Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

to be not (no longer?) unfruitful! All in all, this is a ringing endorsement to launch and
support Short Term Missions, if there ever was one!
3. Cheerfulness
But there is one final step to take. To be a co-worker of Christ in Kingdom funding
should be a joy (Deut. 26:14; Neh. 12:43). This can never be achieved without the
presence of the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of God is not food or drink, but the righteousness
of Christ, a peace treaty with God the Father and, consequently the joy of the
Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). Joy is a heartfelt sense of delight and exultation over a
“good” that was, is, or will be enjoyed. The performance of duty without cheerfulness
at best comes down to legal obedience, and is literally poles apart from Gospel holiness.
More than that, legal obedience following justification is woven of the same
cloth as works-righteousness prior to justification. It is formal, cold, and lifeless. This
may not be recognized on the surface. But God who knows the heart can, does, and
will determine whether someone has the reputation of being alive, but has the pall of
death hanging over him (Rev. 3:1).
4. Conclusion
It is rather evident that all three aspects of the biblical dynamics of Kingdom funding
are internal functions of the believer. They are, first of all, functions of the heart. It has
been said that “doing good” will automatically result in “feeling good.” While on the
broad human level there is some truth to this, from a biblical perspective it is both
shallow and misguided. It is shallow because the emotion of “feeling good” is easily
the result of legal obedience, which is no more than a common grace of God, when
compared with its counterpart of disobedience. It is misguided because it easily obscures
that both “doing good” and “feeling good” must be a part of Gospel holiness, of
evangelical obedience. Scripture shows a better way. It urges the believer to guard the
heart above all else, since all of life originates in it and flows from it. (Prov. 4:23; 1
Chron. 28:9). In other words, believers are told to cultivate a willing, ready and joyful
heart. This is how the strength of the believer manifests itself (1 Chron. 27:17-19; Neh.
8:10). In NT terminology, the believer is exhorted to be full of the Holy Spirit. Then
rivers of living water will proceed from his innermost being. All this, of course, can
never be accomplished apart from thirsting for, coming to, and drinking of Christ
(John 7:37-39).
VI. Biblical Donors in Kingdom Funding
No one is exempted in Kingdom funding. There is a role to play for both the rich and
the poor. On the one hand there is a vast difference, but on the other hand, there is an
even greater equality. There is clearly no comparison in the extent of their participation.
But the mode of this participation is, and should be, identical!
1. The Rich
The concept of riches in Scripture has two connotations. On the one hand, it is a more
relative term. Individuals who possess more are rich compared to those who have less
757