One of the biggest changes in my own life personally is that I have stopped asking for money. When I first started preaching the gospels I was taught that if I did not feel comfortable or thought it wrong to ask for money or a donation when handing out a gospel track, that it came from a prideful spirit. Pride is a bad quality Jesus says we must let go of if we want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Its essentially thinking your right in doing something, when in reality you are wrong and that you are too stubborn to admit your wrong.

Eventually I accepted asking was alright to do at the time, based on these verses given.

”If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 9:11-12)

If you read the entire passage in that chapter, Paul argues that he had a right biblicaly to benefit from the church he taught or was teaching, like eating the same food the others ate as followers of Christ and sharing all things in common. He even says previously he has taken from other churches or groups of believers because he was sharing those resources with other churches that needed help materially. That church was refusing to share their wealth with Paul at first, so he addresses them in this letter he wrote or whats called an epistle. He says, if he teaches the churches spiritual things, is it a big deal to receive material things from the churches?

So that last part I was taught is used to promote asking anyone for money or a donation, and that if we give people spiritual things like the gospels, is it a big deal for them to give us material things or a donation? The donations that I received at the time when handing out the gospel were used to print more gospel tracks. It sounds reasonable right? A few cents here and there wont break anyone’s bank will it? And most people are not bothered to hand you a small donation.

But to clear this up right away, there is this huge change in who its actually promoting to ask in the verse given. Can you guess? This letter from Paul was directed to one of the believing churches, in a Christian community (living together like in the book of Acts chapter 2 and 4) we are commanded from the Lord to share everything we have.

But now this right from Jesus that Paul was saying (sharing everything) is originally addressed to people who were in the churches and now to people outside of the churches, or to put it more plainly, unbelievers. This is not what Paul was saying. Paul was not saying, “If I give you spiritual things (like the gospel), you owe me (or you should give me) a small sum of money for those things.” That is what I was taught and I think personally its damaging long term. The context goes from the church being told this privilege as a legitimate correction, to unbelievers who dont even care about spiritual things. Its changed entirely. The same rules do not apply to unbelievers, they dont share everything in common as Jesus taught and they are not obligated to give anything because it is their choice to not follow Jesus.

We dont actually have recorded instances of any Christian asking for money anyways. Not one in the New Testament anywhere. According to the scientific method, which is, we need first evidence for this asking for money business, which we dont have. Its a big assumption to think this one verse says we can ask unbelievers for money or a softer word, donations. And after all Jesus said, about the eye being the lamp to our body in relation to money in Matthew 6:22-24, it should be examined more closely.

Another verse that I was taught asking for money is recorded from the gospels.

”These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.” (Matthew 10:5-11)

Jesus instructs his disciples to go out with nothing and preach, and whatever someone gives them, let them receive it. This can be food, money, clothes accommodation or shelter. But this verse is taken where Jesus says, “enquire who in it is worthy;” and apparently it means to ask for money after preaching. Again this is a big assumption and a mistake, there is no evidence to suggest in anyway that is how the Christians understood that teaching or that is what Jesus actually meant in that teaching.

The question we need to ask is, why would Jesus send his apostles out with nothing, no shoes, no script and no money, only to instruct his disciples later when they leave the area to ask for money? Where is the logic in that? And what does that actually create for his followers? Faith in God? Or faith in money? What I was taught is that all the Christians did this daily most likely to get by. And like I said in the beginning, if you refused to ask for money or a donation, you had a spiritual problem. This is a lie, I can confidently say it is because God has taken care of me without asking.

In Luke’s version, (Luke 10:4-8) we see a little more in detail that the provision they would receive like food and clothing and money, was a sign that the individuals liked the message of the gospels and were happy to give whatever the Christians needed. This would strongly suggest that Jesus meant asking who is worthy means asking who was interested in the gospels and the message. A bi-product of this would be the people who received the message joyfully, would give willingly without needing to be prompted in any way shape or form. There would have been no reason to have had to ask. God or Jesus´promises would have supplied everything in faith (believing) and not trying to get their material needs in their own strength. Even if the people who were preached the gospels disagreed with the message, I am sure even after disagreeing, they gave their material wealth anyways because they appreciated the effort.

I also wanted to point out a significant verse from Jesus in the verses I just mentioned. ”freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)

This is a command and the gospels are free. When I first heard of what Jesus taught, it was from YouTube and it was free, I was not charged. I am sure there are many other testimonies of others who had the same experience of receiving the gospels. This should make others question why asking for money for the gospels is so heavily practiced every where in churches and outside of churches. After receiving the gospels for free, if your interested in following Jesus, then you are required to sell all you have as payment to the Lord, only then does it actually cost something. But initially its free.

This whole assuming issue about the verses I just mentioned, its kind of like the verse where Paul said, “If you dont work, you dont eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Normally when people have not thought of the verse in context or more deeply instead of rushing for an answer, they assume Paul meant working for money. But this rule in context meant working was preaching the gospels based on another verse from him in 1 Thessalonians 2:9. He said he worked day and night preaching the gospels. So the word “work” is understood as preaching the gospels in obedience to Jesus as Christians have to do.

I find it unreasonable that 1 Corinthians 9:11-12 and Matthew 10:5-11 are used to support asking for money or donations with no real evidence of such things. And then when other people see Paul say, “if you dont work you cant eat” then they insert “for money” and then they are refuted or corrected because it deosnt actually say anything about money. But the same correction is not applied for the other verses, instead its used to ask for money. Do you see the double standard? If we are honest with ourselves that’s exactly what is happening.

I would argue its more understandable why people think “working” in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 means “for money” in that verse, compared to the other verses mentioned.

There is a passage where Paul talks about being supplied from another source other then the church he was with. In 2 Corinthians 11:5-15 Paul address people who were considered super-apostles. Fake apostles who charged for the gospels and abused their position for greed and power.

Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?” (2 Corinthians 11:7)

These false apostles tried to convince the church that Paul was not a real apostle because he did not take or request any support from the church he was visiting or for not charging for the gospels. Paul had the right to ask as its biblical to ask other Christians for help in all areas. As far as charging for the gospels, its clear he did not do that in the verse just mentioned.

”I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.” (2 Corinthians 11:10:8-9)

The most noticeable part is where Paul said he was present with the church and he was lacking material wealth, this could have been from the church actually lacking money, food or other resources and that he himself was lacking with them and not asking anything from them. He did not want to burden them further, and then he goes on and says he was supplied by other brothers. He could have asked the church for help, but he chose not to and was supplied anyways by God through others. I just thought it was a good example of having faith in God and not just his own church supplying him. Its not a strong example, but still valid.

The benefits of not asking is that when you need, lets say $2,000 pesos for a plane ticket to Mexico, and you have no intention of asking for money or for help, but only God in prayer. Then just before you leave, you receive more then enough money for a plane ticket from someone in faith in God providing. It doesn’t matter who it is, or how they gave you the money, the fact is you received what you needed and you can be assured it was from God answering your prayer because you didn’t tell anyone what you needed besides God.

This will not only increase your faith in God, but decrease your dependence on money (all forms), asking and unbelievers for help. Every time you ask unbelievers for money, the less your faith is increased in God providing for you, I know because I have lived like that. A clear example of how God provides without saying anything is recorded in the gospels with Jesus.

”And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.” (Luke 8:3)

Jesus did not go around asking people, especially people who didnt believe him and neither did any other Christian. There is evidence of Christians not taking anything from unbelievers, they did this that way the testimony can be for God and not a system of asking for help.

”because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles.” (3 John 1:7)

If we truly believe in Jesus and his promises, we should be stepping out in faith and asking him to supply our needs without asking others instead.

There were many people in history who had a concrete rule not to ask for money in any way. Here are a few and what they say about exchange of the gospels for money. This includes donations by the way.

Anthony Norris Groves (1795-1853) often called the father of faith missions or the founder if you dont use a title.

”The moment I consent to receive a stated sum, I abandon the principle that my Father knows what I have need of before I ask him.” Groves made a rule not to ask for money, he was George Muller’s teacher. He also took care of orphan’s but in a more informal way. Groves saw asking people or systems for money as replacing divine dependence with human arrangement.

Another quote from him. “To make the reception of the truth dependant on any earthly consideration appears to me inconsistent with the spirit of the gospel.” Samuel Pearce also lived by faith without asking. “The gospel ought never to wear the appearance of a bargain.” He also said, “Let us bear the cost ourselves, less the poor think the Word is sold.”

Watchman Nee was a popular missionary in China in 1903-1972. He said, “Spiritual things are not commodities to be traded with men.” He also said, “If God gives light freely, who are we to put a price on it?” I final quote from him that is very good is, “If the work is of God, He will sustain it without advertisement or appeal.”

Hudson Taylor practice this as well. Hes qouted, “When our work becomes a begging work, it dies.” He also said, “There would not be any appeal for funds to be put forward, save only to God in prayer.”

There are many more that lived by faith without asking. To name a few here, Amy Carmichael, Mary Reed, Lillian Trasher, Reese Howls, George Muller, Robert C Chapman, Pandita Ramabai and many more. These people all had a rule of not asking for anything but to let God provide everything for a testimony for others. I encourage you to read these biography’s yourself as they have a lot stronger evidence of God providing then I do right now. In these stories we are talking about thousands of kids and people being provided for without solicitation.

When I first discovered that I did not need to ask, I was living in Australia at the time trying my best to preach the gospels. I read about George Muller’s testimony of not asking too and so I copied his method to see if it worked. I had comics I would hand out and usually ask for a donation, sometimes they would go out for free. But this time I was planning to hand out all forty comics for free only to see God provide later. So I did, not one person gave me a donation of any sort, if you ever lived in Australia its very atheist. I wasn’t sure what to think about not receiving anything as God promised he would take care of my needs. Then I spotted a bag sitting over by a tree, usually I suspected it was a homeless mans bag, so I waited about thirty minutes and no one came to pick it up. So I grabbed it and looked inside and there was food, clothing and (from what I remember) about $42 Australian dollars! I was shocked! I couldn’t´t believe God provided like that! My thought process was wired in such a way that I actually realized God was present with me all the time and that he really does know what I need.

Later, I was on my own after deciding to live without asking for donations. I was passing out pamphlets of my own and I had a homeless man approach me who seemed desperate to hear about God which was rare. I told him for a testimony that I dont tell anyone my needs and that I live by faith and literally mid-conversation he pulls out a fifty Australian note and tells me “You dont have to.” I was so shocked to hear that come from him that at this time I was certain God wanted me to live like this to show others that he is alive and active today. Mind you, I was handing out hand written pieces of paper folks that only had a verse on there written in scribbled pencil. He gave me a fifty dollar note, that was definitely God using him.

I hope the explanations I have given you are legitimate reasons not to ask anyone for your needs besides God and the Christ himself. The more you practice living like this, the more faith you will have in the creator. Faith being practiced will push you miles forward, hopefully you can see fruit from prayer and faith as well in the future, just wait for the promises in Christ to be answered, as this verse says to.

“And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:11-12)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. {substance: or confidence}.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Remember, faith is the SUBSTANCE (literal material wealth and other things promised) of things NOT SEEN. When practicing your faith, you will not always see the answers Jesus promises right away. Sometimes it takes time to wait on the LORD Jesus for it to come to pass. You just have to believe, it is not some special gift only I can practice or the others mentioned. It is available for everyone. Thank you for reading.