, narrative, and amplification, so we believers can revive truth and and advance the Lord’s kingdom principles through narrative, repetition, and amplification. Romans 1.18–19,
Rather than retreat behind church walls and into prayer circles and home groups praying for Jesus to return quickly and save us from the tribulation, we should be advancing assertively into our culture to influence rather than be influenced. This advance doesn’t require formal preaching and street evangelism. We advance through our daily transactional relationships with clients and customers. In other words, covert Christianity.
Many Christians have compromised truth and freedom by agreeing with opposing messages so that they aren’t de-platformed, ridiculed or ostracized. We each want to be liked and respected. We don’t want to doxxed, shamed, ridiculed, opposed, or attacked. But that’s exactly what’s happening to people who promote truth. It’s exactly what we should expect. John 15.18
How do we answer the questions people are asking when people don’t accept the Bible or the existence of God? How do we respond to people who operate under an antithetical worldview? How do we operate as salt and light? Matthew 5.13–16
Why can't we leave it up to the church?
It’s the observation of many that churches have been hiding out during the last 50 or so years — especially during the , and have remained silent on so many issues, cultural and political, when they should have spoken boldly and specifically. Our culture is where it is because we’ve been timid and self-serving in general, whether churched or not.
We’ve resorted to attacking each other — Protestant vs. Catholic, Reform vs. Arminian, infant baptism vs. believer baptism, KJV vs. TPT, charismatic vs. evangelical, etc. — rather than unifying against the advances of spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places Ephesians 6.12, in government, in education, in media, in the arts, in business, in the home, and on the soccer fields.
Many of us don’t engage in conversations, political action, or public debates. We don’t talk about religion and politics. We don’t run for office. We don’t apply to talk on the TED stage. We don’t teach in secular universities or involve ourselves in media.
We turn a blind eye to human issues like trafficking, abortion, free speech, religious freedom, and boundaries of respect.
We accept government as our source. We portray Jesus Christ as an SJW, meek and mild, a socialist. We participate in trending narratives even when these have no basis in truth and don’t align with Biblical values. We go along to get along, rather than disrupt the flow of culture against us. We are afraid of taking the risk. We don’t want to be doxxed, cancelled, or de-platformed. Rather than be inconvenienced, we stay silent.
Pastors, preachers, and church boards don’t want to discuss politics, threats, suppression, oppression, de-platforming, religion and philosophies. Perhaps they don’t believe they’re equipped for that. Perhaps they’re afraid of calling attention to themselves, arrest, threats, ridicule.
But we business owners and consultants are out there on the front lines of culture and commerce. Therefore we need strategies and tactics through which we give the basis for the hope that lies within us.
If we don’t disciple our culture, someone else will. Someone already has. And so here we are.
As the ekklesia — the assembly — it’s our responsibility to uncover the truth, to expose the lies, and to winsomely persuade people toward Jesus Christ. We know the answers. We need to recover the territory we’ve given up.
We will equip ourselves with the armor of God, the truth of his word, and the power and resources of the kingdom of heaven.
Why Occuprise?
Occuprise is the combination of enterprise and occupy, and is derived from Jesus’ story about the talents. To each servant, the owner gave talents. Each servant was to invest and “do business” or occupy on his behalf until the owner returned.
Every entrepreneur and creativepreneur has been given talent, desire, passion, to build a business or movement that will be significant. Each is uniquely positioned to influence in their sphere — their area of assignment.
Every entrepreneur, whether small business owner or freelancer, carries their own banner. They’re free to craft and implement their own vision and mission as they choose.
Christian entrepreneurs who are authentically making every effort to follow Jesus Christ need strategy and tactics that enable them to work with people outside the church, even those who oppose the teachings of Jesus Christ, in a winsome and attractive manner.
They need strategies and tactics to grow their businesses, serve clients and customers, build their brands, and share their messages.
Churches don’t talk about business, politics, economics, or world religions. What was the most recent sermon you heard about the problems with Marxist ideology and how to combat it? Churches generally don’t equip people to deal with marketplace ideas, business practices, government policies and mandates.
Occuprise Network is here to help fill that gap and to impact culture in ways the church doesn’t. Through our businesses, marketing branding, and the exchange of services and goods, we have opportunities for conversations, customer support, technical support, training, and more.
Beyond that, we own our platforms and can respond to cultural narratives and political movements.
The Occuprise Network is about covert Christianity. This is not hiding your faith and going along to get along, acquiescing and agreeing. Neither is it going about blatantly challenging people on the streets. Covert Christianity is stealth. It infiltrates subtly through words and actions, through wisdom spoken and deeds done. As entrepreneurs we don’t serve the church, we serve our communities, and we do that by practicing and promoting kingdom principles.
Why should Christianity be covert? Often the obvious approach gets shut down. If you’re shut down, you’re not effective. A covert approach is winsome and persuasive. It’s relational. Kingdom principles are demonstrated, not preached.
How many people do you know of who are leaders and influencers in the secular spheres, who deploy kingdom principles and the gospel message without mentioning Jesus Christ? Their fans and supporters are loyal to them because of their messages, consistency, and genuine concern for people. They write best-selling books but don’t preach. They are visible and known.
