Setting up a meeting is very easy to do. It is our heart to minister what God has put in us to as many as He will bring. Many times, people will reach out to us and ask us; “What are your requirements?” .. WOW, the church sure has changed, and it seems that ministry has become big business for many. So much that churches would ask “What do you require?” because many ministries they have asked to come minister in their churches have had expectations that were far beyond what a normal church could bear.
It is not our intention to put huge burdens on any ministry. When God does something, are not all involved included in His plan to bless and build? I cannot judge those ministers, many would say they have gone out, ministered for 4 days, spent their own money to travel to a place, spent their own money on lodging, only to have huge offerings come into the church, and they left there with $5.00 in their pockets. I can say there was a time or two where we felt that we had been taken advantage of in that manner, but God is surely big enough to sort all that out.
Paul had a simple approach to ministry: He asked the churches to take care of his needs in order to get there, and back to where he had come from, and he also let them bless him as they had ability. We have never based our ability to minister in any church on the church’s ability to raise a huge offering or put us in the Hilton with a chauffeur driven limo. We do ask that the host church take care of our travel and lodging, and we ask them to take up a love offering for us. Yes, we live by faith, and do have needs, but we believe our God is able to sort all that out. We have seen so much financial abuse in the churches, and always want our ministry to stay above reproach in the area of finances, at the same time, it costs us money to be out of town and ministering in churches. There is a balance that God wants to bring where ALL needs are met “by Him” It is simple, we ask you to do just as we are doing, be led by the Spirit.
Our standard is always the same.. There are things that are acceptable in the sight of God, and that which is un-acceptable in His sight. We can, and will not be partakers of any form of financial prostitution in the body of Christ. We have been in places where there were $50.00, $100.00, $500.00, and $1000.00 lines, and if you didn’t have an offering, it was recommended that you borrow a few dollars from the person next to you so you could get a blessing…. SORRY, that is not the type of ministry we ever plan on ministering in. I do not personally take up our own offerings, we ask the local Pastor to take up the offerings for us. The reason I operate this way is because I will not have anything affect the way I minister to God’s people, so there is no external factors affecting (or influencing) the prophetic words we might speak to your people. God has given us this balance in order to maintain the purity of what is spoken. We are in ministry for the long haul. God has already shown us that there is no “retirement” in this. We will minister until He comes to get us, and when he does, we will be able to stand before Him, and say that we have been faithful in what He has put into our hands.
With that said, we would love to minister to your group regardless of size. If I (Joe) am coming alone, I am very happy to even stay in an extra bedroom of a host family as long as it is not a single woman (unless she is an older widow with a son I can raise from the dead while there) 🙂 If Gayle is ministering and traveling with me, we would prefer to stay in a local hotel.
When God started this ministry, one of the things He clearly said to me was “keep business out of ministry”, He also said “if you take care of my business, I will take care of yours”
I hope this helps you to understand how we minister, and the standard that God has called us to in this ministry.
Please use our “Contact Form” or call us to request ministry to your church. As with anything, we (and you) need to first be praying and asking God for His timing and purposes in it.
Jesus loves you, and so do we!
Joe and Gayle Smiith
Prophetic Ministries
918-286-8247
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