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Based on what God has promised in His Word, there is a measure of wealth that the church is supposed to have. No, I don’t mean the “prosperity gospel.” This wealth is not solely to benefit individuals or families. It is meant to support and promote the advancement of God’s plans. And there are some of us who are called to create this wealth for the Kingdom of God.
The physical body has different parts with different functions. In the same way, each individual has a role to play in the body of Christ. We each have an individual purpose that works to benefit the entire Body of Christ.
There are people in the body of Christ who’s calling is to build businesses. They are to create wealth to benefit the Kingdom of God. These are the people who will finance ministries and missionaries. They will also teach others in the church how to make wise financial decisions.
A few years ago, I received some prophecies related to wealth. They were about building businesses and wealth for God’s Kingdom. When three different people said the same thing in the space of three weeks, I began to take notice.
In the years to follow, God often reminded me of this prophecy. But I struggled with it. Was I hearing correctly? If I pursued this, would I get caught up by the love of money? Was this God or was the enemy trying to get me to fall for the “prosperity gospel”?
I began asking the Lord to help me to be sure that this was something that He wanted me to pursue.
One morning, I awoke around 5 o’clock but since it yet wasn’t time for me to get up, I fell back to sleep. A few minutes later as I was between “sleep and wake” I heard a loud voice say “Tommy Reid!” I jumped out of my sleep when I heard the voice but then fell right back to sleep again.
As I was making breakfast later that morning, I remembered what had happened. I immediately went to google the name “Tommy Reid”. It turns out he’s a pastor who wrote a book called “Create Wealth to Build God’s Dream.”
The book speaks about God-given purpose and destiny. It speaks about the creation of wealth to fund the dreams of the destiny that God places in each of us.
To say that I was floored would be an understatement. God had definitely answered my question.
Disclaimer: I’m nowhere close to having generated any sort of substantial financial wealth. But since getting that confirmation, the Lord has given me a few ideas that I have started to act on.
A person who is called to create wealth for God’s Kingdom will have special insight into how to handle His money. Here is what God has shown me about this.
YOU UNDERSTAND THAT ALL MONEY BELONGS TO GOD
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,…”
Psalm 24:1 ESV
A person who is called to create wealth for God’s Kingdom will need to understand that ALL the money belongs to God. It’s not simply a matter of tithing 10 percent. Are you willing to do whatever God tells you to do with the other 90 percent? Even if it looks stupid at the time?
From 2006 to 2010 I was a freelance consultant in software development. A year into the worldwide recession that started in 2008, consulting work began to dry up. My family basically lived on $50 ($25 USD) per week. Thanks to God and my parents, I didn’t have to worry about a roof over our heads.
Psalm 24:1 was the verse that I clung to during that difficult season. This verse helped me to remember that everything belonged to the Lord, even money. If I needed money, He was well able to provide it.
When things began to look up for me in 2010, I continued to use this verse as a reminder. Even though I now had more, it was still all God’s. It is He and He alone that gives us the power to get wealth (Deut 8:18)
I know that we work hard for our money and it often seems like there isn’t enough of it to go around. But you’re going to have to be willing to take leaps of faith with God’s money when He asks you to.
And I don’t just mean those offering plates where you’re called to plant a seed. What if the Lord asks you to use your last $10 to buy lunch for the homeless person on the street? Are you going to be obedient?
YOU KNOW HOW TO BE A GOOD STEWARD WITH WHAT YOU HAVE NOW
Are you a good steward? If you want to build wealth for God’s kingdom you’re going to have to be faithful with what you have now. If God can’t trust you with the little you have now, He’s not going to trust you with His billions.
Do you have debt? If you do, it’s time to start taking steps towards paying it off. An excellent way to start is Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps to Financial Freedom.
The first step is to create a $1000 ($2000 BDS) emergency fund. This is to cover unexpected events. Things like car troubles, a medical or dental emergency or unexpected home repairs.
After creating an emergency fund, your next step would be to pay off your debt. You can do this using the Debt Snowball method. This is how it works:
- List your debts from smallest to largest.
- Make minimum payments on all your debts except the smallest.
- Pay as much as possible on your smallest debt until it is paid off.
- When the smallest debt is paid off, do the same with the next smallest and repeat until each debt is paid in full.
You can learn more about the 7 Baby Steps on Dave Ramsey’s website or in his book, Total Money Makeover.
For local personal financial assistance, you can also check out Money matters with Melinda Belle and Astrape Finance.
it’s not an option, you can’t give up
Being tasked with building wealth for God’s Kingdom is a great responsibility. Imagine how much good the Church could do if we were able to generate the wealth that promised in the Bible… and use it responsibly.
You’ll need to remember this responsibility when you feel like giving up. We all know how it works. We get confirmation from the Lord that we’ve been hearing Him correctly. That he does want us to go after that thing He has placed in our hearts. But immediately the opposite begins to happen.
“9 out of 10 businesses fail; so I came up with a foolproof plan – create ten businesses” –
Robert Kiyosaki
According to Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, 9 out of 10 businesses fail. Your first business might fail, and your second business might fail but you can’t give up.
If God has given you a dream to build wealth, then you need to push through. In this article, Mr. Kiyosaki talks about learning from our failures.
Society does not encourage failure. Our school systems condition us to think that if we don’t get high grades, we won’t make it. We’ve failed.
Failure isn’t a bad thing if you learn from your mistakes. John Maxwell says, “You either win, or you learn.” At the very least you learn what NOT to do.
God won’t punish you if you try and fail. He’s already factored your failure into His plan. Remember that it’s God who started the work in you. It was He who determined your purpose. He will help you to complete it. (Phil 1:6)
YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IT’S NOT ONLY FOR YOUR BENEFIT
“The question is not how much of my money I give to God, but rather how much of God’s money I keep for myself.”
R.G. LeTourneau
R.G LeTourneau was a self-taught engineer who built a manufacturing empire. His sister was a missionary who challenged him to do more for God. Like many of us do, he assumed that he had to become a pastor or an evangelist to serve God more.
After a talk with his pastor, he realized that he could “do more” for God in his capacity as a businessman. He made God his business partner and eventually gave away 90 percent of his personal income. (read more about R.G LeTourneau in this article)
The time will come when you’ve accumulated a certain amount of wealth (or you may have already done so). You’ll need to understand that the businesses that you build are to help others.
These businesses will provide for you and your family, but that’s not their main purpose. The purpose of a business created for the Kingdom of God is to promote the Kingdom in such a way that a need is being met. It’s not only for profit; it’s a ministry.
God has a bigger plan for these businesses than you could ever imagine (Eph 3:20). He is the one that should make the major decisions for your business and decide where the money should go. He should be your CEO.
Do any of these insights resonate with you? Is part of your purpose to create wealth for the Kingdom of God? If there is a business idea that God has given you, get moving on it. Ask Him for direction and take the next step.