For the entrepreneur, influence begins with our messaging and how we build our brands. Our purposes determine our business policies. Our mission pervades our client and customer relations. We speak the truth, knowing that all truth comes from God, without overtly condemning or ridiculing non-believers, even when they condemn and ridicule us.
- We connect authentically in order to present and persuade.
- We’re comfortable debating opposing viewpoints without disrespecting those who hold them.
- We understand that our obedience to God is in sharing the message, not in forcing results.
- We’re able to answer objections and respond in a winsome, engaging manner.
- We recognize the difference between truth and false narratives because we’re grounded in scripture. We’re not swayed by various arguments, conspiracies, and ideas, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (ref), but remain solidly fixed (ref) on the gospel and kingdom principles.
- We understand the purpose of work and creative effort and their significance in the kingdom of God Gen 1:1. We understand that business and ownership are godly, and we are unabashed about talking about them.
- We use messaging and marketing to promote our businesses and the kingdom of heaven.
Owning a business forces you to grow up into your reason for being, which we believe is your assignment from the Lord if you’re an entrepreneur. We want to be the best we can be in business and life.
Our Mandate
Matthew 28.16–19 NET
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church (ekklesia), and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Matthew 16.1 NET
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people! You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5.13–16 NET
While the people were listening to these things, Jesus proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. Therefore he said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. And he summoned ten of his slaves, gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’
Luke 19.1–11 NET
Are you ready to step up?
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Our purpose is to…
- Unify around Bible principles, study scripture, research history, explore issues, and ask questions so we can answer cultural and political objections 1 Peter 3.15
- Seek God’s face 2 Chronicles 7.14 as the source of everything we need for life, godliness, business, and branding 2 Peter 1.3,
- Speak the truth in love without compromise Ephesians 4.15
- Stand and remain standing Ephesians 6.13–17 through the exchange of ideas, debate, persuasion, and spiritual warfare
- Occupy (do business) in our areas of assignment Luke 19.13 until Jesus returns or he takes each of us home
- Lead in our enterprises and spheres of influence with integrity of heart and skillful hands Psalm 78.72
- Do business, make profits, and influence in the way that we each do best according to our God-installed bents and desires, to support our lives, our families, our communities, and our causes. 3 John 2
But what about financial success?
No one starts a business with the intention of failing, so financial success is necessary. And that success is a result of the marketing, mechanics, and mission of any business.
We have to make a profit. Money is a tool by which we function in the world and with which we influence and provide for others.
Revenue and profits are the result of doing business well. So we deploy biblical principles for doing business.
Certainly, we’re supposed to leave an inheritance for our kids and their generations. In addition to a legacy of faith a paid-for home, investments, and other property should be handed down as resources.
Our foundational principles
There is one God, existing and manifesting in 3 persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Bible is the God-given, infallible, operator’s manual for life and godliness. It is our supreme and final authority for life and business. We test everything against it.
God desires increase. His first mandate to human beings was to be fruitful, multiply. This requires work on our part and his.
God created the concept of work. Work produces things. Our work serves our clients and customers, and we work for their highest good as well as our own.
God is the the creator of wealth and enterprise. We’re meant to work and invest, to increase until Jesus returns, and beyond.
We live by faith, not by sight. We believe God is the author of faith, and that He has work for each of us to do within our specific assignments. Through that work he matures and perfects our faith.
We don’t sit around passively waiting for Jesus to come back and take us home. We actively wait and occupy until he returns. To that end we engage our culture: people, ideas, philosophies, doctrines, trends, politics and more, in ways that churches cannot or will not. And we serve our clients and customers, praying for them and for opportunities to persuade with truth.
We do not argue doctrinal differences which divide us, but encourage unity across denominations. We blend the spiritual with the intellectual, the Arminian with the Reform, faith with action, prayer with practical effort. We pray before we persuade.
We intentionally seek genuine friendships and business relationships outside the church, with people who don’t know Christ, where we can influence thinking and world views.
We intentionally seek strategic alliances with like-minded business owners for the purposes of support, refinement, and strength.
We hold to values and business policies that seek our customers’ and clients’ highest good, no matter what they believe.
We build our businesses and brands on a foundation of values, vision, and voice, to win the culture around us and advance the kingdom of heaven on earth.
About the founder…
I’m a business owner. I’m the founder and chief operator of a strategic design consultancy and an illustration studio. My role has been to help other businesses advance into their marketplaces, attract and convince their customers and clients in a winsome and engaging manner.
Jesus’ great commission is about nations. Lately, I’ve recognized a chasm between what’s going on in policy, movements, culture, and what the established churches are doing. We are in a battle for our lives, the lives of our kids, and the soul of our nation. Why are we sitting back and waiting for Jesus to return? Why do we think that the kingdom of heaven is about being at weekend services, serving on committees, observing rituals, and having prayer meetings?
There’s a branding problem with the church in terms of focus and action. Pastors and leaders aren’t equipping us to deal with the onslaught of opposition in the marketplace, policy, and culture. Let’s reclaim the true idea of the ekklesia. Let’s come together with a common purpose and equip ourselves for the work we’re called to do.
Come join the Occuprise Network to identify and strategize practical responses and solutions in order to advance the kingdom of heaven, and to covertly influence and take back the territory we’ve given up. Our businesses, our families, our nation, and our inheritance are at stake.
Are you ready to step up?
Click an option below to take your next step.