Hello Beloved Reader,
If there is a word ministries and Christian organizations are using a lot lately it would be "fund raisers." I know in this economy the word "makes peoples skin crawl for lots of reasons. As a missionary organization it is necessary for us to "raise the funds" we need to do the work of God and to go the nations.
None of us at FOF are rich with vast resources at our disposal, nor do we have a denomination to send us forth. Each of us has to raise our own support to live and go? Most of our missionaries work full time jobs to support their families and raise the money to go.
Personally my wife works as a School teacher in a Christian school because it is her ministry, and the salary helps us partially live. For me, God asked me to step out of the secular world over 25 years ago, and has been faithful to have met our every need for all these years. It took a great change in my life to be able to trust the Lord to provide for me, since I was so capable of always taking care of myself with my own hands.
God took those very capable hands and tied them behind my back to make me 100% dependent upon Him. But there is more to it than that. He asked me a very serous question: Henry will you love those I am sending you to as much as your own family? Would you deny your life to be poured out for them? Then He took me to the book of Ezekiel chapter 44 to teach me about the priesthood. He showed me how the Levites left their post because the people stopped bringing in their tithes and offerings. He showed me how they allowed foreigners to come into the Holy place of God with their idols, and how the Priests ministered to the people before these idols.
Out of all the Levitical tribes, only the Sons of Zadok stayed true to the call of God. Though they weren't getting the finances they needed from God's people has God ordered the people to do for them, they stayed true and ministered to God Himself. They were a "church within a church" or a remnant of God's priest that kept Him Holy before the people of God.
It would be easy for me to stop doing what God has called me to do to provide for myself. It would be a lot easier not to ask people to help support this work. I personally in the flesh don't like asking anyone for anything, but that is what God had to crucify in me and help me understand the work of His body and His priesthood. He had to change me to understand the knitting together of the Body, each part supplying what the other lacked.
The priest were called to stay before the Lord and by Holy! They were to minister to Him and to His Holy things. They were to honor God as Holy before the people and teach them the difference between the Holy and the Profane. They were to be the "keepers of the flame" burning before God's people. Most of the priesthood deserted their calling or compromised their calling to minister the things of God before an unholy idolatrous people. They left their posts to provide for themselves first and then came back to the work of the Lord. They did not teach the people the difference between the Holy and the profane.
Today, this is happening in the House of God with many Leaders.They are being forced to "provide for themselves first" and tend to the things of God second. I am not saying God won't have Pastor's or Minister's work at a secular job if He chooses, but how many of today's leaders have not even asked the Lord if that is what He wants. Many are deserting their post because of money and in that one act are allowing the love of money to become an idol in the hearts of God's people. Remember I am writing about those leaders who didn't take the time to ask God what He wanted. He very well may send some into the market place to work and serve Him in both places. That brings me to the Benefit Dinner.
At this dinner I shared about the mighty work of God we have seen in Him do in our travels. I tried to declare the greatness of God and how He is touching, delivering His people from all types of religious, emotional, spiritual and physical bondage. We have seen tremendous miracles at our meetings. God healed a Pastor's deaf ear. He open up a withered arthritic hand. God empowered 3 years olds to preach, 5-15 year olds ministering as Prophets of God, young people preaching like John the Baptist. Pastors and Leaders going behind the veil into God's glory. We had miracle healing in so many people and so much more. But the greatest miracle is God's people turning back to their first love and God rising up a Royal Priesthood and a Holy Nation. He healed families everywhere He went to help restore our Nation to our true calling in God!
That may not seem as glorious as feeding the poor, taking care of widows and orphans, evangelistic crusades, or what you see on Christian TV. God desires to build up a spiritual house that will bring Him offerings of righteousness as much as doing those works of love to those in need. The work of reaching those in need will always be with us, but so is the ministry of ministering to the Lord, to His people and to teach them the ways of the Lord and the difference between the Holy and the Profane.
