2 Corinthians 9:9-10 — as it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness:

Myra and I had dinner with a wonderful Godly couple last night. We were talking about ministries and the husband asked a great question. “What do you look for when choosing a ministry to support”?
Regular readers will know that Myra and I looked at our “portfolio” earlier this year and decided that we would focus around four major areas — the Christian family, Christian education, Christians in need, and Christians yet to be (that is evangelism!). Yes, ok, but what were we looking for?
I have to be honest. We weren’t “looking” for anything, so my answer is going to be an after the fact conclusion that I’ve arrived at. But what really happened was that we prayed, and discussed and then chose the ministries God laid on our hearts.
These two verses from Corinthians point to what should be at the root of all giving to ministry. Paul connects it to the regular Jewish practice of giving to the poor every week. He says it’s “righteous”. “Human” righteousness is not really human at all, of course. It’s a gift of God — a “fruit of the Spirit” if you like.
Paul next goes on to make it clear that God is the provider and we are stewards — blessed when we share.
It’s a beautiful circle. God gives us the gift of righteousness, and makes us stewards of His riches, and then we can pass on the gifts to others. That’s the point. Our giving to ministry is to pass on the gifts, and build the kingdom.
Once I’d thought my way through all of this I understood the reply that came to my lips when my friend asked the question. “Our giving is focused on helping people be successful Christians”. And that’s it.
Our underlying principle isn’t very exclusive. And digging into scripture makes it clear that there are plenty of options that fall within it’s scope — evangelism, discipleship, education, feeding those in need, offering hospitality to strangers, clothing the naked, visiting prisoners, taking care of widows and orphans … and probably plenty more I can’t call to mind!
The question was a great one — but it’s only part of the point. “What do you look for?” has to be paired with “what do you listen for?”. To that, of course, there is only one answer. We listen for the Holy Spirit’s prompting.