I don’t have a spiritual gift of giving. Don’t believe giving spiritual things is a ‘personal conviction’ or is cool or unique. At Tp, we offer prayer and all spiritual offerings freely because it’s Just, and they are not ours to sell. By grace we have received, through grace we give of ourselves and resources (Matthew 10:8). It is not our place to put up walls and try to block Godly help because of something as trivial as money. This belief aligns with the Bible, resonates with my spirit, and my faith. Freely giving to me means doing so not just with my heart but also with actions, so that means offering spiritual creations, spiritual gifts, witnessing to & praying for others for free, helping others, and giving my time, etc.

I also believe a personal ministry or local fellowship assembly is not a business. Spiritual entities should not sell things or yoke themselves with the government (2 Corinthians 6:14). This is why you don’t see business ads on this site and why we don’t sell any of our offerings.

How did I arrive at this conclusion? Well, one thing that helps me on my journey is I’m very reflective, and God helps me discern blurry lines (when he allows). I think with my mind and discern with my spirit and Bible (2 Timothy 3:16); we should not just follow the crowd (Exodus 23:2)(3 John 1:11) . As I always advise, we must go to God and the Word to see if we are doing the right thing, not the world. And we must handle the Word properly. We should seek advice from spiritual mentors, too (Proverbs 11:14) (Proverbs 12:15).

It is also right to support our home church and others doing God’s work. That aligns with the Bible. We are all parts of Christ’s body and should assist each other. (1 Corinthians 12:27) What God has given us will be used for Him when we freely give for the benefit of others. This is especially true for those who have a calling to work in ministry full time, like messengers of the Gospel and hard-working elders or pastors (though, technically, we are all in full time ministry). Most people have some basic expenses as mentioned in my Selling Jesus piece.

I am content and depend on God for all my needs, but I know how it feels to want to do more but can’t, constantly pulled back and forth. Thankfully, I don’t deal with that anymore. God taught me how to simplify my life so that I don’t need much, which frees up time. I know how it feels to wear several different hats and not get physical help from people who have the true skill (though the Lord fills in the gaps).

That’s one reason why, if Christians benefit from a spiritual creation, their local church, or someone’s personal ministry (all Christians have one-their spiritual abilities and evangelism), they should give back and share in some way from their hearts.
…More, Please!