Towards money

  What should be the attitude of a Christian worker, a servant of God, towards money? This is quite a serious question, and unless a worker has a definite breakthrough in this matter, he cannot work for the Lord. If a worker has a problem towards money, he cannot go very far. A worker finds frequent occasions to touch money. What is at stake, therefore, is a very fundamental question.

  Mammon stands in opposition to God, and we should reject its influence. This is the proper Christian view towards money. We must be on the alert lest we come under its power. No worker who is bound by the power of mammon can persuade others to be freed from its power. This is not possible. If we are bound and controlled by mammon, it will be impossible for us to help the brothers and sisters to be free of its control and bondage. A worker should hate laziness, and he should also loathe the power of mammon. Otherwise, he will be useless in God's work. Money is a great matter. Let us look at a few things related to money.

One

  In the first place, let us note the relationship between money and a worker's pathway and teaching. In the Old Testament there is the history of Balaam, and in the New Testament there is the way and teaching of Balaam. Balaam is referred to in 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation. This shows us the amount of attention God pays to Balaam. Balaam was a prophet who worked for profit. In other words, he commercialized the prophetic ministry. He was not ignorant of his position. He was fully aware of it. He also was not ignorant of God's will. When Balak, the king of Moab, was set to destroy the people of God, Balaam was fully aware that God's people should not be cursed; he knew that they were a people blessed by Jehovah. But because he coveted Balak's promise, a promise to satisfy all of his wants, he went to God again and again to ask for permission. Eventually, God granted him the permission. Many people erroneously think that this episode is an example of waiting on God. As a matter of fact, Balaam would never have inquired of God at all had it not been for Balak's promise. He knew quite well that such a trip was not according to the Lord. God's thought was of blessing and gracious care; His thought was not of cursing. But Balaam inquired of God again and again because he had received a promise from Balak. Later, God told him to go. But it was not God's will for him to go; it was God's permission for him to go. To God, if Balak's offer could generate so much prayer in Balaam, He would simply tell Balaam to go. Balaam undoubtedly was a prophet, but he allowed money to affect his pathway and lead him far astray.

  Any Christian worker who has not resolved the issue of money within himself and who is still bound by the power of money is certain to relate his field of work to money. When he has to decide where he will work, his decision will surely be influenced by financial support. He will go where there is financial support, and he will not go where there is no financial support. His support becomes his guidance. If he only goes where there is support, surely he will not go to a poor place, or, if he goes at all, he will leave that place after a short period of time. If another place is rich in support, he will spontaneously be drawn to their support, and he will think that God is leading him there. Some prayers and guidance follow monetary support. This support becomes the focus of attention. Profit and money drove Balaam to bother God again and again. He kept bothering God about whether or not he should go. Over ten years ago, an elderly brother commented on the lamentable state of Christian affairs, saying, "See how many servants of God are after money! So many poor places are short of care, yet so many workers are frequenting big places which are already crowded with people. Is there something wrong with the guidance they have received?" This was a strong word. If a brother has not dealt with the problem of money, it will not be a surprise at all that his footsteps inevitably will be like those of Balaam. His pathway will be determined by the amount of his support. The amount of his support will become the direction for his pathway. If a place is poor, he will not visit it or will seldom visit it. Even if he visits the place, he will leave quickly. If a place is rich in support, he will visit more or will stay there permanently. Money will become the source of his guidance. To such ones God can only say, "Go as you wish." A worker who is not free from the influence of money is useless. If a worker cannot boast as Paul boasted with regard to money, he is useless. If a worker cannot be freed from money and its influence, he cannot be a minister of God; his way will surely be Balaam's way. Some people are easily touched by money; their pathway is easily affected by money. As a result, their way is the way of Balaam. The way of Balaam is simply a way that is dictated by money. May the Lord be gracious to us so that we will all be delivered from money. We do not wish to see any of us becoming a beggar. May the location of our work not become the spot where we beg. Once it does, we become a slave to money. It is a pity and shame for God's servant to be led and controlled by money! It is a shame to seek for guidance not by prostrating at God's feet but by following the direction of money! If a man is not fully delivered from money, he may be deep in money's bondage when he says that he is under God's leading. This is too shameful! Of course, the matter of money is a very superficial matter. If the God we believe in is living, we should be able to go anywhere. But if He is not living, we might as well retreat quickly and do nothing at all. It is a shameful thing to preach a living God and yet have our pathway governed by money. This is a great shame!

