Financing the kingdom is very much a different calling from a guy like me, who is called to be a street-level, get-yer-hands-dirty, undercover agent. Although, if I had access to serious financial jack, I suppose I could do both. But spending my time chasing after finances takes away from my time on the ground level "doing the stuff". So I guess doing both wouldn't be feasible.
As an agent, I've been on the receiving end of these "kingdom funders" several times. And this is not necessarily a 'good thing'. Thus, my open letter:
To all who are called to (or contemplating) "financing the kingdom":
First of all, thank you for being willing to use your gifts of money-making to finance "the kingdom". That is very generous of you. Everyone has a gift and/or talent, plus sometimes it just takes physical resources (ie: greenbacks) to make some things happen. So without you, who knows what wouldn't get done. If making money is your true, God-given talent (and God knows it ain't MY talent), then by all means, go do what you do...and do it well.
Which brings me to my primary point. If your talent and calling is making money to fund kingdom initiatives, supporting missionaries, or relieving poverty, etc, then why the hell do you get in my way by trying to call all the shots?!?
Money is a powerful tool and it gives people (ie: YOU) the ability, if not, desire to control others. Example: you sit on the advisory boards of the ministries you fund. That's a conflict of interests in my book. We agents and ground troops DO NOT need financial carrots dangled in front of us. We agents and ground troops DO NOT need to be told WHAT to do or HOW to do it. The CEO of the universe gives us instructions. Your money and influence will NO LONGER control us. The CEO can provide for us with different means, I'm sure.
Do not create any more obstacle courses for us or hoops to jump through. If you are called to raise money to give, than RAISE MONEY TO GIVE. Otherwise, get the hell out of our way and shut your arrogant asses.
Signed,
Agent B
(on behalf of all the CEO's agents world wide)
First of all, thank you for being willing to use your gifts of money-making to finance "the kingdom". That is very generous of you. Everyone has a gift and/or talent, plus sometimes it just takes physical resources (ie: greenbacks) to make some things happen. So without you, who knows what wouldn't get done. If making money is your true, God-given talent (and God knows it ain't MY talent), then by all means, go do what you do...and do it well.
Which brings me to my primary point. If your talent and calling is making money to fund kingdom initiatives, supporting missionaries, or relieving poverty, etc, then why the hell do you get in my way by trying to call all the shots?!?
Money is a powerful tool and it gives people (ie: YOU) the ability, if not, desire to control others. Example: you sit on the advisory boards of the ministries you fund. That's a conflict of interests in my book. We agents and ground troops DO NOT need financial carrots dangled in front of us. We agents and ground troops DO NOT need to be told WHAT to do or HOW to do it. The CEO of the universe gives us instructions. Your money and influence will NO LONGER control us. The CEO can provide for us with different means, I'm sure.
Do not create any more obstacle courses for us or hoops to jump through. If you are called to raise money to give, than RAISE MONEY TO GIVE. Otherwise, get the hell out of our way and shut your arrogant asses.
Signed,
Agent B
(on behalf of all the CEO's agents world wide)
3 comments:
Amen!!!
I will forward a check to you before christmas... so long as you do not use the money to feed a bum who should learn to work for his food, or an unwed mother, or a woman who had an abortion, or on someone who might use it for drugs, or for a gay, or for a catholic, presbyterian, methodist, JW, mormon, athiest, pagen, witch, illegal alien... or anyone else who might be Jesus in street clothes
Melanie -
Thank you for stopping by the agent b files...and for your comment.
Nothing specifically happened to me for you to pray about. I've just seen too much and know too much. Like Isaiah said in 6:5, woe to me...I am ruined. I am a man of unclean lips and I live with people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the king. I'm probably taking that verse WAY out of context...but in a literal, verbal sense...it fits me.
I don't agree with your analogy of the "talents" parable in relation to acountability in giving to missionaries, etc. That's a good parable for learning to not waste what the CEO's given us. It's also good in teaching us about basic financial investment, etc. But as a warning to ALL followers of Jesus...when YOU specifically have a calling fom the CEO, another person and their money should not move you off course.
Experiences I've lived through:
1) I was once on staff at a church as official 'benevolent director'. Eventually, the church leadership got in the way of doing my fullfilled calling. But they were signing the paycheck. So one must choose...man or God (Act 5:29)
2) Again...a "kingdom financier" shows up in my life, who tries to turn our ministry into something different, as well as turning guys like me into market traders (to one day support ourselves). I enjoyed the training and he was flipping the bill...but I was neglecting my calling. Live and learn I guess.
And then from afar I see most every ministry I know of being ruled by narrow minded, rich, and influencial board members or elder boards who have no god given reason to "be in" ministry. Yet they steer the ministry because they fund it. I say, let the ministers decide HOW to minister. That's why they're there.
The work I do is not difficult. I love it. Thanks for your comments and discussion.
Oh...my prayer requests:
peace on earth; goodwill to men (& women); justice for widows, single moms, orphans, the fatherless, working poor, homeless, foreigners, handicapped, elderly, defenseless, poverty ridden; for HEB grocery store to carry El Pico coffee again (you can't get that anywhere in town now)
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