ARE MISSIONARIES BEGGARS?

by Don W. Hillis

“How to be sure of the will of God” has been replaced as the number one problem of Christian young people

who are thinking of missions. The big hang-up now is money. They object to begging for support.

David Howard of Inter-Varsity says, “It is the complaint I hear with more consistency than any other. Again and

Again students say to me, “I believe that I am as committed to the Lord as I can be. I want to serve Jesus Christ.

I am perfectly willing to go overseas and serve the Lord, but this business of going around and drumming up

support, I cannot buy it. I will not buy it!” Howard describes this attitude of many potential missionary

candidates in these words, “You’ve got yourself set with all your affluence, and now I come to you on my hands

and knees and ask you to support me.”

Howard Fenton Jr., adds, “They are right…it is a problem. There is something underlying the method that tends

to degrade the candidate – it does support an economic double standard…the missionary does have experiences

where he laughs because he doesn’t want to cry. Maybe there is a better way. If so, what is it?”

Fortunately, it is possible to be both sympathetic and Scriptural toward the problem. And just as fortunately, the

Scriptures are far from silent on this issue.

In the Old Testament economy, those who served the Lord and his people (the priests, Levites and prophets)

lived off the tithes and offerings of the people. And there was a definite relationship between Israel’s

faithfulness in giving and God’s blessing the nation. The prophet Malachi accused Israel of robbing God in

relation to tithes and offerings. He then promised that God would open the “window of heaven” to those who

would be faithful in the matter of giving (Malachi 3:8-10).

Jesus, who so easily could have turned stones into bread and multiplied loaves and fishes, lived off the gifts of

His friends during his public ministry. The he pulled the economic rug out from under the feet of those He

called into His service. He insisted that the fishermen should leave their fishing, the tax collector, his tax

collecting and the tent maker, his tent making.

When Jesus sent out the seventy “into every city and place,” He commanded them to “carry neither purse, nor

script, nor shoes.” They were to accept the hospitality of those who would open their homes, “eating and

drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire.” (Luke 10:4-7)

Whether it involves the preacher in America or the missionary overseas, the Lord has ordained that those who

“preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel” (I Corinthians 9:14). And is a pastor expecting his people to

support him any different from an apostle (missionary) expecting churches to support him?

As far as I can discover, Paul only apologized once to the Corinthian believers for failing to insist that they

should share his support. He assured them that this is a way they could prove the sincerity of their love for God.

He warned them of the danger of sowing sparingly and encourage them with the reward of sowing bountifully.

He assured them that God is able to make all grace abound toward them in this matter of sacrificial giving. He

reminded them that God loves a cheerful giver.

Paul used illustrations: (1) the Macedonian believers who gave out of their deep poverty; (2) Christ who gave up

the riches of heaven; and (3) the Father’s willingness to give His indescribable Gift to us.

Though Paul, as a missionary, had learned how to be abased and to abound, how to be full and how to hunger,

he rebuked those who were careless about giving to the Lord’s servants and commended those who were

faithful.

The missionary does not accept the gifts of God’s people as handouts for his personal well-being. He is a

representative of God’s work. That work does not go on unless God’s servants do it and they cannot do it

without support.

Another answer is to take a new look at some positive values found in raising one’s own support. Several of

today’s largest and fastest-growing missionary organizations use this system. And the personalized support

program is a basic contributing factor to their growth.

Deep, personal relationships between the Christian worker and his home church do much to promote a longtime

interest in both giving and intercession. And, without the intercession of many friends, the battle can be

lost. Furthermore, any deep sense of God’s leading should be accompanied by the confidence that when he

guides, He also provides. Raising one’s own support is a challenge to faith.

Dr. Fenton shares this wise counsel with missionary candidates, “See yourself not as a huckster of your own

services or as a promoter of your own support, but as one who has firsthand contact with God – and who,

therefore, has something to share with others. See your mission to the churches not as a money-raising junket,

but as a further fulfillment of the Great Commission; you are going because of a divine call – to share with

others what you know about Jesus Christ.