  In the New Testament Peter spoke of the way of Balaam. He showed us what it is: "Having eyes full of adultery and not ceasing from sin; enticing unstable souls, having a heart exercised for covetousness, children of curse" (2 Pet. 2:14). Here the emphasis is on the habitual exercise of covetousness. Covetousness is a matter of the heart, yet it can become a habit. When a man is taken over by covetousness once, twice, or many times, his covetousness becomes his habit. "Forsaking the straight way, they have gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness" (v. 15). What happens when a person falls into habitual covetousness? He forsakes the straight way, goes astray, and follows the way of Balaam, the son of Beor! Brothers and sisters, God has set before us "the straight way." Which way should we go? Some have forsaken the straight way, gone astray, and followed the way of Balaam. What is "the way of Balaam"? He was a prophet who loved the wages of unrighteousness. This shows us clearly that the way of Balaam is a way that involves the selling of one's prophetic ministry for a profit. But the gospel is not sold, and the prophetic ministry is not sold. We can neither sell God's gospel nor the ministry of the prophets. Yet here was a person who sold his prophetic ministry. His way was wrong. His heart was filled with covetousness. This is the reason he went astray as soon as temptation came. Balaam did not accept Balak's offer as a result of one thought of covetousness; it was the result of habitual coveting. Brothers and sisters, have you seen this point? It was a habit. This was the reason he went astray as soon as Balak offered him the money. If the power of mammon is not eradicated from us, our feet will run after it as soon as its bait is dangled before us, and we will sacrifice our usefulness. If we want to run a straight course, we have to deny mammon absolutely. Otherwise, we outwardly may be seeking for leading, praying for guidance, and pursuing God's will while our feet remain on the wrong path. Balaam prayed, pursued God's will, and waited on God. Yet he still took the wrong way. Please remember that as long as money occupies a place in our heart and covetousness becomes a habit, we can pray all we want for God to stop us from going to a certain place, but money will eventually direct our footsteps. We will be unable to run a straight course.

  Jude also speaks of Balaam. Verse 11 says, "For they have...rushed out in the error of Balaam for reward." These are strong words. Some have rushed out for reward. To rush means to run quickly, speedily, and hurriedly. Some have rushed out in the error of Balaam. God's children have to be fully delivered from the enticement of reward. Otherwise, they will have no choice but the way of error.

  In addition to making reference to Balaam, 2 Peter 2:3 describes another condition: "In covetousness, with fabricated words, they will make merchandise of you, for whom the judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction does not slumber." Second Peter 2 deals with false prophets. What do false prophets do? In covetousness they fabricate words to make merchandise of the believers. They are covetous, and they seek profit. Hence, they fabricate lies. If a man's way is directed by money, sooner or later his teaching will also be directed by money. We can be certain of this. Such a person will say one thing to the poor and another thing to the rich. He will tell the poor men one kind of demand of the Lord, and when the rich men come around, he will tell them a different kind of demand of the Lord. His words are affected by his desire for profit. In other words, his teaching goes where the money is. God's Word is frank and strong. We are afraid that some have gone after the example of the false prophets and the false teachers. If a man's course of action is swayed and turned by the power of money, this man is a false prophet and a false teacher. No prophet, instructor, or teacher who is a faithful servant of God can be swayed by the power of money. If a man can be bought with money, if he can be affected by money, and if money can change the course of his direction, he should cover himself with ashes and confess that he is a false prophet and a false teacher. He is a false servant, not a genuine servant of God. This is a very serious thing. We must be totally delivered from mammon. Those who are governed by the supply of money in their pathway and their speaking should be cut off from God's work.

  Peter and Jude were not the only ones who spoke on this subject. Paul said the same thing to Timothy when he underscored this peril. First Timothy 6:3 says, "If anyone teaches different things and does not consent to healthy words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the teaching which is according to godliness." What is to become of the one who teaches different things, who teaches strange doctrines, and who does not consent to the healthy words of our Lord Jesus Christ? Verses 4 and 5 say, "He is blinded with pride, understanding nothing, but is diseased with questionings and contentions of words, out of which come envy, strife, slanders, evil suspicions, perpetual wranglings of men corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, supposing godliness to be a means of gain." It is interesting to note that in church history all the heretical teachers, those who taught differently, took godliness as a means of gain. None of them were spent as much as Paul. They calculated how much they could get out for what they put in. May none of us try to gain anything from anyone through the gospel! Nothing in this world is more condemned by God than the pursuit for gain through godliness. Nothing can be more base than to engage in Christian work as a source of profit. This is most repugnant. Using godliness as a means of gain is most repugnant. Every worker must be completely free from all thoughts of profit before he can engage himself in the work. Brothers and sisters, if you want to work for the Lord, your mind must be completely free from the influence of money. Death and starvation should be more preferable than working for gain. Every worker of the Lord has to be very strong in this matter. If anyone entices us to take a compromising course in this matter, we should not give him an inch of ground. We have to follow our Lord in an absolute way. Brothers and sisters, we can sell our clothing and our possessions, but we can never sell our truth and our godliness. Unless we die to mammon and our mind is completely free from it, it is better not to touch the Lord's work at all. Verse 6 says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain." This is where the real gain lies: Where there is godliness, there is contentment. When we have godliness, we ask for nothing more, we expect nothing more, and we are satisfied with what we have. This is gain, great gain. It is a shame for godliness to become a means for monetary gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. Verses 7 through 10 are particularly important to workers of the Lord: "For we have brought nothing into the world, because neither can we carry anything out. But having food and covering, with these we will be content. But those who intend to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all evils, because of which some, aspiring after money, have been led away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many pains." Brothers and sisters, we should never make godliness a means of gain. We must be completely free from the influence of money. If we have trouble overcoming this, it would be better to look for another profession. We can never be so fallen as to follow money in our speaking and in our work. It would be better to take up another profession and serve the Lord in that way. There is nothing wrong in serving the Lord with other professions. No one can be careless in the matter of money, and no one can bring shame to the Lord's name through money. A worker must be clean with money. His heart must be fully delivered from it. He has to be absolute, because God's Word condemns most severely any uncleanliness towards money.

