And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16
“Instead of fields, then, purchase souls that have been afflicted, insofar as you can, and take care of widows and orphans and do not neglect them; spend your wealth and all your furnishings for such fields and houses as you have received from God.
For this is why the Master made you rich, that you may carry out these ministries for Him. It is much better to purchase the fields, goods, and houses you will find in your own city when you return to it. This kind of extravagance is good and makes one glad; it has no grief or fear, but joy instead. And so, do not participate in the extravagance sought by outsiders; for it is of no profit for you who are slaves of God.
But participate in your own extravagance in which you can rejoice. And do not counterfeit or touch what belongs to another, or desire it. For it is evil to desire someone else’s goods. But do your own work, and you will be saved.”
The Shepherd of Hermas 50. 8-11, Parable 1 (c. A.D. 70-140) as reported by Bart Ehrman in Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make It Into The New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003) 270.
When people ask me about making gifts to GTP, I have referred to this famous passage from The Shepherd of Hermas, which has been a meditation in the past, but this one is worth repeating as I work through this text again for the talk I will deliver at conference in Amsterdam in July.
Don’t relate to riches like the world. Use it to carry out ministry for Him that touches people. Last Friday I spent an hour on the phone with a mentor and friend, Rob Martin, one of the founding board members of GTP. He said the Spirit had been telling him that GTP had reached capacity.
“It’s time to do things differently, Gary.” He said. “Let’s pray for God to supply some capital through His people so GTP can scale to respond the opportunities to strengthen stewards crying for help in many countries.” So that’s what we did. We prayed.
Then when I read this, I though I’d ask every reader to pray this too. We are praying for God to supply $1,000,000. And for the first $200,000 before 30 June 2024. Would you pray with us for this? We need someone to purchase souls by releasing funds that could otherwise buy a field or a building.