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!

It's Not Just About the Money....

It's not just about the money. How about I say it again....

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY!

So many times it can be easy for me and many others I call to get in that mindset. However that's not JUST what it's about.

Before I get into what it is about, please note the word "JUST". That word is important because it means that it IS about money. Let's not think I'm forgetting about the money here. This summer in order to be fully supported, I need to raise many more thousands of dollars. Ministry shouldn't JUST be about money, however, every human being has to live, and living is much easier when the bills are paid. No, I'm not talking about a loan for my new Lexus. Not to mention it kind of increases your witness a bit more. I wouldn't want to mentor a student when I'm $20,000 in debt and on the run from the IRS.

Here is what fundraising is about:

1. Seeing God's provision - OVER and OVER again I have seen it. There were tons of accounts in the Bible when God provided for a ministry. Sometimes it involved Paul getting a job, other times it involved Elijah asking a widow for support (which amazingly saved her life! 1 Kings 7:8-16). In my own life I have seen it: people randomly giving me checks, gift cards for groceries, Bibles, study resources, and much more. Fundraising makes you realize one very important thing: EVERYTHING belongs to God and He gives it freely to those He loves.

2. Worship to God - Worship is not just composed of singing songs and raising hands. The big question I leave people with when I meet with them is this: "Would you please pray about supporting me?" Though the check they write is payable to "The Navigators", who REALLY gets the money is God. It's an offering to Him (see Philippians 4:17-18). Then God takes that offering and in turn blesses both the giver and the receiver. Isn't it amazing? When I ask someone to partner with me in financial support, in a way I am asking them if they would like to be blessed by God. That's why I say to them, "Whatever you decide is between you and God, not between you and me." EVERYTHING belongs to God, and as a privilege as children of God we can offer things back to Him for the furthering of His Kingdom. That's what people who partner with me will be doing!

3. Treasures in Heaven - What are those? Do we have a Lexus in Heaven waiting for us? (again with the Lexus!) If we give $20 next Sunday, does that mean $40 is waiting for us there? I doubt it. One of the exciting things we will get to experience one day is what actually happened with the seeds we sowed. What happened with that homeless guy I talked with about Jesus? Or in this case...How did I bless this ministry? Seeing the lives impacted for Jesus as a result of my giving has been exciting. I literally SHOUTED FOR JOY this past year when a missionary I supported helped lead a German girl to Jesus. My money went to that! If it wasn't for my pledge, she wouldn't be there showing that German girl the way to Jesus. THAT is Treasure in Heaven!

So give freely. Give sacrificially. Who knows who you'll be blessing? God does. You give to Him and He blesses you, the missionary you give to, and the LIVES that missionary invests in.

I needed to write this for myself as a friendly reminder. Thanks for reading!

God bless you,

Steve

"Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:17-19 ESV)