The Poor Prophet and Your Response
The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
[2 Kings 4]
Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash.
Here was a prophet who feared the Lord and yet lived a poor life. Elisha the prophet did not repute the claim--that this prophet feared God but was poor. So we can safely say that a God-fearing servant with a real calling can be poor. Provision doesn't always follow a vision. Confirming a vision is NOT always through material means.“Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread,
no money, no extra shirt. [Luke 9.3]
no money, no extra shirt. [Luke 9.3]
I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
[John 4.35]
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The harvest has been ripe and you can either sow the Word or sow into the ministries of the sowers, regardless of church affiliation, as long as they're members of Jesus' one Body. Jesus said that by simply opening your eyes, you see GOD's obvious will if your heart is pure. And if you do see, GOD's will is to sow seeds to support the reaper, so that you and the minister (reaper) may enjoy your rewards.
36 Even now the one who reaps (the worker) draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower (you) and the reaper may be glad together.
"Sowing" can both mean sowing the Word in people's hearts (preaching the Gospel) or financially supporting a ministry that sows the Word in people's hearts. And since GOD opened your eyes to see a "moneyless" ministry (and nothing is by accident in GOD), HE wants you to support that ministry, not judge it or simply ignore.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously...
10 Now (GOD) who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
[2 Corinthians 9.7]
Sowing financially to a ministry will "enrich" the sower, not just to enjoy more riches for himself and his family, but most especially to "be generous on every occasion." The words, "every occasion" is not just about churches beset by calamities (as the context is about helping the Jerusalm church during a famine) but includes instances when you see ministries that are in desperate need of finances. Be generous not only to your local church or local pastor but "in every occasion" that God allows you to see, like the needs of other pastors, local churches or the brethren, in proportion to how GOD enriches you in every way.
Poor Prophets
GOD allows poor prophets in HIS work. Sometimes His vision comes with provisions, sometimes not. He let's other believers see the financial need and tests their hearts---whether they'd help or not. Most church people will simply offer to "pray" but not dig into their own pockets to actually help even if they can afford it. Some will simply offer to encourage. Some will say their local church has its own ministry. Some will ignore you if you're from a different denomination, not understanding that we're all members of the same, one Body of Christ. We're not taught in church that these are all garbage if we do not actually give a substantial amount we can afford from how God blesses us.
"But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his compassion from him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." [1 John 3.17-18]
And James says, it's a dead faith.
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
[James 2.15-16]
Vision or Calling without Provision
The poor prophet in 2 Kings 4 is one example. Another was Micaiah who suffered hunger when he was given mere bread and water while in prison in a cistern [1 Kings 22.27]. Jeremiah was also "poor" and given only a loaf of bread each day while in custody of a guard [37.21]. Later, he was put in a dead well of mud to soak there and starve to death [38.6-9].
Non-prophets used by God while suffering poverty were the widow of Zarephath and her child [1 Kings 17], the four starving lepers who braved entering the Aramean camp and later announcing the good news of abundance to Israel [2 Kings 7.3-10], and Lazarus who suffered extreme poverty but actually had God's favor. His extreme poverty was really a message and a warning to the rich man about how he should've used his wealth.
Every day he saw Lazarus but did nothing about him. I can imagine how the rich man probably prayed for him and felt sorry for him, assuring him that God would bless him if he just trusted the Lord, plus many more inspiring words and bible verses, but no actual financial help. People (church people included) would help in many ways except use their own money. When the needy finally die, then they take out some cash from their purses to donate to the bereaved or buy flowers.
The Macedoniona church was used by God to show "rich generosity" to other believers in dire need while they themselves suffered "extreme poverty," [2 Corinthians 8.2]. Paul and his companions suffered lack, testifying that, "I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked," [2 Corinthians 11.27]. GOD sent them even without provisions. And Hebrews 11 mentions about heroes of faith who "went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground."
And how about Jesus Himself who lived in poor Bethlehem with his poor parents (their poverty is seen in how they offered doves for baby Jesus' dedication, animal offering prescribed by law for the poor)? And John the baptizer who ate insects and honey and lived along the river, choosing to live like a poor hermit than live the comfortable life of a priest as his father, Zachariah, did.
Your Response
God will allow some of His servants to look and live poor. It's part of His will, His move, and even God's next. "The poor you will always have with you," he said, although the Word also clearly says it's not GOD's will that any among His people should be poor [Deuteronomy 15].
However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.
"Fully obey" means sharing with the poor from your own material possessions. Once we disobey that, poor people in church will always be with us. GOD's will is to share our blessings with the marginalized. It's the only reason why GOD blesses us. The only design for blessings is to give them away.
If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.
Lend Freely
It is God's will that we "lend freely" to the poor and needy, but which is something almost no one today in church believes in and willingly wants to do. Why are there poor believers and why are you blessed? It's all a test. God tests the poor, if they will remain faithful to God, trusting and expecting Him to provide for their needs. And God also tests the hearts of those He blesses, if they would share their blessings cheerfully (no strings attached) with the needy or withhold the blessings for themselves and their loved ones alone.
It is useless to do ministries and "serve" God in church or plant lots of churches to expand your denomination if you do not respond to the needs of the poor as God wants you to, especially responding by giving them money in an amount that will really help them. Not just a pittance.
Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ [Matthew 25.44-45]
And the result?
Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
From what Jesus said above, we see that the salvation of our souls has to do with how we use our money and resources to help the poor, whether as individuals or as a church. Jesus warned that "You cannot be my disciple unless you give up everything you have," [Luke 14.33]. I can just imagine the millions of church people who go to church religiously but stay away from those who ask them money or borrow from them. The church never taught them to help the poor with their own money and taught that saving money while neglecting the poor was good stewardship.
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