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OUR SUPPORT
Issued by World Services on the collective behalf of the fellowship of independent missionary communities commonly referred to as The Family
October 1992
"In the same way, the Lord has given orders that those who preach the Gospel should be supported by those who accept it" (1 Corinthians 9:14, Living New Testament).
The preceding verse from the Bible succinctly expresses the philosophy behind our views on the support of our missionary Family. Our approach is based on Biblical teachings, and is a standard and traditional means of supporting a religious work. Similar means of obtaining support are used by many religions around the world. The members of our fellowship are dedicated to full-time service for Jesus, sharing His message of hope, love and redemption with the world. We consider it a blessing and a special calling to be able to serve God and our fellow man in this way, and a worthy work for others to help support, knowing that they in turn will be richly blessed by God.
We pattern our missionary service after that of the early disciples of Jesus, trusting that God "will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Hence, rather than rely upon a guaranteed monthly salary, we rely on God's promises of supply which He has clearly given in the Bible. This is called "living by faith" because it requires an act of faith to put one's life totally into the care and keeping of God. We trust that as we put our duties for the Kingdom of God first, He will see that our needs are provided, often through the kindness and generosity of those to whom we minister the message of the Gospel. As they help us, God helps them and fills their lives with wonderful benefits and blessings, plus the joy of knowing they are furthering the Lord's work.
Jesus Himself set the example for those who would follow in His footsteps, by humbly asking others for help: a meal, a boat to preach from, a drink from a well, a donkey to ride, a room in which to have His Last Supper, etc. (Luke 19:5; 5:1-3; John 4:6,7; Mark 11:1-7; 14:12-16). As we reach out in love and concern to minister to others spiritually, people in turn heed His call in their hearts and respond by helping to meet our material needs (1 Corinthians 9:11).
The Gospel is freely given by God for all men, rich and poor, but it is a fact of life that it does cost a great deal of effort and expense for someone to preach and publish it. As one minister put it, "The Gospel is free, but it costs something to pipe it to you!" While the specific sources of income for each of our independent communities vary, many communities do rely to a large extent on the material and financial support of others. Helpful individuals and businesses in their area, and sponsors of their work who are located in other countries help out, as is done in other local churches and non-profit organizations. Another source of income for our communities is the donations that people give us for our original music and video productions. These are created by gifted individuals in our Family around the world, and produced in our own studios or in those of our friends and supporters.
In this article we will explain why we believe that our practice of living by faith is a justifiable, Scriptural and honorable way to finance the continuance of the Lord's work. Practically speaking, if we worked at secular jobs from 9 to 5, we wouldn't have the time nor energy to be able to concentrate full-time on ministering the Gospel to others.--A work that in terms of hard and long man-hours is as demanding as most secular jobs, and often more so.
1. God is the ultimate source of all that exists.
First and foremost, we believe that God owns the entire world and all that it contains, and that He, and He alone, is the source of all supply for all Mankind.
"The Earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1).
"For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills" (Psalm 50:10).
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from Above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17).
We are sincerely grateful to all who help us in so many ways. Ultimately, though, we acknowledge that it is God working through our friends and supporters, both to bless them and to provide our needs. God is the great hidden Benefactor of all Mankind and the One to Whom we all owe thanks for the things He provides. "Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee" (Psalms 145:16; 1 Chronicles 29:14).
"Both riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all" (1 Chronicles 29:12).
2. Each of our members is a full-time disciple and minister of the Gospel.
Each full-time member of our Family is striving to be a disciple of Jesus, and a true minister of the Gospel, doing his or her best to fulfil the Scriptural requirements that Jesus gave His disciples in the New Testament.
We love Jesus above all else and all others, and have forsaken all, including material possessions and worldly ambitions, to follow Him in obedience to the Scriptures:
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).
"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win [gain] Christ" (Philippians 3:8).
"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33).
"Then Jesus beholding him [the rich young ruler] loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow Me" (Mark 10:21).
