To Charge or Not to Charge

I am so tired of seeing the Body of Christ struggle financially. I believe that this is a misrepresentation of who Jesus is and it has to stop. Even in His time upon the earth Jesus was a wealthy man from a wealthy carpentry family. His father, Joseph, was a descendant of King David. Upon His birth He was blessed with what would be millions of dollars in today’s value from the wise men (Matt 2:11). He wore custom-made robes that had no seams (John 19:23). He was a wealthy man who worked closely with men of wealth as His disciples. God is the source of all wealth and riches (Eccl 5:19)and created all things through Him (Eph 3:9). Yet we are still having issues asking for the value of our work in the ministry. The teachings of the Word are far more valuable than even the most expensive thing upon the earth, yet we have been accustomed to devaluing the things of God and giving God our financial left-overs. It is one of Satan’s greatest wiles (Eph 6:11). If He can keep the Body of Christ suffering financially, our impact on the earth can be limited. This has always perplexed me because Christians have absolutely no hang-ups about paying for the things of the world. This hang-up only seems to appear when it comes to valuing the things of God. We know it is human nature to devalue the things we receive for free. We as leaders will even happily pay for our formal Christian education. It is not about money. It is about putting money back in its proper place which is beneath your feet for the purpose of serving your ministry need and being leveraged into more. When you understand money and approach it with a pure heart and spirit, you do it without materialism and with an understanding that it is only one miniscule form of provision the Lord has for you and your ministry. Yes, the Word tells us to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely give (Matt 10:8). When I asked the Lord about this scripture, He told me that there are things He gives us freely or just by asking them of Him. We cannot send invoices for the healing, love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, or temperance we demonstrate to others. We cannot charge for being a vessel of the signs, wonders and miracles of Jesus. Then there are things that cost you everything to learn and receive from Him. It cost you many, many years of trials, suffering, and tough lessons to learn. These are the things for which you can charge or ask a love offering because it was not a free gift, it cost you your life. It cost you countless years, days and hours of learning and revelation. This can be a challenge for Kingdom Ministers – those called outside of the local church structure to build ministries – because while church ministers are usually on payroll or receive a financial stipend, there is no paycheck or stipend for a Kingdom Minister and you must activate your right to live by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14). It is your right as a minister to cover the cost of your books, trainings, conferences, classes, etc. You also have the right to make a living doing the work of God full-time and can charge for your message or teachings. Although an offering plate is not being passed to cover your costs, make no mistake about it, the truly deeper things of God are not free. I invite you to see the gifts that have cost you so much in a different light. God allowed you to go through these trials because you are to teach others and guide them to their breakthrough and victory. And you MUST be valued for your gifts. Can you tell that I feel strongly about this? I know this is a hot topic, but one that we must begin to dialogue about openly as ministers so we have all the provision and resources we need to complete the work the Lord expects of us. I pray that this bold article will help you on your way to releasing anything holding you back from asking for the value of your gifting and expertise in the Lord.