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I remember years ago, back before I was

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an evangelist myself, at the time I was

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a wealthy businessman and I was supporting an

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itinerant evangelist.

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I helped this man on a regular basis

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in support of his ministry.

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One day he came to me with a

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special need.

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He said if he only had a motorcoach,

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it would allow him to travel more in

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the spread of the gospel, as he would

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not have to rely on churches to put

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him up in hotels while he was on

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the road.

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But if he had his own motorcoach, he

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could live in it.

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This evangelist told me he already had raised

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half the money for this motorcoach, and all

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that was keeping him from buying it was

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he needed the other half of the money

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to purchase it.

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He sent me a photo of the motorcoach

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so I could see how nice it was.

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I told him I would pray for him,

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that God would somehow get him the rest

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of the money.

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Then I hung up the phone.

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As I was praying for this man's need,

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the Lord convicted me that I could meet

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that need myself, and not only that, I

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could write him a check immediately.

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Well, that didn't sit too well with me

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at the time because it was a lot

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of money, money I could have squirreled away

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from my own family's use and future.

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But every time I thought of that evangelist,

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that photo of the motorcoach would float into

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my mind, and it disturbed me because I

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didn't want to with that much money.

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I believe God honors a follower of his

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when he gives to the Lord, especially for

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the spread of the gospel.

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I also believe, friends, that God is not

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too impressed when we give out of our

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abundance.

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Jesus said so himself in Mark's gospel.

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In chapter 12 we read, And Jesus sat

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over against the treasury, and beheld how people

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cast money into the treasury, and many that

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were rich cast in much.

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And there came a certain poor widow, and

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she threw in two mites, which make a

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farthing.

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And he called unto him his disciples, and

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saith unto them, Verily I say unto you,

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that this poor widow hath cast more in

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than all they which have cast into the

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treasury.

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For all they did cast in of their

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abundance, but she of her want did cast

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in all that she had, even all her

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living.

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I believe we get God's attention when we

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give to him sacrificially.

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For God is a God who delights in

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sacrifice.

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For did he not sacrifice his only begotten

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son on a cruel cross for sinful man?

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I believe God takes notice when it costs

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us something to give to his work.

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It's the sacrificial giving that grabs his attention.

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At least that's how Jesus sees it.

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Anyhow, back to this man and the motorcoach.

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Every time I thought of that evangelist, a

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photo of his motorcoach would float in my

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mind.

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I could picture him sitting behind the driver's

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wheel as he rode around the country spreading

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the gospel.

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Finally, I picked up the phone and called

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him.

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He said afterwards he could sense the nervousness

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in my voice as I told him I

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was putting a check in the mail so

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he could go get that motorcoach.

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After all these years, that evangelist still uses

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that same motorcoach in the spread of the

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gospel.

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Now, I say all that, friends, from a

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personal perspective in that I believe the main

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hindrance to the spread of the gospel isn't

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the devil, but rather it is we ourselves

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who refuse to part with mammon if it's

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going to cost us something.

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If we gave more sacrificially to God in

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the spread of the gospel, he would receive

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the glory and the lost and perishing could

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be reached more with the good news of

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salvation and Christ Jesus before they perished into

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a burning hell of torments.

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I believe there's enough money sitting right now

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in Christian bank accounts and investment portfolios to

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reach the whole world with the gospel.

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The trouble is we won't let loose of

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it because we won't tap into what we

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perceive to be our own personal nest egg

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for the future, but we don't realize that

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a sudden economic crash could remove that money

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anyhow.

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I don't believe Christ held anything back at

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Calvary, but rather he gave his all.

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The question is, are we a hindrance to

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the spread of the gospel or are we

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a facilitator of it?

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Let us pray.