June 20, 2006
C. Peter Wagner: "Kingdom
Philanthropy"
For
most of us who have served in leadership positions in the church in recent
times, the concept of philanthropy has been a rather distant and even abstract
thought. We have been aware that philanthropists exist, but we do not ordinarily
move in their circles. Many of us would not even be personally acquainted with
one. Yes, at times we request grants from foundations operated by
philanthropists, and that may be as close as we usually get.
Can We Become Philanthropists?
What would it be like if those of us who lead Christian ministries became
philanthropists ourselves? I know that at first glance that would sound
far-fetched. However, I would not be surprised if this fits into the direction
that the stream of God seems to be moving in this season.
We live in extraordinary times. The 21st Century is already shaping up to be a
quantum leap from the 20th Century around the globe. We now live in the Second
Apostolic Age, in which the biblical government of the church has come alive
once again. The Holy Spirit has begun speaking to the churches about taking
dominion of God's creation as God originally intended us to do. Our 20th Century
goal of saving souls and multiplying churches has been expanded to aim for
nothing less than transforming our society.
Along with all of these mega-changes is the impending fulfillment of God's
promises through His prophets for the great transfer of wealth. My sense is that
we are looking at unbelievable quantities of wealth moving from the control of
the kingdom of darkness, to the control of the Kingdom of God. I know that it
may be an exaggeration, but I have both faith and hope that it will be on the
order of the wealth in Solomon's Kingdom.
It is one thing to receive and generate this wealth. Some will come through
supernatural transfer from surprising sources. Some will come through
supernatural revelation to Kingdom-minded individuals who have the personal
tools to produce wealth, so that they will multiply their profits exponentially.
This will be in tune with Deuteronomy 8:18, "You shall
remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth that
He may establish His covenant."
Responsible Distribution
It is another thing, however, to distribute this wealth responsibly. Here is
where philanthropy comes in. Aristotle said that anyone can give money away, but
only a few can give it to the right person at the right time, to the right
extent, for the right reason, and in the right way.
"Philanthropy" comes from two Greek words meaning "loving people." It is a Godly
pursuit because God loves people. Those who are born again by the Holy Spirit
reflect God's love for people in their thoughts and in their actions. They are
not self-centered because they feel that their destiny is not so much to help
themselves, but to help others. It is important to recognize up front that
philanthropy and selfishness are opposites.
If we are going to meet God's standards
for philanthropy, we must first pass the test of selflessness. Loving others is
more important than loving ourselves.
Having said this, we must at the same time cultivate healthy, biblical attitudes
toward ourselves. The Book of Romans (see Romans
12:1-2), tells us that if we are to do the good, and acceptable, and
perfect will of God, two things are necessary. First, we must not think more
highly of ourselves than we ought to think. That reflects what I just said about
selflessness. But the second thing in doing God's will is to think soberly of
ourselves. In other words, we must come to a positive, realistic, accurate
self-evaluation. We must know who we are and who God desires us to be.
Unfortunately, there has been some misguided teaching in some of our churches;
teaching that we should denigrate ourselves in order to please God. Supposedly
pious phrases like, "We are nothing" are common. One of Charles Wesley's songs
has us singing, "Such a worm as I." God did not create us to be nothing or to be
worms. He created us to be the head, not the tail (see
Deuteronomy 28:13).
Thinking Soberly of Ourselves
How do we think soberly of ourselves? Romans
12:3 says, "As God
has dealt to each one a measure of faith." The same passage then goes
on to say that part of this is knowing our spiritual gifts (see
Romans 12:6-8).
Another part is knowing the specific
assignments that God has given each one us to advance His Kingdom. I'm directing
these thoughts on philanthropy mostly to those whom God has given positions of
leadership, primarily apostles (see 1 Corinthians 12:28).
I think it is quite obvious that most new Kingdom philanthropists will be
apostles--both apostles in the nuclear church and apostles in the workplace.
Fortunately, most apostles have been able to sort out the difference between
unbiblical self-denigration and biblical selflessness.
Why have I dwelt so much on how we see ourselves? It is because of a very
evident component of philanthropy that sometimes does not surface in our minds.
Think of it. Think of any philanthropist you have heard of. Start with America's
number one philanthropist, Bill Gates, if you want to. Before anyone becomes a
philanthropist, they first must possess the resources needed to fulfill their
personal destiny in life, whatever that might be. Once their own perceived needs
are fully met, they can then begin to focus on providing similar resources for
others. Philanthropists are rich. There might be an exception to the rule from
time to time, but I am talking about the rule.
The Oxygen Mask Principle
In the apostolic networks, I have organized for what I call broad-band
distribution, I apply the "oxygen-mask principle." When we are in an airplane,
the flight attendant announces the oxygen-mask principle. If the cabin
decompresses, oxygen masks are deployed for each passenger. If you have a child
with you, you are instructed to put the oxygen mask on yourself first. Why? Only
if you have your necessary supply of oxygen can you help those who don't.
As I said in the beginning, the body of Christ in general, has not been in a
philanthropic mode on a worldwide scale in the past. Yes, we have loved people,
and we have helped others both spiritually and materially.
We have fed poor people, we have been on
the scene when disasters have hit, and we have established schools and hospitals
and orphanages.
