Dealing with a Moochinary

Tomorrow is Labor Day, which one dictionary defines as “a public holiday or day of festivities held in honor of working people, in the US and Canada on the first Monday in September, in many other countries on May 1.” Despite the Bible’s commandments to have a good work ethic, some missionaries are more like “moochinaries”, begging in the name of the Lord. I’ve dealt with a few especially online.

Three years ago, a Facebook friend who called himself “The Thankful Leper” sent me a message asking for money. Until then, I never had any interaction with this man since accepting his friend request. Initially, I replied with a link to my “Discernment for Donations” article. That was to explain why I don’t give money in response to unsolicited emails. He immediately responded by saying he won’t play “scripture ping pong” but quoted verses about why I should help him financially. 

This man went on to say, “If you can't help me in that way I’d be happy to move in with you and you can take care of me that would be a better blessing.” He lived in Dallas while I was hundreds of miles away in Minnesota. I pointed out I’m a traveling missionary who lives out of a suitcase and doesn’t have a permanent home. 

The Thankful Leper then suggested I partner with him calling this “a divine appointment.” I told him, “I’m a believer...not a beggar.” (I look to God as my source and avoid asking people for money while this professional panhandler had a GoFundMe page that collected over $24,000 within two years). He went on to quote more Bible verses trying to put a guilt trip on me. Since he handled the word of God deceitfully (2 Corinthians 4:2) and wasn’t teachable, I unfriended him.

Jesus never had to beg for His needs to be met. The Apostle Paul supported himself by making tents but later wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:14 (NIV), “…the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” Whether you are called to the ministry or the marketplace, the Lord wants your work to glorify Him. We are not to be slothful or have a sense of entitlement.

“For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies…And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:11, 14

Much Ado About Megachurches

Some Christians and many nonbelievers are critical of churches that have unusually large congregations. One photo I saw online showed the huge sanctuary of a well-known church with the added caption, “Instead of building mega-churches, how about building mega homeless shelters?” How many of these critics practice what they preach by letting homeless people live in their houses? Very few I suspect. Incidentally, the church in question (Lakewood Church in Houston) has ministries reaching out to the needs of the homeless.

When evangelizing I occasionally meet people who say they don’t like going to large churches because they seem so impersonal. Walking into a new church can be a somewhat intimidating experience particularly for those who haven’t been in one for a while. That’s why many fellowships have greeters who go out of their way to make first-time visitors feel welcome. Nevertheless, a person can feel lonely in any church whether there are only ten or thousands in attendance. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.”

I’m the product of a megachurch. In February 1991 I first visited Living Word Christian Center, a large church in suburban Minneapolis. After committing my life to the Lord a month later, I eventually became a member of Living Word. It was there I got firmly grounded in the Word of God and learned to become a soul winner (megachurches can teach multitudes of people how to share the gospel). In recent years, I’ve resumed attending meetings at Living Word during extended visits to the Twin Cities area.

Large churches doing the work of the Lord are having an impact on their communities and nations. David Yonggi Cho pastors the largest congregation in the world. Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea has about 830,000 members. Dr. Cho pioneered the cell group concept that plugs individuals into smaller groups connected with the church. Back in 1962, only 2% of South Koreans were Christian. Today it is around 30%.

Heaven will be like a megachurch. Revelation 7:9 talks about “...a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb...” During His earthly ministry, Jesus sometimes ministered to thousands of people at once such as when He multiplied the loaves and fishes. Wouldn’t He be more pleased seeing huge crowds gathered in His name instead of at a sporting event?

Scripture doesn’t state the ideal size of a congregation that can provide sound biblical teaching and opportunities for spiritual growth. So whether it’s a megachurch, a smaller local fellowship, or even a new one just starting up, the best church to go to is the one God has assigned you to. If you’re not already plugged in somewhere, ask God to show you where that place is.

“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” - 1 Corinthians 12:18

Hospitality and the Harvest

Being a missionary can be an exciting adventure but it will challenge one to go beyond their comfort zone. In her book “Tramp for the Lord,” Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom wrote about traveling from place to place having to sleep in a different bed every night. This elderly Dutch woman was grateful for the many people who gave her places to stay so she could share God’s love throughout the world. I believe Corrie reaped a harvest of hospitality as a result of her family hiding Jews from the Nazis during World War II.

