Wednesday night, Judy and I were at an RV repair shop, Henderson’s Line-Up in Grants Pass, Oregon. The owners, Robert and Barbara Henderson turned their showroom for aftermarket RV parts into a meeting place to host Usama Dakdok, an Egyptian Christian whose ministry exposes the truth about Islam and teaches folks how to reach Muslims.
If there is anyway you can arrange to have this man come to your church and educate believers in your area, you should do it! He’s been a frequent guest on Sean Hannity’s radio show and has traveled fulltime speaking at churches for the last 14 years.
Like so many ministries, they could certainly use a surge of finance to boost their ministry and like so many ministries, they’ve experienced rather meager support over the years. Not because their ministry is not valued, but because of one of two problems plaguing the church today.
The first is that many believers have a “me-centered” theology, that it’s all about them. Success becomes the pursuit, and its attainment is measured by the house they live in, the car they drive, etc. The accumulation of things becomes obsessive and burdensome at the same time. Their growing wealth is consumed upon what John calls “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” which he goes on to say, “is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16)
As a result, they can ill afford to give generously to support the gospel they claim to love. But what does Paul say? “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” He goes on to explain what he means by abounding to every good work… 1) to scatter or dispense one’s blessings liberally, 2) to give to the poor and 3) to supply the needs of the saints.
The second problem plaguing the church in regards to finance is the belief that somehow expending effort and diligence to obtain wealth is worldly. It’s not the obtaining of wealth that’s a problem; It’s the motive and disbursement of that wealth that is so often the problem.
But it’s even more subtle than that. I believe the vast majority of believers actually vacillate between those two opinions. They understand the importance of finance as a position of influence and a means of doing good but don’t want to cross the line to greed and self-absorbed consumption. As a result, they never really obtain wealth and would be in a world of hurt if they missed their next paycheck.
It’s time to get over that!
Wealth is not inherently evil. It’s our carnal nature that wars against the Spirit that must be dealt with. Bring your life into total submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, (a practice rarely taught anymore), and then if you are going to labor in the marketplace, do it with all your heart and for the right reasons!
Look. Yesterday I saw that this ruthless, murderous group known as ISIS has captured seven oil fields and two refineries and is selling their oil on the black market for pennies on the dollar, generating $2 – $3 million a day in revenue. It’s been reported that they have a nest egg of about $2 BILLION and growing rapidly with a goal to bring their evil agenda to our shores.
While Christians dither about whether it’s okay to obtain wealth, our ruthless enemy has no qualms about it and uses every means possible to take it. Why? Because they understand it takes money to move an army and forward their evil agenda.
The war rages while we sleep. How do I know we are sleeping? Because when we sleep, we dream. It feels so real, but in reality nothing is happening. The church sees what’s going on, but like in a dream, they for the most part, do nothing, change nothing, pray for nothing while fiddling on Facebook. They are in a dream state. Sleep walking while the enemy ravages our young people, robs us blind in too many ways to enumerate here and plots our very destruction!
Many complain that our president is playing the fiddle while Rome burns so to speak, but what are we doing? Dancing to his tune? Watching I Love Lucy? May I suggest that we take this threat seriously before we are on the run here? And if not this threat, there are others.
The point is that if you are called to the ministry, then get busy and minister the true and full, saving gospel of Jesus Christ without compromise. If you are called to the marketplace, then get busy. Learn how to compete. Learn how to succeed wildly. Learn how to capture resources for the kingdom of God.
Be generous now and even more generous later. We are at war, but it seems that only one side understands that. Just like the ISIS group and many others openly claim they are at war with America and official American policy is currently denying that reality, so it is with the church.
The devil is openly at war with us, teaching Islam in our schools while denigrating and suffocating Christian teaching and expression, infiltrating our churches with a liberalism that accepts immorality and perversion as okay because “God understands”. No HE doesn’t. Not in the way they think.
