Verse:

“And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:4-6)

Probably a reason why anointing to this extent is almost non-existent today is because the phrase “silver & gold I have none” (in modern day, this translates to “I have no money”) is overlooked.

Overlooked in the sense that such apostles of God ‘didn’t have a drop of intention toward being prosperous in money but lived in faith absolutely without carrying money around’.Of course, these are the pinnacles of faith which are rarest.

Another closely related ‘high-anointing’ sending out of ‘labourers to the harvest’ (in verses below) also implies “no taking of money for ministry” (implied by His Command to ‘take no money belt’)

“And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. “Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. “Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.” (Luke 10:2 – 4)

The only “wages” such “highly anointed” ones were allowed to take were “food & water” (needs, but ‘no’ money):

“Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.” (Luke 10:7)

Christianity today does ‘not’ follow this ‘no money but food & water only rule’ but wants ‘high anointing to gain the prosperous money blessing abundant life as they call it’ whenever ‘they do ministry’. We have greatly erred from Scripture.

We quote the verse “harvest is plenty, labourers are few…” (Luke 10:2) for “missions” but don’t quote the adjacent verses which come together with it such as “…carry no money belt…” (Luke 10:4) & taking only food & water “…eating & drinking…” (Luke 10:7) to carry out such ‘evangelism in accordance to Christ’s Rules’.

The saints of the past have done it and in modern times the Christian Universalist Sadhu Sundar Singh did it too. Perhaps that’s why we don’t experience such ‘high levels’ of ‘anointing’ because we only want to do it to ‘gain blessings especially financially when participating in ministry’. God is good in that ‘He still blesses us despite our errors & imperfections in our ministries carries out in His Name’.

Also, a commonly misunderstood verse is this:

“So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:14)

Many who ‘quote the above verse’ claim that they can “take as much money as they want as pastors” because they are doing His ministry. Truth is, the verse above only allows “a pastor” (or man of God) to take “get their living” (and “not get their prosperity”) from the Gospel.

This means, a true pastor should only take the money for his needs & the rest, use it back for ministry. No such thing as taking extras to increase in financial wealth & materials for the money collected in the Name of the Gospel (neither the verse above nor other verses exist allowing this common error of Mammon across Christianity).

God allows a believer to be rich (such as Abraham or others) but only through “their work” (E.g. Farmers, position in government such as Joseph, or a king like David or through other business which is allowed). Never once in Scripture we see an example of a ‘man of God’ gaining financial prosperity by “collecting tithes or offerings in the Name of God”. It’s only through “their secular work of some sort God Blessed them such.”

Also, the Old Testament Levite priests too lived by this same principle by only taking their needs from the tithes & offerings collected and never for financial or material prosperity. Christianity today errors greatly in this too.

Another common error is to take the phrase “life abundantly” in verses below to mean “financial prosperity too”:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Truth is, Christ never mentioned once that His definition for “abundant life” means “financial or material prosperity”. In fact, the verse below clearly implies (in Christ’s own Blessed Words) that the “abundant life” Christ meant is “not” inclusive of “material or financial possessions in abundance”:

“Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

The Bible is very clear that ‘a Christian (pastor or believer etc.) can be rich only through secular work’. The Bible is also clear that ‘no Christian (especially pastors or man of God) are to make their prosperity through the Gospel wages’.

At most, a ‘man of God’ (E.g. Pastors may take “their living” providing for their “basic needs only” from Gospel wages, nothing more). In fact, anything more from the collection is to be used for ministry even given to the poor from any church collections.

Indeed,

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Money)”. (Matthew 6:24)

Blessed be His Name

Blessed be His Name