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines hospitality as “the act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.” There are numerous examples in Scripture of God’s people extending hospitality. In Genesis 19, Lot eagerly invited into his home two traveling strangers who turned out to be angels. Lot not only housed and fed his guests but also protected them from the Sodomites. In return, the angels warned Lot to get his family out of Sodom because of coming judgment.

Hospitality was more of a necessity in Bible times. The few inns that existed back then didn’t have the amenities like the Hiltons and Marriotts we have today. When Jesus was born into this world, His parents didn’t stay at an inn because there was no room for them. Later during His earthly ministry, Jesus and His disciples often stayed in people’s homes and received provision from their hosts. The Lord told His disciples in Luke 10:7, “And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.”

When the Lord sends me somewhere to minister or receive ministry, I’m often provided with a room in somebody’s home. Until recently I questioned why God hadn’t provided finances for me to stay in hotels more frequently. Then while on a road trip to South Carolina, a fellow missionary pointed out 3 John 5-8 to me…

5 Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers,

6 who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well,

7 because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles.

8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.

Verse 5 in the New Living Translation says, “Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you.”

While I enjoy staying at a nice hotel now and then, the Biblical example for hospitality seems to be in people’s homes. The only incident in Scripture I’m aware of when the Lord commended someone for putting up another at an inn was in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Aside from lodging costs that can become rather expensive, one drawback to staying in a hotel is you don’t know what kind of people previously stayed in your room and what they were doing. That’s why I make sure to pray and anoint with oil every hotel room I stay in before settling into it.

Sadly, hospitality among the saints in Western nations has diminished due to selfishness and a growing distrust of strangers. It doesn’t help that some so-called Christians don’t tell the truth and try to take advantage of others. Once I talked to a woman in Florida who has a ministry of feeding the poor. She told me about another woman we knew who through manipulation stayed at this minister’s house against her husband’s wishes. This woman lied by claiming she had a job but didn’t. As a result, the minister lost $300 because she helped this woman get her own apartment and the rent never got paid.

Nevertheless, hospitality is something God expects from His people especially to those who want to be leaders in the church…

“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach” - 1 Timothy 3:2

“Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers (the Amplified Bible clarifies “of the brotherhood”), if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work.” - 1 Timothy 5:9-10

“For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled,” - Titus 1:7-8

Blessings will result when God’s people show hospitality to one another. In 2 Kings 4, the Shunammite woman went out of her way to build a spare room for the prophet Elisha. Later when Elisha wanted to bless the Shunammite woman in return, he found out from his servant Gehazi that she had no son. Elisha prophesied in verse 16, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” She gave birth a year later. Not long afterwards, the child died but Elisha raised him from the dead.

Sometimes I’ve turned down lodging offers because I didn’t have peace about staying in particular places. I’ve also been conscious about not “wearing out my welcome.” As Proverbs 25:17 says, "Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house, lest he become weary of you and hate you.” It should go without saying Christians must avoid abusing privileges given while being a guest in someone else’s home. At the same time, hosts must avoid enabling individuals who are purposely being lazy. As 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT) says, “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”

One thing people will be judged on when they stand before the Lord is how they treated the brethren that needed a place to stay. As Jesus said in Matthew 25, “I was a stranger and you took Me in” (Verse 35) and “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Verse 40) It also says in 1 Peter 4:9, “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.”

So if you have a spare room in your home, I encourage you to make it available to fellow believers and especially to ministers that travel through your town. That’s another way you can help fulfill the Great Commission.

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” - Hebrews 13:2

Feeding the Bread the Life

There is a large homeless population in Washington, DC. Whenever I'm street witnessing in the nation's capital, I'm occasionally approached by people wanting money. Often they will say it’s for food. That's why I usually carry extra snacks in my backpack like crackers and granola bars that I offer to hungry panhandlers. Con artists who really want money for drugs or alcohol will frequently refuse the food.

This afternoon as I approached a Metro station, I noticed a man standing by the escalators and correctly discerned he was begging for money. He asked me for some change and I responded by asking this man if he was hungry. When he replied, "yes", I told him I had fruit bars with me and offered him the choice of either strawberry or fig flavor. After choosing a strawberry fruit bar, I gave Joseph a tract and asked if he knew for sure where he would spend eternity when his life ended. Joseph said he was hoping to go to heaven and initially didn’t think anyone could know for sure of their eternal destiny. I politely pointed in the tract what 1 John 5:12-13 says...

"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you maycontinue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

After sharing other Scriptures with Joseph, he eventually prayed to get born again. Glory to God!

"For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” - John 6:33