BY Argie Simonis
Today we will talk about the power of partnership and the rewards we can have when we become partners and financially support a ministry that spreads the good news of the Gospel. I encourage you to watch the first, second and third part of the series on this teaching.
Let's start with Paul's example when he writes to the Philippians:
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19
This and the previous 5 verses (from v. 15) were written to people who partnered with Paul in the Gospel, supported his ministry financially and gave on a regular basis. We have spoken extensively in previous lessons that God does not rain money from heaven, but gives us the ability to acquire wealth, and the reason He does so is to establish His Kingdom on Earth:
"But you shall remember the LORD your God: for it is he that gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as it is this day." Deut. 8:18
When we pray and ask God for guidance on how and where to give, we give the Lord access to personally intervene in our finances and you can be sure that He can take care of our financial needs much better than we can!
I would like to focus on something very specific. In Proverbs we read:
"A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men." Prov. 18:16
What does it mean when it says that our gifts will make room for us and bring us before great men?
I believe the Bible here describes a very important aspect of what happens when we become partners and supporters of a ministry.
Consider the example of King Solomon in 1 Kings chapter 10. The Bible tells us about Solomon, the wisest man on earth. When Solomon was given the opportunity to ask from God anything he wanted, he selflessly asked
wisdom to be a good king. God not only gave him what he asked for, but also gave him what he did not ask for, giving him long life and making him extremely rich. In fact, the Bible tells us that he was so rich that everything he had was made of gold and silver was not even used:
"And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon." 1Kings 10:21
Solomon's fame spread throughout the land, and in 1 Kings 10: 1-3, we read:
"And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not." 1Kings 10:1-3
The queen of Sheba was so impressed by Solomon's kingdom and wisdom that it actually took her breath away:
"And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her." 1Kings 10:4-5
When we continue reading:
"And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart." 1Kings 10:24
Solomon was the most famous man in the world in his day. He ruled the most powerful and prosperous kingdom and all the people of the earth asked for his attention so that they could learn from his wisdom, get his opinion and receive his favor. I'm sure others stood in front of him, but have you ever wondered why the Bible tells us only the story of the queen of Sheba? What opened the way for her to be able to hear Solomon? I ask this question because I think the waiting queue must have been very long. The answer is found in the verse from the Proverbs we read earlier:
"A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men." Prov. 18:16
Her gift was the one that opened the way and brought her in front of a great man. According to today's value of gold, the approximately 4.2 tons of gold (120 talents X 34kg / talent) gift equals to 230 million euros! And this is without counting the value of the precious stones, spices and other precious items that were included in the gift package.
So what did the queen of Sheba get from this? Everything she wanted and much more. In 1 Kings 10:13 we read:
"And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants." 1Kings 10:13
The apostle Paul confirms the same:
"But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver." 2Cor. 9:6-7
With a little study I did on this, I estimate that the gift the queen gave to Solomon was about one-tenth of the king's annual income. So when we read that the king gave her out of his royal generosity, do you not think that the gift of the richest man on earth was greater than hers? I believe that when the queen left for her home, she left with more wealth, more wisdom and the favor of the greatest king on earth! Her gift opened the door to great blessings.
Here I will ask another question: Do you think that the queen of Sheba acted selfishly?
Do you think that all this wealth could have been given to the poor who really needed help instead of the richest man on earth?
I think this is a reasonable question. Remember what Judas, as the treasurer of Jesus, had said when the woman poured the myrrh on His feet and wiped it with her hair:
"Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" John 12:5
"Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying has she kept this.
For the poor always you have with you; but me you have not always." John 12:7-8
Mary, the sister of Lazarus, gave the Lord a precious gift, which of course was very small comparing with the gift that the Lord gave her resurrecting her brother.
I am sure that in the case of the queen of Sheba, such a large caravan carrying all these precious gifts, it was impossible to go unnoticed. It is very possible that this caravan passed through poor areas, but the queen understood a very important principle that still applies today in the supporting of a ministry:
Solomon did not need the queen's wealth, but she needed his wisdom and blessing, and her gift opened the door to what she needed. She probably left with more wealth than she brought and just think how much more blessing it could have been for the poor on her return journey. This is an excellent example of how things work in the Kingdom of God.
When you give to a ministry, you do not only bless the people who are touched by that ministry, but you start a supernatural flow in your finances and share in the anointing and blessing that is on that ministry. It is not bad to want the anointing that is on the life of a servant of God. The apostle Paul urges us to zealously seek spiritual gifts. I believe that my wife and I are moving in the anointing of the ministries we support because that is how God has set forth His spiritual laws. What we have prayed for is this:
"Lord, we want to be a part of it. We will sow in this person and in this ministry and in this way we will open a door that will allow the blessing that is upon them to flow to us as well."
You can begin to see these things happen in your life, as we have seen them happen in our lives, when you offer your gift in faith to the Lord.
The queen of Sheba needed something that her own people could not give her. So she went to the one who could, King Solomon. It was not just a selfish desire, but an important decision to be able to better fulfill her role as queen.
It is important to understand the power that exists in this type of partnership and then put that power to work in your favor. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to show you where to become partners.
I pray that the eyes of your mind will be enlightened and that with this teaching the Holy Spirit will bear witness to you.
The spread of the Gospel costs both in personal struggle and in money. In the ministry we do, we share the good news of the Gospel with you, as well as the revelations and experiences we have all these years walking with the Lord. If you are blessed by what we do, for those whom the Lord puts in your heart to support our ministry, I pray that the blessing and anointing that is on our lives will be released to you, our partners.
Amen!
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