What Is This Sowing Business?

I am greatly vexed by this “sowing and reaping” business that many churches are running a circus of today. The modus operandi usually involves the pastor having a promise or revelation he supposedly received directly from God which will bless many in the congregation. To receive that blessing, congregants will have to sow into the church’s building fund, ministry or whatever pet project.

For those not in the know, this “sowing” just means that you give your hard-earned money to the church or pastor in anticipation of returns on your “investment”. It’s sort of like financial investments.

More often than not, the congregation is primed to give readily with carefully-selected candidates going up to the pulpit to give their testimonies of abundance:

We were poor, down to our last five hundred dollars, but we sowed into the building fund, and the next day we received a multi-dollar order to print tee shirts for a football team!

I was doing well, but there was more I can achieve, so I sowed, and this year, after some calculations, I have not only gained a promotion but been given a total of 250 per cent increase in my take-home pay!

Does that sound like these people struck it big at the lottery to you?

Is that how God works?

While I don’t doubt that some might be prospered by God for specific purposes, this business of sowing for blessings is not Biblical. Some might say that, well, these ministries need money to run too (to which I agree), but to raise money while purportedly “selling” the blessings of God?!

How did the Apostles bestow God’s blessings on others? Did they ask for seeds to be sown?

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Acts 3:1-10

Now, surely, Peter and John needed money for their ministries as well! Yet look at what’s happening — Peter told him that he had no money (silver and gold), but what he had he would give to the man, i.e. the free gift of healing in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

If you substitute Peter and John with some of today’s pastors, you will probably hear them saying “Well, now, God has told me that you are to be healed and to claim it, all you have to do is first sow into this healing ministry!”.

Peter and John certainly didn’t say what some of today’s pastors would say. In fact, what I think Peter was saying here can be extended to mean that if he had any silver and gold (money), he would have given them to the lame man as the latter was asking to receive alms!

Let’s look at another example in the Bible — when our Lord Jesus Christ sent out the 72 as recounted in Luke 10:1-12 with these instructions:

Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

Luke 10:4-9

Again, notice that no sowing into Jesus’ ministry is required. In fact, our Lord is teaching His disciples here to solely trust in God for all their needs. If we leave the house today without our money bag (wallet) and a knapsack (or handbag for ladies), many of us will feel lost. Think back to these disciples who are without their money bags and knapsacks and you can see how they will need to rely on God alone for their provisions.

Think you not that the Lord shall equip and provide us with all we need when we are called to do His Will?

Finally, if you have been sowing into such a ministry, be mindful that you are in fact much like Simon Magus, who, on seeing that Peter had been given the power to impart the Holy Spirit on others by the laying of hands, wanted the same blessings for himself and offered to, in today’s terms, sow into Peter’s ministry.

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 8:14-19

What did Peter do? He rebuked Simon Magus for thinking that God’s free gifts could be bought with money!

But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

Acts 8:20-24

In the same manner, you cannot buy the blessings of God with your money, which is exactly what these pastors are telling you to do by telling you that you can receive the blessings and promises by sowing into this ministry or that fund!

This practice of sowing into a ministry or fund for blessings is not Biblical! In fact, if you think about it, what difference is there between this practice and the Roman Catholic practice of buying indulgences?

After all that’s said and done, we do need to sow, but not into any ministry or fund, but the seeds of the Gospel. This we do not with money, but by sharing and proclaiming the Gospel to all who will hear.