August 17 2018 – Click here to listen
So, a friend of mine wrote seeking counsel for the direction of his ministry. He founded it a couple of decades ago and has done many good things through his ministry over the years which he enumerated for me. He wanted to do more but could barely make ends meet for what he was currently working through. He wrote in part that he could:
- Continue operating “as is”
- Merge with another small, but like-minded ministry
- Come under the umbrella of a larger ministry with a shared mission and vision
Then he added: There are advantages/disadvantages to all three options, but the main reason to consider #2 or #3 is untapped ministry opportunities due to lack of available resources (money and manpower).
I responded in a practical manner versus idealistic:
“I often tell folks in business seminars that bigger is not always better, but profitable is always good. It sounds like you are accomplishing quite a lot for the Lord which in the ministry equates to profit. I personally don’t know of any Christian organization that isn’t struggling to find the finances they need to support their mission. I know the Jesus Alliance is. It seems to me that the anti-Christ folks have all the money they need which is not contrary to Satan ruling the world. Remember he told Christ when he was trying to tempt him that all of the world and everything in it had been given to him after the fall.
I would pray about it. Rely on God’s strength and not your own. If He wants to enlarge your ministry I’m sure He will lead you down that path . . . If not, endure your struggles and continue to chip away.”
He wrote back:
Thanks for your wise counsel, brother. Like you, I’m not focused on expansion for the sake of expansion, but simply because the need is so great, the laborers are so few, and time is so short (as per your devotional message today). With that being said, there are times when I would gladly settle for a regular paycheck, but God keeps us on our knees and continuously dependent on Him.
I’ll be praying for God to bless the Jesus Alliance with the necessary funds to move forward . . . boldly! Meanwhile, here is a great quote on the subject of “bigger isn’t always better” from Chuck Swindoll:
“We want a crowd to make us feel important and liked. But why is getting a crowd our focus? Jesus never suggested that crowds were the goal. He never addresses getting your church to grow. Never.”
As I stated to my friend most ministries have struggled with finances for many years. It is difficult and often heart-breaking to see so many missed opportunities due to money just not being available. Donors are scarce and trust me the few that are willing to invest are deluged with requests.
As the current leader of the Jesus Alliance it is a dilemma that I have grown to detest. I hate asking for funding, but without funding little can be accomplished. I reached a point where I was resentful that the anti-Christ groups seem to have so many resources and give so freely and the people of God do not respond.
As an example, anti-God – anti-America hater George Soros has set aside some $19 billion dollars to further his evil agenda. He and his friends finance the most wicked organizations on the face of the earth. I have trouble raising a thousand dollars for the Jesus Alliance. I often feel as though I’m in a gun fight with Satan and using a squirt gun against an AR15.
Why would God allow Satan to control the wealth of this world? I suppose we ceded it over to him when Adam and Eve were deceived and relinquished everything to him in the Garden of Eden. On the other hand, perhaps God’s goals and ours are not the same. As I clumsily told my friend, maybe God wants our small victories more than He wants the larger ones.
It is one of the mysteries in life that I look forward to hearing the Lord demystify when I can at last speak with Him in heaven. Until then I will try to manage the meager resources He has allowed and be glad for them.
I agree with my friend that the harvest is great, the laborers are few, and time is running out. Most fulltime ministry people realize that their pay will primarily be realized in heaven, but nonetheless those who work fulltime need to eat and pay bills. I don’t take a paycheck, but others who work within our ministry do. When you consider giving a portion of your resources that God blessed you with to the Lord, consider that ministry as we know it cannot exist without funding.
I feel led to share a portion of this article that I recently read in Bible.org:
“When we come to the matter of finances in the New Testament church, I think we all tend to tighten up a little bit, for inevitably it deals with something which is very dear to the hearts of most Americans—money. I, too, am a bit apprehensive, for I recall all too well an encounter between a friend of mine and his pastor. The pastor had just given a rousing sermon on stewardship, and so far as I know, attempted to stir up the troops to give even greater sums of money into the church treasury.
My friend, whose name is Carl, and who is quite outspoken, was not too impressed with the sermon. When Carl got to the doorway there was the pastor shaking hands with those who were leaving. The pastor, whose name was Vince, knew that if there was anyone in the church who would level with him about his message that morning it was Carl. With very little prompting Carl concisely summarized the matter with this statement, “Vince, the way I look at it, your sermons cost me twenty-five bucks a piece, and frankly, Vince, you and I both know they’re not worth it.”
Hmmm . . . Is that what Carl thinks about church?
The article continues:
“From the amount of time spent on this matter of finances in some churches you might conclude that it is the only matter of importance, at least to the preachers. But in spite of the undue emphasis upon money in some churches, money and giving is a vital part of New Testament Christianity. Certainly we see this in the second chapter of Acts where the newly-born church is described:
And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need (Acts 2:42-45).
I would suspect that when we read of ‘wonders and signs’ taking place in the church we would think of miraculous healings and such, but in my mind the greatest miracle is when naturally self-seeking, materialistic men and women begin to sell their property and share with everyone their hard-earned assets. Now here is a true miracle. How many people do you know who are willing to renounce possession of their material goods and share with those who have material needs?”
Geez how far have we digressed from thinking like that? The world would be a better place if only folks would have retained those Holy Spirit moments after the Day of Pentecost.
The bottom line is the early church could not do the mind-boggling amount of necessary work of God without resources and neither can today’s church. Pray about becoming a part of the greatest miracle and support those ministries that are working every day and night to further the kingdom of God. The rewards far exceed the investment . . .
2 Cor. 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!