Our nation is in flames with rampant abortion, acceptable immorality, abominable perversion of every stripe, and freedom of every religion except Christianity. The attacks on every sphere of life are daily and severe but the church sleeps on in some kind of comatose state while the country we love disintegrates.
It’s time for believers to wake up before it really is too late.
Preach the gospel. Live the gospel. Support the gospel. Find your place in the battle and enjoin it with all your heart. If you feel your place is in capturing resources to finance the gospel, then do that with excellence.
Our reason for existence is to equip believers to succeed in business so they can advance the gospel by every means possible. We believe we are in a war so serious, the likes of which have not been seen in many centuries, the stakes of which have never been higher and the consequences of our action or inaction have never been more serious.
Many believe we are in the last days before the return of our Lord and Savior, the coming King, Jesus the Christ. If you really believe that, then pick up your sword (God’s Word) and engage the battle. Don’t sit idly by, while millions slide into Hell.
Do something! Preach the gospel! Live the gospel! Fund the gospel! But don’t just sit there and talk about how bad things are. In the name of all that is good and decent, engage the battle, serve the King, reach the lost, capture resources for kingdom use, live your life with meaning and purpose. Make it count for eternity!
This is my passion and I hope you will join me. Watch for announcements next week.
YES!!!!
Thank you for the agreement on this Joanne.
Blessings!
Amen!! I had this conversation yesterday with Mark and then with a brand new Christian. Praise God for the Holy Spirit fire in your belly, Michael! May you send sparks of life through Christendom and get us out of this poverty mentality so we can build resources to change the world with the Gospel and His Holy Power.
I have lived 23 years of this Christian life with that poverty mindset…it was easy, comfortable, assured me I would not come to love money. It’s even prideful I suppose. But then I listened to Christian Wealth Building by you and John, and what a life changer!!
I still don’t want a big house or a fancy car or the trappings of worldly wealth but I DO want resources to finance the kingdom until Jesus returns or He takes me home.
Thank you.
Hi Jenny…
So glad to hear from you and Mark again. Appreciate your thoughtful comments!
Blessings,
Michael
I in the battle with you my brother on my face daily seeking my KINGS instructions. These are words of wisdom you speak Michael, and I STAND with you in this war,against my LORD SAVIOR AND KING JESUS,and I know HE don’t need me, but I am honored be called a heir of the KING and be in the battle (2Tim2:2-3) and everything I have HE gave me and is HIS, AMEN&AMEN.(Matt6:33) your brother in battle, IN CHRIST Moe.
Hi Moe;
Thanks for being in the battle with us my brother! Glad to know you are in!
Blessings on you,
Michael
Amen Brother.!! Thank you for sharing..God Bless.!
May 2012 I went to the National Assembly of the Baptist Union Of Great Britian in London. The main topic of the confrence was how are we going to restructure the backroom support services now that our income has reduced. I had 3 questions for anyone who would listen.
What are we doing to help people find jobs?
What are we doing to help people become self-employed?
What are we doing to help people set up businesses that can provide people with jobs?
To me it was obvious if you want to increase the offerings then you need to help people increase their income so that they can give more. It was amazing how many of those I spoke to found this a revelation, when to me it was obvious. Unfortunately, the result of the restructuring was that a number of people lost their jobs.
Fast forwards to May 2014 same conference. They are encouraging people to start pioneering ministries, including but not exclusively planting new church. The request from the floor is for more financial support from the Home Mission fund so that people can do this kind of work. There is a groan from the platform as they are doing their best with limited resources.
It is crazy.
One of the values that they have been trying to publcise for the past 10 years or so is this.
Following Jesus in confronting evil, injustice and hypocrisy. Challenging worldly concepts of wealth, power, status and security.
As Baptists, we emphasise the importance of conscience, and of carefully listening to the voice of conscience. Having a dissenting history, we should be unafraid to live distinctively and prophetically.
If you read that statement with the idea that gathering wealth is a bad thing then you will see it as supporting your argument. If you agree with this blog post then you could see yourself as a dissenter challenging the poverty mentality of the church.
