What is "Telosity?"
The degree to which a created being, environment, or object is manifestly expressing the Word of God and His intended purposes.
The Greek word telos (G5056 in Strong’s concordance) translates as "the principal aim, purpose, or end of some thing."
This root (tel-) means "reaching the end (or aim)." It is well-illustrated with the old pirate's telescope, unfolding (extending out) one stage at a time to function at full-strength (or full capacity or effectiveness).
Telos, then, is the fulfillment of the unique purpose for which something was created. A man has a telos. A woman has a telos. A tree has a telos. Screws have a telos. Glass. Fire. Coffee cups. Tires. Salt. Time. Ministries. Every thing. Each individual telos contributes to the singular telos of Creation as time unfolds ever-forward toward the throne of God.
Functioning as Intended
When something is not functioning as it was intended to function, its telos — its principal purpose — still exists, but remains separated from the current manifest reality of that thing.
For example, the telos or principal aim of a coffee cup could be described as “to hold coffee until it is enjoyed.” If the cup has a hole in its side, it can not "hold coffee until it is enjoyed," and thereby does not fulfill its principal aim (or telos). The principal aim of “holding coffee until it is enjoyed” still exists, but it is not actualized through this particular cup. We could say this cup has “missed the mark" and fallen short. This particular cup still has all its other properties — like mass, color, shape, and density. But this cup's property of telos-ness or its “telosity” — how close it is to functioning in its principal purpose — is bad, poor, low, or lacking.
We could say that "telosity" is "the degree to which a created being, environment, or object is manifestly expressing the Word of God and His intended purposes for that particular created being, environment, or object."
"This broken coffee cup has really poor telosity."
"The telosity of that prayer room was excellent!"
"Check the telosity of our company's branding, please."
We can recognize "telosity" by the Spirit of God, and we can increase in "telosity" through close, personal relationship with God.
The Telos of Jesus Christ
It is worth noting that the first and last mentions of telos in the King James Bible are:
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end [telos] shall be saved. (Matthew 10:22)
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end [telos], the first and the last. (Revelation 22:13)
Jesus Christ Himself is the principal aim, purpose, and end all things. He is Who we endure for and to. His “telosity” — the degree to which He is in agreement with, living out, and manifestly expressing God’s intended purpose for Him — was, and is, and will forever be absolutely perfect.
Who He is and what He does was, is, and will forever be perfectly in agreement and perfectly reflective of God the Father, who purposed Him to be the revelation of the Father. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:1,14).
What Works Best
God’s Word is Reality and defines Reality.
When His Word is manifest, Reality is manifest; Truth is manifest; Life is manifest; Light is manifest; Love is manifest.
God is who gave unique purpose to each and every part of creation. He knows where and when everything belongs and how to work all things together for good for those who love God and are the called according to His purpose (Luke 12:7, Romans 8:28).
God has reconciled us to Himself and given us His Spirit. We have communion with Him. We can ask and seek Him, knowing He will answer and His answer will be Reality.
To walk with God in fellowship is simply what works best in every dimension of existence.
God Has All the Blueprints
The Bible says "we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10, emphasis added).
We are the handiwork of God.
He made us.
We didn't make Him.
The location of our True existence (where we are Real) is in Christ Jesus — in The Truth, The Way, The Life, The Light, The Love, The Reality.
The purpose for which God created us to exist in Reality (His Son) was for good works — those good works were established for us to walk in. They (the good works) have been established already... by God, which means that those good works... work! Everything God does, works.
We are simply to walk in these good works, like walking within the borders of a beautiful trail amidst an amazingly beautiful forest which existed hundreds and thousands of years before we were ever born.
God already has the blueprints for all of what He will call us to do in this life (see 1 Chronicles 28, esp. v12 and 19). He has already established those blueprints in the realm of His Kingdom.
He has already laid out the path with everything we will need along the way — including keeping us on the path.
All we need is to ask for His direction and trust His leading of His Spirit who lives in us. We can put one foot in front of the other, that we may walk in that which He has ordained and established for us.
The result?
God is glorified, and the telosity of our lives is awesome.
That is what I do as a business coach for God’s family.
I partner with the Lord alongside His sons & daughters as He reveals His identity, purpose, and vision for His life to them, in them, and through them.
With revelation regarding the relational integrity between His Word, their business, and all that supports it, I map out with clients the "telosity" of what the Lord shows us, and provide accountability as action is taken based on what has been prayerfully discovered.
Using “telosity” as the benchmark for decisions, clients have seen:
Enrollment numbers triple
Website traffic octuple
“Crazy ideas” become new offers and new sales
Relationships arranging themselves according to truth and communication becoming crystal clear
Hope arriving where previously no way forward was possible
Faith growing in the reality that “all things are [indeed] possible with God.”
No, it is not all rainbows and roses. Sometimes things are really, really hard. Sometimes things do not turn out the way it seemed they should. But God always prevails. Always.
And we have Him and His Holy Spirit to lead the way — thank God.
If you are a born-again, Christian business owner, and the Lord is leading you: