July 10, 2005
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The Reason for Wealth (Missions) – Part 2
Last week we dealt with the question, “Is Wealth God’s Will.” This week we want to dig into the primary reason that Christians believe they don’t “deserve wealth.”
Most Christians have been taught that they are inherently evil and are prone to sin. Reread chapters 7-8 of Releasing Kings. Men do need forgiveness for sin that Jesus provided through the cross. That’s true. It’s also true that Jesus' primary purpose was to bring life to mankind. To do that, he has to deal with our sin issues, but the primary thrust of discipleship is learning how to live, not how to die.
God’s view is that we are created in His image and have his desires bubble up in us when we are filled with His Spirit. We need to deal with whatever sin issues we may have, but from that point on the focus is letting our cup run over – experiencing the abundance of God to the degree that it blesses other people. Right now there is a huge anointing for believers that will stand up and receive the wealth that God has for them in order to really carry out the two primary mandates of Christianity:
Kings Make a Difference – In 1995, I (Harold) was preaching in the stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, where my translator was a zealous fireball named Weston Gitonga. In the Swahili language, he shouted when I shouted, he danced when I danced, and he prayed when I prayed...I fell in love with him. Toward the end of the convention, I asked Weston what he does for a living, and he told me that he was a public school teacher. When I probed further, he explained that formerly he was in the ministry. He humbly pointed out various Christian leaders sitting around the stadium whom he had discipled in past years. When I asked him why he no longer was discipling people for ministry, he explained that he had to quit to support his wife and children. When I asked how much he made as a school teacher, he said an amount in shillings which equals about 70 U.S. dollars. I was stunned. Here was a man standing next to me whom I was honored to be with— who had discipled many great leaders in Africa—but no longer could do so because he did not have $70 per month. I decided to join my heart with Weston. He had a passion to disciple leaders throughout Africa. I had a similar desire. Our united hearts conceived a dream. After returning home, I shared that dream with others. A businessman in Idaho was stirred by God to support Weston and his family financially (John Caldwell has a Truss manufacturing business in Boise). Later John paid for our first piece of property where Weston built a Bible Training Center, complete with classrooms, kitchen, men and women’s dormitory, farming area, and prayer house. Students began coming from several African nations. As I traveled and ministered around the U.S. and Canada, I began finding sponsors for the African students. Since the African economy is so poor, $320 (U.S.) is enough to train, house, and feed one student for nine months. With so little, we can accomplish so much! Now the work is spreading. With our help, Dr. Gitonga has started Bible Colleges in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Several others are in the founding stages, including ones in Zanzibar and the Congo. These Bible Colleges are not like Colleges in North America where intellectual knowledge is the emphasis. With the Bible as their primary textbook, these students learn and then go out preaching and ministering several times each week. Every student who graduates goes out to start a church or evangelize in a village somewhere in Africa. Not only have thousands of precious Africans been led to Jesus Christ through the work of these graduating students, but now several orphanages have been founded, feeding programs established, elderly cared for, businesses established, and God glorified.
Key Ingredients - John Caldwell and Harold's Involvement in Africa works because of Weston. Empowering natives to fulfill their own call is another form of "Releasing Kings." Americans can visit and minister once a year but Weston makes nearly 10 Bible Colleges work year around. Each of those hundreds of graduates plant churches every year and 10's of thousands are touched by simply helping the right people touch their destiny in God... and it all started with $70 a month from a believer that had two things (the extra money and the generosity). The details are on the World Cast web site:
http://www.worldcastministries.com/adopt_project.asp. There you can find a link to a 16 page report on eleven different areas of Africa and the Philippines where Bible Schools and orphanages have been started. Worth reading!
When Your Cup Runs Over – I recently got acquainted with Andy and Debra Briesmeister; Kings who are also involved in raising up Bible Colleges in Africa through World Cast. His interview is posted at Andy Briesmeister. Andy manufactures food processing equipment in Yakima (Futura Equipment Inc). He travels to Africa annually and supports students and Bible Colleges. If you would like to Read Andy's story click on the link. You're also welcome to talk to him directly about getting involved.
ab@futurequip.com or phone (509-972-3300)
I've been looking for Kings already connected with opportunities to make a real difference in places like Africa and the Philippines - found one.
The Next Step - I'm convinced Weston Gitonga is reproducing himself with new leaders that will pastor churches and reach nations. The next frontier is finding Kings that will start the new businesses, staff the government positions, and really change the entire culture of Africa and the Philippines. World Cast needs Kings that can reproduce themselves in other nations. Pray about reproducing your business or skill in another Christian man or woman in another nation. It will look like planting new businesses in the same way we plant new churches - teaching and empowering natives to do it themselves. Dream big and be will to start small - consider what can happen with $70/mo.
Our Prayer is - Father, let wealth flow toward Kings in great abundance. Open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings that will overflow to every corner of the earth. Give us the wisdom and grace to fill the earth with your power and presence. Raise up Kings in business, in government, in communications, in the arts, and entertainment. Let their names be made great so that your name may be exalted as the King of Kings. In Jesus Mighty Name - Amen.
Blessings,
John & Harold
PS:
PS: we get lots of interesting feedback on these newsletters at "You Wrote Back" http://www.releasing-kings.com/you-wrote-back.html
_____________________________________________________________________ Interested in your own WEB? We've posted information on the software we use to create this web site. If you survive the learning curve without losing your sanctification (mine is barely intact), it really is easy to use and the cost is $299 a year - much less expensive than hiring someone. The primary benefit is the ease of making your own changes. Additional info is at: http://www.releasing-kings.com/releasing-websites.html
Progress - Kingly Bio's are Up We've completed the first round of interviews with Kings. These are real people that have been blessed by God in the Market Place and have hearts for ministry. Check it out at http://www.releasing-kings.com/Interviewing-Kings.html. If you have a success story, we'd like to post it by giving you a web page on our site.
Progress - A Teacher's Guide We've completed the first version of a study guide that targets those teaching the material in Releasing Kings. It includes a page of notes on each chapter, all the graphics suitable to make overheads, and a PDF file of the book with the key points highlighted that includes marginal notes, comments, and questions. This material is available for purchase on the teacher's guide page of the web. 509-308-6873
God has given us a great tool to communicate a message that sets people free in an amazing, contagious, life-changing way. If you haven't read it - get it. If you have read it - give it. http://www.releasing-kings.com/Ordernow.html
We've gotten a ton of positive feedback on the newsletter too... get it, give it. Reloading Seniors was powerful. Pass the link on. http://www.releasing-kings.com/Newsletter.html
PS: don't forget to look at the free reports - show your pastor the article on marketplace ministry from the pastor's perspective. You can simply email him this link or print a copy to give him. http://releasing-kings.com/pastors-perspective.html
____________________________________________________________________ You can get your copy of Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace at 1-800-308-5837 (or) |