  Jude 16 says, "These are murmurers, complainers, going on according to their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling things, flattering persons for the sake of advantage." Many people speak great swelling things. They boast of the number of times their prayers are answered and of the number of times they have performed amazing miracles and works of wonders. They say these things "for the sake of advantage." Many people speak what others like to hear in order to flatter them for the sake of advantage. We have to deal with all motives that are driven by the thought of profit. This is a basic character trait of a worker of the Lord. A person who has compromised in the matter of money will compromise in all things. Towards money we must be tough, very tough, and must not give in to any corruption. As workers of the Lord, we have to be absolutely clean in the matter of money.

Two

  Let us now consider how the Lord Jesus trained His disciples. Luke 9 records His sending forth of the twelve disciples, and chapter ten records His sending forth of the seventy. Of the four Gospels, only Luke records the sending forth of the seventy. In sending forth the twelve, the Lord said, "Take nothing for the journey, neither a staff nor a bag nor bread nor money, nor have two tunics apiece" (9:3). The Lord told them to leave behind many things. When He commissioned the seventy, He said, "Do not carry a purse, nor a bag, nor sandals" (10:4). A common point in both cases is money. In other words, money should be a non-issue for a worker who sets out for his work. Later the Lord asked, "When I sent you without purse and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you? And they said, Nothing" (22:35). Following this the Lord said, "But now, let him who has a purse take it, likewise also a bag; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one" (v. 36). This is because the dispensation had changed. By that time the Lord Jesus had been rejected. While there was a chance for the Israelites to receive the Lord, there was no need for these things. The point to emphasize is that in carrying out his commission for the Lord, a worker should not pay attention to his wallet. His whole being should be given to the message, not to his wallet. We go out to testify that Jesus of Nazareth is God's appointed Lord. Our being is in the message, not in the purse. In other words, we are qualified to work only if we are completely free from money. If we go to every city and town to preach the gospel of the kingdom, we must not be like a camel. We cannot be a camel, stuck at the eye of the needle and barred from the kingdom, while telling others of the need to enter the kingdom by violence (Matt. 11:12). This is impossible.

  What do the words do not carry mean? They tell us that the gospel principle contradicts the principle of the purse and the two tunics. When a man sets out to preach the gospel, he cannot set his mind on these things. For an ordinary journey, one needs a purse to hold his money, a staff for walking, and two tunics to change his clothes. All these things are necessary. This is the reason the Lord told His disciples to carry them in Luke 22. Why did He say that these are unnecessary when He sent out the twelve disciples in chapter nine and the seventy in chapter ten? He forbade these things because a gospel preacher should not set his mind on these things. When he is sent, he should go. He should go if there are two tunics, and he should go if there is only one tunic. He should go with or without a staff, with or without money, and with or without a purse to carry his money. This is what it means to be a gospel preacher. This is the basic training the Lord gave the disciples when He sent out the twelve and then the seventy for their work. Brothers and sisters, we have to be clear. If a man's heart is on the gospel, these minor things will not be an issue to him at all. If these things become an issue to him, it is better that he not go out at all. In order to preach the gospel, our clothing, our purse, and our staff must not be a concern to us. If they are, we cannot preach the gospel. The gospel requires that we focus absolutely on the gospel; it requires so much of our attention that these things should become inconsequential to us. The gospel is the only thing that should occupy our hearts. When we set out for our work, we should be happy with or without the availability of hospitality. We have to stand on God's side, and we should bear a glorious testimony for the Lord. This is why the Lord said, "Into whatever house you enter, first say, Peace to this house" (10:5). How dignified this is. A worker is one who dispenses peace to others. He should honor his own position before the Lord. He can be poor, but he can never lose his dignity. No worker can be so wrong as to give up his dignity. If we go to a place and the people there do not receive us, what should we do? The Lord said, "As many as do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against them" (9:5). Do you see the dignity of the servants of God? When they are turned away, they do not feel shamed and do not complain, saying, "What bad luck. We came to the wrong house." Instead, they shake off the dust from their feet. They do not even take a speck of dust from that city. God's servants must maintain their dignity. They can be poor, but they cannot lose their dignity. If our mind is not fully settled about this, we cannot have a share in God's work. As workers, we have to deal with the Lord properly regarding the matter of money. Otherwise, we cannot touch God's work, because mammon is a crucial matter.