When the missionary candidate sees raising his support as an opportunity to prove his faith, to inform fellow

Christians of God’s work, to inspire them to invest in the things of eternal consequence and to encourage them

to pray for him and for the work of his Lord, then his deputation is no longer a mountain, but a ministry. He

probably will even find himself making new personal friendships that will be of rich spiritual benefit to him, to

his friends and to his work. There is no substitute for friends who really care.

“After all pious platitudes have been swept away,” says Fenton, “you will need the friendship, the prayers and

the deep interest of God’s people more than you need your monthly support. And a period of pre-field

deputation may be the means God will use to give you a wider circle of praying friends than you presently

have.”

Paul appears to have counted the Philippian church as his home church. He had no sooner left the newly-found

church at Philippi (Acts 16) than they sent financial aid to him. He received at least two “support checks” from

them during his two weeks in Thessalonica (Philippians 4:16). These believers never lost their interest in

supporting Paul but apparently there were times when they had no way of getting money to him.

Though this great missionary was willing to go without the necessities of life, he told the Philippian believers

they had done well in supplying his financial needs. He obviously felt other churches should have done the

same, and thus have fruit that would abound to their account (Philippians 4:14-17).

The common denominator in the accounts of Elisha accepting the hospitality of the widow of Zarephath, Elisha

rooming with the Shunamite family, Jesus eating in the home of Mary and Martha, and Paul enjoying the gracious

hospitality of Philemon is that of giving and receiving. Though the recipients did not take the kindness of the

givers for granted, neither did they apologize for being on the receiving end. In each of these cases a warm

personal relationship was built up between the giver and the receiver.

There are hundreds of missionaries whose testimonies corroborate that of TEAM’s missionary, Bessie

Degerman, as she says, “I would not exchange the faith-expanding experiences I had watching the Lord supply

my needs for going to Japan for anything. It has been one of the highlights of my missionary experience.”

Are missionaries beggars? I guess the answer really depends upon one’s perspective of God’s work and

interpretation of His Word.

50 Kids Rescued from Sex Slavery

  10-27-09

by Kim Trobee, editor

Sixty pimps are arrested in 36 cities across the U.S. through an operation aimed at saving kids.

The FBI, in conjunction with the Innocence Lost National Initiative, rescued 50 kids from sex slavery over the weekend.  The sting covered 36 cities and included 631 arrests, including 60 pimps.

Kevin Perkins, assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division of the FBI, said child sex slavery continues to be a significant problem in our country.

“There is no work more important than protecting American’s children and freeing them from the cycle of victimization,” he said in a statement.  “Through our strategic partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies, we are able to make a difference.”

Local and state agencies work with the FBI to track and file charges against those suspected of human trafficking.

Through the Innocence Lost Task Forces and Working Groups, nearly 900 children have been rescued from sexual slavery.

Ernie Allen, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said for the first time the issue is being seen as a national problem.

“There are now 34 task forces around the country – federal, state and local – going after this problem,” he said.  “What we’re trying to do is wake up the country to what’s happening to our children and save lives.”

by Teresa Neumann : Oct 22, 2009 : Lillian Kwon – Christian Post

“What I’m after is getting the church to be united around deep church or mere Christianity, as C.S. Lewis said first, so that we can work together and move into mission and really present a unified front to a watching world instead of one that’s always arguing and complaining. Why would someone out there want to join a family that’s always arguing?”

Writing for the Christian Post, reporter Lillian Kwon reveals the thought processes behind Pastor Jim Belcher’s passion to see unity in the church.

As the title of his book suggests—Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional—Belcher uses C. S. Lewis’ term “deep church” to describe what he calls a third alternative to what many currently label the “traditional church” vs. the “emerging church.”

