More money and less Jesus - which would you pick?
Bread (physical food) is very important for our sustenance, but that is not all that we need to be alive. Jesus also said, “but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
There is more to life than food, money, and satisfaction of the flesh. The Word of God plays an important role in the well-being of our lives here on earth. Unfortunately, many of us are neglecting the spiritual conditions necessary for our survival and are pursuing physical things to the detriment of our faith.
Many of us today are undergoing the same kind of temptation that Jesus went through. Even those of us in ministry are faced with the challenges associated with taking a stand and saying what the Bible says. Some have shifted a little to create room for acceptance by the world. A close look at some of the conditions which employers and donor agencies give Christians and ministries to fulfill before getting funds, clearly shows that the world wants to control our belief system and our way of life.
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Someone once introduced to me an international medical organization that wanted to partner with us. An arrangement was made for a medical mission. However, on the day before the outreach, I received a message that we are not allowed to preach Christ during the visit to our mission fields. The partnership was quickly dissolved. We couldn’t go through with it knowing that our vision is to reach the unreached with the Gospel. On another occasion, a very wealthy man in Nigeria offered millions of Naira to my ministry with the condition that we deemphasize Christ in our missions. Obviously, again, we simply couldn’t go through with it.
The governments of this world are embracing all manners of demonic ideologies but hate everything about Jesus and His Gospel. They pursue these agendas by denying Christians employment and access to funds, hoping to pressure us to accept their ways. But if Christ did not compromise when tempted by the devil, Christians should be ready to reject the type of financial help that will compromise their faith. With or without funds, man must live to the glory of God and preach the Gospel.
What surprises me is that Christians are now joining the world in condemning their fellow Christians who stick by the Word of God unflinchingly. We are now finding it difficult to speak out and condemn the schemes of the devil to turn this present world into Sodom and Gomorrah. Many governments, organizations, and donor agencies are promoting the LGBTQ agenda and want to force Christians to embrace it by creating environments that victimize anyone who opposes their ideology.
It is obvious that many Christians and ministries will be denied opportunities and funds because they have refused to compromise on biblical standards, especially on same-sex “marriage” and transgenderism. Even some of my partners have withdrawn their support from my ministry for writing an article opposing homosexuality and lesbianism.
We should not be oblivious to the fact that Christ has forewarned us of these before now. (Mathew 10:22). I know the importance of financial resources in running a ministry, but will we do what Esau did and sell our inheritance for worldly gain? Let us stand firm and condemn what is evil and risk rejection, persecution, and denial knowing that it is Christ, and Christ alone, who is our greater reward. Earthly goods will never compare.
Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. His calling is to take the gospel to where no one has neither preached nor heard about Jesus. He is the author of the book Mystery Of The Cross Revealed.
