12/29 Reading - Thoughts & Comments DX3

29-Dec Malachi 2, 1 Thes. 1-2, Psalms 11-15, Proverbs 29

1 Thess 2:6-9 (NIV) As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.

I want to present something that I have learned through the years, but which is hostile towards the old system, or the old way of doing things.  There is an old mindset that says, "If I work for the gospel of Jesus Christ, then others should be paying my financial expenses."  Entire missionary mindsets have trained believers that it is right and just to get support for the mission field, so that they can focus on preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  While much work has been done around the world through the faithful donations of believers who send missionaries into the field, I believe that God is training up a new generation in a new and different way.  As a matter of fact, I believe that the Lord is bringing judgment to the old way of evangelizing and doing missions work.  I have personally traveled around the world doing missions work, and I have seen entire groups of people who have made a lifestyle of producing just enough ministry, photos, and missions work to put together a great newsletter, and to keep the support coming in from the USA.  I have seen others simply not doing ANYTHING while on the mission field, and they are still funded by churches and supporters back home.  There is alot of waste and greed on the mission field.  I'm not saying that there's not great missionaries out there who are giving their lives for the gospel.  There certainly are.  But I believe that God is demanding more of a matured church in this day and age that we live in.  I believe He is training up sons and daughters of the kingdom who will have authority in multiple fields.

Notice that Apostle Paul did not burden the people with his own needs.  He made tents and he worked hard, day and night, in order to fund his life on the road.  He was not afraid to get out there and work.  Was he wasting his time making tents, instead of focusing solely on the ministry? Actually, he wrote 40% of the New Testament, traveled the world, and turned the world upside down for Jesus while not being a burden on anyone financially.


I believe that there are many missionaries who are going to be coming home in the coming years.  I believe that God's judgment on the old world system, the failure of the U.S. Dollar, and His demand that the church separate herself from the doctrines of debt, big bank building payments, and general entanglement with the world system at large.  As the church moves into greater accountability before God, and as the belt tightens in many financial areas of the church world, I believe that the non productive, non adaptive, and non creative missionaries around the world will be coming home to get a job and make some legitimate money.  Unfortunately, many GOOD HEARTED, HARD WORKING missionaries will be forced to come home as well, unless they are able to adapt to the new kingdom rules of the day we live in.

The bottom line is that God has given each of us a garden.  In that garden, He has commanded us to identify it, tend it, and multiply it.  We have gifts, talents, callings, abilities, and many other things that need to multiply in the earth.  We have 4 streams of Eden that should be funding our gardens.  These things need to get into divine order before we plan to step out on the mission fields of the world.  True - Jesus can call you to sell all and go.  But He also wants to train you up in kingdom policies, rules, and laws in order to make your journey prosperous, so you don't have to be a burden on others.  Paul is a supreme example.

Today, if I can neglect my calling before God to make my garden grown, to tend it and multiply it, and if I can still get a monthly check for just doing one thing - let's say, "preach the gospel in another country on Friday and Sunday", then I am living the lifestyle of a godless socialist, rather than a follower of Christ.  Socialism finds way to use other people's money to take care of my needs, so that I don't have to multiply my garden and provide for my family myself.  Paul refused this, but proved the power of God and the ability of the kingdom to produce a paycheck for him while on the mission field.  He said that he could have demanded donations from the people, but he chose rather to work day and night and to prove God's power through multiplication of his garden.  This was a GLORY TO GOD position to take, and one that caused Paul to reach the entire world in his lifetime!

It's not an easy thing to become self sufficient, and to learn how to make money in foreign countries.  But we are coming to the day and age where God is calling KINGDOM SONS & DAUGHTERS who will go into a foreign land, build businesses, hire employees, pay their own way into that nation, and bring a strong kingdom message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the people.  God will empower and bless any man who has this capacity to walk in Paul's footsteps while on the mission field.

Donations and offerings from the church are important, more for the donor and church than for the missionary.  Without giving into the mission field, the church cannot partake in the blessings of the Kingdom of God around the world.  However, I believe you are going to see churches raising up with apostolic teams, and traveling into foreign lands with business, industry, problem solving programs, and commerce producing models which will change society - WHILE preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I want to be in this crowd!  How about you?

I know that this is potentially an earth shaking, new way of thinking. But I believe that this is the time to begin exploring this scenario for the future of Christ's mission.  COMPASS GUIDE is the ultimate program to identify your 8 territories, and to identify your financial strengths and weaknesses, and begin building ON PURPOSE with set plans and goals.  I want to challenge you to get a COMPASS GUIDE book into the hands of any missionary family that you love.  By the way, the Spanish version of the book is available as well and we are having tremendous impact on lives in Central America through this Spanish edition!       

Tomorrow's Reading:
30-Dec Malachi 3, 1 Thes. 3-4, Psalms 16-20, Proverbs 30