Money and the Mission

When Jesus sent out His first disciples to preach, He told them not to take money with them. “A worker has earned their pay” (Luke 10:7), He said. They were to rely on the hospitality of the people they served. From the beginning, the spread of the gospel depended on God’s people opening their homes and their purses.

It has been that way ever since. Luke tells us that as Jesus travelled from town to town, a group of women went with Him, including Mary Magdalene and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager. “These women were using their own resources to provide for them” (Luke 8:3). The ministry of the Son of God was funded, in part, by these women’s generosity.

Partners in the gospel

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is, among other things, a thank-you letter for money. The church at Philippi had supported Paul again and again, sending gifts while he was planting churches elsewhere and while he was in prison. Paul calls them partners in the gospel. He writes:

“It is not the gift I am after. What I am after is the profit that keeps adding up in your account. Everything has been paid to me in full, and I have more than enough. Since Epaphroditus brought me what you sent, I have all I need. Your gift is a sweet-smelling offering, a sacrifice God accepts, one that pleases Him.” (Philippians 4:17-18)

Notice two things. First, Paul says their giving was building up “profit” in their own account. When we give to support the gospel, we share in the fruit of the work. Every person who comes to faith through a missionary we support is, in a sense, credited to our account too.

Second, Paul calls their gift “a sweet-smelling offering, a sacrifice God accepts.” Giving to support God’s work is not just a financial transaction. It is an act of worship, as much as any song or prayer.

Then comes the promise: “And my God will fill every need you have, in keeping with His glorious wealth in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). This famous verse was not written to people who hoarded. It was written to people who had given generously to the mission of God.

Supporting those who teach

The New Testament is clear that churches should support those who teach and preach. “Those who are being taught the word must share all their good things with the one who teaches them” (Galatians 6:6). Paul argued at length in 1 Corinthians 9 that those who preach the gospel should get their living from the gospel, even though he himself often chose not to use that right.

That means our giving should begin with our own church, where we are taught, fed and cared for. But it shouldn’t stop there. The mission of God stretches to the ends of the earth.

To the ends of the earth

Jesus’ last command to His disciples was to go and make disciples of all nations. Some are called to go. Many more are called to send. Without senders, there are no goers.

Today there are still billions of people who have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel, many of them in places with few believers and little Christian witness. There are still languages without a Bible. There are believers in poorer countries working with very few resources. Our money can help.

Think of what giving can do: support a missionary family, pay for Bible translation, train pastors in places where there are few theological colleges, print and distribute Scripture, help a persecuted church survive. A small gift from a comfortable Christian can make an enormous difference elsewhere.

Money without prayer

But money is not enough. E. M. Bounds, who wrote some of the greatest books on prayer, warned in The Essentials of Prayer that money given without prayer can do little:

“Money is important, but money without prayer is powerless in the face of the darkness, the wretchedness and the sin in unchristianised lands.”

And he noticed something about the church that is still true:

“As poor as our giving is, our contributions of money exceed our offerings of prayer.”

E. M. Bounds, Purpose in Prayer

The mission of God is spiritual. It is advanced by the Holy Spirit through prayer, and money is a servant of that work, never a substitute for it. The best givers are also the best pray-ers. If you support a missionary, pray for them by name. If you give to a cause, pray for the people it serves.

When times are hard

Here is a hard question. When money gets tight, what goes first? For many Christians, the answer is giving. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones observed, “When money becomes difficult, the first thing we economize on is our contribution to God’s work.”

That’s understandable. But think about what it says. It says that God’s work is the least important thing in our budget, the first to be cut. Some of the most inspiring giving in history has come from Christians in hard times who refused to cut God’s share first. Paul said of the Macedonian churches, “Hardship has put them to a severe test, yet their joy has overflowed, and their deep poverty has spilled over into riches of generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:2).

Of course there are times when real hardship means our giving must shrink for a while. God knows that and doesn’t condemn us. But it should be the last thing we cut, not the first.

Investing in eternity

Jesus said, “pile up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where no moth or rust can ruin them and no thief can dig through and steal” (Matthew 6:20). Giving to the mission of God is one of the clearest ways to do that. Money given to spread the gospel is the only money you will ever see again. It is invested in people, and people are eternal.

Every gift we receive comes from God, and every gift we pass on can be given in fellowship with Him.

A voice from the past

Andrew Murray, the South African pastor and writer on prayer, described what George Müller believed about money:

“Money was a Divine stewardship, and... all money had therefore to be received and dispensed in direct fellowship with God Himself.”

Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer

Practice this week

Find out about one missionary, mission organisation or church in another part of the world. Learn their names and their needs. Then begin to pray for them regularly, and if you can, give to support them. If you already support someone, write to them this week and tell them you are praying.

For groups

• Read Philippians 4:14-19. What do you notice about Paul’s attitude to the Philippians’ gift?
• Why do you think Paul called giving “a sweet-smelling offering”?
• How do prayer and giving belong together?
• If money became tight for you, what would you cut first? What would you protect?