Funding the Ministry of Jesus
Have you ever noticed that Jesus’s earthly ministry had to be funded?
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. - Luke 8: 1-3
Women all over the world are committed to transforming their communities with the love of Christ!
Have you ever noticed that Jesus’s earthly ministry had to be funded? A faithful group of women who had experienced the healing and blessing of their Savior traveled with Him and provided for His mission on earth. This interesting tid-bit sits in between two highly charged passages in Luke: the account of the sinful woman anointing and washing Christ’s feet with her hair, and the parable of the sower.
It’s easy to isolate those two stories, drawing beautiful imagery and application from both the foot washing and the parable, but when taken together with the linking verse about funding Christ’s ministry, we can find ourselves within Scripture as we contemplate our own roles in sowing good seed.
Now, there are many verses about giving to the poor and needy. There are stories about giving from the heart, and about not mimicking the Pharisee’s showy tithes and offerings. But this verse is slightly different. This quiet, steady provision for the ministry of Christ is by women who know how much Jesus loves them, and who have experienced his healing first-hand. The woman who came to Jesus with expensive ointment heard Christ’s words of forgiveness proclaimed over her, as did countless others who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. They cannot help but fund his continuing mission on earth so that others may also know Him!
It’s no accident that this verse about funding transitions us into the parable of the sower. As we do what we can to sow the good seed of the Gospel, we know we can’t control the environment that it lands in. However, seed is still needed in order for crops to grow. The women following Jesus were committed to sowing the seed, just like so many of our partners overseas who work in their communities through the local church. These leaders want those around them to know the radically life changing love of Jesus, and are willing to do whatever it takes to sow this good seed, but they need the “many others” who will provide for them and their ministries.
This is where ARDF and our Proven Partners Program comes in. Our Proven Partners are committed to serving in the background through monthly donations. These unrestricted funds are crucial in helping ARDF to thrive, which in turn allows us to resource as many needs as we can. We can then scatter the good seed of the gospel in many different ways, trusting that the Lord will bring to fruition the labor of our hands. Our Proven Partners are the “many others”, largely unnamed in Scripture, yet essential to providing for the Lord’s work on earth. The joy that flows from Christ’s work in their lives overflows into the support they give Christ’s ministry through the local church, enabling many more all over the world to experience the healing and peace He brings.
ARDF and our Proven Partners do not forget our place as people who have experienced the radically life changing love of Jesus. It is out of our place of brokenness and healing that comes the joy of spreading this mission to the world. We are able to provide for the Lord’s ministry out of our means, and that is one of the blessed ways we are able to partner with those who are sowing the good seed in their communities.
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