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it" (Matthew 13:45,46).
We live in communities, as the early Christians did, sharing everything we have. Our purpose for living in this way is so that we can better devote our lives to the service of others. Living and working in cooperation together, pooling our talents and resources, allows us to better manage our day-to-day lives and organize our public ministries. Our children are well cared for, educated and vocationally well trained in our communities, while adults have the opportunity to study God's Word, instruct new Christians, and reach out to others in need.
"And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need" (Acts 2:44,45).
"And the multitude of them [the early Christians] that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need" (Acts 4:32,34,35).
"If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed" (John 8:31).
Much time is spent in witnessing. This activity embraces everything from leading people to Jesus, to helping them in their hour of need. Our members do a great deal of counseling, helping people with problems, encouraging young and old alike. We often give free musical performances and minister in old folks' homes, prisons, hospitals, shelters for the homeless, etc. You will often find us working among the poor, sharing what extra food and belongings we have, and giving them the hope we have found in Jesus. Many families turn to us for help and advice on how to work out their domestic problems and raise their children with love and security in a time when family values are weakening and world conditions are worsening. Our Family spends a great deal of time, effort and manpower to create and distribute valuable faith- and character-building educational videos and tapes for children and adults alike. These we distribute worldwide to provide people with hope and encouragement for today and for the future.
"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20).
"And daily in the temple and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" (Acts 5:42).
"And He [Jesus] said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).
We believe it is an honorable calling, a vocation requiring dedication, and self-denial, which yields little in the way of tangible earthly rewards. It is not a profession to be belittled in any way, but rather a high calling to be proud of.
3. God's servants should not become overly involved in secular pursuits.
We believe that there are not enough full-time ministers of the Gospel in the world today, especially those like us who reach out to individuals less inclined to be involved with established churches. We believe that it would not be pleasing to the Lord if we were to neglect our full-time service to Him by taking up secular jobs that in any way would prevent us from being able to freely minister the Gospel and our Christian service to others whenever and wherever needed. We must remain free of entanglements so that we can go where He guides, trusting that He will continue to provide. Our young people, when they are of age, are of course free to make up their own minds and choose if they will continue in this tradition or embrace a different lifestyle.
"Then saith He [Jesus] unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest" (Matthew 9:37,38).
"No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [material wealth]" (Luke 16:13).
"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed" (John 6:27).
"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men" (1 Corinthians 7:23).
"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him Who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:4).
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment [clothing]? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Matthew 6:26-30).
4. God promises to provide for His servants.
We are of the firm conviction that if we are faithful to dedicate our lives to God's work as true disciples of Jesus, that He will see to it that our needs are provided for.
We affirm that God is perfectly capable of providing for His people by supernatural miracles, if that is His Will. In the absence of miracles, however, we believe that the Scriptures reveal clearly that God expects His workers to be helped and supported by those to whom they minister.
The Levites were set apart from the rest of the people of Israel to serve and minister to the people as God's priests and servants. We feel that God has likewise called us apart in dedication to His service; and just as God commanded that the Levites should have no territorial possessions but receive support from others, so likewise we do not seek personal possessions but depend upon others for their help (Numbers 18:21,24,26; Nehemiah 10:37).
Jesus and His apostles lived this way, as did thousands in the Early Church (Mark 11:1-3; 14:13-16). Millions of pastors, priests, nuns and holy men and women of not only Christianity, but also Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and many other religions have followed this custom. It is a principle ordained of God and generally accepted the world over, to the extent that many secular charities, etc., have followed suit.
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:25, 31; Luke 12:30; Matthew 6:33).
"The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want [lack] any good thing" (Psalm 34:10).
"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Psalm 37:25).
"And Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others . . . ministered unto Him [Jesus] of their substance" (Luke 8:3).
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asks bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" (Matthew 7:7-11).
"He that spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).
"But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
"Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14).
"Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat" (Matthew 10:9,10).
"And He [Jesus] said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing" (Luke 22:35).
