Questions All Christian Ministries should ponder about asking for money to support their ministry:

Does God need you to beg for money?

What are you telling the world when you solicit funding for Christian Ministry?

In the season of Christmas there are many trends which have become all too common place. Some are nice and seem harmless enough. The trees all lit up with presents under them. The Christmas lights blink happily in the cold night air. The joyful tinkling of Salvation Army Bell Ringers gathering help for the homeless. But one of the most disturbing trends of the Christian holiday season is that of Christian ministries begging for support.

During the celebration season of Christ’s birthday you get emails and letters galore from people you should be able to trust,with joyful Christmas messages that begin to warm your thoughts as you read them, but then your feelings are betrayed by the wholly inappropriate and all too frequent, “Oh, by the way, we need more money” begging at the end.

Right, as if they didn’t send the message with the intention of garnering your giving all along.

I have lived in Charlotte, North Carlina and I remembered how ugly it felt seeing beggars like Jim Bakker hawking Jesus for a profit. I know I shouldn’t but I can still get pretty angry about it. I remember what I thought of charlatans like him before I was a Christian. It wasn’t pretty.

What are you telling the world when you solicit funding for Christian Ministry?

Just how are you impacting the message of Jesus Christ when you demonstrate you cannot trust God to support you? I’ll tell you what the world thinks: Picture men with $5000 suits, holding silver cups in their gold and diamond ring laden hand, as these liars beg for the bread of the poor with the other.

If that’s not the message you want to send then I suggest you read on…

If you think scamming the poor out of their money is not what some professing Christian ministries do, then think again. I have heard in Africa and India, where live the poorest of the poor, you can actually find prosperity preachers. They declare that God will bless you if just give to their ministry; That message from men with suits and rings on their hands to people who live in dirt floor shanties. The word shame doesn’t cut the mustard in defining how despicable that truly is. These are those who the Bible warns will be horribly dealt with for leading children astray as they preached for personal gain.

Ask yourself the tough questions, minister

A wise elder brother once said to me that I must be willing to ask myself the hard questions to avoid the pitfalls so many ministers of the Gospel fall into. So, please, ask yourself, you who have Christian ministry…

If what you are doing is what God wants then isn’t Jesus able to get the support you need?

If you say you no, that have to beg for money from your listeners because you know they wouldn’t hear of your need otherwise, then are they really Christians? And do you really want their support, if not? Ask yourself whom you are trusting in, while you’re at it. After all, if they are Christians, who you minister to, then they would understand the need, right?If they are not you shouldn’t be asking for their money, anyway, correct?

If asking for money makes you uncomfortable then you should be very glad. OBEY that conscience and shut up. Trust God already!

Shouldn’t the Gospel be free?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ gets a lot of defamation in this world. In fact there is NO religion more defamed and derided globally than Christianity; And for good reason. When was the last time you heard a Christian cut someone’s head off for insulting Jesus? Indeed, that same wise grey headed friend I mentioned before also told me that if I am insulted for the sake of Jesus while all other religions get a pass then I just learned what the world considers the real threat. In other words, the world knows the only real religion to be Christianity; That is why they hate Jesus and His followers so.

But, that being said, we must understand that no Believer may ever knowingly bring shame to the name of Jesus. What did Paul say? Wasn’t it that is is better to be defrauded than take a brother to court and bring shame on the name of Christ? So how much better is it for you to demonstrate your trust in Jesus in not asking for money, EVER?

Is your faith so weak you cannot accept your fate at the hands of God?

Is what you are doing so important that you cannot let it fail if you’ve trusted God and He doesn’t provide the funding? Let’s face it, we all struggle with trying to take control back from God. And one of the toughest places to surrender control is over your sustenance.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, the sixth chapter, we read the correction that God provides so we must not be anxious. This principle, then, would be to trust God for every area of your life.
Of course God is not saying to not work. In fact God says work diligently, as if you are working for God Himself (for you are). Yes, if a man will not work neither shall he eat. (Someone tell the President)

God says to trust in Who has saved you.

Money is at the heart of our trust in Jesus and Christians never need to beg.
|

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that so many have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

The proof of the results of the lust of money is how the Pharisees, the Ministers of the day, responded to Jesus:

Luke 16:14
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him

And just what were the Pharisees laughing about? What did Jesus just teach that seemed so ridiculous to the religious men of His day?

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
Luke 16:1-13 (ESV)

He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Stay faithful, friend, especially if it hurts to,

If this message cuts you to the heart know this: Even John MacArthur’s Ministry, Grace to You, makes this mistake. Only a rare few, me not included, get the point about trusting God for money. I had to hear this myself and it was indeed hard to hear. I thank God my brother Mark Cahill had the courage to tell it to me. I pass this wisdom onto you.
I remember Keith Green’s Last Days Ministries had this same policy and I was very impressed with them for that step of faith. He managed to stay afloat. Wonder of wonders! 🙂

If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?

Patrick Burwell
OnlyJesusSaves.com
Response@OnlyJesusSaves.com

P.s. If you respond to tell me how wrong I am, all you are going to get is a quiet nod; I understand your reluctance. I was where you are not long ago. Go and tell Jesus just how wrong I am and if you are right I will retract the article. I know my Father’s voice.