So what does God do at our benefit dinner? Well we didn't raise the funds we needed. We needed to raise a minimum of $3000, but truly needed $10,000. We made $80. So why do a benefit dinner to raise so little money? Doesn't God know we need it? He does! At this meeting He wanted to show all those I write to, all those who read this, all those who watch the live stream why to join us in going, praying and in giving? That is exactly what He did? I will paraphrase to the best of my memory what happened next.
I felt led to close the meaning by having a 10 and 11 year old girls who are missionaries of the Lord just say a closing prayer? Did that happen? Nope! The Spirit of God fell on them like fire. They began to preach a message of repentance and asked all those at the meeting why are you not obeying the Lord? Can you imagine God doing this?
They said, "Why are you allowing disobedience to live in your heart and as a way of life? You are sinning all the time because you are not doing God's will. You say this is God's will, but this is really what you want to do, because you never took time to ask God what He wanted?
Brothers and Sisters, At a Benefit Dinner? You are kidding me Lord aren't you? They didn't back down one bit. They preached, "Why are you not living to do God's will, that is why He saved you? Why are you choosing your own ways instead of God's way? Do you think God is happy about this? He is not and you need to change your ways. Why have you put money before serving God? Don't you know this is not pleasing to our God. God wants your obedience. Why are you not allowing God to choose what He wants for your life. You say you love the Lord, but you are doing what you want to do with your life and not what God wants to do?
Could you imagine what happened for this being spoken at a Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction? They said, This is our normal service night and we went back in the room to worship the Lord because God was here in our midst. We are up here today to tell you why God is using the young people, to show you older people God really loves you. He is calling you and what we are doing by His grace you are supposed to be doing. You are supposed to be His voice? You are supposed to be reaching the people at your work place, at home? Why are you not doing it? Why, because you are doing what you want instead of what God wants. You are wasting time and not listening to God and obeying Him. You allow this sin day after day and you don't even ask God to forgive you of it? He would forgive you of your disobedience if you asked Him, but you refuse to ask because you want to do what you want do to?
I could go on and on, but you could hear a pin drop at this meeting? If my heart was about raising funds, I would hid under the table or took the microphone from them not to insult those who were there by this hard preaching of the Gospel. But it was God in our midst. It was His Holiness teaching the people the difference between the Holy and the Profane.
All I could do is bow my head and then lead prayer for those God was speaking to at this meeting and on the internet. If we didn't have this benefit dinner or cancelled it, or made money as the main object, they would have never spoken those words to those in need. Words I think all of you reading this need to hear as well. If money was why I send out these emails and write these notes, then why offend people? It is not about money, it is about being a preacher of righteousness and rising up a generation that won't compromise the Word of God and sell out to the idols of this world. That is why we need the money. So we can go! So we can train and equip.
There was such a conviction in the room, some folks left because of the hour we were at, we were supposed to be done at 9, but the girls preached for a while and we were a little behind schedule. Many people were convicted and repented and got right with God. Backsliders who were there came back to the Lord, and others began to hunger for more of God and want to come and take some of classes at our IAM Bible School.
One of the staff of the hotel who was serving us was so touched by the girls. He is a Christian and His son has the Word of God in His mouth, but the teachers and students are intimidating him so he doesn't even talk in class. When the Father saw these girls, he cried. He knew this is why God had him serve our dinner, and what His son was called to do. He went home to tell His son, "let it rip and speak God's word."
Like all of our meetings, our focus is not money, but God touching His people. I send out a lot of emails because we needed to cover the cost of the meeting. We did praise God, and we only made $80. We needed to raise a minimum of $5000 for our immediate needs and another $5000 to travel and help us do our conference in Florida. Did we get that money? Not yet, but our focus for this dinner was to find the ones God was calling as missionaries, those called to serve the Lord with their whole heart. For God to move in our midst and transform His people and save those who were lost, and then to find those that would be willing to help us financially to go.
God touched the people at this meeting and on the internet. The people who came heard the "ways of God" and what He requires from us as Christians. They heard about His Holiness and what He desired for their lives and His requirements. They saw as a "sign and wonder" the very work God has called us to do.They heard the true Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ who said, "If any man be my disciple, let him deny himself, pick up His cross, and follow me.