For those unfamiliar with those terms, the “emerging church” represents and appeals to postmodern Christians who are dissatisfied, or disagree with, some of the extra-biblical teachings of the traditional church that emanate from the scriptural exhortation to “be in the world but not of it.”

For example, writes Belcher, pointing out the weaknesses in both: “The traditional church is pacifist in the area of culture but not in the realm of politics, and the emerging church is pacifist in the realm of politics but not in the realm of culture. Both sides suffer from the lack of a comprehensive view of Christ and culture that treats the private and public realms in a consistent manner.”

“The emerging voices,” he continues, “blame the traditional church for being sectarian, having no desire to reach people in postmodern culture, being uninterested in the biblical call to be creative in the arts and having sold out to Christendom (the church-state political alignment)…The traditional voices argue the emerging church has succumbed to the worst forms of syncretism, becoming indistinguishable from the postmodern world they say they want to reach. They have assimilated, become worldly and lost their ability to be salt.”

According to the report Belcher’s “third way” is for Christians to be distinct from the surrounding culture but also engage it. “It’s a starting point,” he says, “not the end all and be all. I don’t think we’ve got it all figured out.”

“What I’m after is getting the church to be united around deep church or mere Christianity, as C.S. Lewis said first, so that we can work together and move into mission and really present a unified front to a watching world, instead of one that’s always arguing and complaining,” he said. “Why would someone out there want to join a family that’s always arguing?”

Follow the link provided to read the report in its entirety.

Read Full Story…

by Teresa Neumann : Oct 26, 2009 : Julia Duin – The Washington Times

“I went into [my research] underestimating the power and vitality of religion.”

Writing for the Washington Times, reporter Julia Duin has revealed the fact that Adrian Wooldridge, co-author of the book The Right Nation and God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World, believes the world is following America’s lead as it pertains to faith going hand-in-hand with democracy. (Photo: Washington Times)

“Religion now goes hand in hand with modernity,” Wooldridge told Duin, noting the secularism of Europe runs counter to their findings. He is also quoted as saying he believes Pentecostalism will be the major form of 21st century Christianity.

“The sort of religion that is on the rise is the emotive, assertive Charismatic religion,” he said. “It’s compelling Catholicism in Latin America to change. There’s a physical surprise when you go to Guatemala and see how vibrant the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements are. Same thing for Lagos and Nairobi. I went into that book underestimating the power and vitality of religion.”

When Duin asked Wooldridge, an atheist, how he personally reacted to his findings, he replied: “I must say I have more respect, I felt more warmth for religion after doing research for the book, partly because of the people I came across, such as the Pentecostal pastor in Philadelphia who has done the most amazing work dealing with crack cocaine. It did strike me that religious people have done amazing work to help the poor. But where are the atheists doing exactly the same thing?”

Read other noteworthy comments by Wooldridge, such as the impact of Islam in the future, by clicking on the link provided.

Read Full Story…

Tuesday, 20 October 2009 05:22 PM EDT J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Last month God used a poor pastor from Malawi to challenge my suburban American priorities.

When I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, last month to conduct a women’s conference, my host, a journalist named Gideon, mentioned that my “pastor friend from Malawi” was waiting to see me. I was surprised to hear this, since I wasn’t aware that I had a pastor friend from Malawi. I’ve never been to that country and I didn’t remember talking to anyone from there.

“He says you’ve been e-mailing each other,” Gideon said. “And he arrived today to see you.”

Then I vaguely remembered receiving a message a few months earlier from a man from somewhere in southern Africa. He asked if I would come to his country to speak at a women’s conference, and I told him that I can’t do events like that with people until I have met them and established a relationship of trust.

In a few hours I met this man, Pastor Peacepound. After a few minutes of small talk I learned that he had traveled on a crowded bus from Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, to Nairobi. It was a four-day journey.

