Dear friends:
 
Six major ministries have been asked to provide financial records to the U.S. Senate, which is looking into charges of lavish spending.  Whether or not the Senate has the legal authority to do this is another matter.
 
Without facts and with apparent glee, some Christians immediately jumped on the bandwagon and have assumed they are guilty. 
 
This message will serve as a caution to those who are prejudging the matter.  Make sure you are not opposing God.
 
The other day I had a revelation from Jesus’ own words, and it is attitude-altering. 
 
The below Scripture is from the lips of the Son of God Himself, the Second Person of the Godhead.  He speaks nothing but truth, and His words can be totally trusted.

“Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10: 29:30, NKJV).

Tradition often conflicts with God’s Word, and most Christians do not like those words of Jesus, and choose tradition, with this and other Scriptures.  Plus, they disparagingly call those who receive the hundredfold as “prosperity teachers,” because they dare teach what God says on the subject. 
 
Please reread the above words again carefully.
 
Do not expect U.S. Senate, CNN, or the New York Times to reference or even understand to this Scripture.
 
How does this relate to those six ministries?  It is amazingly relevant.
 
To the best of my knowledge, most of them began with extremely humble and almost destitute beginnings.  When they started their ministry, I know one of them lived in a small trailer. 
 
What did they all do?  They forsook everything for the sake of Jesus and the gospel, just like it says in the Mark 10 passage above.  They struggled, sometime for years. 
 
But -- they began to sow into other ministries.  They continued to struggle, and continued to sow, blessing others.
 
Eventually they began to prosper, also just as the passage says.  And eventually from their sowing and sacrifice, they began to reap, eventually “a hundredfold -- now in this time” (or “present age,” NASB).  The ones I know about are still sowing greatly into the lives and ministries of others.  And they are still reaping “in this present age” -- not in heaven, which will come later, but now, just like Jesus said.
 
That passage and the hundredfold prophecy has literally come to pass in their lives.
 
Sure, we have all seen instances of sacrificial Christians who have not seen this hundredfold increase. But a cardinal principle is to not judge Scripture by anyone’s personal experience.  Scripture must stand alone, by its own authority.  It is truth.  Those who believe and act upon it will see its promises manifested.
 
There is another part of that passage which has startlingly also come to pass.  It is where it says, “with persecutions.”  Note they are being persecuted by the government, by the secular media, and by many Christians because of their hundredfold increase!  Jesus' words are amazingly accurate (no surprise).
 
Summary:
 
We have ministries which began humbly and with little or nothing.  They believed, they sowed, and have now reaped a hundredfold, being greatly blessed. They are still sowing and blessing.  Many millions are being blessed by them.  Wealth has come to some, maybe all of them, outside their ministries, with outside sources of income.
 
Along comes disgruntled unbelievers who know not God or His Word.  And just as the Scripture says, they are persecuting those who have received God’s blessings.
 
But let us remember the source of wealth: “Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant…” (Deuteronomy 8:18, NIV).
 
Just be careful in buying into what the world or false religious tradition say and in your accusations.  You may find yourself opposing God.