For nearly ten years, we have lived upon the donations of people, both individuals and churches, who have supported our family to do the work that God has called us to do. Generally speaking, I have found that as people in the church, we do not like to talk much about money and its use, but I will say that I believe that it is one of the most important topics that we should be discussing.

Why?

From my experience, there have been few things that have stretched me and grown my own faith than to have to live based on the donations that others have given so that we can live and do the work that we are doing.

For nearly 20 years, I worked in the corporate world, winding my way through various roles, various jobs, earning a salary and bonuses as a result of my work performance. I knew and acknowledged God’s provision, but if I am being honest, I rarely reflected on the fact that God was providing, that he was the one who gave me the opportunities. Instead, the way that I thought and lived during the majority of the time was that I was the one earning the money. I was the one upon whom my livelihood depended. I was providing for myself and for my family.

When we sensed a call to change careers and move to Sicily to work here, to make disciples and plant churches amongst the unreached, amongst those who have not known Christ, everything changed. No one came to me asking if they could give me money. No one suggested that they had a bunch of money, and if I just was willing to move to Sicily to plant churches, then they would give it to me. No, it didn’t work like that.

Instead, with several others, we began a discussion related to the vision that God had given to us. God had put those who are unreached by the Gospel within our hearts, a burning desire to see those who have not heard the name of Jesus to truly know him. We needed to communicate that vision to others who would listen, who would partner with us and send us. Yes, that meant that we needed to pray, and we needed other people to pray with us and for us. However, it also meant that we practically needed to be supported to be able to go and do the work. Funding was required. Money must be involved, or none of this vision that God had laid upon our hearts would become a reality.

I was reminded of this as I read the first few verses of Luke 8 today. Jesus was traveling from town to town and doing his work full time. How was Jesus able to do the work that he did? How did he live? How did he eat? For that matter, how did his disciples live and eat while they did the work? Both Jesus and the disciples were supported by those who shared the vision of what God was doing through his Son to reestablish his kingdom:

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Luke 8:1-3

The women were helping to support Jesus and all of the other disciples out of their own means! They had received the resources that they had from God and wanted to give back to him. They wanted to provide, not only for Jesus, but also for the disciples and the others that were traveling with Jesus.

Without these funds, Jesus and the disciples would not have been able to go. He would not have been able to teach. He would not have been able to heal all of the people, demonstrating that he is the Messiah. As a result of these funds, this support, Jesus and his disciples were able to live and do the work that we read about today and that continues in the work put in throughout the world on behalf of the kingdom of God even today.

God puts vision on the hearts of the people who will go, but he also puts a vision on the hearts of the people who will send those who will go. Those who will support those who go, allow them to live, to work, to eat, and continue to do the work that God has called them to do.

I am very thankful to the people who have listened to God’s prompting to support us. It has increased my own faith in ways that I could have never imagined as I worked in my corporate role previously. But I am reminded that this is a calling from God, not only for us, but also for each of those who support us. It is God’s work, not ours. Not the work of those who support us, but God’s work, and he uses each of us to complete his mission and full reestablishment of his kingdom amongst all people.

Now, we pray that we can do even more. We continue to pray for more workers to enter into the harvest fields. We teach more people to listen to the Lord’s prompting, to his calling, and to be ready and willing to give to the work of the kingdom of God, to see the Lord’s work go forward, to see his kingdom continue to expand.