  We can find out more about the Lord's training of His disciples in the feeding of the five thousand and then the four thousand. On one of these occasions, He took His disciples with Him and preached to a large crowd of five thousand, not including women and children. Toward the close of the day the disciples came to Him and said, "This place is deserted and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves. But Jesus said to them, They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat" (Matt. 14:15-16). The disciples had hoped that the Lord would send the crowds away to get their own food. But the Lord said, "You give them something to eat." When one disciple heard this, he was shocked, and said, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that each one may take a little" (John 6:7). While they were counting the two hundred denarii, the Lord said, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see" (Mark 6:38). When they brought Him five loaves and two fishes, the Lord performed a miracle and fed them all. Brothers and sisters, all those who are counting their two hundred denarii are not qualified to work for the Lord. If money means so much to us, we cannot touch God's work. The Lord shows us in these verses that every worker should be glad to give away what he has. If money means a great deal to us, we will always calculate profit. A worker should be delivered from the power of mammon. Money should not exert any power or influence upon a worker of the Lord. During the three and a half years the Lord was with the twelve disciples, He gave Himself to them. This was the way He trained the twelve disciples. He showed them that what should be spent should be spent. God's work has nothing to do with profitability. It is wrong to view God's work with a commercial eye. Those who are always counting their money are not God's slaves; they are mammon's slaves. We have to learn to rescue ourselves from the power of mammon.

  The disciples did not learn this lesson immediately. In Matthew 15, we see another occasion with four thousand people, excluding women and children. This time the condition was more serious. The crowd had been there for three days. What could the disciples do under such circumstances? The Lord told them, "I am moved with compassion for the crowd, because for three days now they have remained with Me and they do not have anything to eat" (v. 32). The word "and" means that the Lord Himself was also without food for those three days. He went on, "And I am not willing to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." But the disciples had not learned the lesson. They wondered how they could get enough food to feed the people. Man's concern is always where food will come from. But the Lord asked them, "How many loaves do you have? And they said, Seven, and a few small fish" (v. 34). They brought Him the seven loaves and the few fish, and the Lord performed another miracle and fed the four thousand.