5. As we minister to others spiritually, they help us materially.
We believe that since our ministry is a spiritual one, dedicated to the benefit and help of others, it is therefore Scriptural and correct for us to ask for and accept the material help of those to whom we minister.
"If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal [material] things?" (1 Corinthians 9:11).
"For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their [the disciples'] spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal [material] things" (Romans 15:27).
"Let him who receives instruction in the Word [of God] share all good things with his teacher--contributing to his support" (Galatians 6:6, Amplified New Testament).
6. It is Scriptural to ask others to help supply our needs.
The Scriptures indicate that we are to first ask the Lord in prayer for our needs, and then seek out those who are in a position to help us.
"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate [share]; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
"And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence" (Matthew 10:11).
7. Those who give to God's servants are giving to the Lord, and will be blessed and rewarded accordingly.
We believe that whoever gives to the Lord's work is in effect giving to Jesus Himself and will receive a reward (whether it be spiritual or material or both) far in excess of the original gift.
"And the King [Jesus] shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me" (Matthew 25:40).
"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life" (Matthew 19:29).
"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42).
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete [distribute or measure] withal it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38).
"It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).
"He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully . . . for God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:6,7).
"The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself" (Proverbs 11:25).
8. All Christians have a duty to further the Gospel or help those who do.
We believe that it is the Scriptural obligation of every professing Christian to actively support such full-time ministerial and missionary work as we carry out in our fellowship.
"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10).
"Distributing to the necessity of the saints; given to hospitality" (Romans 12:13).
"For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal [material] things" (Romans 15:26,27).
"We believe that the practice of tithing (the giving of 10% of one's income to help support the Lord's work) is ordained of God in the Bible, and that those who choose to tithe will be blessed of God, both spiritually and materially, according to His Word.
"Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth of Israel . . . for their service which they serve" (Numbers 18:21).
"Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine" (Proverbs 3:9,10).
"Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year" (Deuteronomy 14:22).
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10).
9. We believe that we should be honest in all our dealings with our supporters.
Each local work or community of the Family is independent and self-supporting, and therefore often goes by its own name. The name chosen often reflects the focus of the local ministry.
Our mission work must attend to many different needs that arise locally and abroad, both in the Family and outside the Family. Communities in wealthier countries often share their local abundance with our mission work in poorer countries. On many occasions, our members, seeing a special need locally or abroad, will ask their supporters for goods and materials which they distribute to needy groups or individuals who are not a part of our Fellowship. For example, our Family in Japan has been instrumental in making it possible for our outreach in Thailand to provide Cambodian refugees with many needed items. In Western Europe, the Family sends help to our mission work and others in Eastern Europe. Many Family communities also share donated materials with local charities, churches, relief organizations, orphanages, etc.
Our communities are expected to be straightforward and honest in their dealings with donors, explaining to them the nature of the need and generally how their gift will be used. We do not approve of deception or misrepresentation in order to gain support.
"Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (2 Corinthians 8:21).
"That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing" (1 Thessalonians 4:12).
"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8).
"Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:10).
"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying" (Romans 13:13).
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 9:1).
10. We often minister physically to those in need.
We often share our extra materials with other charitable organizations, the poor, homeless, refugees, victims of hurricanes, earthquakes or other disasters. Our communities also tithe to support other missionaries and missionary projects.
"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again" (Proverbs 19:17).
"He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor" (Proverbs 22:9).
"He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack" (Proverbs 28:27a).
CONCLUSION
The full-time members of our fellowship live by faith," trusting that where God guides He will also provide. God could drop manna from Heaven and do other great miracles to care for those who dedicate themselves totally to His service. However, it seems in His great love and wisdom He more often chooses to let others help His work so that He in turn can bountifully bless them.
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete [distribute or measure] withal it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38).
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me [Jesus]" (Matthew 25:40).
"He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully . . . for God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:6,7).
May God richly bless and reward you as you assist in establishing and strengthening the Kingdom of His dear Son here on Earth.--Amen.