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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | freely recieved.. do thou likewise | Matt 10:8 | teragram123 | 62993 | ||
I want to share this email with the forum Thunder Ministries From:Andrew Strom In regard to "The church charging", this is something that God has challenged me about personally over the years,in very practical areas. Let me share with you some of the ways He has led us to do things. As you probably know, we make entry Free to all our conferences and so on. I just cannot go along with the idea of charging people to come and hear the word of God. I mean, what is next - charging people to come to church on Sunday? Isn't it the same principle? I have been strongly influenced in my attitude toward this by Keith Green, who stated: "I will never do a ticketed concert. If the Lord chooses to increase my standard of living, then I will increase my standard of giving. I don't think a Christian should get rich off Jesus, except spiritually." Challenging words especially in today's climate. As much as possible, we now make our CD's and books available for a donation rather than a set price, so even people with little money can get a copy. (Again, this is very similar to Keith Green's policy). However, we recently had to put my new book "The Coming Street Revival" into Christian bookstores across NZ, and so I had to come up with a set retail price. It now sells in the shops for the equivalent of 4 dollars U.S or so. I just can't understand why so many books need to be so expensive in Christian shops. Having said all of that, I am now virtually full-time in Christian ministry (apart from a little English tutoring that I do). And I am constantly faced with the dilemma of how we are going to survive as a family long-term. We have six children and a mortgage, and I left a secure job as a teacher several months ago because it just got too overwhelming trying to do ministry and work full-time. So I can see why many ministries try and make things more "secure" in the financial area by charging money for things. However, I cannot believe that it is right to do so. I do believe in "muzzling not the ox who treads out the corn" and also "counting those who teach well as worthy of double honour." I feel it is right that there be financial blessing in the lives of God's servants so that all of their needs are met. Those who are being fed by a particular ministry should be sowing into that ministry. But I cannot believe that preachers should be living like kings. And I cannot believe that they should be spending 20 minutes begging for offerings. No wonder the world stands aghast! Below are a few other brief emails on this. God bless you all. - Andrew Strom. ****************************************** I recently went to a well-known female minister's seminar in our local colliseum. At least one fourth of her time was spent pushing and selling her books and tapes. It was almost like she was a one-woman corporate entity... not a ministry. God Bless her... but there were alot of poor minority people in the audience... Everyone was told to give 100 dollars to the ministry. (Suggested, not commanded). It grieved me terribly. A lot of the people in the audience were economically disadvantaged. This dear woman, who probably does have a gift of teaching, stood there in her fancy clothes with rhinestones and pressured people to buy, buy, buy... as if that was the answer. Yes, Jesus was preached and also the Gospel... It's become so accepted in our church culture. I thought I was weird to be so strongly turned off. Economically disadvantaged people are often the easiest to fall prey to these techniques and the myth that if you buy this tape set... your problems will go away. --------------- Thank you for that timely reminder about making the Church a vehicle for commerce. For some time I have been concerned about the commercialisation of the Gospel, and feel that Christians should think carefully before supporting these high profile profiteers with high priced seminars, books and tapes. They would not be able to continue this exploitation without the compliance of sincere, well-meaning, but gullible followers who attend their seminars and buy their wares. While I have no objection to authors and speakers defraying their expenses, I am saddened to see folk contributing to these people without question. ------------- It has always bothered me when you have to pay to go to a conference or some special meeting. The Gospel is free and why these men who put them on cannot trust the Lord to cover the conference or whatever is a mystery to me. I don't have anything against men selling books or CD's or whatever, but I do have a problem when someone says come to this or that but there is a cover charge of 35 or 55 dollars or more, just to get into the meeting. To me this is wrong and we as Christians need to stop supporting these types of meetings and then see what these Ministers do? |
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2 | freely recieved.. do thou likewise | Matt 10:8 | Scribe | 63518 | ||
God will bless you for your faith. | ||||||
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Questions and/or Subjects for Matt 10:8 | Author | ||
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Johnny3 | ||
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teragram123 | ||
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teragram123 | ||
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teragram123 | ||
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Scribe | ||
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asken | ||
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techguy |