It's NOT Just About The Money! (Part 2)

It's not just about the money, it's not just about the money, LET ME SAY IT AGAIN!

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY!

Gotta once more note the "just" because part of it is about the money. This brotha's gotta pay the billz! I can't just run into ministry and go in debt for Jesus. What kind of a witness would that be? Raising financial support helps me be more financially stable so I can adequately minister to students. It also provides for supplies like Bibles and other literature to hand out to students, precious petroleum for travel, delicious coffee as we have spiritual discussions, mouth-watering pizza to get college students in the door for investigative Bible Studies, and much more! The financial gifts that partners with me give go toward these very things!

What ELSE is it about then?

• It's about beholding God's power. It's about SEEING the true meaning of the words Jehovah Jireh. God never forsakes those He loves. He NEVER leaves His kids high and dry. In raising financial support I SEE that with my own eyes. When it feels like the sky is falling down all around me, I wake up the next day and see the Son rise (pun intended!). God is absolutely sovereign AND absolutely loving. Because of this, He will never leave or forsake those He calls and loves. I have seen things come in the mail that have literally made my jaw drop and have caused me to even more literally sink to my knees.

• It's about the realization that EVERYTHING I own is not mine. I didn't earn it through my own blood, sweat and tears, but it is all God's and He freely gives it to me. I feel just like the Levites, who God ordained to live FULLY on the supporting tithes of the other Israelites. It was to show them that their inheritance is not in Israel, but in God. The same goes for me and for everyone else. The account that your paycheck is drawn from may say your company's name on it, but it really comes from God. Every paycheck is a gift!

• It's about building new relationships with others! I don't just want to see the inside of people's wallets, I want to see inside their hearts. I want to get to know people, develop relationships, pray, fellowship, drink coffee, have inside jokes, watch movies, etc. Through appointments with some people, I have opened up doors with them that I never even knew existed!

• It's about co-laboring for Jesus! I have seen people give in powerful ways that go way beyond monthly pledges. People have opened up their homes, offered study resources, free groceries, discounted rent for housing, sent gift cards, encouraging text messages, made phone calls, intercessions on prayer chains, gave free books, free personal retreat venues, free meals, free Joint Juice (look it up!), offered counsel, a shoulder to cry on, AND SO MUCH MORE! Being involved in ministry goes so much deeper than just having phone-a-thons asking people for money. Raising support is all about raising up an army of mighty men and women to co-labor with me in whatever way they feel led. It is SO EXCITING to see others in action beside me for the sake of the Gospel!

Wow, that made me feel a lot better. Raising financial support can be discouraging, it can be hard, it can make me want to cry, but MY OH MY is it exciting. PRAISE GOD for fundraising!