Please don't count this as a lesser work of God and place a greater value on meeting people's practical needs. There is no guarantee that is you give food, clothing or help in times of need that they will turn to God in that one act. These are necessary works for us to do, but as Jesus said, "the poor you will always have with you, this woman ministered to my need." One was not more important than the other, but both must be done. Our ministry concentrates on the ministry to the Lord more, yet we do the other as well. Other ministries focus more on the first and lesser on the second. That is why we are a Body that needs each other and builds itself up in love.
I probably offended some of you by sending out so many emails and posting on facebook, but perhaps you understand why? God does not send us to the many, but to the SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY, wherever they are. God sends us to the 1, the 10's and the 100's. Why? Who will go to them? Will the big ministries go to little churches or find the one at Starbucks in Midland TX? I am not putting them down, just showing you that each part of the Body is as valuable as the other and supporting or joining a work like ours is just as important as giving to the 40,000 at Joel Osteen's church or Benny Hinn or Rodney Howard Brown's ministry.
We raised $80, we needed $3000 by Thursday of this week! I need to be able to get to Florida and don't have a penny to go, yet God said pour our your life as a drink offering and rise up a prophetic army. I could stop, quit, make provision for myself. I am a pretty capable guy, but God said, "do you love them as much as your own family." Will you go and take no money with you and trust me? That is what we do?
He will direct me to write emails, teach about giving, the need of the Body of Christ to work and serve one another, and the value of the church at Philippi giving to Paul to do the work of God, and the release of that blessing on them for giving to him. He will allow me to teach the responsibility of the congregation to take care of their Pastor so they won't have to work 3 jobs as in 1st Corinthians chapter 9.
I get persecuted for preaching this and saying these things. It comes with the territory, but I won't shut my mouth. no matter if I am accused of wrong motives. We are called to be "keepers of the flame." We must continue to minister to the Lord in the beauty of His Holiness, and teach the people the difference between the Holy and the profane. We are called to rise up this John the Baptist Omega Generation. They won't compromise the Word of God for money, and they are going to come against the very power of the religious spirit and Jezebel in the House of God. You can believe it! They will call down fire from heaven as Elijah did to challenge the false prophets in the House of God to see which God is the real God.
I want to thank all of you who truly know our heart and our calling, and for your generous love and support to do this work and your help for this Benefit Dinner. You have tasted of this work of God first hand, and know God is doing these things in our midst. It is not us doing them, but the Glory of God with His people as He brings them behind the veil to transform them into a Holy Priesthood. Pastor Isaac from India shared whey God wants Flame of FIre to come their nation, and we have many other invitations to go other nations as well.
How will God provide for us? By miracles yes, and through His people. The Lord spoke to me as I traveled to New England last month when we ran out of money half way through our trip, that God would touch to someone to give $1000 to help us get the rest of the way? The next morning I got an email from a woman that told me God told her to sow $1000 and she did. I never told her a thing or anyone about the seed.
God is able. 15 minutes after sowing her seed she sold her father's car for full price after months of not getting ONE CALL. She got 8 offers in 15 minutes! So many, that a woman said I have the cask for it and I am coming now to get it. 30 minutes after that, she was trying to sell her late dad's house and did not get one offer. Someone called with $10,000 to put down and was ready to sign the contract immediately.
That 1000 seed was a sacrifice. She need it, but God needed it more for us and to bless her. She didn't hold to it, she let go and look at the results! She trusted God.
There is someone reading this that God is touching to sow a substantial seed of $5000 to help us once again in our time of need. Maybe after reading this you know why it is important to do so, and the lives God wants to touch through your seed. If that is you, please don't delay, do it promptly for your sake, so God can truly bless your gift to your life and family.
I thank God for what He did at this benefit Dinner and Auction. I Bless Him for touching the lives of those who came in a real and tangible way. I thank Him for the $80 we made and I thank Him because there are servants of God who listen to Him, love Him and will sow their lives for others by helping us go to them.
Lord, thank you for moving on our behalf and the meeting the needs of your people!
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