  The Lord repeated this miracle because the twelve disciples needed to be trained twice. Had the Lord not fed the five thousand and four thousand, the disciples probably would not have been able to handle the situation at Pentecost. If a man has never experienced the feeding of five thousand and four thousand in the Gospels, he could never know about caring for the three thousand and five thousand in Acts. Those who run away at the sight of bears and lions will surely run away at the sight of Goliath. Those who cannot shepherd sheep will surely not be able to shepherd Israel. Here was a group of people who learned the lesson of feeding the five thousand and the four thousand. As a consequence, they had no problem at Pentecost when they were called upon to take care of the poor. Brothers and sisters, we have to go through the same training. Our hearts have to be enlarged. We can hold back what we spend, but God does not want us to hold back His miracles. Many people are too concerned about money. They do not give others the impression that they are servants of God. They do not resemble those who have been trained by God. A trained person will not make money an issue; he will not be that concerned about the money in his hand. Brothers and sisters, the more we count, the more we deviate from God's mark, and the poorer we become. This is not God's principle towards money. We need the training that the twelve and the seventy disciples received. One of the twelve eventually became a thief, a robber; he stole money. He did not learn his lesson, and money became a major issue to him. When he saw Mary pouring the pure nard out of the alabaster flask on the Lord, he considered it a waste. He said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" (John 12:5). To a calculating person, a flask of ointment can be sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor. But the Lord did not go along with this calculation. Instead, He said, "Truly I say to you, Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be told as a memorial of her" (Matt. 26:13). The consummate result of the gospel is the breaking of the alabaster flask and the anointing of the Lord Jesus with the ointment worth three hundred denarii. In other words, when a man receives the gospel and for Christ's sake does not count the cost of wasting everything on Him, it is a good thing in the Lord's sight. It is right even when he "wastes" himself on the Lord. Those who do not understand the gospel are always counting their money, but those who understand the gospel realize that it is right and proper to waste themselves on Him. It is right for the Lord to receive our "wasteful" sacrifice. Who was the one who considered it a waste? Judas. He was a man who never learned his lesson. His words were very reasonable. To man, there was no profit in spending three hundred denarii in this way! To Judas, three hundred denarii was enough to betray a man — he sold the Lord Jesus for a price of three hundred denarii. However, to him, the pouring out of the ointment was a waste, and he grieved over it. He wanted to gain something from it; he was a very calculating man. But those who have genuinely received the gospel and who are absolute for the Lord will sacrifice everything. Even if the sacrifice is too much in others' eyes, this sacrifice is made towards the Lord's gospel. Where the gospel is proclaimed, no one should bargain with the Lord. He said, "For the poor you have with you always, but you do not always have Me" (v. 11). The Lord was saying that there is nothing wrong about caring for the poor, but we cannot hold back anything when it comes to sacrificing for the Lord. Even if we overdo and go to the extreme, it is still not a waste to the Lord. A brother once said, "If a new believer tries to take the moderate way once he believes, he will have no spiritual future at all." Brothers and sisters, considerations of moderation can wait ten or twenty years, but when one first believes, he should waste himself on Him. If you are a new believer, you should offer everything you have to Him. You should pour out the entire alabaster flask of pure nard on the Lord. You have to sacrifice everything this way before you will have a way to go on. This was the training the disciples received. We have to learn to take up a little more suffering ourselves and waste more on the Lord and on others. As God's servants, we should be very generous towards money. We should go on, with or without money. Those who always count their money are not the right persons for the work.

  In Acts 3:6 Peter said to the crippled man, "Silver and gold I do not possess." The Lord brought Peter and John to the point where they could claim, "Silver and gold I do not possess." Although we see much money being handled in chapter two, we find a testimony in chapter three: "Silver and gold I do not possess." What did Peter say to the crippled man? "What I have, this I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene rise up and walk." They were so trained that even though so much money passed through their hand, they could still say, "Silver and gold I do not possess." Brothers and sisters, if we engage ourselves in the work at all, we have to be firm with regard to money. Once we are weak in this matter, we will be weak in other matters as well. An underlying factor for strong and steady workers is our trustworthiness before God in the matter of money. God can entrust such persons.

Three

  Let us come to the third point — Paul's attitude towards money. His own word on this subject is very clear. In Acts 20 he said to the Ephesians, "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothing" (v. 33). This is a matter of motive. He did not covet anything. In his work for the Lord, he was able to boast that he never coveted anyone's possessions. He had no thought concerning anyone's gold, silver, or clothing. This is the first statement. Then he said, "You yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my needs and to those who are with me" (v. 34). This should be the common attitude of all servants of God. We must covet no man's silver or gold or clothing. Others' possessions are their own, and we have no desire for them. They can keep what they have. At the same time, we work to supply our own need and those of our co-workers. This does not mean that a worker of the Lord has no right to exercise his right in the gospel (1 Cor. 9:18). But it does mean that a worker of the Lord should view the gospel as such a serious and immense responsibility that he would rather offer his hands and his money to the work. This should be his desire before the Lord. If at all possible, his hands should be working. Of course Paul accepted gifts from others, but that had to do with another subject — the responsibility of the giver. We will come to that in a minute.

  Paul's word to the Corinthians was very sweet. In 2 Corinthians 11:7 he said, "Or did I commit a sin, abasing myself that you might be exalted, because I announced the gospel of God to you free of charge?" He continued in verses 9 through 12: "And when I was present with you and lacked, I was not a burden to anyone; for the brothers who came from Macedonia filled up my lack, and in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and will keep myself. The truthfulness of Christ is in me, that this boasting shall not be stopped as it regards me in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows. But what I do, I also will do, that I may cut off the opportunity of those desiring an opportunity, that in the thing in which they boast, they may be found even as we." Paul did not categorically deny all gifts, but in Achaia it was a matter of testimony. Some were criticizing, looking for opportunity, and boasting as if they were different from others. Paul did not want to give them an occasion for criticism. He said that he announced the gospel of God to them free of charge, that he was not a burden to them, not even when he lacked. He kept himself from being burdensome to them, and would continue to keep himself in this way. He would not allow himself to become a burden to them. This does not mean that he did not love them, because what he did, he would continue to do. But he acted in this way to cut off the opportunity of those desiring an opportunity, and to shut their mouths. This is the attitude of a worker towards money. Wherever we go, as soon as we sense any reluctance, we should cut off any opportunity for criticism. God's children must maintain their dignity in His work. The more a person loves money, the more we should give the gospel to him free of charge. The more a person holds on to his money, the less we should receive any gift from him. We should realize our position as servants of God. If we find anyone like the Achaians, who were reluctant and who were looking for opportunity to criticize, we should say to them as Paul seemingly said, "I will not be a burden to any one of you. If you want to send something to the poor in Jerusalem, I can take it to them. If Timothy comes, you can send him forth in his journey in peace. But as for myself, I must maintain my dignity as a worker of the Lord." If we are criticized for receiving any gift from anyone, we have lost our dignity as servants of the Lord altogether. We have to maintain our dignity as servants of God. In our service to the Lord, we cannot be careless with money. We have to be very strict in this matter; otherwise, we will not be able to do much for God.

