The International Christian Church (ICC) has an official book about money and finances called “Money Is the Answer For Everything”. It was written by Joseph/Joe Willis, an ICC world sector leader and the Lead Evangelist of the Sydney International Christian Church. Since it’s available on Kindle Unlimited, I decided to give it a quick read and review.

The first thing that should immediately capture one’s attention is the bold assertion found in the book’s title – “Money is the answer for everything”! While this may trigger alarm bells for many, Willis reassures his readers that it’s actually a King Solomon quotation from the Bible:

A feast is made for laughter,
    wine makes life merry,
    and money is the answer for everything.

Ecclesiastes 10:19 (NIV)

Willis explains that Solomon recognised the power of money to accomplish his dream building projects because “financial resources can compensate for lack of skill or time” (p7, Kindle). From this idea, Willis springboards into his book’s main thesis that money can also be used to offset the biggest challenges facing the church today, particularly the need for more dedicated workers in God’s global mission. The implication is, if only more money is given towards mission, will there be any real chance for God’s kingdom to be advanced today.

Hence, this book aims to address the biblical need for the evangelisation of the world and sees money as a practical and critically important solution, if not the solution (if the book’s title is anything to go by).

This isn’t to say that Willis makes no attempt to engage with the Bible. He does! Much of the book, especially the first few chapters is filled with passages from the Bible. However, it is the way in which the passages are interpreted and applied which raises questions.

For instance, in the book’s preface, Willis quotes from Luke 10:2 which says,

[Jesus] told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

Luke 10:2 (NIV)

Willis then explains:

There are many people that God has prepared for salvation but few workers who are out there doing the work. While it is every Christian’s purpose to seek and save the lost, there is a direct correlation between the growth of a church and the number of competent full-time ministry staff. Men and women need to be freed up to be trained in how to do the ministry, to learn on the job how to build churches, and to shepherd souls. Consequently, men and women need the funds to lead groups and churches, as well as to be missionaries establishing new churches. Jesus knew that He needed to be free of work as did the men He trained, so that He could totally focus on training His disciples before He died. To do that, they were supported by other disciples including several women. (Luke 8:2-3) Today we need many men and women dedicated full-time to forcefully advance God’s Kingdom.

Willis, Joseph. “Money Is The Answer For Everything” (p. 7, Kindle).

While Willis is right in identifying the need of more workers for the harvest based on Luke 10:2, he jumps straight into finding a practical solution, ie. the need to raise money to support ministry workers since there is a correlation between church growth and competent full-time workers.

But that isn’t what Jesus’ says in Luke 10:2. In the passage, Jesus’ practical solution is prayer! “Ask the Lord of the harvest”.

Now that doesn’t mean Jesus is against the idea of pooling money to raise workers for world mission. But his priority is for us to ask the Lord to do something about it, rather than leaving the solution in our own hands. And since God is infinitely powerful, He can also use non-paid, non-full time workers to reap the harvest if He so chooses.

Ironically, when we keep reading the verses proceeding Luke 10:2, we discover that the seventy-two people that Jesus sent out were actually sent without prior financial support from anyone!

² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

Luke 10:2-7 (NIV)

Of course, Jesus’ instructions to the seventy-two wasn’t meant to be “THE financial support model” that every evangelist should follow. In the same chapter of his book, Willis is correct in pointing out that Jesus and his disciples would often be financially supported by women who aren’t the direct recipients of their ministry (Luke 8:2-3). But the important point is that there isn’t just one way in which the Great Commission of Matthew 28 would be fulfilled, ie. by raising money to create more gospel workers. Because our powerful God can work in so many other ways!

In addition, it is worth noting that the Apostle Paul, who is arguably the most prolific missionary of the New Testament, deliberately chose NOT to receive financial support from God’s people for his gospel ministry (1 Corinthians 9:1-18). This is also true of Barnabas (see verse 6). We see again and again in the NT that Paul and his co-workers decide to labour with their own hands to support themselves to fund their ministry (eg. 1 Cor 4:12; Acts 18:1-3; Acts 20:33-35) in spite of the fact that it is within their right to receive a living from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14).

Furthermore, it is also worth pointing out that in Paul’s pastoral letters to his protégé gospel ministers, Timothy and Titus, that none of these letters speak about the importance of obtaining money for Christ’s mission, like what Joseph Willis has done with his book. Rather, on the contrary, Paul’s pastoral epistles are full of warnings about money!

Here are some examples:

¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

1 Timothy 3:1-3 (NIV)

These are the things you are to teach and insist on. ³ If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, ⁴ they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions ⁵ and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:2b-10 (NIV)

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV)

¹ But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV)

Therefore, in light of all this, Willis would be wrong to assume that “money is the answer for everything” in relation to gospel ministry and world mission, which is the basic thesis of his book that spans 21 chapters.

I hope to write more about Joseph Willis’ book in a future post – before my Kindle Unlimited subscription runs out!