It is one thing to care for the poor,
but it is quite another to remove the social causes of systemic poverty. Many
tools are necessary to make this happen, and one of them is vast amounts of
wealth, which previously has not been at our disposition.
Deliverance from the Spirit of Poverty
I think that one of the blockages to this in the past, has been the oppressive
penetration of the spirit of poverty in our churches in general. If we are going
to be philanthropists, we first need to be delivered from this pernicious demon.
We need deliverance individually and in our families, and we need deliverance
collectively in our churches and ministries.
The opposite of poverty is prosperity.
Prosperity is God's will for His people and for His creation. Only prosperous
people and ministries can be good philanthropists. That is why
2 Corinthians 9:8 says, "When you always
have everything you need, you can do more and more good things."
Later on, the same passage affirms that "God will make
you rich enough so that you can always be generous" (2 Corinthians 9:11).
Those who struggle and who are mired in debt, cannot be as generous as they
would like to be.
Consider this scripture: "There is one who (gives
generously), yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is
right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich" (Proverbs
11:24-25).
Agents for Kingdom Philanthropy
Who would be the most likely agents and agencies for Kingdom philanthropy? It
may surprise some when I say, these agents would probably be what we generally
refer to as ministries or parachurch organizations, as over against most local
churches. A much more satisfactory technical term for ministries or parachurch
organizations, in my opinion, is "sodalities." Its counterpart for local
churches would be "modalities." These terms have been used mostly in academic
missiology, but I think they are useful because they do not carry the baggage
that our more common terms often carry.
One of the many differences between the two structures is that modalities are
pastoral, while sodalities are apostolic. This is an obvious clue as to why I
would think that sodalities would be the most likely agents for Kingdom
philanthropy.
Some local churches are exceptions to the rule. Some local churches function
more like sodalities than modalities. They have apostolic leadership. Two
churches that I am closely associated with would fit this description. One is
Glory of Zion of Denton, Texas. My wife Doris, and I, are ordained under Glory
of Zion, and the apostolic leader is Chuck Pierce. The church is a base for
sodalities, such as Glory of Zion International, the Global Apostolic Prayer
Network, and the elite Eagles of God team of peripatetic prophetic intercessors.
The other church is Springs Harvest Fellowship, where Doris and I currently hold
membership. Our "senior pastor" is Dutch Sheets, who regularly reminds the
congregation that he does not have the gift of pastor, nor does he carry the
pastoral work of the church. Our functional pastor is his associate, Chris
Jackson. Dutch has said, "I do not want to lead a local church. I want this
house to be an "equipping center for Kingdom ministry." This is apostolic
language. The church is a base for Dutch Sheets Ministries and for the National
Governmental Prayer Alliance, which are classical sodalities.
I cite these concrete examples to explain in part, why both Chuck Pierce and
Dutch Sheets are included in the two apostolic networks that I lead. These
networks are designed to provide an infrastructure for broad-band distribution
of the Kingdom wealth that is coming. They both qualify to become Kingdom
philanthropists.
Other concrete examples of sodality structures would be vertical apostolic
networks such as Ché Ahn's Harvest International Ministries, or Michael
Fletcher's Grace Churches International, or Jane Hansen's Aglow International,
just to name three. Following these would be the more obvious and common
ministries that we are aware of.
All are potential agencies for Kingdom philanthropy, and the apostles who lead
them are prime candidates for Kingdom philanthropists.
C. Peter Wagner
Global Harvest Ministries
www.globalharvest.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
C. Peter Wagner's Upcoming Itinerary:
July 6-8, 2006
International Congress on Intercession and Spiritual Warfare
Orlando, FL
Contact: (888) 965-1099 or
www.globalharvest.org/index.asp?action=conf3
August 29-31, 2006
International Congress on the Changing Church
Dallas, TX
Contact: (888) 965-1099 or
www.globalharvest.org/index.asp?action=conf2
September 28-30, 2006
Piercing the Heavens: Understanding How to be Victorious in Spiritual War
Colorado Springs, CO
Contact: (800) 683-9630 or
www.globalharvest.org/index.asp?action=conf6
|
"How to
Minister Freedom"
Helping Others Break the Bonds of
Sexual Brokenness, Emotional Woundedness, Demonic Oppression, and Occult Bondage
with Doris Wagner, General Editor
with Contributions from Chuck Pierce, Cindy Jacobs, C. Peter Wagner and More!
$16.99
Book
YOU CAN MINISTER FREEDOM TODAY
With many Christians living under
bondage today, no church should be without this crucial guide for ministering
lifelong freedom. From generational bondages to issues of rejection, anger,
unforgiveness, sexual sins, and evil influences in our lives and homes, the need
to minister freedom is great. And the cost of not doing so even greater.
Whether you are a pastor or a
counselor, or you are seeking freedom for yourself, this book could change your
life. A compilation of four essential resources, How to Minister Freedom
offers the steps to finding freedom from demonic oppression, emotional wounds,
sexual bondages, and ties to the occult. Well-known experts in the field of
deliverance offer a basic understanding of each issue and the means to minister
healing. The time has come to minister
freedom, and to take back the joy Christ wants for each of us.
"When 18 Prophetic Voices speak about freedom from
Sexual, Emotional, Demonic and Occult Oppression and Brokenness, it's time to
listen..."
--Steve Shultz, The Elijah List
|