While I was mowing the lawn of the Onyx House (Ministry Center), an elderly man (pictured) whom I had met a few years ago saw me, parked his car next to me and we started conversing. He asked me to pray for him, that his heart no longer wander from the Lord. He then asked what I was doing these days. I told him I was getting ready to travel on an evangelistic trip abroad. I told him of the journey so far and how people were responding to provide buses that will bring people to the crusade ground. With tears in his eyes, he reached to his pocket and brought everything that was in it. A total of $42.00 and placed it in my hands, he said use this for souls. I was astounded, thinking, wasn’t he already retired with a son to raise and wife to provide for? I knew he didn’t have much but He insisted I took it. Who am I to stand in the way of his blessing? That’s the way God provides for His work, through people who seemingly don’t have much. Through the unlikeliest of places.

God Uses the Least of These

As we closed last years crusade in India, the attendees, many with tears in their eyes, came forward to the platform, unsolicited, to give 20 rupees (30 cents). I had visited these folks in their houses and knew first hand that they didn’t’ have much. I wanted to say no to the gifts but the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let me. Today, in Indianapolis, I often look at those rupees and they serve as a reminder that God provides from the unlikeliest of places. I contrast the student in China who didn’t have much yet gave for the crusade, to the well to do professional in Indy who refused to. I’m thinking of the stranded gentleman in the UK with immigration problems who gave, and the senior executive of a $3 billion company who wouldn’t.

God, not man, establishes and provides for His Ministry Through You

My experience in ministry has shown that those who are most able to support God’s work, won’t. Read that again. And those who are least able to, material speaking that is, WILL. I say this to encourage the young budding minister reading this, who has the heart, call and fervor to bring God’s kingdom down to earth, but does not have the financing to do so. Don’t be discouraged. Stay the course. If God sent you, He will provide in due time. It is His duty, not yours, to establish you. It took 3 full years of laboring before people started to give, and even more years before people started sending testimonies in the hundreds. What if I had stopped in those dry years of ministry? That would have shown there was no call on my life. Who cares if anyone gives, or if anyone listens to you? Woe are you if you don’t preach this good news. That’s your call and you know it. Do it to honor God and trust He will provide, He will. Most importantly, do not make the mistake I made earlier in my ministry by ignoring the unlikeliest of places, because that is where God provides mostly from.