Matthew 6:25-30
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life
Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Something to consider about this verse and the current financial teachings in the Church:
How much financial teaching in the Body of Christ is centered around fear, it says that if you don’t tithe and give you will not have your needs met …”have a need sow a seed”…this verse out of the mouth of our Lord told us to consider how the birds of the air that NEITHER SOW NOR REAP NOR GATHER INTO BARNS yet our heavenly father feeds them. Jesus is telling us to look to them as an example to gather faith from. Notice how he ends his teaching with “You of little faith”. Struggling people in churches are being told that the reason they are having financial trouble is because they have not tithed or given to the ministry…this is garbage that borders on the heretical because it MAKES MONEY RATHER THAN CHRIST THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN ME AND GOD’S PROVISION !
In light of Jesus statements here I would say that the current teaching in the body of Christ about sowing into the kingdom so your needs can be met are in flat our contradiction to the teachings of Christ in this verse. We are taught to sow a seed if we are in debt and need help financially and God will meet our needs yet Jesus actually said that that kind of thinking is not a faith concept. Faith is Knowing that we have a Father in heaven who loves us and has promised to provide our needs even if we have not sown nor gathered into barns.
It also makes their ministry the mediator between you and Gods provision…if you don’t believe me try asking one of these prosperity guys or the pastor if you can expect the same blessing by giving to the poor or the prisoners or the widows or your brother in need or even a different ministry other than theirs. Because we have faith in God as our Father we are free to give from a pure heart and not out of fear !
