The Ballestero Blog

Preachers, Facebook and Begging For Money

Beware! An old problem has invented a new avenue to intrude uninvited into your world!

Over the years, ethical pastors, missionaries and evangelists have strived to work in harmony to further the Gospel.

When an emergency presented itself and additional finances were needed, the brethren all understood there were limitations and restrictions attached to acquiring the additional funds.

Our old pastors taught the younger ministry that ‘If you have a gift, it will make room for you. Don’t make room for your gift.” The advice is still relevant and appropriate today. I have tried to live by that.

They also taught us that if you claimed to have a ‘Faith Ministry” and went around asking for money, it wasn’t ‘Faith’ at all. You didn’t have a ‘Faith Ministry’, you were just a beggar.

Today through the conduit of Radio and TV, many are scammed. They are hoodwinked into investing and ‘sowing seed’ into bogus ministries.

(The great news is that all of us can have salvation and healing without investing a dime in some false prophet’s coffers.)

We now have the Internet. Along with that came Twitter, Everyone’s Apostolic, Facebook and other social networks.

It seems like lately that most of us have been swamped with notes in our Inboxes from assorted preachers.

1. Missionaries, that some of us have never even heard of, want you to send them money.
2. Evangelists are posting on your pages desperately wanting you to give to them.
3. Preachers starting a church or pastoring a small one somewhere need you to contribute and they don’t mind asking.

Don’t give to them.

• You heard me right.
• They are not ethical.
• If they where ethical, they wouldn’t ask you!

Here is how the whole system works. Let’s start with the Missionary first.

Missionaries.

There are two basic and acceptable avenues for them.

If the Missionary is with an organization, they back him. He travels and gets acquainted with new congregations and revisits his faithful supporters. The pastors of those churches make pledges and mail their monthly checks to his Missions Department. The Missions Department then sends him a regular check. If an emergency arises, he contact his Missions Department and they respond. Sometimes a local pastor friend may hear of the need and respond privately.

If the Missionary is independent, he has no headquarters to help him out. He is at the mercy of the Lord and his friends. If he has an emergency, he may call or write a close pastor friend or two. This friend, may not have enough money himself to meet the crises. He them become a spokesman for the missionary and on his behalf will call some of his pastor friends. These men then will go to their churches, if need be, and raise the offering that way.

How ever it’s done, it’s never done privately between a saint in a church and the missionary.

Missionaries who get on Facebook and plead with saints for money are without scruples or ethics. Don’t give to them. Let your pastor guide your giving.

Pastors

Pastors that likewise plead for money from someone else’s saints, are without ethics or principles. Do not respond to them.

You don’t go next door to your neighbors and ask their working teenager to give you money to pay your bills.

Evangelists

Evangelists are out of line to EVER ask a dime from ANYONE. I have pastored 30 years and I have been preaching out for 50 years. During all those years, I have preached 919 revivals and never called and asked for one. I’ve also preached 335 conferences and 62 camps besides.

If you are a God-called preacher, don’t you think that the same God that called you will provide for you? He does!

No evangelist should ever ask for money on Facebook. Don’t be foolish and give to him, no matter if you like him or not.

His asking is without principle.

No evangelist should ever receive money from saints in the church where he is preaching a revival.

If money somehow makes it to his hand or pocket, he must give that to the local pastor.

If the pastor decides to keep the money or give it back, that is the pastor’s prerogative.

Every preacher must understand that God has a way of balancing every thing out. The same God that fed Elijah with a raven knows where each of us is laboring in the vineyard. Our day will come, where all the wine tours will be for us.

If these preachers are having to call and write around begging for money, maybe they should have stayed in their local church and helped their pastor. Maybe,(God forbid anyone should say it.) they’re not really called.

In spite of our talking till we are blue in the face, grievous wolves run loose among the flock. They will fleece you of your money if you let them. Don’t. Give the Bible way. Bring it into the local storehouse. (Church)

Do you want a blessing! Do you want to help the work of God? Then give bountifully to your local church. Give God your tithe. (You want a real blessing? Tithe on your Gross!) Give extra to your Building Fund, Missions and Sunday School. And while you are in a giving mood, slip some money in your pastor’s hand and bless him.