For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.--Jeremiah 29:11

1 Peter 1:6-7New Living Translation (NLT)

 
 
   There is always an attack on Christian ministers and workers that they steal money for their own personal use.  It seems like if you watch a comedy the minister is always stealing money and then doing other things like drinking alcohol, being inappropriate in behavior, putting people down or doing worse.

   But Christian ministers and workers on the whole join the ministry to serve others and give them the love of Jesus Christ!

   In this brief article I will talk about Christian ministers and money.  We need to get past how people make fun of Christian ministers and, instead, get to know Christian ministers in a more real way.



   Recently, due to my four-toe amputation, a lot of my friends have told me that God was punishing me and that I should leave Hong Kong and go back to America and give up serving others here in Hong Kong.

   It is not to easy to be told these hard things right after my toes were cut off and I was stuck in a hospital bed.  Some people don't have any class and want to show their superiority to someone who is very ill.  I am glad that Father God has helped me to overcome all the negativity I have experienced in the last few months.

   So what does my physical challenge have to do with Christian ministers and money?


  Well, one reason Christian ministers need money is that they work as a minister in a full-time job usually about 70 hours per week.  They need to take phone calls in the middle of the night and text messages and Facebook messages, etc.  People need their ministers to pray for them and encourage them.  Being a minister is a full-time job and the average minister will have a wife and children and need to have a car and work with the church to pay bills for the church building and to pay for events and accounting, etc.  The list goes on and on.

   So many ministers struggle to pay their bills and pay for their healthcare and save money to take care of aging parents and their children's education bills, etc.

   Church members will want ministers to work for free or take very little in salary.  Many ministers make less than a teacher for their salary and teacher's salaries are considered very low.

   Therefore, it is not easy  to be a minister.  It is much easier to work in the Financial industry or be an engineer or sell real estate or be a technology person or even an artist/media professional.  Think about it.  You only have to pay taxes when you work a regular job.  There is no law that someone has to give the first-fruits of their income to a church, ministry or minister and, ultimately...Father God!



   However, in the Bible we see God made some people to be ministers and others to give their first-fruits to help servants of God to minister to the people of God.

   Here are some Bible verses:

   Proverbs 3:9--Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.

   Leviticus 27:30: A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.

   Malachi 3:10: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

   2 Corinthians 8:3, 4: For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.

   2 Corinthians 9:7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully."

   These verses give us an idea that everyone should give their first-fruits of their labor to God's servants to help them to show God to the world.

   So...many people share their money with their churches.  Many people do not.

  If you want to receive Father God';s blessings you should give a little of your money to the church!

   It can be any church or ministry or charity.  It can be given to a certain project.  It can be given on a monthly basis, weekly basis or as part of an inheritance plan.  There are many ways to give, but we should all give to The Lord Almighty:

   Psalm 29:1-2    Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. 2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

   So The Lord has allowed me to work as a teacher in Hong Kong for ten years and then use the money I make to have church meetings and to do many outreach projects to share the love of Jesus.


   I have been very happy and I have learned not to save money on earthly treasures, but to invest my money (from The Lord) on Heavenly Treasures to encourage and bring people to Jesus.  And The Lord has blessed me so much with friends here and people that we pray with and encourage and lots of good things.  For example, I have been able to make worship cds to give away to share the love of Jesus and I have written a book and gave it away for free to teach people how to pray Bible promise verses to know they are not alone.

  Again... What about money and Christian ministers?

  I have learned to be thankful to have a small room.  I have learned to be thankful that I have people in my life that I can encourage and lift up.

   Now I have learned to be thankful that I have my leg and am only missing four toes.  I have learned to be thankful that I can walk and be healthy and not dead!

   So I have learned not to worry about other ministers that have more money and things than I do.  In Hong Kong many ministers travel and spend a lot of money on plane flights and holidays and alcohol.

   I haven't left Hong Kong to fly back to USA  since 2009 and I don't want to go anywhere, except for China because I don't want to waste money on personal gratification.  I would rather use my money (from The Lord by me working as a teacher) to produce ways to reach the Gospel out to others.

   So I have learned that ministers have nice cars and big houses and savings accounts and so many things.  I don't worry about them.  I want to serve The Lord and encourage his people.  I don't need a mansion and a million dollar account.  I just need The Lord and his peace and he will help me with my daily needs every day! Proverbs 30:8 is a great Bible verse to show what we really need:

   Proverbs 30:8  Make me absolutely honest and don’t let me be too poor or too rich. Give me just what I need.

   Hospital Nightmare with my Four Toe Amputation

   As you know, most of my insurance didn't cover my hospital expenses.  I was told that if I didn't pay for my private hospital care then I would lose my leg.  What stress hit me when I was told that...

   You see I felt guilty because I didn't save up for this problem.  I used my money for ministry and taking care of my parents and myself and helping other ministries.

   So I was in trouble...I was sitting in a taxi going home from the doctor's office wondering what was going to happen to me???

   Then I remembered that Citibank called me a few days before asking me if I wanted a loan.  I told them 'no' because I had been taught that Christians shouldn't take loans.  So I am riding home and worried and I called back the bank and in five minutes they gave me a loan so I could have the surgery that would save my leg and my life.

   Then a few months later around Christmas 2015 I was running out of money and no friend bothered to ask how they could help me.  Instead, many told me that I deserved to lose my leg and, possibly my life, because I was prideful.  They told me that I should have never tried to be a minister and share the love of Jesus with others.  They told me that Father God was punishing me because I must be evil and false.

   WOW!  I never experienced anything like this before...