Four days on a bus? I was stunned. I’ve never met anyone in the United States who has traveled that long to attend a Christian meeting. We simply aren’t that spiritually desperate. But this guy was so concerned about the way women are abused in his country—through domestic violence, molestation and mutilation—that he made an astonishing sacrifice.

Then he stunned me again with a question. “You said you could not come to Malawi unless we met. Now that we have met, will you come?”

What was I supposed to say? I almost laughed out loud as I imagined a possible response. “Well, pastor, I’ll have to pray about that,” just didn’t seem appropriate. How could I deny this man’s petition when he had paid such an incredible price?What was there to pray about?

This pastor’s request reminded me of the apostle Paul’s vision of a Macedonian man who said to him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9, NASB). Pastor Peacepound’s appeal was as sincere as it was humbling. Before the afternoon was over I had committed myself to coming to Lilongwe. It was the least I could do in light of this man’s faith and tenacity.

I’ll have to make a few sacrifices to go to Malawi next year. I don’t enjoy being away from my family that long. But when I consider the fact that my plane ride from Florida to Africa will take less time than Pastor Peacepound’s famous bus ride, it puts things into perspective.

In my recent travels in the developing world I have met so many precious men and women like Pastor Peacepound. They know little of our Western comforts. They’ve never seen granite countertops, flat-screen TVs, iPods or GPS systems. They can’t imagine needing garage door openers, leaf blowers, security systems or the other suburban niceties we think are so crucial. The concept of gated communities or home theaters is an unthinkable concept to them.

These people live in poor countries where many people don’t even have access to clean water or reliable electricity. They are just thankful to have enough rice and beans on the table. (Meanwhile some of us are obsessing about whether our gourmet vegetables are organic.)

As I have built friendships with Christian leaders in the developing world, God has totally messed with my suburban values:

• My friend Raja, who rescues throwaway baby girls from trash cans in southeastern India, runs an orphanage for dozens of kids yet lives on a miniscule salary.
• Lydia, a Christian lady I met in Kenya, runs a charitable school in Nairobi’s largest slum and cares for numerous special—needs children—even though the school cannot cover her own living expenses.
• Oto, a pastor I work with in Guatemala, feeds more than 100 needy children every day—but he has no health insurance or retirement plan and he has never been able to afford a vacation.

It’s uncomfortable to think about these jarring disparities, but I think we should let reality sink in. So much of the world today is struggling while we Americans—even in an economic recession—are living at a level of unimaginable abundance

I pray we will hear and answer the Macedonian cry coming from so many parts of the world. I pray we will act. I pray that someday soon you will meet your own version of Pastor Peacepound, and that you will begin to view the world through his eyes.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. He is ministering in Canada this week. You can find him on Twitter at leegrady.

John Stemberger, Bary’s attorney, said his client’s immigration status is “very critical” as her conversion has been made public to the world. –Christian Post

On Friday, Oct. 16th, an Ohio judge ruled that the teen convert to Christianity, Rifqa Bary—who ran away to Florida in fear for her life—will be transferred to the state custody of Ohio, until the problem with her immigration papers can be sorted out.

The Ohio judge and one in Florida had agreed earlier in the week that the girl should be returned to her parents in Ohio. (Photo: AP Images / Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda, Pool)

Rifqa had filed the claim that her father had said, “If you have this Jesus in your heart, you are dead to me!” and then later had threatened to kill her.

The teen is also worried that she may be sent back to Sri Lanka where her life would also be in danger because of her conversion to Christianity from Islam….(more)

Thursday, 15 October 2009 04:36 PM EDT Adrienne S. Gaines News - Featured News

The new wife of former Lakeland Revival leader Todd Bentley said she believes it was wrong to begin a relationship with the evangelist before his divorce was final.

In an interview with MorningStar Ministries founder Rick Joyner, who is overseeing Bentley’s restoration process, Jessa Bentley said her relationship with Todd Bentley began after he filed for divorce from his first wife, Shonnah. But she now believes they should have waited six months to a year after the divorce was final before beginning a relationship. 

