Don't Touch Their Money

It's easy to give yourself to Jesus and to church ministries, to be nice to people and appear meek, gentle and patient, until someone asks you your money. I have seen how people devoted to God and the church change expression and mood when you ask for their money or borrow. More so, when they're told to give up all their money for the poor. And their favorite escape route is to accuse you of promoting the prosperity gospel, thinking you're just after their money.

Photo above by Andrej Lišakov on Unsplash.

You're okay with them as long as you don't touch their money. If ever they give you some, they believe they gain some right to your life. They can tell you how you should act, live, what you should believe and where and how you should worship. They can lecture to you and you should listen and learn. They assume a right to speak over your life. In short, getting their money means they have bought you for a price.

A lot of people can serve God and devote their lives to him, but never give him their money. They won't even give back to God what belongs to him---the tithes and offering. If they do, they imagine themselves "givers" and "supporters" and that carries with it some entitlement. They think they become co-equals with the pastor and even tell him how to govern the church. If you give your tithes and offering, it does not make you a giver or supporter. You merely returned what belonged to God. You haven't "given" anything yet.

Giving your tithes and offering is good, but that's just the start. Giving does not end there. Jesus clearly emphasized giving up everything we have. If you are a true disciple of Jesus, you understand that giving is 100 percent, not just 10 percent. This is where majority of believers fail. Without getting this truth, all your worship, ministry, achievements, etc. are trash. Being unwilling to give up everything, though you think you serve God, is really serving money. You cannot serve both God and money. You have to give up one to serve the other.

So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. [Luke 14.33]

Give Up 100 Percent to GOD, Not to Man

The Acts believers sold their properties and voluntarily gave all the proceeds to the church, at the apostles' feet, to be exact. They also sold "goods" and gave the sales to the church as well, not so the church could buy properties for its headquarters, local church buildings, bible schools and seminaries (or vehicles or facilities or sound systems), but to give away to those in need, "as every man had need." If we do this, we give to God and His church, not man or his church. We need to do this principle today, if not do it in exactly how the Acts church did it. 

And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. [Acts 2.45]

As each believer should willingly give up all their possessions to God, all churches and denominations have to give up everything they have. Unless they give up all their properties and incomes and give to the poor, they do not really serve God. Church money is for two purposes only---for the pastor's personal and family needs, and to share with the needy and marginalized. That's what Jesus taught and how the Acts church and the apostles did it. Nothing was spent for buying properties or building physical structures. Nothing for church buildings, bible schools or seminaries. Not even building rent, utilities and the like. Everything should be for the needs of the "least of your brothers," which include the pastors. This is real ministry as Jesus taught it:

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

[Matthew 25]

You see the words Jesus used here? "Then the righteous will answer him." Righteousness is by faith, possible only through the grace and mercy of God. But it has a mark, a fruit, an evidence. Jesus said, righteousness is giving to the poor, specifically, to "the least of these brothers and sisters of mine." The least. This means giving up and selling our possessions to give to the least. It's not just giving a pittance, or a one-time donation or a fraction of your money. It's selling your possessions and giving to the poor. It's giving up everything you have. 

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Maybe, we need to specify who the least are. They are those we think are not as blessed as we are. We look down on them because they have no money, and we think it's probably because they're not as prayerful or spiritual as we are, or do not give their tithes, fail to obey God, fail some standards (usually our standards) and displease God. We think they're lazy. And worse, we think we're better than they are, or God loves us more because we please him and the "lazy" don't. And we believe this just because we have money. People we see as nothing, zero, useless, small. These are "the least," the people we scorn and despise. And lots of times the pastor is among them. 

Whatever we think of or do to them, we do to Jesus. Just to give you an example to open your eyes, if a brother is in dire need of 10k and you have definitely more than that in your bank as your extra money, but you just give him 500 pesos or 3k, you actually do that to Jesus. Do you get the picture now? And remember, God wants us to give up all to HIM and give to the poor, not just your 3k. It's His spoken and written will in the bible. Now, imagine if you turn down a brother or sister in dire need even if God has enabled you to give. You do that to Jesus as well, even if you are a "tither."

