"Freely Ye Have Received, Freely Give"

Matthew 10:8

It has been my privilege to preach the glorious gospel of Christ in many places around the world.I have often been asked, either beforehand or afterwards,"What do we owe you for your expenses?" My answer has always been, "Nothing, thank you; all my expenses are taken care of." And they always are. God takes care of his own. I have never negotiated a salary; but I have never lacked adequate maintenance for myself and my family.

Why am I writing these things? Simply because I want you to understand that though "the laborer is worthy of his hire," God's servants are not hirelings. They do not seek compensation for their labor. They will not allow financial considerations to determine what they preach or where. They do not provide for themselves or their families. They live upon the generosity of God's people and refuse to take from them more than is needed for their livelihood.

When our Lord sent his disciples out to preach the gospel, he gave them strict commandment, saying, "Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass for your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves." If a man preaches the gospel he must not entangle himself with the concerns of securing his own comfort or livelihood. He must trust the God he serves to provide for him and learn to live upon what God provides.

A man's attitude in this regard is, to me, an indication of his real affection. Twice in the past twenty years I have invited men to preach for me who wanted assurance in advance that their expenses would be met. Though our congregation always meets the expenses of guest preachers, I politely excused those men because I am convinced that a man with a message from God will not allow a few dollars, or a few thousand dollars to keep him from delivering it.

I commend this congregation for your unceasing generosity to me,to God's servants around the world,and to the many men who come here to preach the gospel of Christ to us. I urge you to continue steadfast in the faithful support of the gospel. To any man aspiring for the work of preaching the gospel I say, do not assume that work in any place until you are prepared to wait upon God to supply your every need and are prepared to live upon God's provision.God will provide for his own.

Don Fortner