⏱ 10 min read

• In Luke 5 we saw how the anointed Jesus at a point in His ministry was under great pressure from the crowds, and He realized that He needed help.
• So He identified a resource (boat) that could help Him and a skilled expert (fisherman Peter) to help in the ministry, and it was a great blessing to all.
• In Luke 8, we see another form of help and support which is needed for God’s work. Let’s dig in:

“And certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.” (Luke 8:2-3)

• One form of help needed for God’s work to advance and for His servants to thrive well is the provision of substance (in many cases money; but not limited to money).
• I always wondered why Angels did not bring Jesus gold, food, a horse/donkey, etc.
• But you see, God has made it in such a way that His church and His servants will be provided for by His people and not angels.

• Jesus was cared for by MANY ordinary people (some delivered from evil spirits, some poor, some wealthy, etc), who provided for Him from their substance.
• It is easy to read the Bible and think that Jesus had no needs. But no, Jesus had every need as we do: food, clothing, shelter, etc. (We only hear of Jesus fasting at the start of His ministry).

According to Google, to provide means (1) to make available for use; supply and (2) to make adequate preparation or arrangement for.
So these women made whatever Jesus needed available (food, warm clothes for winter, etc.). They also anticipated and made arrangements/preparations for what He would need (where He would lodge, etc).

• God has made it this way so that His servants will depend on Him and Him alone as their source (Deut 18:1-2).
• God has made it such a way that his servants can focus wholly serving Him and labouring for His people (Luke 10:7, Acts 6, Ezekiel 44:28-30).
• God has also ordained that a blessing may rest on our household as we support His work and His servants (Ezekiel 44:30).

• One of the ways God humbles His servants and His body is to make them live or depend on the generosity of others: “….whatever they give you (Luke 10:7)” (if you want to go into ministry, pray about this).
• It is a very humbling thing to be at the mercy of the generosity of people as an anointed minister; especially for full-time ministers.

In many charismatic churches (like mine), the pastors and ministers are lay pastors. This means they have a regular work/business/profession and they are not paid by the church. (Some also do not have “Pastors Appreciation Day”).

• Now due to some of these developments, it is very easy for members to not give to them (eg. He is a doctor and a lecturer, how can I be the one given to him? He should rather be given to me).
• Yet, we are the ones that need the blessing God has placed on them for us and God has ordained that some of those blessings rests on us only when we honour them.
• Giving is not always to meet a need; it is also to show honour and to activate a blessing.

• Think about what you can give to support your church projects and your spiritual shepherds (periodically, on their birthdays, as the year comes to an end, etc).
• Let’s let them know we really honour and appreciate them and let’s provoke some blessings for our lives (as we have them with us).
• Don’t wait for something to happen before you start honouring. It has no effect then.
• It is not so easy to turn back time, and try to prove that you love when the chance to love is gone.

I’ll attempt to outline a few general ways to approach honour below (5 quick points):

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#1. Honour with your substance to show worth and not to meet a need:

• Obviously God does not eat the first fruits or the money we present to Him. We present gifts to God to honour him, not because He is hungry.
• God does not eat beef or pork. God does not eat biscuits or chocolates. God does not use dollars/pounds/euros in heaven.
• God does not need any of the things we present to Him. They are just our honour for God.

“for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. IF I WERE HUNGRY I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.” (Psalm 50:10-12)

Honour or give because of the person’s worth and greatness to you. Your gift may not be something the person can ever use/need. Most great people cannot use the gifts or amount we give them. There are gifts we present only for the sake of honour and not to meet a need.

#2. Honour with your substance by presenting something physical, substantial and usable:

• God asked the Israelites: where is the my honour? So honour can also be seen (physically).
• One way to honour is by presenting a usable gift to the person. Many gifts are unusable.
• Many people have unused crockery (plates, dishes, cups), etc., in their homes that they just pick and present to the people they want to honour.

“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me?… When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.

• What you must realise is that what is unusable to you is also unusable to the person you want to honour! (Notice the scripture above).
• The prophet warns about presenting blind and lame animals which are no longer useful to the Lord.
• If you don’t want these animals as part of your flock, why do you present them as a gift on the altar? What you cannot use in your house, God and whoever you’re honouring cannot use!

#3. Honour with substance by rewarding the person who has been a blessing to you:

• All through the Bible, God’s servants are honoured with substance because they are a blessing to the people (1 Timothy 5:17-18).
• Never think to yourself that it is not a biblical practice to honour God’s servant. It is our ignorance that makes us feel that honouring God’s servant is wrong.
• Example: Paul was honoured greatly after he was a blessing to the island of Malta.

“And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. THEY ALSO HONORED US IN MANY; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary.” (Acts 28:8-10)

#4. Honour with substance by doing something expensive for the person when they are alive:

• There are certain times you must set aside all restraints and shower the person you wish to honour with something expensive while they are alive (Mark 14:1-9).
• Many people wait for the person to die before they show unbridled, uninhibited love and honour. I tell you, “goodness is best seen in the coffin.”

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. (Mark 14:4-5)

• Expensive funerals are held for people who cannot see what is happening.
• When they are alive, we have all sorts of reasons for not spending money. “It is too expensive! It is too extravagant! It is not necessary! It is not our style!“
• When they are dead, people now want to buy the most expensive coffin and pay many dollars to honour them.

#5. Honour with substance using the example of what was done for Mordecai:

In Esther 6:1-10 (please go and read it), the king asked a crucial question: what should be done to the man whom the king wants to honour? And Haman thought that the king would want to honour him.

As such, he gave an uninhibited rundown of what should be done to a person who was going to be honoured. So one key to honour properly is to think of receiving that honour for yourself (what would I want done for me?).

• Anyway, let’s note the elements of this great honour: Royal clothing (v8)! A special horse (a form of transportation)! A crown (v8)! Public acclamation and recognition (v9)!
• The greatest example of uninhibited honouring with substance is seen in how Mordecai was honoured by the king.
• This scripture answers all the questions about what to do when you want to honour someone.

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