I have noticed that some people have difficulty with the idea of receiving money, since they feel it is contrary to living by faith. Let me address this problem a little.
When we are living by faith, we do not make our decisions on what to do based on how much money we can make from a particular activity; but then neither do we run away from an activity simply because it does bring in money.
God is going to either provide us with our needs or with money to purchase our needs, and we must accept such provision humbly and graciously when it comes. The Bible says that those who preach the gospel are entitled to "live of the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14), and Paul said that if we offer people something that they need spiritually, it is only right that they share with us what they have materially (1 Corinthians 9: 9-11). So on that basis, we have a right to expect that the people we give the gospel to will give us something more or less in return for receiving it.
On a grand scale, those who fully receive what we are preaching will forsake everything that they own to us, and we will use that to live on or to support our charity work. But in a smaller way, we have produced novels and comics which help to communicate the gospel to the general public, and most people are happy to give us something in return for them..
Of course, we have to keep asking ourselves whether there are better ways of preaching the gospel which we may be missing because we are blinded by a feeling that they must also bring in funds. However, I don't think that this is what is happening. Instead, people seem to be feeling guilty to use what appear to be the best tools and best methods ever devised for preaching the gospel simply because it also brings in money. We need to recognise this trick of the devil to stop us from preaching the gospel with our whole hearts in total obedience to Jesus.
Think about the billion people in India and it will make you see that we are going to have to put in an awful lot of hours getting to them before we die. It just happens that when we put in the hours, God also supplies our needs. And when we don't put in the hours, God does not supply so bountifully.
Roland and Martin are shining examples as they put in long hours, day after day, in good conditions and bad. Their passion is to get people reading what we have to say. They make nothing out of it personally, so their real reason for doing it is spiritual. But because they faithfully do it, hundreds of dollars flow into our money box each week.
You will notice, too, that Rols and Martin work just as enthusiastically when we are giving out freebies. But whether we freeby or donie, we really do need to develop a kind of spiritual "greed", i.e. a keenness to increase the number of people that we can reach with the message. And when we get that part of the vision clear, then the provision will come in.
I have not heard anyone talking about a better way to preach the gospel. And when you receive income because of it, then thank God for it and enjoy it with a clear conscience. Jesus said, "An employee deserves to be paid." (Luke 10:7) He was talking about us being employees for God when he said it. But if the devil cannot stop us from working for God altogether, then he tries to tell us that we should feel guilty about being paid for doing God's work. Don't listen to him!
(See also Tracts, and Inspired Distributing.)
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