Fear of greed has become fear of wealth. Yet even the bible itself suggests that it is money that makes people sit up and take notice of you. Then the church wonders why it is ignored!
Why would anyone want to be part of a church that sees poverty next to godliness? If poverty means lack, how can Jesus talk about having life abundant? If the church is supposed to be poor, i.e. have something missing, how can it have everything? Something has definitely got a bit twisted somewhere.
Hi Susan;
Maybe you could share this blog with them. Not just this post, but many of the others as well.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. They are welcome here!
God bless you!
Michael
Dear Michael.
I could not agree with you more. It is time the church wakes up and gets involved before it has nothing to be involved with. We will be like the disciples found sleeping when Jesus went to pray. He is at the right hand of the father interceding but need us to get out of the comfortable place and get out there to make a difference.
We are all reading about the 40 000 Christians trapped in Syria but what are we really doing about it.
There is a huge harvest of displaces Muslims and Christians who are desperate for help. If we can mobalise the church to go and be Gods love to these desperate people they will have a revelation of who God is by our love.
I firmly believe that in these end times the pure of heart will be raised up as billionaires, not millionaires to go and impact nations and to mobilize the church. They will have to be businessmen and women anointed with a supernatural gift to do this. If you are not positioned for this it won’t be you! We cannot sit back and expect God to do it. We need to be earnestly seeking and attempting to position in businesses where this can happen.
There is a season of wealth transfer from the coffers and store houses of the ungodly to those of the righteous, not for their personal gain, but for kingdom growth. In the process they will be blessed and accumulate wealth as a by product of doing the kings work.
God cannot but reward the faithful.
Thank you for your encouragement and pray for us that we can become those that will stand up and give a worth account of what we have been called to do.
May God bless you abundantly and grant you favor in all you do!
Hi Patrick… Thanks so much for the comment. I wonder how many folks would take it seriously to capture resources with the view of advancing God’s kingdom as a main priority.
Blessings,
Michael
I am doing all I can to awaken the Body to this looming disaster for the Church and civilization itself. If we ignore the growing evil, then we will have allowed the destruction to come. God is the defender of the faithful, not the feckless, the lazy or the deniers.
Thank you for your boldness Michael! It is great to have you back speaking the TRUTH to the world and the Church.
Love in Christ,
Jim
Nice work Michael! Yes many have their head in the sand while the enemy is advancing. We all must stand and fight. Some will be standing in faith and prayer and others physically on the battle lines and in the marketplace.
IN my recent research I have come across the 43rd verse of the Bible. This is one of the foundational verses that Jews use to understand that the LORD approves of wealth. After you find it you will understand what I mean. The reason that I point to this is that many Christians are stuck in their thinking that it is holy to be poor. They are afraid of wealth because of misinterpretations of the Bible. You were able to showcase this nicely with the interview with Peter J Daniels.
Know that Pam & I are standing and fighting in this battle in every way we can. Thanks for the call to arms!
Be blessed!
Steve
Hi Steve;
Thanks for sharing about Genesis 2:12. I didn’t realize it was foundational for Jewish understanding of God’s approval of wealth. Appreciate you and Pam standing in the battle my brother!
Blessings on you both!
Michael
Michael, thank you so very much. I have always been for the acquisition of resources to ‘wage war’ and the prolonged trials and suffering had almost succeeded in getting me to a poverty mindset but NOW with this blog and the Christian Wealth Building book with John M I am reawakened. I tell you I am on fire! This mindset is to be guarded jealously by being tuned to the right stuff and thanks to you, Judy, Peter Daniels and other folks we have access to the right stuff!
Hi Carol;
So glad this post and other resources were helpful. It helps so much sometimes to have another voice of encouragement to show us it can be done and move us to action. May God grant you much success and make your business a “display of His splendor” (Isa 61:3 NIV) Thanks for posting your comment!
Amen! Thanks Michael.