My heart about living on support and allowing people to invest in my family monthly has changed. Lisa and I struggled with it the whole time we have lived on support, and then the Lord really rebuked me through a very good friend that gently showed me where I was wrong.
There are many people that are called to support missionaries, and when they do out of obedience, it can actually produce faith and empowerment. If the Lord is telling you to support our work and my family on a monthly or even one-time basis, or another person’s work – it activates an agreement in the spirit realm for me/them to pray into your life. I believe it actually activates a covenantal agreement and authority is given; we can see miracles take place together. I am experiencing this take place on a weekly basis since I repented of my attitude and pressed in – it is happening!The example in scripture would be Numbers 18 – The idea was to sow into the Levites, and they would stand in as priests on behalf of the people. It puts a great responsibility on those of us that are required to live this way. We must stand in the gap to pray and speak into the lives of those that give.I also have a couple supporters that want to create wealth around my family so we can be free to travel and continue investing in the lives of orphans, the next generation and being free to not worry every month how we are going to pay the bills!
I wrote yesterday about my new conviction of living on support. Not everybody is called to live on support and not everybody is called to give to those that do. In-fact, I do believe there is a “New Wineskin” emerging in the Christian/missionary world to say “Yes and Yes”!
My example was Numbers 18 – the Levites received the first fruits, the best wine, and the best food as a tithe. As they stood in the gap and went to God for the community – they were blessed first with the best of everything. But…. They also were not allowed to any other inheritance – land, etc. In other words, they could only minister, not do trade or business. The Lord said “I am your share” (Look at Numbers 18: 12-13 and 18:20) Pretty clear.
The Old Testament was about abstinence and law – the New Testament is about grace and indulgence! We get to sit at the banquet table and enjoy all of it!! As sons and daughters of the King – we get it all… of course this means we live in radical holiness and grace leads us into all righteousness – that is indulgence of the Holy Spirit…
God commanded us to work. To store up for the generations. That by the sweat of our brow we will work the land… for many of you that means that in your daily job you work your tail off and minister to the people you touch. For some of us that means we give our heart and soul to planting Church’s, building orphanages, training more missionaries and pastors and discipleship of the next generation on a daily basis. The pays the same in eternity! It’s all about obedience with what the Lord has called you to.
If you are not called to support missionaries or those that “go”, please don’t. If you support out of obligation to man, there is no commanded blessing on either side… if the Lord makes it clear that you are to take some of the fruit of your hard labor and sow it, then do. The blessing of multiplication on your finances and the covenant that is established with the people you are empowering is commanded.
It really is very simple – and for those of us that, out of obedience, ask for support – we only want what the Lord is saying… I know for the Black’s and many others that we work with – we only want what the Lord is breathing on – anything else gets blown away!
The “Yes and Yes” is that the Lord has called us to do both living on support and creating wealth for our family. We are responsible to provide for the projects He has called us to and help teach how to create wealth for those that work with us. Especially the next generation of Church Planters, orphan care providers, pastor’s, teachers, evangelists, prophets and apostles…(We will continue tomorrow…)
I want to share part of a blog from Gary Black, one of our mentors on The World Race. All of us at AIM have to raise support to some degree. Some of us, myself included, have to raise 100% of our “salary”. It is not an easy thing, and we are all learning the process. It takes a lot of discipline, and even more humility. It is a great comfort to me to know that I am not the only one struggling, and that there is a reason for doing this. Here is Gary’s perspective.
If you would like to continue reading Gary Black’s blogs, you can do that at http://garyblack.myadventures.org.