“Even though Todd was getting a divorce and Todd was already separated, it was still wrong for us to have anything romantic, regardless if anything physical happened or not,” Jessa Bentley said. “Even that emotional line that we crossed, I think is wrong. I think it was a sin. I think it was a mistake. I think we missed it.”

She said she doesn’t regret marrying Bentley, but repented for “being deceived” and “allowing things to happen that shouldn’t have happened.”

“We hurt a lot of people,” she said. “For that, there’s nothing we could say to take that away or to make it right or justify it. It was wrong, and it was sin. … We made a huge mess. I want to apologize, I want to repent for that.” (Watch video.)

Teen convert Rifqa Bary may be returned to Ohio before the end of this month.

Florida Judge Daniel P. Dawson said today that he will order the teen to be transitioned back to her home state after her parents provide requested immigration documentation and it is determined whether the girl will be able to continue her education through a Florida virtual school program.

Bary, 17, could be returned to Ohio before Oct. 23, if all the necessary documentation is submitted to the court. Dawson said Florida would maintain emergency jurisdiction until then.

“The sooner these parties get into one courtroom before one judge, the better,” Dawson said.

The judge said he had “grave concerns” that the court had not yet received immigration documents he ordered several times. “I don’t think it’s that hard,” Dawson said.

Ohio Judge Elizabeth Gill, who participated in the hearing by phone, also said she wants the teen’s immigration documents submitted to the court before she is transferred. When moved, the teen would be placed in an Ohio foster home.

Florida attorney Shayan Elahi, who is representing Bary’s father, said the documents could be provided this week.

The Bary family immigrated from Sri Lanka and now live near Columbus, Ohio.

Rifqa Bary fled to Orlando, Fla., in July claiming her Muslim parents threatened to kill her for converting to Christianity, an allegation her parents deny. The teen lived with a charismatic pastor-couple for nearly three weeks before being placed in an Orlando foster home. The pastors are now being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their role in getting the teen to Orlando.

Bary’s parents have filed two actions in Ohio, which the teen’s attorneys had argued that her parent’s filings were just ploys to get the case moved to Ohio. But representatives from the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office said the state would move forward with a dependency hearing even if the Barys attempted to drop their case.

A hearing to determine whether Bary will be placed in Ohio state custody is likely to be held this week. If approved, the order would amend a previous agreement the girl’s parents made with Franklin County Children’s Services to keep the teen in Ohio foster care for 30 days while the family underwent counseling.

Tennessee-based minister Jamal Jivanjee, a convert from Islam who befriended Bary after her conversion to Christianity, said there is good news in the judge’s decision.

“She stays in Florida,” he said after the hearing. “It means she lives to fight another day.”

He said he is glad the judge is taking a close look at her family’s immigration status. He said Bary ran away to Florida because she feared her parents would send her to Sri Lanka to be punished for converting.

“As long as she’s here, she’s protected,” he said.

In Ohio, however, he believes Bary would still be in danger from the strict Muslim community her family associated with. Read it all here

Prophetic minister James Goll says his eight-year battle with cancer is over.

The founder of Encounters Network near Nashville, Tenn., said doctors at the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Zion, Ill., said there is no trace of the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma he has battled since 2001, and that several cancerous growths have melted away.

“I was stunned when I heard the news,” Goll said in an online newsletter. “I asked the oncologist to tell me at least five times. The PET and CT scan and all three doctors confirmed the good report-I am free of cancer!”

Despite its $1,000 per ticket price tag, a fundraising concert for the cash-strapped Gospel Music Association (GMA) is expected to draw thousands of attendees from around the globe.

The Monday event, being billed as the “Concert of the Decade,” is to be streamed live online from Nashville, Tenn., which organizers say will make it the largest Christian concert ever to be viewed in that format.