Yes, uglier is if we don't fully help our needy brother or sister (although God has blessed us more than we need to be able to bless others) just because we're setting aside money to buy a new car or build a bigger house. Ugliest is to withhold money to the needy because we're saving for a church property or building or building a bigger and nicer one. We've been told that all these are according to sound doctrine, but they really go against Jesus' teachings. 

Don't worry, God knows your needs and his blessings are first intended for your real needs, plus a little savings perhaps. God wants you to have some money in the bank and to provide for your immediate family. But the rest of the extras are meant to be given away. Sometimes, the bank savings, too. 

What scares us (and especially churches and denominations) is the thought that the needy might keep coming back for more and other poor people might follow suit. The idea of "giving up everything we have" is poor stewardship to us, and we heard that from some smart Aleck in church in the past---how it's wrong to give people money just like that. They said it was sound doctrine to withhold money from needy people, especially to the "undeserving." But Jesus was clear:

"Give to anyone who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." [Matthew 5.42].

We can never change or delete this teaching. The Word of God is eternal. 

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SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: 

 ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4]

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

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JESUS' Teachings That Most Churches Depart From

If there's anything Jesus zeroed in, it's radical lowliness. Not the religious lowliness that is pretended in church to attract people to membership or to stay in the membership. This lowliness is fake and masks the real rottenness within which surfaces mostly in money matters---especially if you decide to give away church money to the poor just like that witout ROI (which Jesus taught in his Beatitudes). Or, if you try to touch their personal money, like borrowing from them. That's a definite no-no.

Photo by john ko on Unsplash.

Jesus Christ emphasizes radical generosity, selflessness, and unconditional love. However, the modern church teachings often steer away from these principles, prioritizing material wealth, institutional growth, and self-preservation over selfless giving. Central to Jesus’ message is the command to give up our possessions and care for the poor. In passages such as Luke 18:22, Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell all he has, give to the poor, and follow Him. Yet, many churches today hoard wealth in the form of vast properties, luxurious facilities, and impressive costly programs, seemingly neglecting Christ's call to radical generosity without any strings attached.

Jesus also taught us to give to anyone who asks and to lend without expecting repayment (Luke 6:30-35). This reflects God's boundless mercy and grace—giving freely, even when it is undeserved. Yet, contemporary Christian practices often favor calculated generosity, extended only to those who can reciprocate or prove their "worthiness." This selective compassion contrasts with the unconditional love that Christ modeled and commands His followers to embody.

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Would you extend financial help to those whose behavior or character you abhor, or who are not Christians or refuse to attend church? Would you lend money to folks who do not pay you back and yet keep borrowing more? We are taught to give only to those who please us and pass our religious standards and lend to those we expect repayment, things we think make us good stewards of money and material possessions. We are told that good stewadrship is when our money has ROI. A lot of churches treat money and the needy this way. But Jesus said:

"Give to everyone who asks you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you." [Matthew 5.42]


“And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.” [Luke 6.34-35]

True believers are called to live out the two greatest commandments: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). This love is not theoretical or limited to rituals and sermons—it is active, practical, and selfless (it's not "sacrificial" where you lose something and gain nothing. It's "selfless" because this giving kills the ego but rewards your soul). 

It means intentionally obeying Jesus' teachings, even when it challenges our comfort or societal norms. Radical living, as exemplified by the early church in the Book of Acts, involved selling possessions and distributing to anyone in need (Acts 2:44-45). This model of communal generosity and selflessness demonstrated the essence of Christian love and faith in action.

Denominations that accumulate immense wealth and invest in opulent buildings inadvertently stray from Jesus’ example. Such resources could instead be directed toward alleviating poverty, aiding the needy, and embodying the kingdom of God on Earth. The church must evaluate whether its actions and value system align with Christ’s teachings or reflect worldly priorities.

In a world riddled with inequality, intentional obedience to Jesus’ radical call to generosity is crucial. Returning to His teachings means relinquishing attachment to material possessions, giving selflessly to anyone in need, and living a life that demonstrates love for God and neighbors in tangible ways. The true church reflects Christ’s heart—a heart that always gives and never holds back.