  Paul told us not only how he maintained his integrity, but also how he worked with his two hands to supply the needs of his co-workers. This shows us the principle of giving. Paul said, "These hands have ministered to my needs and to those who are with me" (Acts 20:34). No worker will be depleted by giving. If we keep all that we have received and only make provisions for ourselves, we do not know the meaning of the work of a minister. If there is little offering from the purses of the co-workers, something is wrong. If a worker can only receive, that is, if his faith is exercised only to the point of his receiving, but does not extend to his giving, his function is limited. Brothers and sisters, our spiritual future has much to do with our attitude towards money. The worst attitude we can take is to gather only for ourselves and to do everything for ourselves. It seems a hard task to ask the Levites to offer. Yet the Levites have just as much responsibility to tithe as everyone else. It is true that the Levites had no inheritance in all the cities; they sojourned among the twelve tribes and lived by the altar. Some Levites might have been tempted to say, "I live by the altar. What do I have to give?" But God said that all the Levites should receive tithing and should also tithe. This stops all the servants of God from saying, "I have given up everything. Do I still have to offer from the meager income I receive?" If our eyes are always on our own needs, we will end up in financial straits and will not be able to supply the needs of our co-workers. We have to learn to give. We must be able to supply all of our brothers and sisters. If we keep money in our hands, no matter how little it may be, and if, at the same time, we expect God to constantly work on the other brothers and sisters, we will find that God does just the opposite; He will not entrust His money to our hands.

  Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 6:10 are wonderful: "As poor yet enriching many." Here was a brother who really knew God. Seemingly he was poor, yet surprisingly he enriched many. Brothers and sisters, this is our way. When we work in a place and the brothers and sisters there have something to say about us, or if they have a wrong attitude towards us, we should maintain our dignity as workers. We should never accept their gifts. Instead, we should tell them plainly, "I cannot take your money. I am a servant of God. You have things to say about me, and I cannot use your money. As a servant of the Lord, I have to maintain God's glory. I cannot use your money." Even in extreme poverty we have to learn to give. If we want to receive more, we have to give more. The more we are able to give, the more we are able to receive. This is a spiritual principle. Often when we are in lack, we should give more, for as soon as the money that we have goes, the Lord's supply comes. Some brothers and sisters have many such experiences. They can testify that the more they give, the more they receive. We should not count how much is left in our hands. The Lord said, "Give, and it will be given to you" (Luke 6:38). This is God's law. We cannot annul God's law. The Christian way of stewardship is different from that of the world. The world gains by saving; we gain by giving. We may be poor, but we can enrich others.

  In 2 Corinthians 12:14 Paul said, "Behold, this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden." This was Paul's attitude. How stern he was toward himself! Some had spoken against Paul and had a problem with Paul. Therefore, when Paul was ready to go to them the third time, he was not a burden to them. In verse 14 he continued, saying, "For I do not seek what is yours but you." Was he being narrow-minded and mean? No. He continued in the same verse, saying, "For the children ought not to store up for the parents, but the parents for the children." Brothers and sisters, do you see how sweet Paul's attitude before God was? The Corinthians heard many rumors and said many things about Paul. Therefore, Paul was forced to decline their gifts, but even though he declined their gifts, he did not shrink from the responsibility of teaching them about money. Second Corinthians may be the book that touches the matter of money the most. Had Paul refrained from any speaking of money, some could have construed that Paul was offended by the matter. But he was not offended, because money had so little influence over him. He went on to teach the Corinthians about money. He told them to send the money to Jerusalem. He did not advise them not to send it. He was above money; therefore, he was above the Corinthians' attitude towards him personally. He refused their gift because he wanted to maintain his dignity. Yet he boasted to the Macedonians that the Corinthians were well prepared. At the same time, he entreated the brothers to make their promised blessing ready beforehand, lest they be put to shame by their unpreparedness when the Macedonians came to them (9:2, 4-5). His personal feelings were completely set aside. God's servants must be delivered from the influence of money. Had Paul not been delivered from money, the Corinthians would never have heard such a message. Paul would still have spoken to the Ephesians or the Philippians, but he would not have spoken to the Corinthians. But Paul still went after the Corinthians; he would not give up. He continued to talk to the Corinthians about money. He showed them that God could use their money, but that he himself would not; he did not want anything from them. In this matter, he did not become burdensome to them. However, he still expected them to have a way to go on in this matter.

