Jesus grew up in a poor family. He was not well off, yet his ministry was the most effective in the history of the planet. He instructed his followers to take nothing with them for their journeys, highlighting both the need for them to depend fully on their faith that God would provide and limiting waste. When we bring a lot of things along, we tend to get bogged down and the mission loses focus. We can see this with the vast amount of money churches put into their buildings and programs rather than in missions.
Though Jesus sent his disciples out without any extra food or clothing, he was supported by the Galilean women: And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joann, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means” (Like 8:1-3). Jesus’s mission work couldn’t have happened without the aid of these women “and many others” providing for them out of their means.
Jesus was not alone in this. Paul, who is known for being a tent maker, still received help from the Philippian church: “And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only” (Philippians 4:15). Increasing mission work also means increasing mission support. When churches work together, they can accomplish a lot for the kingdom!
