Two Extremes With Money And Ministry

PHP 4:10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

When I first started off in what some people would consider "the ministry" I was a young worship leader and budding prophet, and I ended up ministering all over California in various capacities, and while there I was exposed to two extremes concerning money and ministry that I want to briefly share with you.

My first experience I was asked to lead some worship down at a conference in L.A. and while there they had a well known singer from TBN singing "specials" for the people there. This man demanded thousands of dollars up front just to show up, and while we were eating in between sessions he just complained about how the food wasn't very good and that it was a waste of time for him to even show up there. I also did a bit of ministry and drove around a world-wide known minister they call "Mr. Holy Spirit" who has supposedly ministered to a number of world leaders. He had to have a white Cadillac to be chauffeured around in and when I took him to his home in Escondido he pulled out a wad of bills big enough to choke a mule and didn't even give me enough money to cover the gas for the car. He also turned out to be a homosexual and tried to seduce me while I stayed at his house that night and then in the morning called the 700 club to get me on a show about young men without fathers. I think he did this to try to appease me so I wouldn't tell on him for what he tried to do.

The Lord showed me very quickly that what some people consider to be 5 star ministry is really most of the time nothing more than a bunch of greed, corruption, selfish ambition, and sexual immorality. But also while there I met a young prophet and I began to lead worship for him while he preached. This man would preach the word of God to the small and great and many times we even had millionaires in the audience but left with barely enough change to get a taco at Taco Bell (no exaggeration). This was because this man would never compromise his message or try to tickle men's ears, and they would become offended at the truth he unashamedly proclaimed. At times I wished that he would have toned it down a little just so that we could eat. We ate in missions or even off fruit trees, slept in the bushes parks or on beaches, and we ran a ministry home for street people and got food from food banks. We made no salary, had no titles, and basically just lived by faith from day to day. We had 35 street people living in a two bedroom house and you could barely step over the bodies at night when they were sleeping. God showed me what real ministry actually was.

My point in telling you this is to show you two extremes with money and ministry. Much of the time you will either have one or the other, but rarely both at the same time. I have learned that people give when and if God tells them to, and many times they don't give at all even when maybe they should. Our job as the Shepard's servants is just to feed His sheep with whatever He gives us, and then to trust Him to give us what we really need to do the work He has called us to do, when and if we really need it. There will be many times where you may be tempted to go back to your financial fields so to speak and get a job again just because most real ministry means real lack and real sacrifice, there is no big paycheck or even much gratitude from those you are called to serve, but you are feeding His sheep and that's what really matters. There will also be times ahead where we will be given more to help people with and that may be an even bigger test than not having enough. Many ministry homes will be needed during this coming harvest and following time of persecution. Trust God that whatever situation He puts you in financially while you do His work, that He will be the One to take care of your needs.

1TI 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.