  Brothers and sisters, can we differentiate between them and theirs whenever we communicate with others in the church? When we see the brothers, are we after them or after theirs? If they have a problem with us and we cannot gain their hearts, will we still support them, edify them, and pray for their growth? Paul had plenty of reasons to turn away from the Corinthians, but he came to them again and again, and even a third time. Yet he was not after their possessions. This is a great temptation to God's servants. We have to learn to do what our brother Paul did.

  In 2 Corinthians 12:15-18 he continued, saying, "But I, I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent on behalf of your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved less? But let it be so! I did not burden you; but, as some of you say, being crafty, I took you by guile. Did I take advantage of you through anyone whom I have sent to you? I entreated Titus and sent with him the brother. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not walk in the same spirit? In the same steps?" Brothers and sisters, think of Paul's attitude: He most gladly spent and was utterly spent on their behalf. In preaching the gospel, it is not enough for us just to be spent. We have to spend; we have to give everything we have. It is always wrong to receive money in exchange for our preaching of the gospel. Rather, we have to be prepared to willingly spend our money for the gospel. If our money does not go into our preaching, something is wrong. If our money does go into our preaching, we are doing the right thing and are putting our money into a worthy cause. This is what Paul did. He was willing to be spent, and he was willing also to spend. He was willing to spend and be spent for their souls. When he was among them he was not a burden to anyone. Nor was Titus or the other brother a burden to anyone. He would not take advantage of anyone. The gospel is true — this is why we can spend our money on it. Brothers and sisters, we have to be like our brother Paul. We should not be a burden to anyone. On the contrary, we should be utterly spent for the gospel's sake. Because the gospel is true, it is right for us to spend and be utterly spent. Our gospel must be one which carries our money along with it. This is the proper way to go.

  In spite of what we have said, Paul accepted the gift of the Macedonians and the Philippians. Under normal circumstances, it is right for a gospel preacher to receive gifts. Paul accepted gifts from some places and refused gifts from other places. He was not bound in the matter of receiving gifts. He accepted the gift from the Macedonians. But when some criticized him and looked for opportunity to slander him in Achaia and Corinth, he refused their gift. This was Paul's way. We should be the same today. We can accept gifts from some places like Macedonia, and we should refuse gifts from other places that say things about us. Brothers and sisters, we have to maintain this stand before the Lord. We should not think that we can accept any kind of money. If someone is speaking behind our backs or if someone is seeking for an opportunity to criticize us, we simply cannot accept their gifts. In other places we may accept the gift, but not in that place.

  Let us turn to Paul's letter to the Philippians to see his attitude in receiving offerings from the saints there. Philippians 4:15-17 says, "You yourselves also know, Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I went out from Macedonia, no church had fellowship with me in the account of giving and receiving except you only; for even in Thessalonica you sent both once and again to my need. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit which increases to your account." This was Paul's attitude. It seems as if the Philippians were the only ones who supplied him. When he was in Corinth and Thessalonica, it was the Philippians who supplied him. Yet to the Philippians he said, "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit which increases to your account." He knew that God would make entries in the Philippians' account for the money they had spent. God would take note of the Philippians' money. This is why he did not ask for their money. Here was a man who had such an attitude towards the only ones who were supplying him. He did not seek the gift, but the fruit which increased to their account. The Macedonians had given again and again. But Paul's eyes were not on the money. We may not accept some gifts, but even when we do accept, we should speak like Paul did to the Philippians. We should pray for their fruit to increase to their account. It is altogether wrong for God's servants to be bound by money. We must be delivered from money.

  Let us go on to see what Paul said in verse 18: "But I have received in full all things and abound; I have been filled." This was no ordinary financial report. An ordinary report usually highlights a lack so that others will be motivated to give. But to the only church that was supporting him, our brother Paul said, "I have received in full all things and abound; I have been filled." Paul's words were seldom repetitious, but here he said, "I have received in full all things and abound; I have been filled." Brothers and sisters, please pay attention to our brother's attitude. He told the only church that was supporting him that he was full, that he was abounding, and that he was filled. He had enough; his only hope was that their gift would become "a sweet-smelling savor, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God" (v. 18). Here is a person with a beautiful spirit. He did not have any consciousness of money. Money did not touch him in any way.