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Just email me at jesusstalkeremail@gmail.com and get an email back in 20 or 30 seconds with a download link to the e-book, "Your Power Within." It's FREE! You also get my GCash details in case you decide to donate P40, P50, P100 (or any amount) for the e-book to help my ministry. But with or without donation, the e-book is yours 😄. 

Studying and meditating Jesus give us deep insights on potentials, life, family, success and failures, all tied up to our relationship with Jesus Christ. 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: 

 ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

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Turning to Another Gospel

There's another gospel. As early as Paul's time, "another gospel" was suspected to exist and hit hard on the Galatian church. It looked authentic that even if the church started right in the Holy Spirit, it was now abandoning being entirely Spirit-led and comfortably settled with being entirely led by the flesh. And they really thought they were doing right and dealing with Jesus' Gospel.

Photo by Mikołaj on Unsplash.

They probably even felt so spiritual because they were working so hard in the ministry with all their efforts. That's characteristic of being flesh-led---everything is by man's effort, design, smartness, programs, strategies and direction, all done "for God's glory." Man's effort is legitimized by that phrase, "for God's glory." But Jesus had it so differently. He said his ministry was all the Father's effort in him, not his own.

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. [John 14.10]

Once you get out of that pattern and do things your own smart way, you follow "another gospel," which was exactly what the Galatians were guilty of. Man's effort in ministry looks glamorous and probably the reason why the Galatians were "bewitched" by it and threw anything genuinely of the Holy Spirit out the window because they saw how man's effort gave them quicker results that highlighted their geniuses. Like how the modern church today mocks the supernatural of the Holy Spirit as superstition and subscribes to what looks systematic, scientific nd respectable.

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: [Galatians 3.3]

So Removed

Paul said the Galatians were "so soon removed." The word "removed" here is a big word. They removed themselves from anything of the Spirit of God, and didn't know it because they were bewitched, or as NLT puts it, "cast an evil spell on." Abandoning the Jesus Way and turning to another way or gospel is demonic, it has to do with the occult. And that's what God calls it---abandoning or deserting. Metatithesthe is the Greek which means among other things, not simply changing sides but perverting.

What the Other Gospel Does to Us

1. Throw us into confusion [1.7]. Probably why we have a lot of denominations with different doctrines that say some portions of Scripture do not apply to us anymore---or some of God's Word are already obsolete today 😂. Nope, God's Word is always fresh, like his steadfast love and mercy that never cease but are new each morning. 

They reason that even with our different denominational doctrines we're all united in our basic faith in Jesus, and that's all that matters. But Jesus is the WORD of GOD, and that tells us we cannot just agree on some things in God's Word and disagree on the rest. Is Christ divided? I follow this portion while you follow another portion? I follow Paul, you follow Silas?

2. Pervert the Gospel [1.7]. Try to teach people about Jesus honestly using the bible (without denominational presuppositions or presumptions) and you'd see how "believers" find the real Jesus strange, odd, extreme, even cultic. Why? Because the modern church has been preaching "another Jesus," a tame one. They also don't understand how it is to be genuinely Spirit-led but just rely on how their church or pastor interprets God's Word for them according to the theology or hermeneutics of man. That's a clear perversion of Scriptures, giving undue preference to what man can give instead of total reliance on the Holy Spirit.

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood (by man), but by my Father in heaven." [Matthew 16]

Teachers in church should be genuinely led by the Holy Spirit, relying solely on how HE gives supernatural understanding, not on things learned from endless seminars on how to do things. 

3. Under a curse [1.8]. What we often understand by "under a curse" is suffering poverty or financial insufficiency. Why? Because of the church's money-value system, that anything not translating into church income is useless. If what we do does not grow church membership, it's nothing because church membership translates into income and income grows churches. So we think poor believers or churches are "under a curse."

But Paul gave the Galatians a good idea of what it is. It has all to do with being bound to people's approval and to pride. That's the curse from turning to another gospel. Thus, his opening statement was an emphasis on being called by God, not man. 

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father.

Then he added.

