When we lived in Germany while I was pastoring we would have some great Bible teachers and some groups from the States come through our church on their way to more austere places to share the wondrous Gospel message. Like any ministry when starting up, money and people are always a challenge to find and seem to hide themselves, but if really called of God both will uncover themselves when the Lord directs.

Beholding His Glory (BHG) does not have a lot of supporters; as a matter of fact at no time in the last seven years has BHG had two churches supporting BHG. Almost all support comes from dedicated men and women who are led by the Holy Spirit to support His work (when the support is needed) around the world. BHG does not have a big bank account to wheel and deal with, but monthly  supports clinics (a maternity in Nigeria and two tuberculosis in Ethiopia) in Africa, a radio station in Nepal, fledgling Bible schools in the Congo, Rwanda, and Kenya, and enough to keep our website, blog, newsletter, books, and other writing alive. Even our travels to the nations are funded by people who have a heart for sharing the Gospel to the ends of the world.  Do you know where the end of the world is? I know. If you want to know please contact me and I will tell you where I have experienced the end of the world.  Now I really like the way the Lord does this. Why do I need a bunch of money in the bank?  He has handsomely met our family needs and I know He will meet our ministry needs.  It seems when we compile a bunch of money to put in the bank we start to think of things we want to do and not the things God wants us to do. The model of church or ministry funding in the Bible is one local Body of Christ (church) directly blessing another local Body of Christ or ministry. I do not see the model in the Bible where one church feeds a bank account that can be joined with other’s money to have greater purchasing power in the market place. This seems to me to be more a worldly approach with compounding interest, people to manage it, having to decide who gets what piece of the pie, and so many more pitfalls. The Body of Christ is a spiritual Body and God’s ways are not our ways nor is His ways the ways of the world. The reason for God’s one-on-one approach is because of the Godly relationship that is to come out of it. Always remember, all Godly ministry comes out of Godly relationship. If there is only a money bridge connection not much Godly ministry is going to happen. God is always more concerned about our relationships than our money. The longer I go in the Lord the more I am convinced of this point.  I believe the Lord really likes it when we first start something up that He has asked us to do.  It is not seeing the thing He has asked us to do come alive, but the work God can do in our lives as we struggle (and sometimes flounder, but not sink) like a seed fighting to push its way up through the soil. During this time the Lord is teaching us to depend on Him as our source of all resources and provision. During the early times we are lean and hungry for God, but too often when we get established we get fat with money in the bank we can get complacent and even begin to compromise what we have been taught by God. God’s strong arm of strength is replaced with the weak arm of the flesh of man and his money.  If God cannot teach us to depend on Him to be our all and all then He really cannot use us, we disqualify our self for service.  Take heed here my friends who minister. If our ministry in built on the goodness of man, good works, and not the dealings, judgments, and lessons of God then they are doomed to failure. I promise you my friend, your friends will turn their backs on you at some point; you can ask Job and with the turning of their backs is also the turning away of any support they gave God, not you.  Never forget a true man of God realizes money given to his ministry in not given to the minister, but is given to God. Please take heed not to wrongly touch God’s three “Gs.” God’s girls, God’s gold, and God’s glory.  And words do matter, so if someone or some church (who supports you) says they are giving money to you, in love please correct them. Remember, we can share pure truth, but if the end result is not love than the truth will not avail for much in lives. Now please understand love has many edges that is meant by God to cut us to the heart.  Like truth which often cuts us in layers; sometimes very fine, but at other times truth viscously lays us open to the bone. We think love is soft, warm, fuzzy, and good, but most often love is hard, prickly, strong, and edifying. This is where real spiritual growth and development happens. Paul shared this very critical, but deeply misunderstood truth in the church today, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”  (Ephesians 4:15-16) The truth hurts! The truth is to kill us, but if we are obedient to God the same truth that killed us will make us alive.  But sadly we see churches teaching only parts of the whole counsel of God, and why? Who wants to find the truth about themselves as compared to Jesus Christ?  It is scary to find out who we really are.  Most Pastors, Evangelist, Teachers, and Christians do not know who they really are because they have not allowed God to deal and judge in their lives. It is much easier being someone else you like on TV, or have read about in a book, or even endearing yourself to the “beautiful people” by spouting out cool and hip sayings of the world. Teaching (the message of the cross) or “speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things” does not put butts in the seats. Teaching (self-sacrifice) or “speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things” truth does not fill offering plates.  Teaching (discipline and death to self) or “speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things” will not allow you to run the church the way you want it to go. After all who (believe it or not I do) wants to be told they are wrong and need to change in some areas? My friend be not concerned about the deceitfulness of your friends, but be more concerned what God says about you. He will repay their evil in due time, God is not mocked nor is His children. Our part is to keep our heart pure and our hands clean with a right heart condition toward them.
Every year Christliche Gemeinde Stuttgart (our church in Germany) would have an old-fashion American style picnic in a huge park outside of Stuttgart called Max-Eyth. This was the park all of the Auslanders (foreigners) would go to grill out, play soccer, spend time with families, and just get away from things for awhile. Auslanders have it very tough in Germany.  The first couple of years funding this picnic was a struggle.  We would spend 1000s of Deutsche Marks (2 DM to 1 US) buying food (chicken, steak, beans, chips, drinks, all of the trimmings), renting and sitting up tents, our praise and worship team would play and sing, and of course we would play a soccer tournament. You cannot have a picnic in Germany and not play soccer.  We would feed all in the park (100s) for free, the cost was huge without any return on our investment or so I thought. This is God’s economy of His mathematics. The things we do for God are not about adding, but mostly subtracting. In God we progress not by what we add to our selves, but what of our self we can lose.  In God spiritual growth and development happens not in gaining to our self or increasing in our skills or abilities, but in losing; our selfishness, our presumption, our self-seeking, our wrath, our anger, and so much more.  Did you know God had to deal with my motives and desires for why we were having the picnic.  I thought we were going to add more people to our church (like many other churches), but that was not God’s idea. God’s idea was to build on and strengthen the relationships already established and tear down some so that He can build anew in some. Did you know God starts building by tearing down?  God does not build on another foundation.  People that come as a visitor to a church are given to out from the relationships within the church. If the relationships are unhealthy and are not established in God then the new people that come to a church are given a sickness (even unto death) from the dysfunctional relationships. I have seen this truth operate too many times in many churches around the world.  Often churches have well tuned programs to cover up for unhealthy relationships, but you know people are savvy, this is why people come and go from church to another church.  In Kenya there is a term for this called churching. Or why people stay for awhile, but when they see the true heart and relationships within the church, they suddenly leave and no one notices they have departed. The heart of every church is not the good works, but the relationships. We must guard with all diligence our hearts, our relationships, and make very sure our relationships are established in God full of honesty, honor, and integrity and not established on a religious denominational or non-denominational system of programs. The measure of success is not the results of how many people were saved, baptized, joined the church, money taken in for missions or to keep up an ever decaying building, but how all of these good works were done.  Remember, in God it does not matter what you do for Him, but how you do it for Him. Our motives, ambitions, and desires is what God is looking at.  Jesus told the disciples, “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. 18Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” (Luke 8:16-17) The focus is not hearing (doing), but “take heed therefore how ye hear.” Do we hear with the right heart condition, right motives, and with the right desires. How can we give the life of God to new people that come to our churches if we have ought in our heart towards the Brethren? We give what is in our heart.  And please know, we cannot give from our hearts selective by person it is all or nothing. Jesus taught, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:34-37) What is the “abundance” that fills our heart? There is so much lack here in the Body of Christ, Lord please help us.