  Let us go on to verse 19, which is a very precious verse: "And my God will fill your every need according to His riches, in glory, in Christ Jesus." He was grateful for their support, but he did not lose his dignity. They offered up the money as a sacrifice to God; it was not for Paul personally, and it had nothing to do with him. At the same time, he blessed them: "My God will fill your every need according to His riches, in glory, in Christ Jesus." We cannot help but say, "To our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

Four

  Finally, let us consider Paul's attitude in relation to funds that the church passed through his hands and which others wanted him to manage. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 he wrote, "Furthermore we make known to you, brothers, the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in much proving of affliction the abundance of their joy and the depth of their poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality; that according to their power, I testify, and beyond their power, of their own accord, with much entreaty they besought of us the grace and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints." God's children must be strict in this matter. When a worker goes to a place to work for the Lord, this must be his attitude whenever he touches money. The brothers in Macedonia offered financial assistance to the brothers suffering from famine in Jerusalem. First, Paul informed them of the calamity. After they heard it, they went beyond their ability in the depth of their poverty and affliction to care for the brothers in Jerusalem. What did they do? Paul said that with much entreaty they sought the grace and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints. This was the attitude of the Macedonians in offering financial aid for the care of the saints' needs. They wanted to have a share in this grace. They did not care if they were in poverty and affliction themselves; they still wanted to have a share in this work. Because of this, they entreated Paul again and again. In other words, Paul did not allow them to give the first time. This shows a proper attitude. A worker of the Lord should not accept just any money that comes his way, even when it is not for his own use. It was true that the brothers in Jerusalem were in need, but it was not simply a matter of getting money and forwarding it to the saints. The Macedonian brothers were in dire need themselves, and Paul told them to take back their offering. But they came again and again; they pleaded with Paul again and again, with much entreaty, to be allowed to share in the grace of ministering to the saints. Both sides acted beautifully. This is the proper Christian way. On the one hand, the giver says, "Though I am poor and in need myself, I still will give. Though it is beyond my strength to give, I will still give." On the other hand, the worker says, "You should not give." This is beautiful! Eventually, the worker says, "If you really want to give, I have no way to stop you." This is the proper attitude of a worker. Paul was taking care of the affairs of the church. Although he saw the need in Jerusalem and wanted to take care of the brothers' need, his attitude was different from that of many workers today. He allowed the Macedonian churches to participate in the grace of ministering to the saints only after they had pleaded with him again and again.

  In 2 Corinthians 8:16-22 Paul said, "But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus, because he not only received the entreaty, but being more earnest, he also went forth of his own accord to you. And we sent together with him the brother whose praise in the gospel is throughout all the churches, and not only this, but who has also been selected by the churches as our fellow traveler in this grace which is being ministered by us, to the glory of the Lord Himself and to demonstrate our eagerness; avoiding this, that anyone should find fault with us in this abundance which is being ministered by us. For we exercise foresight for what is honorable not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men. And we sent with them our brother..." Here we see Paul's arrangement. In forwarding others' money to Jerusalem, he was very upright in his procedure. No servant of God can ever be careless in the matter of money. What did Paul say? He said, "Avoiding this, that anyone should find fault with us in this abundance which is being ministered by us." Paul asked one, two, even three brothers to manage the money; he did not manage it himself. What did the three brothers do? He said, "For we exercise foresight for what is honorable not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men." In the administration of funds, the only way to avoid a problem is to let two or three persons be in charge.

  Because money is such a serious matter, Paul, writing both to Timothy and Titus, declared that no covetous person should be allowed to hold the position of an elder (1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7). In 1 Timothy 3:8 the same stipulation was made regarding the office of a deacon. No man is qualified to be an elder or a deacon who has not overcome money. A basic qualification for being an elder or a deacon is to not be covetous of money. We must deal solemnly with the matter of money. Peter wrote in the same strain as Paul. He said, "Shepherd the flock of God among you...not by seeking gain through base means but eagerly" (1 Pet. 5:2). No one who is covetous can shepherd the flock of God.

  May the Lord be gracious to us so that we would deal thoroughly with the matter of money. Unless we settle the issue of covetousness, we will find ourselves in difficulties sooner or later. In fact, we will become useless in the way. If we do not settle this issue, we cannot deal with other issues, and we will surely face problems and troubles down the road. We must not be influenced by money in any way. Whenever we hear anyone criticizing us, we have to learn to reject their gift. At the same time, we have to learn to bear others' burdens. We should not only take care of our own needs and the needs of our co-workers, but we should take care of the needs of all the brothers and sisters as well. If we can handle the matter of money in a proper way, we will have done a great thing. Those who have not settled the basic issue of money can never work in a good way.