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

If you're a man pleaser, that's among worst curses to be punished with. The scary thing is that pleasing people makes you likely to fall into the hands of false believers who want you to remain a slave to the world. No wonder a lot of pastors today are hostage to the whims, fancies and impulses of their church boards or the church itself. They obey the will of the board even if it thwarts God's will because they fear losing their jobs.

This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. [Galatians 2.4]

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

 Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

 In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: 

"‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

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Even Now the Reaper Draws a Wage

The context is Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman about eternal life at Jacob's well. In short, it's evangelism. He said the reaper draws or gets his "wage" or pay or reward. The reaper is the one  guiding the unsaved to finally and actually receive eternal life by surrendering fully to Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

Photo by Brienne Hong on Unsplash.

When you reap or harvest a soul, you're given a "salary," as it were, by heaven. From the same passage, we see how this is something spiritual when Jesus said "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work," [John 4.34]. Obviously, he was talking of spiritual food, not physical. From that, we also safely deduce that the "wage" (pay or salary) that harvesters get is something spiritual. It's not a salary in the form of fiat money.

What's the "wage" for?

It's connected to what Jesus said about storing up treasures in heaven, particularly about the "purses" (plural) he said we need for storing treasures. The word "purses" suggests storing small amounts which we later transfer to our heavenly account [Philippians 4.17] where we amass Kingdom wealth. The small amounts are the wages given us each time we harvest souls or obey other instructions in the Word.

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [Luke 12.33-34]

Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. [Philippians 4.17]

In the Philippian passage above, Paul was referring to church giving and financial support, clearly showing that our obedience gets "credited" to our "account." There is an account in heaven where "credits" from our spiritual investments here get deposited (and, I believe earns residual interests as people we disciple also disciple others or plant churches). In fact, Paul said the Holy Spirit is the initial deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. 

What's the Kingdom wealth or treasure for? It's for furnishing our mansion in heaven. Jesus said he will prepare a place for us in his Father's place (or "house") where there are many mansions. As he "prepares" our mansion, he uses the treasure we have accumulated in our heavenly account for the materials and furnishings. The more treasures you store, the grander your mansion will be. This is why some will be called great in the Kingdom, some will be called least. There will be a hierarchy in heaven, a citizenship status in the New Jerusalem and on the New Earth, and we need to invest spiritually now.

Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 5.19]

The Hard Work

Not many believers and church pastors understand that the hard work is done by the sowers who do not get to reap the harvest themselves. They do the plowing and sowing but seldom get to take part in the spectacular activity of harvesting. The reapers do that glamorous part and enjoy the limelight. They are the ones seen in public with the membership increase, church growth and mega churches. Everyone congratulates them and have them as authoritative speakers on church planting and church growth.

Sad part is when the reapers become myopic, thinking it's all due to their brilliance, programs, strategy and hard work and look down on the sowers because they very seldom get to have a harvest, if any. They often have small churches and stay behind the scenes, their "hard work" almost never recognized. A lot of reapers fail to see that what they thought was their hard work from start to finish is really just a harvest from somebody else's earlier work.

Some unknown, faceless, low-profile individual or church had planted the seed in people's hearts a long time ago and prayed for it. That was reinforced further by others, also unknown and low-profile, who shared testimonies to them or shared a Word from their hearts. This happened a lot more times until these people's hearts had become ripe for the harvest, and then a reaper-church was sent by God to harvest. But most reaper-churches don't see this. All they see is their efforts and achievements and think they alone did the hard work and are therefore greatest in the Kingdom.

Jesus said, it's the sowers that quietly do the hard work in the dimly lit corners, not the harvesters, and he stressed that reapers should realize this, probably foreseeing how some reapers are prone to get all the glory for themselves and belittle the sowers.

"I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” [John 4.38]

Jesus said, sowers and reapers should realize that they are both part of the one body of Christ. The effort and gains of one is the efforts and gains of the other. 

...that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. [John 4.36]

Does the Sower Get Paid, Too?

It's not indicated in the John 4 passage, but we know how GOD is just and fair. If he gives harvesters their wages, he will surely give sowers their wages. This ensures that both of them "may be glad together."

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SURRENDERING TO JESUS

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: 

‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4]

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.