Maybe they are for others more so than me. Holy Spirit has been highlighting to me the problems with emotional offertory giving pleas to the people that subscribe to their ministry. I quite do not understand this concept. I understand where God guides, He provides, I totally get that and He sure is faithful in that in my life. What I don't understand is if He gives the vision to you and your ministry then why are you trying to get offerings from people outside of you believing in faith that God provides. I really do not see why your vision is the burden of others to fulfill it if God spoke it to your heart. Why is a building built without the money already there to pay for it before it even starts being built? If you have lovely taste in decorating, then why are you not responsible for footing the bill to satisfy your decorating tastes?
It has become so common place for ministries and ministers to reach out to the saints of God to fulfill their dreams. So, you have a vision to sell your house and find a new home and move. So, why are you asking saints to donate to see your dream fulfilled. As I asked one minister would they be inviting the saints that gave money donations to then stay at your new home for free since they gave money towards it?
Another instance of what I recently wrote to a ministry in an email:
"I am sorry to say that I disagree with you reaching out to believers to make donations to cover the cost of work you completed in your ministry without having the funding to back your improvements. Whatever happened to where God guides He provides? You had the vision to upgrade but whatever happened to ministry being responsible and building when finances are there before the work is completed? You really should consider not placing this financial burden upon people to fulfill your dream/vision because it seems to be one sided. Will you be sending out cash donations to your followers to help them fund their dreams/visions. I am going to unsubscribe to receiving your emails. Please refrain from using the emotional offering plea to get trusting people to give in an emotional offering plea. I was always taught that emotional offerings are a form of manipulation." I also added that I am trained in deliverance ministry too.
I received an almost instant reply to the email stating that it was ok for me to block the emails and that I would be fine. then they asked me if I would want someone sending you an email like the one I sent. Then they stated that by the way God paid for everything 100% it is called faith!
I replied with this: "If everything was paid for by faith 100% then why were you reaching out to us for donations to pay for a few days ago. I sent that email with Holy Spirit unction so you may want to seek Him about it and we will leave it at that."
I delayed in unsubscribing for a day or so to receive another email today in which once again, they state to please prayerfully consider assisting them in completely furnishing their new ministry center. If it was paid for 100% then why still seeking donations to pay for things related to this vision/dream. After reading that email, I then unsubscribed from receiving anymore.
Are you following my train of thought here today. Ministries are living well above their means and are looking to giving hearts of people to pay for their expenses. I am not on a big platform so I do not know the inner workings, but I would think common sense thinking is to work within your means. Who wouldn't like a new house or ministry building or offices? I would like a new residence but until I can increase my source of income, I don't just run out there and overextend myself to purchase something I cannot afford. Don't even go there and talk to me about faith and my faith in God because I see faith when no one else catches the vision at times and I still stand in faith to see it fulfilled. I am honestly seeing more doors open up in my life by planting seeds of faith at all places, a cemetery how could that be? Faith, faith, and faith once again.
How could ministries attach a dollar amount to almost everything and justify it by attaching a scripture verse to the dollar amount they are asking you to seed into. Is that biblical? These are big time ministers operating in this sort of thing. Use caution and always ask Holy Spirit if you should give in the offering and how much before you ever enter the ministry location. He will speak to your heart and obey what He says to do swiftly ok. The last ministry I unsubscribed to today was a ministry in which I fulfilled all of the requirements minus the formal recommendation from a pastor and maybe some other paperwork to actually be ordained by the ministry. Just because I have no reverend title in my name does not mean I am not trained up in ministry and flowing in Holy Spirit. If we based it on titles alone not everyone out there with a title is supposed to have that title. Maybe a parent or pastor pushed someone into a ministry, but they were called to minister outside of the walls of the church. They felt pressured into ministry because of the words of others but no true confirmation of that from Holy Spirit.
Years ago, I wrote about the title happy church. Everyone it seems at the time were all now adding "Dr." to their title. I wrote back then that if it was an honorary title bestowed upon them how do the people that actually went to further education to earn the doctorate felt that they had to earn their title against others that were just being bestowed that honorary title. The church is so caught up in titles ... I am an Apostle; I am a Prophet/Prophetess; I am an Evangelist. No title gives you the gift attached with the title. Watch the fruit coming forth and that is the tell all truth sign of if they are or are not operating in the self-proclaimed title they walk with.
No comments:
Post a Comment